Activist Toolkit

1. What motivates you to seek this office? What skills, experiences, and perspectives would you bring, and why would those contributions be valuable in the office you are seeking?

 What motivates me is knowing that I can make a difference and affect positive change in the lives of my friends and neighbors of the community. This is a thankless job for the most part, but every now and then, you receive a call from a resident, or a letter of thanks, letting you know that your efforts and hard work paid off and MADE A DIFFERENCE! My diverse background and ability to relate to people is the skillset that I think is most valuable. Its also important that I have a vested interest in the community. I am a taxpaying resident of Broadview for 39 years now. It also helps that I served for 8 years as Village Trustee prior to my current position as Village Clerk. Knowing various aspects of how government operates, how to read a budget, how the different ordinances and resolutions affect us and having knowledge of how the different departments work is important in my role as Clerk. It is also important that I have cultivated many solid relationships over the years with other elected officials, business owners and professionals that can bring value and resources to the Village of Broadview. Networking is one of my passions.

2. When in the past have you had to balance competing interests? What process did you use? What did you learn?  

As an elected official, balancing competing interests are a daily chore. Setting and following your priorities are key. It is also important to know how and when to adjust. Finally knowing that things change and that the learning process is continuous, is key to having the flexibility to make things work.

3. What does transparency in government mean to you? How would you put it into practice? Do you believe the Village of Broadview operates in a transparent manner?

By definition, Transparency is the process of being open, honest, and 

straightforward about the operations of the Village. When something goes wrong, you can't hide it and expect the residents to have trust in you and the administration. While this mistrust and deception may have happened in the past administration, those days are behind us. Mayor Thompson has stressed honest government and transparency from day 1. This leadership quality has trickled down to the Departments and to the Clerk's office. Another component of transparency is ensuring that we adhere to the Open Meetings Act. The Open Meetings Act is a state law that requires meetings of public bodies to be open to the public except in certain, specific situations such as executive sessions where the body discusses employment, compensation or discipline of employees and also litigation against or on behalf of the Village of Broadview. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), provides public access to government documents and records. The Village of Broadview operates in a transparent manner.

4. As more of our local discourse happens in social media, what is your view on how local elected officials should communicate with and respond to constituents? How will you engage with the breadth of the community, and not only those on social media?

I believe communication through Social Media is very important in this day and age. As elected officials, we need to be flexible and engage the community in ways that creatively reach the masses. When addressing constituents, an elected official should represent the Village in the same manner on social media as we would in person; professionally, courteously and truthfully.

5. What barriers do you see for community members who wish to engage with Broadview’s village government? How would you work to reduce or eliminate those barriers?  

The digital divide is real, especially in our senior community. One of the things that I have been working on and will be launching soon is “Village of Broadview 101" I wont get into the details until after the election, but will roll out this new initiative May 1, 2021.

6. What do you feel are the three biggest issues facing Broadview, and how do you intend to address them as Clerk? 

1. A lack of community cohesiveness, especially among the taxing bodies,

2. A lack of good paying jobs that the residents have access to,

3. Managing and responding to the Covid 19 Pandemic. 

With regards to meshing our taxing bodies, time and good communication will allow us to heal from the bickering and past negative transgressions that we have experienced. I think as residents get tired of the status quo from those responsible, they will elect true servants of the community that will be more focused on the business of improving the Village and providing good service, as opposed to infighting and wasting tax dollars with lawsuits. As we bring in new businesses, the jobs will follow. I am proud to be a part of the team that has welcomed Amazon to Broadview. This is huge! The pandemic has lingered far too long and with proper communication, echoing the Governors orders and following the direction of the CDC we will get through this pandemic. As Clerk, I will continue to support the Mayor's office in getting the message out to wear masks in public, practice social distancing, wash your hands and get vaccinated when it is your turn.

7. How do you define equity? Have recent events and discussions in the larger community informed or changed your thinking? 

While the definition of equity is to be fair and impartial, the balance of the question is a bit vague in order to be answered accurately. With regards to equity in the Village of Broadview, I will continue to serve the residents equally and fairly regardless of their political beliefs or whether or not they supported me in the election.

8. How do you plan to solicit feedback from people who may be experiencing this community in a different way than you? What barriers do you believe may exist in this process?

 Being part of a team that recognizes and promotes cultural diversification is something that I am very proud of. We support and will hopefully elect our first Latina Village Trustee in the Village of Broadview, Campaign time is not just around the elections, its year - round. Mayor Thompson and I engage the community continuously and monitor feedback from our residents. There were numerous barriers that existed before taking office in 2017, but we have worked hard to bring these barriers down by regular and diverse communication with our residents such as Social Media, Email blasts, Robo Calls, the posting of our Village Board meetings, agendas and minutes on our website, A brand new digital marquee that displays events, notices as well as Health and Safety information and our Facebook pages from our Mayor, Village Clerk, Police and Fire Departments and Public Works Department.

9. Name an influential Broadview community member. How did this person’s influence change Broadview? As an elected official, what do you imagine your influence will be on the community?

I cannot think of a more influential community member and leader currently than Mayor Katrina Thompson. In four short years, she has transformed how Broadview is viewed from not only the surrounding towns in Proviso Township, but in the State of Illinois. Mayor Thompson is a respected leader in the Village of Broadview and the residents love her and are not afraid to approach her. Mayor Thompson is also respected among her peers and has been invited to sit on many Boards, Commissions and committees. She is a leader with a vision and stays focused on the goal of leading Broadview to the next level. I share many of Mayor Thompsons goals and values and hope to continue to build relationships with residents. I'd also like to mend broken relationships from the past and bring Broadview together both residents, businesses and taxing bodies so that we can all shine as ONE community.

10. What do you feel is the most important function of the Clerk? What steps will you take to improve or expand community engagement with the office of the Clerk? 

The Clerk's Office has many functions that share the same level of importance. You can't mention one without mentioning the other so I will continue to develop my skills as:

1. Keeper of the Village records, 

2. Maintaining files of all approved Ordinances and Resolutions and other documents required by law in a systematic order for easy reference,

3. Maintain custody and control of all Village documents,

4. Guard the Corporate Seal of the Village,

5. Countersign official documents and affix the same to all documents,

6. Freedom of Information Officer (FOIA) for the Village,

7. Attend all meetings of the Board of Trustees as required by law, taking minutes of its full proceedings and maintaining a record of the minutes. 

11. What is your position on the extent to which the Village includes or should include accessibility features? Please address both physical structures and virtual/information processes.

With regards to ADA compliance for physical structures, I am a strong advocate and champion of accessibility given my 25 years of Property Management background and experience. It's the law and the Village of Broadview is compliant. With regards to virtual information, I think that the recent pandemic has exposed many to Zoom and different ways of meeting, learning and sharing information. This is something that I am excited about and will continue to push for because information is key. The more avenues that we can share information, the better for all. I have over 40 years of technical training and experience and I minored in marketing. I enjoy being creative and providing easy ways to reach people and share information. A great example of this is our recent 2020 Census outreach in which I played a huge part in for the Village of Broadview and Proviso Township. 

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[The above answers were supplied on 2/24/21.]