Activist Toolkit

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

My life’s work is the Village of Forest Park. I am born and raised and have dedicated my career, and all my philanthropic efforts, to this village. I know with my leadership all Forest Parkers will have a seat at the table and with my collaborative approach to village management each Forest Parker will be able to leave an impact on the way Forest Park moves forward. My 36 years working in the Public Works department, the last 13 as the Director of Public Works, a position from which I retired, along with 16 years as an elected Commissioner on the Board of Directors for the Park District of Forest Park has afforded me the experience needed to lead this Village. Aside from the standard best practice financial responsibility metrics that come with municipal management, the confidence of village residents will be my metric of success – and they won’t have to wait every 4 years to feel heard. As the Mayor of Forest Park, my door will always be open.

2) How do you make decisions?

As an elected official it is my duty to ensure I represent all residents of the Village of Forest Park. Decision making under the Doss administration will be collaboration-forward; include the entire village council, municipal department heads, and residents through a variety of engagement opportunities, including community-based committees.

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

The three biggest opportunities facing Forest Park are:

1. Updating our Village’s Comprehensive Plan - The village’s comprehensive plan needs to be addressed well before the four-year mark and would be a priority under the Doss administration.

2. Altenheim Property - The Altenheim property needs to be addressed in the next four years with a community-forward strategy. The path forward for Altenheim is a once in a generation opportunity for Forest Park to ensure our village’s legacy is solidified, but no singular government official, mayor or otherwise, should make this decision without the input of the people who call Forest Park home.

3. Focusing on new business and commercial development opportunities on Roosevelt Road - Regarding Roosevelt Road’s many opportunities, there are several ways village hall could approach this, and I do believe much success could be achieved by partnering with the correct professional commercial development contractor, but at this time I won’t be sharing a full plan. Vote Doss on April 4, and we’ll begin the good work together.

4) How would you approach the budgeting process?

Forest Park has some interesting revenue generating opportunities on the horizon, but future success to ensure pension funding and municipal services meet the needs of all village residents will require continued involvement from elected commissioners and department heads.

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

Under the Doss administration I will work on new revenue streams and make it a priority to not pass new tax burdens onto the residents. Bringing out-of-village dollars to our businesses and ensuring those businesses are thriving is paramount to my policy as mayor.

6) What should the Mayor's role be with respect to economic development and attracting new business to Forest Park?

Any mayor’s role in economic development is crucial. I intend to leverage decades-long relationships and work closely with the Chamber of Commerce, Building Director, and Village Administrator to create a business-friendly environment in Forest Park. This includes streetscape improvements, critical incentives for new businesses, and ensuring our village is host to exciting events that bring in out-of-village dollars.

7) The Altenheim property and future development alternatives are topics of much discussion in Forest Park. What should the next step in this process be, and what is your ultimate vision for the Altenheim property?

Vacant properties weaken social ties and the deterioration of both physical buildings and relationships comes to symbolize a lack of accountability. This helps explain why the same neighborhoods struggling with urban decay and vacant properties often face a higher risk of crime. Forest Park is in a unique position to combat this at Altenheim. While I will always believe that “Greener is Better” and am a strong advocate for green spaces and the effect such spaces have on a community, I can speak firsthand to say the Park District of Forest Park is not interested in taking ownership of this space. The Park District would, however, be interested in partnering with the Village to support developing a plan for how we can best use the space. I would strongly encourage a collaboration of this caliber. Additionally, and as I’ve noted previously, I firmly believe there is no greater team than the team of residents most directly impacted by a decision of this sort and before I could ever reasonably state a definitive plan for this Altenheim Property a legitimate, unbiased, and special interest-free series of Town Hall meetings, commissions, and resident information forums would have to be introduced.

8) The debate over video gambling has been resolved through binding referendum, yet there are still divisions over the issue. Do you think those divisions can be overcome? If so, how? If not, why not? Would you now seek to repeal the prohibition on video gambling in Forest Park? If so, how? If not, why not?

The voters have spoken on this matter, so I see no reason to discuss it further. There are many other issues affecting Forest Parkers which should be prioritized.

9) What does transparency in government mean to you? Give one example of an action you would take or have taken as Mayor reflecting your views on this topic. How would you evaluate the Village’s record on transparency?

Transparency ensures accountability, openness, and communication between the public and government. That transparency should be considered the highest metric for an elected official’s success, which helps ensure those same public officials remember that their duty is to the voters and residents of the districts they represent. In Forest Park, the dispensary(ies) was just one example of village hall not being transparent. Some time ago, the public held a meeting about cannabis. Years later current village management okayed two of these types of business without reconciling with the public - one in the heart of our downtown business district. Under the Doss administration, this would have been discussed with the public to ensure such a significant change to the way a DBD operates is cleared with those it most directly impacts.

10) What are the appropriate limits to a nepotism policy that would prevent the appearance of favoritism while not unduly hindering the ability of local government to work with those who already have an existing relationship with government stakeholders?

I understand Forest Park has an anti-nepotism policy in place and while there is always room for improvement regarding any policy or procedure, I would not consider limiting that policy in any way. Where any current working relationships are transparent and accountable to key performance indicators, village government, and the residents our government services, benefit.

11) What steps will you take to enhance community engagement with the Village government and the Village Commission? What is your view on how local elected officials should communicate with and respond to constituents?

A primary agenda item of considerable concern to me is the implementation of an Open Door Policy. In Forest Park, commissioners are appointed to oversee a specific department(s). Our village commissioners should play an important role as first points of contact within the community for the departments they are entrusted to oversee. When commissioners embrace the privilege of this duty the residents of Forest Park benefit from having someone to engage on matters related to municipal operations. Forest Park also has a full-time village administrator who, under the Doss administration, will have an open door at village hall; not in such a way as to hinder their ability to operate our village successfully, but in a manner that ensures they are aligned with the needs of the residents they support. Of course, that Open Door Policy will also apply to the mayor’s office. My goal as mayor is to be the mayor for every resident of Forest Park, and I will make sure the privilege of representing Forest Parkers does not stop with a handful of select-few who benefit any special-interest agendas.

12) In what ways have you sought to better know and understand the experiences, concerns, and needs of residents outside your demographic group?

A lifetime of living in a place like Forest Park affords anyone who is interested tremendous opportunity to meet many folks from many different walks of life. Forest Park born and raised; I’ve seen many people come to our village who come from different backgrounds. During my time living in and serving this great community, both at the Public Works Department and as an elected official on the Park District board, I have been blessed to meet many residents from many different backgrounds and I cherish each of those opportunities.

13) Do Black Lives matter? How can the local government put Black Lives Matter into action?

The Black Lives Matter movement is a critical element of our society to support reconciling with the discrimination, inequality, and inequities suffered by the African American people; and so yes - black lives matter. I know for fact that I cannot speak to the situations of every Forest Park resident with certainty, as I have not walked or lived in their shoes. What I am committed to do, as elected mayor of Forest Park, is remain open minded with an open door and be willing to listen to all people who reside in Forest Park.

14) Much is made of how long one has lived in Forest Park as a marker of legitimacy in its local government. This can serve to delegitimize the large number of people who have recently moved here, especially those who are renting. How will your administration work to get the perspectives of and involvement from newly arrived Forest Parkers and especially renters in the village?

I have found that pride in one’s hometown, and the contributions one has made to that hometown, often come from a place of well-meaning. That said, I’m not sure I agree that government officials are “legitimized” by the life-long-resident badge, as many of our commissioners, current mayor, and a bevy of our public service employees are not life-long residents. What I think is important for elected officials – that they have the heart to ensure the decisions they are entrusted to make benefit Forest Park as a whole, inclusive of new homeowners or new renters. I believe the first step to engaging these residents is to encourage them to engage in our democratic process, much like our election here. Then, when public officials take those appointed offices, ensure their doors remain open and welcome all residents who call Forest Park home.

15) What are your thoughts on the appropriate limits on candidates/officeholders weighing in on the actions of a different taxing body?

Simply put, government entities, including taxing bodies, are generally separated to ensure those who are most impacted have the say-so. I do understand that all these different entities exist in the same political ecosystem, but I believe in respecting and supporting the different taxing bodies, without interfering.

16) What do you see as the best role for Forest Park’s Committees, especially the Diversity Committee? What challenges do you anticipate with regard to equity and inclusion in the Village, and how will you approach them?

This question is really two, unique, questions:

1. One thing about the so-called committees that have been created from Forest Park’s Village Hall – they often hit the grounding running and are left without adequate resources or support when the time comes to enact a plan or program they recommend. Whether this comes from the committees being used as a pandering tool or because the agenda they supported is no longer fashionable, I cannot say. What I know, as a life-long voter of Forest Park – when committees are created it is a rare instance where anything material comes from them. Under my leadership as mayor of Forest Park, committees like the Diversity Committee, Sustainability Committee, and even commissions like the newly revived Public Health Commission, will have key deliverable target dates, support and appropriate resources, and will be a core tool for village hall to engage and support village residents.

2. With respect to equity and inclusion - until every citizen is an owner, planner, and decision-maker in the systems that govern their lives and are provided the infrastructure needed to thrive, we will always have work to do.

17) The Village Council has an arguably mixed record on climate action. For example, they have voted against pursuing a Metropolitan Water Reclamation District grant that would capture stormwater, yet voted to bring in electric car-charging stations. How would you act to ensure policy reflected climate change locally, including residents impacted by water/sewer backup into homes?

Not only that, village-hosted events are nearly void of even the simplest opportunity for recycling, vendor requirements for sustainable plateware or other environmentally considerate actions seem to be wholly ignored, and your mention of electric car-charging stations (while a benefit for the electric-vehicle conscious consumer and positively impactful to greenhouse gas emissions) could entice a curious voter to consider who is making money from such an effort, because electric car charging stations are never a free public service. In order to make systemic changes that affect our environment positively, Forest Park needs to be more than complicit with neighboring communities in their efforts towards a sustainable and environmentally considerate future - Forest Park should take a leading role. Regarding transparency on this topic, voters have recently heard about the Cross-Community Climate Collaborative at various times from the incumbent mayor, but where are the plans and the action-items? Under my platform agenda, I will focus on a greener tomorrow by ensuring we leverage existing leaders with a drive to leave a positive impact on tomorrow to support a Grow Forest Park Green initiative that will ensure Forest Park is a healthy and safe place for our future generations.

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

All candidate donor information is publicly available at the Illinois State Board of Elections website under the Contributions Search.