Departing Oak Park trustees Lucia Robinson and Ravi Parakkat received commendation from their colleagues, as the village board transitioned to its new configuration Tuesday.
The Oak Park Board of Trustees adheres closely to tradition when it comes to the first sessions with a new board, making sure to honor the contributions of departing trustees as newly elected and reelected officials are sworn in. Parakkat did not run for reelection; instead, he mounted an unsuccessful campaign to be elected village president. Robinson lost her bid for reelection.
The two thanked their colleagues and loved ones for their support and spoke to what they were most proud of about their times on board.
Parakkat remarked that he never would have seen himself working in local government when he first immigrated to the United States as a young man.
“When I first came to this country so many years ago, I never thought for a minute that I would ever be in local politics,” he said. “Oak Park has been so generous and kind to me and my family and we found a true sense of belonging here.”
Parakkat said he was proud of his record as a trustee.
“I have served with integrity and transparency, and I have really voted my conscience at every opportunity I got and tried to explain the rationale of my vote at every instance as well for the community at large,” he said. “These years have represented a lot of learning, and I have grown as a person during this process. I have gotten to work with a lot of incredible people in this community, both leaders and community members alike.”
He added: “There have been so many of these great moments, and I cannot list them all, but these opportunities combined with what I was able to do through my service with Takeout 25. [A COVID initiative to encourage restaurant takeout.] It has been a fascinating and gratifying journey for me the last four years. That combination has given me a lot of satisfaction and connected me back with my original reason for joining politics, which is to serve people.”
Robinson thanked both the community and her family for supporting her as she worked to lead her hometown’s municipal government.
“To the community overall, serving as one of your elected officials has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” she said. “My children, you inspire me, motivate and challenge me every day to be a better person and that includes my role as a leader in this community. As second-generation Oak Parkers, we have both grown up here and been molded by Oak Park’s values. We know in very deep-rooted ways the potential this community has to live up to its commitments, and you each have helped me make at least some of those commitments a reality over the last four years.”
Newly elected trustees Jenna Leving Jacobson and James Taglia were sworn in at the meeting, as were reelected Village Clerk Christina Waters, Trustee Chibuike Enyia and Village President Vicki Scaman.
“I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished is a community through COVID-19 and a successful migrant response to support a vibrant growing community that continues to strive to be racially and socioeconomically diverse for all generations,” Scaman said. “I am further honored to have been reelected to serve as your village president for a second term. Thank you for your trust in me to lead during these very trying times.”