Activist Toolkit

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

I seek this office since I believe in the Township mission, which is "to provide locally- governed supportive services to our community.” Township services provide support to some of our most vulnerable friends, neighbors, and family members through Youth and Senior Services and Community Mental Health, all areas where I have served and grown in leadership.  Making decisions on social service needs and being fiscally prudent with the 2.4% of each person's property tax bill are experiences I have had.  I am committed to meeting all our residents' diverse needs, from youth to seniors, especially in times that require partnerships with other governing bodies in our Village, compassion, understanding, and dedication. 

My perspective is influenced by raising my family in Oak Park over many years. My values about the importance of diversity, the ability to engage in Oak Park organizations to give back to a community, and forming friendships to listen to all voices matter.  I believe in these principles, and I can contribute this perspective as a Township Trustee working with others fairly and transparently. 

2. What are the three biggest challenges or opportunities you expect Oak Park Township to face in the coming years, and how would you work with your colleagues to address these challenges or realize these opportunities?

Visibility of Township services, particularly with outreach to those individuals who need help and are often feeling isolated, is challenging. This ranges from seniors who lack transportation or technology to find resources to marginalized youth who need more support than they receive in schools. The Township board needs to be more visible in the community at events and locations, create a more recognizable "brand" through social media, and form partnerships with other groups, whether taxing bodies, agencies, churches, or schools.

 A challenge to serve through an "equity lens" will also require an introspective look at our own program development and decision making.  We have to start with ourselves to be open and understanding of diverse perspectives and needs. To create an inclusive environment within the Township, we need to listen to all employees and be sure they also listen to others' needs. We can't take for granted that we are inclusive.  We need to educate ourselves and learn how to celebrate diverse perspectives, creating change and innovative thinking. The needs of the future can't be solved with solutions from the past.

A challenge and an opportunity are to break down silos in Oak Park so that the Township, the Village, Park District, Library, and schools all work together and support each other.  We are one community serving the same families and individuals. Community building centers around identified common needs and development and through diverse perspectives that are purpose-driven. We can do this with open and transparent leadership that listens and learns from each other. 

3. How will you balance competing interests, such as your own values and opinions, input from Township staff and fellow Trustees, and diverse views from the community? How would you describe your leadership style and your decision-making process generally? 

Collaboration, trust, transparency, openness, and integrity require putting others' needs before your personal needs when you are an elected official.  Individual agendas and persuasion do not serve our community, even though they may be symptomatic of long-standing issues related to feelings of isolation and mistrust.  It takes humility to realize your perspective is not the only one and may not be suitable for the community at this time. 

I am a servant leader – I want to serve others in our community. I understand the meaning of collaboration, partnerships, and the ability to listen and learn from others.  I support shared leadership in the decision-making process, working to bring people together to reach a consensus for the community's good. I respect diverse opinions, and I have made a conscious choice to be committed to equity and social justice. I realize the expertise of others and when it is needed in decision making. I embrace a shared leadership model that empowers and uses a group process where the organization's needs are approached as a "team" that can be stronger than anyone looking through a narrow lens.

4. What values would you bring to the budgeting process?  What changes do you favor in the process by which the Township conducts its budgeting and fiscal planning?

The process of budgeting has to be aligned to the core value of assessing the resources we have aligned to the community's needs. This has to keep in mind the tax burden which is a real concern knowing that the Township is just one of many taxing bodies.  To assist in the budgeting process and fiscal planning,  I support a systemic approach that utilizes the Financial Advisory Committee's expertise, which was established in 2018. Composed of residents who know about finance, this committee reviews the budget process and management of all funds with a keen unbiased eye to risk management and internal control practices. Looking to expand this Advisory Committee and working with each Program Director who creates the initial budget in their area of services, the Township Board's responsibility for financial decisions and approval are thoughtful and have some community voice and oversite.  The annual audited budget clarifies that the balance between revenue and expenditures is within our means and is continually reviewed and adjusted as needed when unexpected emergencies arise, such as the pandemic and emergency funds for residents.     

5. How will you balance the community's desire to decrease the property tax burden with the Township’s mission of providing an array of services and supports to the community, including youth and seniors?

Based on information from our Township Assessor, "last year, the Township comprised 2.4% of each person's property tax bill." Compared to other taxing bodies such as the Village and the high school and elementary school, this is much lower. The Township's tax levy, where according to our Assessor, the comparison with other taxing bodies indicates we did not tax the maximum amount of funds available and made this decision to give some relief to the community.    Additionally, other sources of revenue have to be explored and are through Youth and Senior Services leadership.  Through talented and dedicated township service directors, partnerships with state agencies that may have funds, and through competitive grants, we are on a mission to increase services without more community costs.  In collaboration, it is also realistic to seek combined funding with other taxing bodies such as the Village to support the Youth Interventionist program that was inter-governmentally agreed to in the past. The school districts also seek more services from the Township, which they do not provide. For example, restorative justice programs, case management for youth, and professional development through our mental health services for staff and parents require sharing the costs. A portion of these taxing bodies' revenue can help the Township continue and expand these critical services without burdening taxpayers.   

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

From my educator's perspective and experience working with diverse students in diverse communities, I define equity as recognizing that everyone needs to have access to the same opportunities and support, regardless of their life experiences, so that fairness is given to all.  No one should feel their voice doesn't matter, nor should they feel marginalized. Our community needs to be inclusive and open to diversity in all forms: race, gender, age, sexual orientation, mental abilities, and religion so that Oak Park is seen as a Village that communicates openness and respect for personal differences.  Recent articles about "leadership and accountability for equity" point out issues on many levels across our nation, state, and community.  It is a struggle that takes more than a workshop or training. It will take an intrinsic look at ourselves for unconscious bias, stereotypical behavior, and a willingness to collaborate and communicate from multiple perspectives.  We can and must do this for ourselves, each other, and for Oak Park.  Together, it is a process that all elected officials can lead through modeling respect and trust for each other. We need to welcome truthful dialogue that is not judgmental and creates a proactive unified vision.  

7. 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?

Feedback is essential to know the needs of the community the Township serves.  Getting feedback takes planning and intentionality so that people share their experiences and tell their stories.  This takes trust, which is the first barrier to address. Relationships matter and I work to build them and learn from them consciously. Listening to others non-judgmentally elicits trust and sincerity to hear what works and doesn't work, particularly with Township services.  Recently, a Township survey was created, and the results show data that may reveal barriers that need to be addressed.  For example, the participants didn't represent Oak Park's diversity, so efforts to hear more voices are needed. The scope of Township services is also not reaching those that may need or understanding where to get resources and help.  Messaging through social media, openness to increasing visibility, and improving communication efforts will help the Township think about possible outreach solutions.  I embrace this challenge since increasing confidence in Township services is a personal goal that I value. 

8. Residents often express confusion about the disparate roles of the Village and the Township, particularly in the wake of the advisory referendum on consolidation in 2018. What steps would you take to increase the visibility and community awareness of the Township’s mission and programs?

As indicated by the referendum, consolidation is not the answer when social services are the "safety net" of Oak Park, and the Village is not equipped to deliver them.  The visibility and community awareness of the Township's mission requires messaging from all of our services: Youth, Seniors, Community Mental Health, Assessor, and General Assistance on an ongoing basis.  This can be increased through both individual and collective testimonials from seniors, youth, parents, educators, and individuals who have accessed, referred or inquired about services. Local newspapers need to help with community awareness by featuring the programs and seeking these testimonials..whether it is Memory Café for seniors, or a Robotics Program for youth, or Housing for the homeless, or attending a workshop on Substance Abuse or Domestic Violence.  Agencies who receive funding from the Community Mental Health Board and Districts 97 and 200 can also help community awareness since they are partners with the Township and the clients we all serve. Telling the Township story is an ongoing need and goal that is an essential continuing process. 

9. What relationship do you believe the Township should have with the other local taxing bodies? How can the Township and other government bodies work best together?

Communication and transparency between taxing bodies is required for collaboration that best addresses community needs. The Village, Park District, Library, and Districts 97 and 200 all serve the same Oak Park residents differently. Yet distinct differences in programs require a multi-faceted community-wide approach that centers on a shared vision.  Ongoing communication can occur, with a review of Strategic Plans, goals, and Boards committed to sharing ideas to solutions 

10. What lessons learned from the adjustment of service and program delivery during the pandemic do you believe will be applicable going forward, even after the pandemic abates?

Services have not stopped as a result of the pandemic. Community Mental Health services required teletherapy and ways to engage clients, which has been working. Of the 17 funded agencies, adjustments in services are well received by clients. Coordination of cost-effective services from case management, crisis intervention, housing, addiction recovery, and mental health services is crucial for the Community Mental Health Board. As a member of that Board, I have been part of the decision-making process, and I hope into the future. The HUB (Health Connection Hub) is also a referral database that helps connect community members to behavioral health and social service needs. This will be needed after the pandemic so that community members can find programs related to emergency food, medical supplies, housing, temporary shelter, domestic violence, and transportation needs that may have been increased as a result of the pandemic. Senior services are helping coordinate with the Village vaccine clinics, providing technology for scheduling appointments, and communicate the importance of the vaccine through phone calls and discussion with Age Options. Youth Interventionists are developing programs that address student needs transitioning from online learning back to face-to-face classrooms. We are proactive, and the results of these changes will carry us into the future where the uncertainty of the pandemic will require continuous adjustments and using "lessons learned."

11. Private fundraising for a proposed Community Recreation Center has begun. What resources do you believe the Township can or should bring to such a project? How do you see the Community Recreation Center leveraging existing local facilities and programs?

The Community Recreation Center provides an opportunity for Township mental health and youth services to have a presence and reduce the stigma of mental illness, particularly for youth. The use of Mental Health Township funds supporting this project shows a commitment to work collaboratively with the Park District to share facilities and leverage resources with a solid rationale based on funds that can be allocated for this purpose.  Rather than being in obscure locations, Township services can have more visibility where a Health and Wellness Center is already being planned.  The opportunity to provide outreach to groups that may not know what exists or ways to access without expecting more taxpayer resources is possible with this new facility. 

12. What concerns you most about the state of service availability in Oak Park? Is there a particular issue that motivates you to serve?

From youth to seniors, increasing social service needs is a concern, especially looking at equity and access for all groups that may feel marginalized. I am motivated to create inclusive policies, expand services through thoughtful program development, and find funding services beyond tax dollars. Being innovative and creative by hearing the voices of more diverse community members and working in collaboration with other taxing bodies is a challenge I readily accept to make our Township strong and a source of pride in Oak Park.

13. How will you collaborate with neighboring communities? Discuss a specific initiative you would wish to undertake. What benefits and challenges would you anticipate?

The strength of the township government lies in connecting with neighboring communities. Even with River Forest sharing many Oak Park services, their perspectives and experience in youth services bear examination. In a 2018 Illinois Youth Survey administered to 10th and 12th graders at Oak Park River Forest High School, instances of substance use behaviors and contributing factors that result in drug usage were determined. High school students were asked about their parents' view of these practices and their perspectives on parental disapproval of use. Even though most students felt their parents disapprove, many indicated their parents do not talk to them about alcohol, tobacco, and drug usage and do not monitor their use at parties. The River Forest Township has taken an active role in parent education, and this could be a benefit for all high school parents in Oak Park, as well.  The challenge would be to explain this as a prevention program to inform and support parents who may not be aware of the issues. Parents of high school teens, in particular, may not see this as a need or problem, so communicating the benefits of this type of program which Township services can provide families with knowledge if they are willing to take the time to participate.

14. Give an example of a time when you worked to understand a situation or view different from your own. What helped you to move through that process? What hindered you as you moved through the process?

I use reframing to help understand others' points of view and perspectives that may differ from mine.  Reframing is beneficial in given situations that require solving a problem rather than attacking an individual. This process also relies on active listening to approach situations with an open mind.  For example, funding specific programs over other programs requires understanding each program's benefits and allocating funds. Looking at the benefits and experiences of a particular program acknowledges, some board members may have more information than others so that funding recommendations can differ.  Reaching a consensus to make a unified funding decision in the best interest of service needs can be challenging. It does require examining any assumptions about how others think, feel, or act as well as being self-reflection to examine the motivation behind one's own position. 

15. Two advisory referenda were added to the ballot in Oak Park in November of last year through a process at the Township. Do you believe non-binding referenda such as these are a useful tool for governance and civic engagement? Why or why not?

Advisory referenda allow the community to voice their opinions regarding issues that require making their views known. They can serve to help decision-makers assess issues without being binding. However, elected officials' role is to realize that the voter may not have all the information necessary to make an informed decision about the issue at stake. Therefore, the wording of advisory referenda is essential to clearly define the issue in a way that is not leading or biased.

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[The above answers were supplied on 2/19/21.]