After weeks of uncertainty, current Oak Park Trustee Cory Wesley announced he is running for reelection this spring. Wesley said family concerns and a “lack of empathy” he has experienced recently in the community were driving forces behind his hesitation.
He wanted to make sure going through another campaign cycle and a possible four additional years on the board would not jeopardize the time he has left with his high school children still at home, and he reflected on how passionate he still is about the work he does at the board table.
“I’m a natural optimist, but for a little while, I found myself short on optimism in terms of people and what the future of this place might look like based on some of the vocal things that I was hearing from people or reading from people,” said Wesley.
He has been a leading proponent of proposed zoning changes outlined by Shape Oak Park, a topic that has brought heated debate to board meetings and around the community. Wesley said he welcomes differing opinions as it makes conversations “more interesting,” but the line from simple disagreement to “naked racism and classism” has been crossed by some.
He made it clear he does not want to shy away from those difficult conversations on any policy no matter how intense they can get. A “core tenet” of his platform is to push the village outside of its comfort zone.
“We can’t just say we’re not going to talk about parking because it’s scary. We’re not going to talk about parking because I might not win the election,” said Wesley. “If I lose this campaign because I’m fighting for people to get what they need in this village that is already super expensive, that could at the very least try to be a little bit more accommodating, that’s fine with me.”
In addition to zoning issues playing a large role in his campaign platform, he feels there are a lot of other issues Oak Park needs to be “more intentional in addressing.”
“There’s a lot of people who feel like government is out of touch, and feel like the government doesn’t care, and that the government doesn’t know what the problems are that they’re facing, and I happen to agree with them,” said Wesley.
He wants to prioritize getting more underrepresented voices in front of the village board. One idea he shared was to create a renters commission, to encourage space for the 40% of Oak Parkers who rent to share their unique challenges.
In general, he wants more citizens who are doing the “field work” and have expertise in specific areas to have more of a role in advice and policy development, like what he is seeing on the Ad Hoc Housing Task Force currently.
Wesley also said he will continue to be an advocate for safety in the Oak Park community with emphasis on traffic and bike safety.
“I do still want to help create the future of Oak Park and help it be brighter than it is today and help build that village so that the next generation and the generation after that also have something to build upon,” said Wesley.
Wesley is the seventh candidate for the village board election in April 2027 where three seats will be up. Trustees Wesley, Derek Eder and Brian Straw, the three that currently hold those seats, are all running for reelection.