Activist Toolkit

1) Why do you want to be a Trustee? What makes you qualified to serve? What metrics of success do you plan on holding yourself accountable to?

I’m a lifelong resident and want to work to keep Oak Park a diverse and affordable community. I care deeply about the Village and believe I  bring a skill set that can effect change while respecting the character and values that Oak Parkers believe in. I spent 6 years as a Township Trustee and helped develop policies that ensured the success of social service programs for seniors, at-risk youth, and residents with mental health needs. As a Village Trustee, I’ve worked hard to keep our levies at a minimum and thoughtfully set policy in line with Oak Park values while enhancing livability. I’m also a business owner and CPA which brings a sound financial perspective to the board. I believe the combination of my Village and Township service has helped provide me with a solid foundation to lead Oak Park forward. Ultimately I am accountable to constituents, but not just the constituents who vote- elected officials should be accountable to every resident and stakeholder in the village. Finally, some of the metrics for measuring my success as a trustee include assessing if board goals are being achieved, programs and partner agencies are meeting benchmarks, maintaining a sustainable tax levy, and maintaining the target percentage of affordable housing. 

2) How do you make decisions?

I take a serious approach to decision-making. First and foremost I listen to constituents. I know that I don’t know everything and rely on the experiences and perspectives of constituents to help inform my decisions. I also weigh all the evidence available on any issue. With the input of constituents and the body of evidence around the issue, I try to develop a position that mitigates the issue at hand, with careful consideration about how the decision will affect everyone in the village. I would say that my approach is one to solve problems in a way that does not negatively or disproportionately impact people.

3) What are the three biggest challenges or opportunities facing Oak Park in the next three, five, and ten years and how should the board address them over the next four years?

The three biggest issues I see the village facing are public safety, affordable housing, and property tax growth. Public safety is a regional issue that will take a regional approach to solve. Addressing inequities is crucial to improving public safety long term. Equitable policing to a very high ethical standard can help, especially when dealing with known hot spots for violent crime. However, policing alone will not solve the problem. We should be working within a coalition of communities and stakeholders to address public safety.

Affordable housing is an issue I feel strongly about. I was one of the Trustees who voted in our Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance (IZO) which has generated a significant amount of money for our housing trust. Funds from the IZO have been used to support workforce housing at 801 S. Oak Park Avenue, and more recently support for low-income renters in town. We also need to be supporting density near public transportation to continually improve and increase the housing stock.

Property taxes will always be a challenge because we live in a high-service municipality that aligns with our collective values. We need to be diligent about how we use funds to make sure we have an efficient government. We also need better cross-board cooperation and collaboration to try to reduce redundant expenses. This is very challenging as each of the taxing bodies in Oak Park has its own priorities. I believe my personality and willingness to meet with colleagues on other boards is an asset to addressing this issue head-on.

4) How would you approach the budgeting process?

As the only CPA on the village board, I think we need a lot more public input on the budget. This last budget year I was disappointed by the lack of discussion around the budget and budgeting process. We should be regularly performing needs assessments and shifting budget funds into areas of need rather than just doing what we’ve always done. Getting constituents more involved in the process would help the village and the board to better understand the needs of our village. I also believe that having a budget goal that puts a soft limit on tax increases will inspire the village to be as efficient as possible. For the last six years we have been successful in limiting tax increases, without cutting services, and concurrently building our reserves. I would like to continue this trend while getting more public input on where they believe our funds should be used.

5) What would you say to voters who are worried about the tax burden?

Honestly, I would say vote for me because I have consistently worked hard to maintain our services while putting limits on tax increases. Being the only finance professional on the board, I have a keen understanding of the compounding impact property tax increases has on keeping Oak Park affordable.

6) What policies and programs should the Village undertake to improve its tax base and help local businesses thrive?

Commercial vacancies are pretty low in much of Downtown Oak Park, and the Hemingway District. However, there are 13 business districts throughout the village and many of them need some attention. We should be doing what we can to decrease vacancies on border streets, which are major commercial areas that are not generating what they could in sales taxes. I’d like to see reducing vacancies in troubled commercial areas become more of a priority.

7) Is it appropriate for the Village incentives or supports that would specifically be directed toward minority-owned businesses? Why or why not?

I think policies need to be assessed on a case-by-case basis instead of making a blanket statement. Minority-owned businesses are important and maintaining a high percentage of them should be a village goal. Achieving such a goal requires input from experts, constituents, and all approaches should be considered and debated by the board. We have a history in Oak Park of implementing creative solutions, and nothing should stifle such ideation in the future.

8) What do you see as the most pressing issue relating to housing in Oak Park? What
policies would you advocate to address this issue?

Affordable housing is the most pressing issue in my opinion. We should be continuing to invest housing trust funds in projects that increase the number of affordable housing units. We can also revisit the IZO to make sure what was implemented is continuing to be successful so that we are consistently considering projects for our pipeline.

9) Rental units comprise about 41% of Oak Park’s housing stock. How can the Village
better serve the needs of renters in our community?

Serving the needs of renters is something I have a solid track record on. Renters are oftentimes at the mercy of building owners and management companies. This has created scenarios where renters were trapped in challenging situations including mold, rodents, bedbugs, and a multitude of other issues. I believe that we need to hold building owners to high standards. Buildings should be up to code, clean, and safe for renters. Management companies and owners that take advantage of renters should be held accountable. I recently met with residents of a large apartment building in town who were unsuccessful in getting their complaints heard by an out-of-town management company, managing a building owned by HUD. I was able to bring these concerns to village staff who deployed inspectors who assessed the entire building. I also communicated with Danny Davis who was gracious enough to meet with me, and the residents of the building in order to hear their stories and complaints, which were then issued to HUD so that the agency had the information needed to hold their management company accountable. 

10) How can the Village better serve the needs of the disabled in our community? Those who wish to age in place here in Oak Park?

The Disability Access Commission has done a great job over the years advocating for people with disabilities. We have made needed progress in re-development areas like Lake Street, and Madison Street, to make sidewalks and crossings safer. The DAC should continue to have a strong voice in how the village moves toward a more inclusive infrastructure so that our disabled community can utilize the amenities and services of the village as easily as everyone else.

11) Last year, Village Trustees passed a climate action plan. What is your opinion of that plan and its implementation so far?

We have been slow to move on this issue over the years.  I am excited that we finally have an aggressive Climate Action Plan that passed unanimously. It is still too early to assess its implementation and efficacy. However, it is a high priority for this board and I anticipate that the passing of the plan will catalyze quick movement on this issue. However, the hardest issue we face in fully implementing the Climate Action Plan lies ahead- sustainable funding. In order for us to achieve the goals of the plan, we need to be considering and pursue a multitude of additional funding sources, otherwise, we run the risk of depleting our existing funds which could stifle the program.

12) In their report, BerryDunn consultants noted that there are racial disparities in the impact of policing in Oak Park. This echoes concerns raised by community members who have called on our elected officials to reimagine community safety in our Village. How do you define public safety? How would you work to create an Oak Park where all community members feel safe?

Our police need to be held to the highest standards. We also face a regional issue that can’t be solved by Oak Park itself. With that said everyone who lives, works, and visits Oak Park should feel safe. The challenge is that “feeling safe” means different things to different people. For example, some people feel safe with a strong police presence, whereas we know that many others feel unsafe with a strong police presence. We need to be continually assessing how we are policing, and getting ample public input throughout the process. There are historic reasons that continue to impact racial disparities in the region. Oak Park needs to do its part in the region, but we also need to be working with other stakeholders in the region to make any measurable impact.

13) Volunteer citizen boards, commissions, and committees advise the village trustees. Do you believe that these entities are utilized effectively? What (if any) changes would you like to see to their authority, responsibilities, and oversight?

I think citizen commissions are crucial in our legislative process. The communication between the commissions needs to improve. These commission members are appointed by the President and voted on by the board. Giving the commissions more authority needs to be addressed on a case-by-case basis. Obviously, the legislative authority always falls on the elected officials. However, giving commissions a more prominent role in the legislative process should be considered. At this point, some commissions play a more prominent role, such as the Plan and Zoning Commissions. We should be assessing each commission to make sure they have the tools and the voice to do their jobs and provide needed input to the elected body.

14) In the past, Oak Park has been at the forefront of votes regarding national issues like gay/lesbian domestic partnerships years before gay marriage was legalized, and
immigration. Do you think these types of ordinances are an appropriate use of trustee time and energy? What would you say to a constituent who wanted Village Trustees to
take a position on current national issues like protection for transgender rights or a
woman’s right to bodily autonomy?

I think using our voice is important in larger regional and national issues. Oak Park is viewed as a leader and our actions are studied by municipalities around the country. Ordinances are important and I am a strong proponent of protections for transgender rights, bodily autonomy, immigration, healthcare data privacy, and many other rights not specifically addressed in this question.

15) What role should the Village play in voter registration, education and participation?

The village should be doing everything it can to get people registered, educated, inspired, and able to easily vote.

16) What approach should the Village take towards intergovernmental cooperation initiatives such as the Collaboration for Early Childhood Development? Are there other specific initiatives that you would like to implement or expand upon?

The Collaboration for Early Childhood Development is an excellent example of what’s possible when taxing bodies work together toward a common goal. I would very much like to see more intergovernmental collaboration and cooperation. Despite each entity having its own goals, we need to establish community-wide goals and work together to accomplish such goals. There are challenges because boards turn over and different elected officials have varying views on how much collaboration in which they’re willing to participate. However, these challenges should not dissuade us from improving collaboration on other projects.

17) What approach should the Village take towards intermunicipal cooperation with
neighboring communities? Are there specific initiatives that you would like to implement or expand upon?

We should be far more active in working with neighbors. Recently I worked with elected officials in Berwyn to address a problem business that has been a hot spot for violence. While we do not have any authority to tell a neighboring municipality how to act, we can collaborate on shared goals, the same way taxing bodies in my previous answer should be working together. Coalitions and task forces would be a good platform to start needed conversations. As of this moment, the mayors of the neighboring municipalities meet somewhat regularly. However, details of those meetings are not always disclosed in detail to other elected officials.

18) Please list the three largest donors to your campaign by dollar amount contributed.

I have not received any donations in this cycle and am self-funding my campaign. I have also committed to spending very little money on my campaign, including forgoing lawn signs (though for environmental reasons more than cost). I would like to have a local system where anyone who lives in the village could afford to run for office. The last election had eleven or twelve candidates. Many spent an exorbitant amount of money on our campaigns, including me, which I regret in retrospect. This cycle I am committed to being part of the solution rather than part of the problem. I believe I will spend the least amount of money out of all the trustee candidates this cycle.

19) For those who are currently serving or have previously served as a Village Trustee: What vote are you most proud of, and what vote do you most regret? Why?

I am most proud of enacting our Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance because of the positive impact it has had on affordable housing. I most regret agreeing to this year’s budget. While the budget has no increase in the tax levy, it has a significant increase in annualized spending which is being paid for out of our reserves, with no funding source in place to make these increases sustainable. In retrospect, I should have fought harder to articulate the dangers of spending down reserves on new long-term budgetary spending.