I read with surprise the comments of some River Forest Village Board members to the results of the referendum in the April 2 edition of Wednesday Journal: (https://www.oakpark.com/2025/04/01/river-forest-term-limit-referendum-result/)
I was especially puzzled by the comments of Trustee Lisa Gillis. She opposes term limits because with term limits “[The village] is going to run into a situation where we’re not going to have the caliber of people in office because we are not allowing folks to put the best people into the office.”
As far as day-to-day operations, we all know that the village operates almost as if by inertia. So I tried to remember the position of Ms. Gillis to unique, important decisions by the board in the last few years. Four of them came to mind. Placing traffic barriers on Clinton and Bonnie Brae, to which she voted enthusiastically Yes; changes in Zoning ordinance, again a resounding Yes; Lake & Ashland’s unfortunate razing, which she again approved without reservation; the TIF district, which she again approved with gusto.
Most of these decisions were poorly thought through and were either reversed or are still in limbo years later. But not before costing money and time to the residents.
So much for putting the best people in office.
Really, Ms. Gillis, nobody in River Forest can match your caliber? Given the examples above, I believe that any resident has better judgment than you.
I do not know what is greater: the delusions of grandeur of some board members, or their obtuse view of the village’s problems and residents’ expectations, their consistent ineptitude in decisions that affect the residents, their outstanding incompetence, or the level of inflation of their ego.
Why should we not vote against your tenure on the board and the sequence of future bad decisions that we believe you will make?
Do us a favor: Resign, and let residents with less arrogance and more common sense guide this village.
Giuseppina Nucifora
River Forest