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hen my son Luke was a toddler, he had a nightly request to tell him a story about my childhood. At first, these memories emerged slowly and with fuzzy details. As time went by, I remembered more and more and in greater detail. I began to look forward to the nightly ritual as much as Luke did. Some of his favorites; the time I crashed both family cars within a few weeks of receiving my license, my broken finger reset by my pediatrician with the pen off his desk, and of course, The Spaghetti Dinner (see my website blog Estate Planning: Family Dinner Edition #1 - The Power of a Spaghetti Dinner). Memory is such an asset. Consequently, it is incredibly frustrating when memory fails us. Lack of memory is particularly frustrating in social situations. My memory is at its worst when trying to remember the name of a new acquaintance. How is it I can remember the person’s whole life story but not their name?

Bedtime Stories According to research one reason may be because a name does not actually tell us anything about the person we are meeting. Human memory is good THERESA CLANCY at things like Estate Planning Attorney faces and facts that connect to information we already know. But with a name our brain has nothing to cling to. Thus, a name is easily forgotten. Chester Santos, the U.S. Memory Champion of 2008, recommends using visualization to help us remember a person’s name. He teaches a four-part tactic to remember one’s name: 1. Repeat the name right after the introduction. 2. Ask a question using the new name shortly after the introduction. 3. Think of a connection to the name

and anything you already know. Then incorporate something you notice physically about a person and connect it to the name. 4. When you leave the meeting use the name one last time. My fading memory may have as much to do with the fact that I am inching closer to 60 years old as it does my inability to visualize. So, I found it quite reassuring that according to Dr. Sanjay Gupta I can still grow new brain cells. Gupta is a neurosurgeon and bestselling author of Stay Sharp; Build a Better Brain at Any Age. In his book Gupta writes that we can build new paths in our brain that can create detours in case old paths are blocked by plaque or disease. Gupta identifies several behaviors that will create new brain cells. He suggests that you be a learner; hydrate; try something new; reduce stress; do activities with purpose; eat more Omega 3 foods; and create more bonds with meaningful conversation.

Gupta also recommends a great activity that encompasses many of these behaviors at once - take a brisk walk with a friend and talk about your problems. In retrospect, perhaps, telling childhood stories to my son Luke became an act with purpose and meaning and therefore increased my brain pathways and my memory. Estate planning may be similarly beneficial. Creating an estate plan will allow you to engage in meaningful conversations about your life, participate in a task with purpose, and reduce your stress by checking estate planning off your to do list. It is nice to know creating an estate plan is not just a valuable way to protect your family, but it will also give you the opportunity to strengthen your brain and improve your health. Start creating an estate plan today.

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Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

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at the park with friends, acquaintances or total strangers, or gathered around a TV watching a game together — are, to me at least, an important part of our collective enjoyment of the game. Writing about the By ROBERT KOPECKY season became a way for me to fill that gap. Guest Author I had no lofty goals for what I was writing, I have been a baseball fan for more than and certainly no intention to publish it as a 60 years, and for the last 40 years I have also book. But after I completed my entries on been a lawyer — a litigator. That job has re- the final three games of the World Series, I looked back and realized, over the course of quired me to write a lot, and it has been one three months, I had written about whether of the most enjoyable parts of the job for me. 60 games was a “real” seaOver the past decade, I son, the conflicts many fans have taken to writing about felt about playing the games baseball. I had designs of while the pandemic raged, writing a baseball book, the effects of the pandemic which never quite made on the game, the merits of it to fruition. But I kept rules changes implemented writing because the act of by MLB, individual games writing about the game, its and occurrences within characters and the connec those games that stood out, tions between its past and the performances of parpresent was itself a source ticular players and the relaof pleasure. I have shared tionship between these playsome of the pieces with ers and the ones who went a small group of baseball before them, and of course friends, who were generthe fate of the Chicago Cubs. ous enough to read and ocOver the late fall, I turned casionally comment on my what had been essentially a essays, and sometimes sugwide-ranging diary of my exgest new topics, such as a piece tracing the perience with the 2020 season into a book, parallel careers in Chicago of shortstops The Season of Living Dangerously – A Fan’s Shawon Dunston and Ozzie Guillen. Notes on Baseball’s Strangest Season. Before 2020 I had always taken for granted I hesitated about going forward with pubthat the baseball season was equivalent to lishing this book. There is so much excellent one of the laws of nature — it just arrived baseball writing being done by professional each spring as reliably as longer days. But scribes who have honed their craft and denot last year. As I navigated my way through serve to be read that it takes a fair amount the pandemic, one of the petty deprivations of chutzpah for a mere fan to offer his baseI felt most acutely was the loss of baseball ball observations to an audience that has — the absence of games being played every such a wealth of fine writing available. day, all summer. It was the first year in many But one thing that helped me overcome decades I would not attend a single baseball my reticence was re-reading Roger Angell’s game in person. To someone who had been foreword to his book Late Innings, in which a Cubs season ticket holder for 35 years, and he wrote, “More and more I have come to apfrequent attendee for years before that, this preciate anyone who appreciates this game was a big deal. — the fans most of all.” In his homage to the When MLB finally announced it was go- fans, he noted, “it is the attention and mass ing to play a 60-game schedule, I knew I memory and grave, judgmental expertise of wanted to write about what was certain to this attendant crowd that give each game its be a very strange season: games played in resonance and seriousness.” empty stadiums with piped in sound, playBolstered by these words from the greaters socially distanced in the dugouts, man- est of all living baseball writers, I decided agers and umpires wearing masks, and TV to go ahead and publish. I hope this book announcers calling the action from remote provides a different and interesting take on locations around the country. I decided to do a unique chapter in the history of baseball. this in the form of a blog that, like my other Robert Kopecky has practiced law at Kirkoccasional baseball writings, I shared with land & Ellis since 1980 and has lived in Oak a few baseball friends. Park for 32 years. His book, “The Season of The idea of sharing my reactions to the Living Dangerously,” is available in hardseason with even a small group of fellow cover and paperback in Oak Park at The fans was important to me. One of the things Book Table, 1045 Lake St., booktable.net. All that was lost in this truncated pandemic sea- proceeds are being donated to Beyond Hunson was the shared experience of watching ger to assist their work in providing food and the games and talking about baseball with social services to those in need in and around other fans. These discussions — whether Oak Park. A Fan’s Notes on Baseball’s Strangest Season

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Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

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Both St. Luke and St. Bernardine churches will remain open, despite merger Rev. Stan Kuca will reside as pastor of combined St. Luke-St. Bernardine By MARIA MAXHAM Editor

In a much-anticipated announcement, the Archdiocese of Chicago stated March 12 that although St. Bernardine Parish in Forest Park and St. Luke Parish in River Forest are officially being combined on July 1 as part of the Renew My Church initiative, both church locations will remain open for worship and events. The new parish will be called St. Luke St. Bernardine Parish, and the pastor overseeing the combined parish will be St. Bernardine’s current pastor Fr. Stan Kuca. St. Luke’s pastor, John Szmyd, said he won’t know until next week what his next assignment will be. Kuca said, in the March 12 meeting, that although he’s been an ordained priest for 30 years, he’s never been in this exact situation before. He said, however, that with the support of parishioners and the archdiocese, he has

confidence that the merger will be successful. “I believe that by myself, I can do nothing,” Kuca said. But with the support of parishioners and the Archdiocese, he said he thinks “everything is going to go in a good direction.” Kuca will oversee St. Luke School, in addition to overseeing all ministries of the parish. There will be no changes to St. Luke School. Both sites will remain in operation, hosting a regular schedule of masses, the specifics of which will be determined by Kuca. There will be plenty of opportunities, however, for both the Forest Park and River Forest worship groups to come together through special events. St. Luke church has been designated the location for the united parishes’ sacramental records. It was announced during the meeting that beginning in 2024, three years from now, the sustainability of maintaining two locations will be revisited and discussed, giving the united parish until then to work on focusing on unification. Whether the religious education program for Catholic children attending non-Catholic schools will be combined is a decision

We are building an Oak Park for

ALL OF US

CATE FOR OAK PARK VILLAGE PRESIDENT

Learn more about Cate at CateForOakPark.org ISSUES

STAYING OPEN: Rev. Stan Kuca (left), pictured here at St. Bernardine, will preside over the combined parish St. Luke-St. Bernardine. that will be made by Kuca. In terms of a parish council for the new combined parish, it was declared that Kuca

will, over the next few months, work on a new parish council representing parishioners from both locations.

A vote for Cate Readling for Oak Park Village President on April 6, 2021 is a vote for... I N C LU S I O N

Cate will use her experience championing equity and justice issues to create opportunities for all community members to engage with the Village government and have a voice in our shared future. She is a listener who examines everything through a lens of equity and inclusion. She is raising her four boys to believe that kindness comes ﬁrst, that listening is the ﬁrst step toward solutions, that empathy is the key to growth and the way she will lead.

C O LL A B O R ATI O N

As Village President, Cate will be a catalyst, a facilitator, who can work collaboratively with intention and transparency. She will use participatory budgeting to include everyone in the budgeting and decision-making process.

TR A N S PA R E N C Y

Cate is committed to consistent and transparent engagement with the community. She will create opportunities for all community members to engage with local government and to have a voice in our shared future. Cate will have constructive partnerships with people elected to ofﬁce and community organizations. Secret alliances and deals made behind closed doors will end. She will prioritize policies and projects that consider the community’s needs, goals, and opportunities ﬁrst.

PAID FOR BY CATE FOR THE COMMUNITY, PO Box 534, Oak Park, IL 60303, contact@catereadling.org, (773) 726-0781

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

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Farmers Market still searching for manager Details for opening day become clearer By MELISSA ELSMO Oak Park Eats Editor

At the March 10 meeting of the Oak Park Farmers Market commission, attendees discussed the on-going absence of a market manager, expressed concern about staffing the on-line ordering and aggregation program, and discussed details of the upcoming season set to begin on May 22. Laura Lencioni, commission chair, announced she would not be returning when her term expires. Though her term is set to conclude in March, she requested an extension through May to ensure she can remain in the position through opening day of the farmers market. In the absence of a market manager, commissioners set boundaries related to their roles in operating the Oak Park Market during its 46th season. Minutes of the previous meeting were not approved because wording in the document suggested it would be the role of commissioners to train the new market manager. Commissioners indicated this would fall outside the role of a commissioner and they had never been asked to train a manager in the past.

“It makes it difficult for the commission to do its job without a market manager in place,” said Lencioni. After searching unsuccessfully for a candidate within village hall, the village is actively looking externally for a person to fill the role. “Besides this good commission, there’s nobody who wants this position filled more than me,” said Cameron Davis, assistant director of development customer services and staff liaison to the farmers market commission. “We are actively looking for an experienced market manager. Commissioner Rachel Hahs questioned why the market manager position was not listed as open and asked if it was a requirement for all public hiring to post all positions publicly. “I really can’t speak to it, Rachel.” said Davis. “I am not certain about it. I could try to get an answer.” Commissioners pressed for posting the job indicating doing so would make it easier to reach people who may be qualified but may not be familiar to organizers of the Oak Park market. Additionally, commissioners urged village staff to consider promoting past assistant managers into the role. Davis said he was unaware if past assistants have been asked if they have an interest in becoming

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the market manager. Davis was clear, “if for some reason the position isn’t filled” the responsibility of managing the market will likely fall to him. The job opening was not on the village website on March 10, but as of March 15 the market manager position as well as openings for assistant managers were posted on the site. Davis is listed as the point of contact on the vendor applications he sent to the farmers. A recommended ordinance passed at the village board meeting on Monday night made the market’s 2020 on-line pick-up pilotprogram a permanent featured program of the 2021 Farmers Market season and established a per-order administration fee to help off-set administrative coasts. The program will likely be run out of the nearby taxpayer bonded parking facility at OPRF. Utilizing the covered garage would reduce staff and volunteer requirements to execute the program. Commissioners, however, expressed concern in the March 10 meeting that there would not be enough staff and volunteers available to administer the time-consuming aggregation program. Commissioner Hahs and Robin Schirmer, former market assistant, each volunteered 300 hours to manage the pilot program during the modified 2020 season and will not be volunteering the same number of hours this

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year. Hahs said she “stepped up as a service to the community” and indicated she would not be volunteering at the same level in 2021. She expressed interest in having an assistant manager oversee the aggregation program. Davis said the revelations called the future of the program into question and figuring out next steps would be an “important conversation to have.” “If we are going to do something, we want to do it well,” said Lencioni. “We want the pick-up program to be a quality service and we need resources to do that.” The village’s health department and Cara Pavlicek, village manager, have officially decided the market will return to the Pilgrim Church parking lot if qualifying factors are met. Attendance limitations will be placed on the market at the start of the season to ensure proper social distancing with market staff counting shoppers as they enter and exit. The market will be required to operate in a one-way loop with a single point of entrance. The flow of the market has yet to be determined, but Davis anticipates the line to gain entry will wrap around the northeast corner of Lake and Scoville. Live music is set to return the famers market, as well. Though wind and brass instruments will not be permitted at the market, all string instruments will be allowed.

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Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

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On April 6, Vote for Trustee Candidates Endorsed by 200+ Community Leaders Including Current and Past Trustees

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Shrirang Abhyankar Anan Abu-Taleb Randy Adamsick Archana Adhyapak Randall Albers Judith Alexander Deno Andrews Doris Angell Fred Arkin Neal Armstrong Andy Arquette Kelly Arquette Angelo Bosco Kathy Bosco Nora Bouchard Peter Bouchard Simone Boutet Nick Bridge Tom Brooker Tracy Brooker Yi Cao Jerry Capozzoli John Carney Diana Carpenter John Carwardine Sharadhish Chattopadhyay Lyn Coniff Kitty Conklin Barbara Costas Anne Costello Johnson Krista Curly Jack Davidson Alicia Davis Monica Delamora Hector De La Rosa Mark Delisi Tari Delisi Marcia Despe Megan Dickel Howard Einhorn Jakob Eriksson Natasha Eriksson Rohan Fernandes Frank FioRito Kathy FioRito Alan Fox Mike Fox Winifred Fox William Gale Shawna Gallagher Thomas Gallagher Kimberly Garnett

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Jeff Schroeder Linda Schroeder Eli Schultz Emily Schultz Andrew Sechin Evelyn Segal Mark Segal Brian Shamhart Christopher Sheean Jack Sheehan Monica Sheehan Darlene Shirley Jeff Shirley Iris Sims Alison T Miller Singley Eric Singley Bill Skalitzky Renee Skower Jeffrey Sobczynski Deborah Spector Doug Springer Joan L. Suchomel Cindy Summers Leslie Sutphen Birgit Sweeney Mickey Sweeney Jim Taglia Mila Telez Mat Thambi Rajat Trehan Shruti Trehan Josh Vanderberg Suzanne Vestuto Alisa Volpe Chloe Volpe Craig Volpe John Walin David Weiss Melanie Weiss Charles Wells Sue Wells Nile Wendorf Shanon Williams Elizabeth Wilson Yu Bryan Wong Cyndi Wong Grandmaster S. H. Yu Erin Zimmer Mike Zimmer NOTE; Current and past Trustees shown in BOLD

PRACTICAL PROGRAMS TO PROMOTE EQUITY

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Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

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It’s a go for apartment project on Drechsler Brown site Oak Park village board votes 5-2 to allow construction of complex By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Where people once went to grieve before laying loved ones to rest, others soon will be able to move on up into a deluxe apartment in the sky. The plans to build an apartment complex at 203 Marion St., the site of Drechsler, Brown & Williams funeral home, received construction approval from the Oak Park village board March 15. Proposed by Focus, a large developer, the 158-unit building will have a swimming pool and a dog-run, as well as private co-working spaces, 123 parking spots and a small coffee shop. The Plan Commission met three times with Focus representatives, who made various changes to the design plan, before granting the project its approval March 4. Three commissioners voted against the project. At the Plan Commission’s behest, Focus has committed to finding a minority-owned proprietor to run the coffee shop. According to Courtney Brower of Focus, the company has had talks with Forest Park’s Kribi Coffee Air Roasters owner Jacques Shalo to serve as proprietor. “There is mutual interest to bring Kribi Coffee to 203 S. Marion,” said Brower. Focus will pay $1.58 million into the village’s affordable housing fund, per the inclusionary housing ordinance, in lieu of setting aside units to be let at a lesser rate – a disappointment for Trustee Arti Walker-Peddakotla, who voted against the project.

“I have nothing against high-density development. I actu- to the project, Buchanan told the board she had spoken with ally think we should be promoting these things,” she said. “I an affordable housing developer who “voiced a preference for in lieu fees” over designated affordable units. just want in-unit affordable housing.” Trustee Simone Boutet was also pleased Monthly rental rates for apartments in the with the contribution to the affordable housbuilding range from about $1,500 for studio ing fund but felt the building “overwhelmed” units up to about $5,500 for the five two-story maisonette units. the historic neighborhood. While the village board received 45 public “I can’t get rid of my vision for this neighborcomments opposing the building for such reahood, which is not to have downtown expand sons as the building’s impact on traffic and further up,” said Boutet, who voted against the its 84-foot-10-inch height, only four comments proposal with a “very mixed mind.” were submitted in its favor, including one by With the lending community not actively Wild Onion Tied House owner Mike Kainz. taking risks at the moment, according to FoWild Onion is on South Blvd., a block north of cus’s Justin Pelej, Trustee Deno Andrews sugthe project. gested extending the timeframe to file a buildTrustee Dan Moroney referenced Kainz’s ing permit for the project. SIMONE BOUTET comment that the project would bring more “Any consideration for an extension, I think, Village Trustee customers to local establishments, stating, “I would be appreciated,” said Pelej. think it’s a great way to support small busiPelej anticipated that lenders would resume nesses.” normal operations this summer after receivMoroney, who noted the building was one or ing COVID-19 vaccinations. “I thank you for continuing to pursue this opportunity two stories higher than he would have preferred, thanked Focus for its investment in Oak Park during a time of eco- during one of the worst years that I can remember,” said Mayor Anan Abu-Taleb. nomic uncertainty. He and Trustee Jim Taglia supported giving Focus more “I will be voting yes on it,” said Moroney. Trustee Susan Buchanan, who is the board’s Plan Com- time to file permits. In a 5-2 vote, the village board approved the Focus projmission liaison, said she attended all of the project’s meetings with the commission, listing the changes Focus made ect for construction and stretched the building permit filto the project as a result of those meetings. Changes include ing timeline for the approved building from 12 months to 24 increased sustainability features and green space, reconfig- months. Focus also received an extension on their certificate of appropriateness to demolish the funeral home so as ured parking and the elimination of one maisonette. While stating she understood why some could be opposed to be coterminous with the building permit timing.

“I can’t get rid of my vision for this neighborhood, which is not to have downtown expand further up.”

• Equitable access to Village Services for all residents • Independence from the Village Board • Continue to improve accessibility to all Village Services and Buildings • Increase Transparency through Community Engagement • Bridge-building with neighboring communities on issues of sustainability

Visit Lou Anne Johannesson for Village Clerk of Oak Park on Facebook

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

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Debate on a plate

Getting to know presidential candidates one recipe at a time

favorite dish can say a lot about a person — what they prioritize, where they come from and how they define nourishment. A quartet of intelligent, motivated, and thoughtful women are vying for the ultimate leadership roles in Oak Park and River Forest. To get to know each of the candidates for village president a bit better, I checked in to learn more about their Food Writer mealtime favorites. After the conversations, I folded cabbage leaves, marinated tofu, shredded zucchini, and braised some beef. You cannot go wrong with any of these recipes — each one is downright delicious and reflective of the thoughtful people hoping to guide Oak Park and River Forest into the future. Visit the Oak Park Eats section on oakpark. com to get all four recipes.

MELISSA ELSMO

Oak Park: Crispy Tofu vs Cabbage Rolls Cate Readling, candidate for Oak Park Village President, views the food we eat as an “access point to culture” and credits her husband Chip, the primary cook in the household, for her favorite dish. Chip’s marinated crispy tofu is a hit with every Readling and that’s no small feat—you’ll find six of them around the dinner table every night. Readling, an intermittent vegetarian and mother of four boys between the ages of nine and 16, is always on the lookout for delicious dishes that keep her family safe. Her sixteenyear-old son, Thomas, suffers from a severe peanut allergy. “There is a level of stress at every meal, but my husband is an Eagle Scout,” said Readling. “Thankfully, he is very vigilant about not killing our kid.” Chip spent a portion of the pandemic perfecting his crispy tofu recipe and now it is a meal he knows everyone in his family will eat without objection. While some of the kids like their tofu extra spicy others prefer to enjoy it served over rice. The versatile meal allows all the Readlings to enjoy Asian flavors, a particu-

CATHY ADDUCI

PATTY HENEK

VICKI SCAMAN

CATE READLING

Her aunts were masters at making sauce (don’t call it gravy), crafting cheese, and curing meats. Adduci relishes the gift of coming home to a house made meal and recognizes it takes both patience and time to learn to eat well. Though distance has made it more difficult to gather as regularly as the family did in her youth, Adduci treasures holiday CATHY ADDUCI: Aunt Rosie’s Brociole with homemade PATTY HENEK: Henek Family Zucchini Bread with meals with her family butter sauce and pasta to this day. Patty Henek, a current village trustee and candidate for River Forest village president, remembers grating zucchini in her mother’s kitchen. “I have vivid memories of helping my mother make zucchini bread,” said Henek. “Today friends and family cannot imagine what my kitchen would look like without a pan of zucchini bread cooling on the CATE READLING: Chip’s Crispy Tofu served over rice VICKI SCAMAN: Irene’s Stuffed Cabbage with brown rice stove.” with broccoli and edamame. and rye bread Henek makes the sweet, yet veggie ladtheir busy families after meeting. lar allergy risk, without worry. en bread, regularly Vicki Scaman, candidate for Oak Park Vil- Her family is often on the run, but thanks to for family, friends, and neighbors. She admits lage President, is a first generation American her mother’s example, Scaman knows the im- she and her sisters “tried to make it healthier” and the first of her German family to graduate portance of using the family table to build con- when their children were young, but sugar and from college. Mandatory family meals were se- nections with loved ones. oil proved to be key ingredients in every loaf. rious business when she was growing up in her A playmate of her son was horrified to learn River Forest: Brociole parents’ “humble German household.” there were vegetables in his beloved bread. Scaman recollects evening meals allowed her vs Zucchini Bread “Once my son’s friend saw me grating zucparents to catch up while she and her sibling chini for the bread he loved and he said he With hearty Italian flavor, Aunt Rosie’s (#1) ate quietly. Her mother Irene’s stuffed cabbage, didn’t want that yucky stuff in it,” laughed Beef Brociole comes straight out of the Adduci filled with beef and “served over rice with rye Henek. bread and lots of butter,” earned Scaman’s top family cookbook. Cathy Adduci, current River Henek, who has “leadership in her blood,” Forest president and candidate for reelection, recipe honors. has used her zucchini bread making prowess “The dish does have a comfort appeal to recollects eating this classic dish while growing to raise funds for the Food and Gift Basket both me and my father,” said Scaman. “He and up in Roseland on Chicago’s South Side with program she helms in the community. The flaI used to beg my mother to make her stuffed her very traditional Italian family. vorful quick bread is popular at bake sales, but “It was cousins on cousins on cousins,” said cabbage.” Henek considers the recipe to be synonymous Though Scaman, now an empty nester, ad- Adduci. “We all lived on the same block and with her family. mits she and fiancé, John Sullivan, often ate I look back fondly on all the meals we shared Food Cooked and photographed by at Margaritas or Trattoria 225 before the pan- to celebrate communions, confirmations, wedMelissa Elsmo. dings and birthdays. ” demic hit, they reinstated family meals to blend

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

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Avalos is still focused on Citing progress on equity, Williams seeks new term the mission Running for re-election to the D90 school board

ers face yet another hurdle. Recently, the district created a social-emotional advisory panel, a small team of social workers, parents and mental health professionals. Avalos, who serves as the panel’s board By F. AMANDA TUGADE representative, said she looks forward to Contributing Reporter seeing what plans will be placed to address For the last two years, Katie Avalos has their students’ mental health. While she is proud of the way the district served on the River Forest School District handled the pandemic, including the transi90 Board of Education. In that time, she participated in the district’s strategic plans tion from remote learning to a hybrid learnfor 2020-2025, which is built on a mission ing model, she did offer one criticism. Lookto inspire students by giving them a voice, ing back, she wishes the board had helped prioritizing their social-emotional needs, families understand some of their decisions. Last October, D90 planned to return to and fostering better relationships with campus, but the rise of COVID-19 cases their families and their community. She also showed support for air-condi- forced the district to pivot back to remote tioning plans at Roosevelt Middle School, learning. She described it as “real whipa long-awaited project hindered by Illinois lash” for parents, teachers and students, state budget cuts, and this past year she and in hindsight, “we could have avoided worked alongside her colleagues and Su- some of the anxiety and stress for people if we’d done a job explaining the perintendent Ed Condon to navdecision-making process of why igate the challenges brought on something was happening.” by the COVID-19 pandemic, ultimately leading students safely Avalos believes relationships into the classroom. are founded on solid communiAnd there’s more work to be cation, a lesson learned through done, Avalos said. Aside from her work in political camthe strategic plan, the 43-yearpaigns, nonprofits and now, the old mother of three wants to be Community of Congregations, part of the change and explore an interfaith organization that what the district can do to furserves Oak Park, River Forest, ther promote equity and incluKATHLEEN AVALOS Austin and Maywood. It’s an D90 School Board member sion and improve its special important lesson that Avalos education program, two issues has carried over into her role as she is passionate about. a board member and especially as a board “What it came down to is I still want to representative on the Inclusiveness Advibe part of that process of helping the dis- sory Board, or IAB. trict to work toward that mission, and I “It’s a constant evaluation,” she said. still have more to give in that effort,” said “One of the things I’ve learned through my Avalos, of River Forest, on her decision to work is you can invite people, you can ask run for re-election. people, but that doesn’t mean that they’re She shared that her personal and profes- necessarily going to feel welcome. It’s resional experiences have helped shape her ally thinking about how do we build relarole as a board member. As a parent, Avalos tionships and how are we open to hearing saw how the pandemic isolation impacted about the ways that we need to do better — her children’s mental health and believes and that if someone is saying, ‘I don’t feel the biggest challenge facing D90 is making welcome,’ you have to listen and you have sure it continues to meet staff and students’ to be open to that critical feedback.” academic and social-emotional needs. Avalos has one last message. Throughout the pandemic, families have “I’ve taken this job seriously, and I put all had access to the district’s social workers, the time into it,” she said. “I do think that teachers have received professional de- shows, and I think my voice and experience velopment on trauma-informed care, and is really still needed at the table right now students have been given additional educa- as we’re certainly addressing the pandemic tional resources, but that’s just the beginbut also we’re continuing our work to adning, Avalos said. dress the systemic rac“We’re recognizing that we’ve all lived ism, sexism, ableism that through something pretty serious in this is a part of the American last year,” she said, adding the ups and education system. I think downs of the COVID-19 pandemic has I’m able to at least ask the changed the way educators typically underquestions that help the stand and manage their students’ overall rest of us think about the health and well-being. direction we want our And, as students return to the classroom district to be going in.” following months of social isolation, teach-

In hindsight, regrets not opening schools last August

tendent, along with other board members, to educate and to open the door, because I think it’s difficult work, and I think it’s worked,” she said, noting this type of work “lives on past your time, because it should By F. AMANDA TUGADE become work that’s embedded in the culture Contributing Reporter of what you’re doing.” Another proud moment in Williams’ Stacey Williams wasn’t sure at first whether she was going to run for re-elec- book is how the district handled the wave tion to River Forest’s District 90 school of challenges that came with the pandemic. board. Since 2016, the 53-year-old mother She praised Condon’s leadership, saying he of two has served on the board, after years anticipated “what might become” and put of volunteering at her children’s schools, plans in place to help teachers and students participating in the parent-teacher organi- transition more smoothly into remote learnzation and working with community orga- ing. One thing Williams said she wished the nizations, including Beyond Hundistrict could have done differger, which offers hunger-relief ently was to reopen its schools programs across Cook County, last August like the board iniand the Oak Park-River Forest tially planned. While Williams Community Foundation. said she still stands behind Williams thought about what the decision made to keep stushe and the board went through dents in remote learning then, with the COVID-19 pandemic and “in hindsight, I wish we could the tough decisions they made to have because knowing what ensure the safety of district famiwe know now, I think we would lies. As she looked back on the have been able to do it.” last five years, she reflected on STACEY WIILIAMS She understood that “managDistrict 90’s strides and realized, D90 School Board member ing fear and anxiety” is real, “I really believed in the mission and with the information given of what the district is doing.” by state and public health officials, “it was “I feel like our superintendent [Ed Cona very scary time for parents and especially don] is a strong and committed leader, and for teachers.” But, as District 90 turned to a I wanted to work in partnership with him hybrid learning model, over time, Williams for the next four years,” Williams said. and her colleagues learned that “kids can go In recent years, District 90 has worked to to school through the pandemic when the establish a culture of equity and inclusion, right things are done to prepare for that,” an effort Williams is proud of. Williams she said. “Sometimes, you can only learn spoke more about a few surveys released that by doing it right.” by the Inclusiveness Advisory Board (IAB), “I think we’ve learned that when the propwhich shed light on some harsh realities. er measures are put in place, when you have In one survey, Williams said most students the proper PPE, you have the proper social felt like they didn’t have someone at school distancing protocols, you have an infection to talk to if they were sad or lonely, “which control officer, you have guidelines – that it from the school’s perspective, you’re thinkcan be done,” she said. ing, well we have social workers. We have As Williams looked ahead with the hopes teachers.” of retaining her seat on the board, she “Of course we have people that students spoke of her experience and the lessons she can go to,” she said. “But if a student learned over the years that have helped her doesn’t feel like I have a single person that I become a better leader. can go to, then that needs to be addressed.” Good board members know the difference With IAB and the Equity Committee, between managing and governing, and the Williams recognized the steps District 90 latter is about having faith in and the will has taken to, for example, change its hir- to hold district administrators accountable. ing practices to cultivate a more diverse The other is that board members must have staff and provide professional develop- patience and be good listeners. ment training for fac“Sometimes you do have to vote against ulty on implicit bias your personal perspective or personal point in the school. Though of view,” she said, adding board members the district has made must be open. “If something is in the best strides, the work is far interest of the school district, sometimes, from over, Williams you have to set aside your personal beliefs, said. and you have to remember it’s not about you “It took some cour- or maybe just you and your children, but it’s age for our superin- about what’s best for all of the kids.”

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

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ENGAGE AND LISTEN TO OUR COMMUNITY

The Village Board should act on behalf of a broad range of community voices, not just those with the most access. By implementing a robust Community Engagement Process, I will ensure that our community’s experiences and expertise are leveraged fully and effectively. If elected, I will make sure that the Board considers input from community members that have too often been excluded from decision making.

DEVELOP SMARTER, NOT BIGGER

I will work to encourage the development of two-flats, three-flats, and accessory dwelling units in Oak Park so that singles, seniors, and smaller families have affordable living options and smaller building owners have the ability to supplement their income. Luxury and larger-scale developments are not solving Oak Park’s affordable housing problem. With your vote, we can ensure that Oak Park is diverse, affordable, and welcoming.

OUR ECONOMIC REALITY

Balancing the property tax burden with the realities of the pandemic will leave us with tough decisions to make at the board table. With your vote, I will work to hold down the rate of property tax increases without cutting programs vital to our most vulnerable communities; support small businesses by making Oak Park an attractive place to shop and do business in; and prioritize people over cost prohibitive capital projects.

RENTERS HAVE A PLACE

Renters represent 41% of Oak Park residents. The Village must do more to understand issues facing renters and protect renters from unscrupulous landlords who: increase rent without adequate warning; fail to provide quality, timely maintenance and repairs; or cheat their tenants out of their security deposits. With your vote, we can ensure that Village ordinances (like “parking”) don’t disproportionately penalize renters or condo owners. www.JuantaForOakPark.com

CREATE RESPONSIVE GOVERNMENT

Our Village Board should act on behalf of residents and small businesses in Oak Park. If elected, I will work to implement a formal Community Engagement Process, in partnership with Village staff, to leverage feedback from commissions, residents, small business owners, and other stakeholders. Intentional community engagement will ensure that the Village Board learns from our most vulnerable community members -- not just the loudest voices on Facebook.

EQUITABLE AND SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS

Let’s create equitable and sustainable solutions by being smarter when making decisions about everyday residents, small businesses, and large developments. With your vote, I will support the immediate adoption of a Race and Social Justice policy that holds the board and staff accountable to think critically about how decisions impact young people, seniors, Black residents, small businesses and the world outside Oak Park

BALANCE PROPERTY TAX BURDEN

This year, property taxes are projected to make up 51.7% of Oak Park’s General Fund revenues. I will work to ease that tax burden by advocating for small businesses and growing our local economy. A thriving and vital business community in Oak Park will attract customers--and their tax dollars--from neighboring communities. Let’s shift the tax burden away from Oak Park residents and at the same time support small businesses.

GROW AND PROTECT OUR SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY

Small businesses are a core part of our community. As Oak Park begins to recover from the pandemic, I will work to invest in, retain and relaunch existing small businesses while recruiting new businesses -- particularly woman and minority-owned. I will also be strategic about adapting infrastructure and passing ordinances that support and regulate the growing gig economy.

www.ChibuikeForOakPark.com

PIONEER EQUITY IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Oak Park took bold action when it passed the Fair Housing Ordinance over 50 years ago. But the equity work of the Village is not done until all of our residents are treated justly regardless of their skin color, sexual orientation, gender, religion, or ability. That is why we need to implement a Race and Social Justice Initiative. That is the work that will define Oak Park for the next 50 years.

ADDRESS ROOT CAUSES

Addressing climate change, food insecurity, housing insecurity, and access to healthcare can begin to resolve the symptoms of systemic oppression. If we commit to establishing an annual action plan as a Village, we can begin to address the root causes of inequity in our community, and Oak Park will reap the rewards for decades to come by implementing a tool to assess the impact of policy decisions on equity issues, we can help ensure that Oak Park lives up to its promise.

PROPERTY TAXES ARE AN EQUITY ISSUE

Oak Park is unaffordable for many of our community members and this disproportionately impacts our more diverse populations. If we believe in an Oak Park that is invested in equity and diversity, then it must be the responsibility of any trustee to invest in intergovernmental work and collaborate with stakeholders to identify ways to create property tax relief.

SMALL BUSINESS DRIVES OAK PARK

www.AnthonyForOakPark.com

The key to building and maintaining a strong community is developing a strong ecosystem of local businesses. The Village Board must create a community that supports mom-and-pop establishments and startups. We can do this by expanding access to capital, giving preference to local businesses in purchasing, prioritizing local businesses in new developments, and adopting a Business Diversity Ordinance. Paid for by Activate Oak Park | Photos courtesy of Paul Goyette

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

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My dark secret revealed, on TV, by WTTW’s Geoffrey Baer quiz show Or, how our food columnist finally paid for the sin of not caring about sports

mentioned, “I know about as much about professional sports as the average seven-year-old girl.” I now humbly apologize to all seven-year-old girls, most of whom probably know much more about professional sports than I do. I’ve tried to get interested in professional sports. On more than one occasion, I’ve forced hen Dan Andries – family friend, myself to read the sports page and pick up as Berwynite and WTTW producer much information as I could. But it never stuck, – called to ask if I’d appear on The and that’s because I just don’t care. I’m not proud Great Chicago Quiz Show, I said of this lack of interest, and for other all-Ameri“Sure!” This show, hosted by Geofcan males, this lack of enthusiasm for pro athletfrey Baer, seven-time Emmy Award-winning ics seems to be incomprehensible. public television writer and producer, will preYears ago, at the Oak Park YMCA, I was on the miere on Friday, March 26, at 8 p.m. Local Dining treadmill, and a guy got on the machine next to This quiz show poses Chicago-based trivia & Food Blogger mine and asked, enthusiastically, “Did you see questions like “Who was Bud Billikin?” and that game last night?” I admitted that I didn’t fol“Abraham Lincoln is the only U.S. president to low sports. The guy replied, “Could you believe have a patent. What was it for?” “For Chicago trivia geeks, those who miss trivia nights that free throw shot in the fourth quarter?!” Clearly, my with friends, and the all-around curious, this series is the comment about not following sports bounced off his ears perfect Friday night activity,” says Baer. “I imagine viewers like bullets off Superman’s eyes; they made no impression sitting on the edges of their couches trying to outguess the whatsoever; they didn’t compute. How could anyone *not* contestants. Win or lose, everyone learns something and has care about sports? I do not usually advertise my lack of interest in – or any fun, including me!” I prepped by watching Baer’s excellent Chicago history real knowledge of – sports. It’s my dark secret (my only one). tours. I’ve lived in the Chicago area all my life, so I figured When the guys start talking sports, I quietly listen until I I’d do well. I was very wrong. figure out a way to change the subject. Before shooting started, I chatted with Baer, and casually As the quiz show got underway, I got two out of three of

DAVID

HAMMOND

Courtesy WBEZ

QUIZ MASTER: Geoffrey Baer, Chicago public televison personality and now host of ‘The Great Chicago Quiz Show.’ the opening questions right. Then Baer asked me to name as many Chicago sports teams as I could. I got six or seven out of a possible 20 correct, which is not good at all. Aside from that, I do think this will be a fun show for anyone who is interested in Chicago trivia, and for me, there are few things more trivial than professional sports, which is why I know almost nothing about them … as you will see if you tune into The Great American Quiz Show.

Re-Elect

Tom Cofsky

OPRFHS District 200 Board of Education Proven D200 leadership; Balancing student needs and taxpayer interests. Never supported maximum tax levies, leaving $60 million in taxpayers’ pockets. Supported establishment of racial equity policy and efforts to eliminate barriers and biases impacting our students of color. Parent of 5 Huskies, one now a D97 teacher. 33-year District Resident, 2-term Board Member.

Vote Early or Vote April 6th • SeeTomRun.org Paid for by Friends of Tom Cofsky

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Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

Proactive. Objective. Transparent.

Local stationery store, warehouse won’t be impacted by bankruptcy, company says Paper Source to be bought by MidCap Financial By MARIA MAXHAM Editor

My wife, Liz Parolin, and I have lived in River Forest since 2011. We have three children ages 10, 8 and 4. We are active sponsors and volunteers with RFYBS and RFYS and participate in many of the Park District’s programs. I have a vision for what our parks and programs can do for all the residents of River Forest. I will use my years of experience managing teams and projects to bring that vision to a reality in a way that is both financially and environmentally sustainable. I work in the field of sports marketing and help run a long-standing family business, having received my bachelor’s degree from Marquette University and a master’s degree in sports administration from Northwestern University.

Vote for Brad West for River Forest Park District Board

www.bradwestRF.com Paid for by Brad West for RF Parks

The Paper Source has a significant footprint in the area with a distribution center (left) on Industrial Drive in Forest Park and a store location on Lake St. in Oak Park.

Paper Source, with locations in both Oak Park and Forest Park, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 2, but according to Paper Source representatives, customers and operations won’t be impacted. “There is no foreseeable impact to the product, experiences and services provided to our customers as a result of the filing. Operations will continue as normal,” said a representative from the company in an email to the Review. Oak Park is home to a Paper Source store at 1109 Lake St. The shop sells greeting cards, crafting supplies, wrapping paper and other items. Since 2015, Forest Park’s Industrial Drive has been the location of an approximately 120,000 square foot Paper Source warehouse and manufacturing facility. Paper Source is headquartered in Chicago and was founded in 1983. In a March 2 press release, the company stated, “All Paper Source stores will remain open across the country and will continue to operate safely within applicable COVID-related guidelines. The company has ample liquidity to support ongoing operations across all channels, and to fulfill commitments to its valued employees, customers, makers and suppliers prior to a sale, which is expected to close in approximately 90 days.” The sale is to MidCap Financial, whose stalking horse bid was accepted by Paper Source. MidCap Financial, according to the release, will “purchase substantially all of [Paper Source’s] assets. The MidCap Financial transaction also includes approximately $16.5 million in committed financing, which will be immediately available to support the

company’s operations through its stores, eCommerce and wholesale businesses.” “We are very pleased to have the full support of our lenders led by MidCap Financial,” Winnie Park, CEO of Paper Source, said in the press release. “Today’s action represents a critical milestone in driving long-term, profitable growth and is a pivotal step forward in achieving the full potential of Paper Source as an omnichannel lifestyle brand.” She added: “The Covid-19 pandemic presented real challenges to our stores business, but this sale will help us to emerge stronger.” The company has about 1,700 employees at its stores, Loop headquarters and Forest Park distribution center, according to Lauren Zumback in a March 2 article in the Chicago Tribune. Zumback also reported that during the pandemic, about 95 percent of Paper Source store employees were furloughed. Most have returned, and only nine positions were eliminated from the 275 corporate and warehouse employees. But according to a March 5 Bloomberg story by Jeremy Hill, Paper Source placed unusually high orders from vendors in the months before declaring bankruptcy, and now payment for those orders are up in the air, causing those vendors, many of them small businesses, to fear they’ll be unable to make payroll or pay rent. Park told Bloomberg that the large orders were placed to stock 27 new stores the company had acquired when the stationery chain Papyrus went out of business last year. Because of timing of their orders, Park also said, those orders will have higher priority in terms of repayment. Park told Bloomberg in an email, “We apologize for the inconvenience this brings to the community of makers for Paper Source. This is a difficult time for the entire Paper Source community, our company and its makers. We care tremendously about our makers, especially as many of them are small business owners.”

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Thank you to everyone supporting my campaign for re-election as River Forest Village President! Jan Pyrce and Gary Kagan Carroll McMahon and Pat Clifford Ali Kagan Amy and Tom Jr. Dwyer Jonathan Kagan Kathleen and Leo Harmon Dawn and James Mizgala MaryAnne Fishman Paige Rodgers Theresa and John Rigas Austin Rodgers Mary and John O’Connor Graham Rodgers Kitty and Greg Bingham Cheryl and Tom Cargie Margaret and Jim O’Rourke Ryan Cargie Madeline O’Rourke Zachary Cargie Helen and Tony Kwan Carolyn Kilbride Sheila and Darryl Price Tommy Pasternak Diana Ferguson and Dwayne Staton Holly Economos Peggy Daley and Frank Libbe Lucy Economos Catherine and Hugo Chavez Teddy Economos Marcia and Michael Conway Bob O’Connell Ginny and Owen Beacom Lisa and Rick Gillis Mary and David Franek Rosa and John Castallano Carol Cox Betty and John Fodor Kara and John Keller Diane Dygert and Bob Conrardy Amy and John Phelan Anna and Mark Poulin Dr. Cathie and Craig Overmyer Colleen and Phil Salah Gail and Al Popowits Jan Saeger Genevieve Overmyer Jane and Keven McCole Donna and Ken Slepicka Marcia and Carr Preston Ann and John Morrissey Mary Beth and Richard Schumacher Lorrie and Tom Michaels Cathleen and Keven Hughes David and Lee Neubecker Karen and Mark Shelsted Joanna Schubkegel Sue and Jeff Blaine Sue and Matt Conti Nicole Laudadio and Mark Sullivan Lauren and Brian Behan Dr. Tracy and Jeff Leef

Carlotta and Ron Lucchesi Amy Paris Christine Snow Carolyn and Jimmy Durham Sheila and Darryl Price John and Doug Luce Holly Hirst and Tom Bearrows Drs. Vicky and Bill Brander Juliann and Dr. Peter Geldner Peggy and Steve Diamond Jean and Daniel Lupiani Maureen and Mark Kelty Dr.Lydia Manning Dr. James Flannigan Mary and Peter Mavrogenes Jay and Linda Rutili Anita and Tom Lebling Annie Flanagan Doppes Terry Griffen Cynthia Maroon Jim Ihrig Lynn Liberia and Mike McGarry John Courtney Dr Kent and Denise Kirk Elaine “Blondie” Kirk Annarita Santiago Shirley Rogers PJ Hosty Shelley and Charlie Thompson Jane and Trevor Norrington Mary Taglia Sally and Mike Gibbs Barbara and Bob Graham Robin and Andy Basney Christine Conroy Khaledan Chris Brazzle Laurie Stanton Jim and Deb Hopkinson Ramona and Larry Fox Julianne Nery Ellen and David Hidner MaryKay and Ralph Martire Julie Downey Tom Hazinski and Barbara Smith Jim and Lynn Winikates The Katrina Beck Family Carla Graham White Liita Forsyth Joan and Joe O’Connor Harry Walsh Libby and Scott Hall Caroline Becker Joss and Brian Joss Caroline Carlson and Hugh Smith Tamara and Harry Hicks MaryJo and Stephen Herseth Jay and Linda Rutili Karen and Joe Diaferio Michele Weldon Katherine Mary and Ron Krause Linda and Tom Shaughnessy Amy and Jim Reardon Stacy and Eric Wettstein Ralph and Donna Schuler

Tera McAndrews and Bob VanLiederkeke Ori Gottlieb Allison and Tom Donlan Laura Berendt Meridith and John Natale Vicky Freund Susan Schneider The Panton Family Roberta and Phillip Ferrante Drs Jeannette and Matt Sorrentino Mary Susan and Dr. David Chen Renee and Rick Bono Amber and Ken Johnson Bev Sha and Tom Lio Moira and Eric Nield Louise and Craig Flagg David and Paula Record Ross and Susan Lissuzzo Corina Davis John Hosty Melissa Berni Patt and Paul Chase Cristin and John Duffy George and Paulette Collias Corinna Malin Mindy Credi Nancy Quinn Mary Pat Devereux Irene and Gary Williams Ellen Hamilton and Steve Glinke Natalie Bauer Luce and Mike Luce Kinga and Michael Murphy Thiki Bertrand Bridget and Mark Collins Anita and Andre Swamy The Mesi Family The Romano Family Paul and Maraya Steadman Renee and Jim Duba Linda and Brian Proctor Dr. David and Jae Berni Richard Boos and Ginger Riessen Culyer and Julie Brown The Bennetts Family Lindsay and Joe McIntyre John and Kathleen Osga Arun Jayaraman Sangeeta Madhavan Shannon and Ben Roberts Linda and Roger Gusloff Drew and Mehgan Krisco Don and Barbara Fumo Colin and Melissa Hanses Justin and Courtney Coughlin Steinberg Tom and Kelly McCauley Greg and Amanda Paliuos Mike and Jamie McMahan Kim and Mark Hoyt Brian Walsh TJ and Meghan Hefner

Candace Wyrick Joe and Lisa Taylor Pat and Taylor Duff Brian and Maureen Connelly Meredith Maienza Linda and Kevin Conway MaryAnn and Max Brown Maria and John Nowicki Pam and Gerry Dombrowski Chris and Marissa Fasano Denise and John Burns Melinda and Terry Brennan Brittany Beckhorn Anchal Agawal Sean and Linda Hanley Wendy and Kevin Lutrell Marilyn and Joe Organ Kathleen and Bob Parrilli Julie Reese Joshua Butkus Elizabeth and Dennis Dunn Dorthy Banks Peter and Deirdre Lies Jim and Victoria Anderson The Courtney Family Maggie Clancy and Damon Ranieri Beth and TJ Cohen Emily and Mark Brown Liz and Dan Huber Aubrey Keith Shannon and Ben Roberts Elizabeth and Jeff Madden Nancy and Dennis Jarnecke Wendy and Russ Gallery Bob and MaryAnne Zeh Jess and Keith Hwang Lee Crawford and Mike Beckman Portia and Roman Ebert Stephanie and Sean Vitale Colleen and John Horrigan Paula Ebert Ramona and Larry Fox Pat Santoro and Terri Rosasco Sue and Mark Menna Sue Nelson Debbie and Tim Watts Julie and David Merhar Kim and Mike Trucco Karen and Steve Napolitano Lori and Tim Hague Kelly and Tim Odell Kathy and Mike Deitch Joanne and Brian Heinke Richard and Val Smith Kevin and Molly Hanely Tracy and Dan Hollenbach Kevin and Linda Conway Ines and Charlie Spinuzza Jane and John Hastings Chloe and Matt Pastore Beth Ann Cafaro and David Krupp Annie Dwyer and John Wohlford

Hugh and Moira Wade Kathy and Dan Waterloo Melinda and Terry Brennan Gerry and Barb Downey Linda and Roger Gusloff Mary and Dr. Joseph Bresnahan Greg and Mary Cappelli Jeff Cappelli Amber and Ken Johnson Beth McBride Kevin and Molly Hanley JJ and Maureen Dwyer Sue and Bob Kelly Amy McCormack Erin McCormack Matt McCormack Rebecca and Chris DeGroff Erin and Richard Eberle Debbie and Tim Mojonnier Terri and Mike Flynn Amiee Devereux Sarina Butler Rise and Joe Wendt MaryRose and Charlie Smith The Galvez Family Minhae and Charles Doherty Margie Gibson Marty and Tom Dwyer Jacqueline and Matt Stamm Alice Kopan Stacey and Mark Williams Whitney and Pat Simon Mike Pullos Marcia Colman Amenda and Steve Wehrman Kathy and Chad Tsitovich Terri and Terry Roche Jeff and Sarah Mauro Steve and Peggy Diamond Anthony and Nicole Ashe Joyce and Sean St. Clair Carrie and Pierce Raeder Tracy and Dan Hollenbach Dr. Rami Doukky and Samar Tabsi Elizabeth Davies Sara Phillips Denis Aabagic Elizabeth Moliner Donna Murray Amy and Scott Stefanick Mindy Credi Garrett Credi Cheryl Considine Salie CM Castillo Connie, John and Michael Burn Annette Finn Jim and Challa Cagnina Sue and Bill Lappe Julie Kelly Greg and Heather Ignoffo John and Elizabeth Hosty John and Gail Houseal Tim and Lori Hague Ed and Gina Voci Charles and Patricia Devereux

Judy Curry Peter and Dr. Karen Darley Mike and Marcia Conway Jane and Jim Levy Tony and Maurice Moore Scott and Lisa Krusinski Gerry and John Humbert Nancy and George Wohlford Joshua Schubkegel Annarita, Chiara, Gia Santiago Gil Lamar The Romano Family Bob and Kathy Jandeska Regan and Tom Cronin Chris and Rita Johnston Carla Graham White David Raino Ogden Ann and Bredan Dwyer The Simon Family Lisa and Butch Shanahan Ann and Joe Montroy Russ and Sharon Nummer Carey and John Beck Beth and Dan Phelan Julie and Scott Moller Olivia Ponzio Pat and Beth Nevins Ben and Becky Peterson The Hayley’s Alice and John Berry David and Candance Laudadio Lauren and Ted Perlstein Bob and Loretta Cooney Claudia Saran and Todd Zayti Thomas Bingham Hayden Bingham Anna and Joe Machina Michael and Mary Yerkes Charles and Elizabeth Vietzen Susan and Keith Huizinga Liam and Gabriellea Van Zant Margaret Brandt David Tepper Carol Flank Dan and Beth Phelan Marianne Kane David Bronner Jim Sloan Victoria Aguilar Linda and John Binder Sheila and Wallace Harris Courtney and Eric Kammer Ellen and Rich Douglas Rachel and Ryan Dardis Tyler and Tina Lamkey Chatka and Anthony Ruggiero Bob and Loretta Cooney Chris and Mary Lynn The Koritz Family The Briggs Family And so many more......

www.CathyForRiverForest.com Cathy@CathyForRiverForest.com (312) 498-7767 @CathyForRiverForest PAID FOR BY CATHERINE M. ADDUCI

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Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

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CAMPAIGN

Spending varies from page 1 people. I believe in paying people for their work.” According to quarterly report filings from the Illinois Board of Elections, Readling’s campaign manager Lisa Pintado-Vertner has received a total of $14,598 in compensation. Morgan Oliver has received $2,350. Pintado-Vertner and Oliver are Readling’s only paid staff members. Readling said during the forum her “journey” to this election began with the 2017 election, when she first considered running after being “so distraught and disappointed” with the behavior of the current mayor. “One of the first things I found out was the current village president had raised almost $100,000,” Readling said, referring to outgoing village president, Mayor Anan Abu-Taleb. Abu-Taleb did not raise that amount for the 2017 election. Rather, his campaign accrued a total of $82,448 in donations for his 2013 village presidential run. Abu-Taleb ran uncontested in 2017. Readling attempted to run against him as a write-in candidate but missed the deadline to do so. Readling told forum attendees she believes running for office should not be limited to only those with deep enough pockets to pump cash into their campaigns. “I don’t want us to continue having only candidates to choose from who are wealthy enough, or who have wealthy friends that can help them pay for those things or that have the opportunity to volunteer,” said Readling. Compensating people for their time, said Readling, expands access to the democratic system. Readling’s claims were met with skepticism from Scaman, who also has two paid campaign staff members. “I find my opponent’s answer very curious because it al-

“Everybody I have paid in my campaign is Black most seems as if she’s still following suit with the very administration that she is criticizor Brown,” said Scaman. ing,” said Scaman. Scaman’s paid staff include her campaign manScaman said she intends to have a final camager Cassandra West of New Media Access compaign budget of between $25,000 and $30,000 munications firm. Darien Burton, who handles – those amounts, according to Scaman, are in the campaign’s website and social media, is the line with campaign spending of village presiother member of Scaman’s team receiving finandents preceding Abu-Taleb. cial compensation. “I am not a person who can afford to fund my West has thus far received $700 for her work and own campaign,” said Scaman. Burton just over $6,385, according to quarterly filPrior to becoming village clerk, Scaman told ing reports. VICKI SCAMAN forum attendees, her career included working Scaman noted that her campaign expenditures, as a schoolteacher, leading a non-profit and including staff payment, are Oak Park-based. running a business where she paid others be“They live in Oak Park,” said Scaman. “All my fore herself, while also being a single mother. print materials are union and printed here in Oak “I was a renter for most of my life in Oak Park. I’m doing my best to live Oak Park’s values.” Park,” said Scaman, whose term as village Donations to Readling’s campaign include clerk expires next month. $1,000 contributed by the local branch of the Service EmIn Oak Park, village clerk is a full-time elected position ployees International Union (SEIU), which represents some with an annual salary of about $76,000. Last September, the members of village staff. When asked about the ethics of current village board discussed making the clerk part-time accepting such a donation, Readling said she was “proud” to and reducing the pay to $50,000 annually. have their support. Readling did not answer the ethics ques“This is the most amount of money that I have ever made tion instead explaining how endorsements work. in my life as village clerk right now,” said Scaman. After Scaman said the SEIU did not contact her to discuss Readling told Scaman she was not referring to her when her candidacy, Readling responded, saying she believed she she made those statements and pointed to sitting village board member Jim Taglia, who footed the bill for his 2019 snagged the union’s backing from her work with the Peocampaign. Taglia spent just over $60,375 on the campaign, ple’s Lobby and National Nurses United, among other organizations. according to Illinois Board of Elections data. “From outside of Oak Park,” said Scaman. “The truth is that I actually just haven’t given it nearly “From everywhere; Oak Park is not an island,” said as much thought,” Scaman said. “I’m running a campaign based on integrity, my civic services, community and my Readling. Although Readling decried the notion of what she dubbed desire to give back.” Scaman said she wants the community to know that can- “Oak Park exceptionalism” – the idea that “somehow things didates do not need to raise considerable sums to win an don’t apply to us or that we’re not a part of a region or counelection and that she is “proud” of the people working on ty,” both candidates pledged to work with neighboring parther campaign. ners for the benefit of all involved.

“ I am not a person who can afford to fund my own campaign.”

VOTE April 6

LuciaRobinson4Trustee.com facebook.com/luciarobinson4trustee

Lucia Robinson is a lifelong Oak Parker who believes that building better relationships is the key to establishing trust in government. She will listen to community and expert input and lead the community forward on the following initiatives: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES Lucia believes in responsible, context-sensitive economic development. She will support small business recovery through community-wide marketing efforts and reducing barriers for new businesses. ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE Lucia will put the $2.6 million Sustainability Fund to work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions using programs proven to make a difference. INNOVATIVE COMMUNITY POLICING Lucia believes in continuing to improve upon the Village's innovative community policing model. FAIR AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING Lucia will champion programs that promote integration, address housing insecurity and promote an inclusive and affordable community for all. Paid for by the Committee to Elect Lucia Robinson for Trustee

Paid for by Friends of Kebreab Henry

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

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Parents protest Beye teacher’s absence

District 97 school board likely to decide Patrick McAndrew’s fate at special meeting on March 19 By MICHAEL ROMAIN

onstration outside of D97’s headquarters, 260 Madison St. in Oak Park. They held signs that read: “McAndrew belongs in our Parents and students at Beye Elementary classroom” and “Stop punishing our chilare growing increasingly anxious as they dren and work this out now!” Ariel Schick, whose daughter is in McAnwait on the District 97 school board’s decision regarding Patrick McAndrew, a be- drew’s class, stood among the demonstrators to voice her concerns about how the loved fifth-grade teacher at the school. Golden Apple Award-winMcAndrew said on Monday ning teacher’s absence has that the board has scheduled affected her child. a special session for Friday “This has affected my morning at 8 a.m., where it daughter’s mental wellbewill decide whether to take up ing,” Schick said. “During the district administration’s remote learning he’s superrecommendation to terminate theatrical and cares about McAndrew over what people each child. And even in that close to the matter said is a environment, he’s been sudispute over his use of paid per successful. So they were sick days while traveling to really excited for him to be Nepal, where his family lives, in-person and he’s just been earlier this year. missing and they’ve been McAndrew declined to distold nothing. cuss the specifics of his case “This has created so much and earlier this month the disanxiety among so many of trict declined to comment on the kids. My daughter has what a spokesperson said is a MAGGIE TESTORE stomach aches before she confidential personnel issue. Parent goes to school now and her Many community members math scores have plumhad anticipated the board meted and they’ve had three would make a decision on substitutes this trimester.” McAndrew at its regular meetMaggie Testore, whose three children ing on March 9, but the matter was never brought up. McAndrew has been on paid went to Beye, said she was at the demonstration to stand in support of parents administrative leave since late January. Before the meeting, a crowd of about four and students who are directly affected by dozen McAndrew supporters staged a dem- McAndrew’s absence. Staff Reporter

“I’ve known Mr. McAndrew since 2008 and I know nothing other than the utmost professionalism, youthful exuberance and dedication to children. And that’s why I’m here.”

SHANEL ROMAIN/Contributor

UNHAPPY PARENTS: A protest outside District 97 headquarters in support of Patrick McAndrew, a Bye School teacher. “As I understand it, this is not an appropriate reaction to the situation,” Testore said. “My priority and the district’s should be the students of District 97. I do not feel that the students at Beye are being served. I’ve known Mr. McAndrew since 2008 and I know nothing other than the utmost professionalism, youthful exuberance and dedication to children. And that’s why I’m here.” Maggie’s son, Matthew Testore, 22, said McAndrew was his fifth-grade teacher in 2008 and 2009. “Mr. McAndrew has had a huge impact on my life and on a large number of kids’ lives at Beye,” Matthew said. “I moved to Oak Park in fifth grade, so I was entering school alone without many friends, didn’t really know the school at all or how to get around and Mr. McAndrew is such a caring, gentle soul that during my first day of class he assigned a classmate to show me around

and kind of stick with me, be my buddy for the first week, and this classmate ended up becoming one of my best friends.” Kate Cotter, one of McAndrew’s fifth grade students at Beye, said she’s been left in the dark about the teacher’s absence. “I was really sad when I knew I wasn’t going to go back in school for fifth grade,” she said. “I’m in hybrid now, but I was still sad at the beginning of the year. Mr. McAndrew showed me and my classmates that this doesn’t have to be a super depressing time in history. He made it fun by making games for morning meeting and showing us creative ways to learn boring subjects like history and math. He’s just a really special person and I count myself very lucky to have had him and I really want him back.”

CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com

Oak Park voices expectations of new D200 leader

Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates presented a leadership profile based on community input during Feb. 25 meeting By MICHAEL ROMAIN Staff Reporter

Oak Park community members have spoken. After two public forums, 26 focus groups, 28 individual interviews, multiple committee meetings and a survey that garnered nearly 1,900 responses, the consensus among stakeholders is that the next District 200 superintendent should be able to effectively address equity and diversity issues at Oak Park and River Forest High School. Other key criteria that were most important to stakeholders were an ability to instill “trust and mutual respect among disparate voices with conflicting viewpoints” and the

ability to communicate effectively and frequently with community members. Dr. Constance Collins, of Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates — the executive search firm the board hired to conduct the search for outgoing D200 Supt. Joylynn PruittAdams — presented an executive summary of the firm’s leadership profile at a regular board meeting on Feb. 25. Collins, a former District 97 superintendent, was among the people at Hazard who helped facilitate the forums, interviews and survey. The latter medium may have offered the most vivid illustration of the challenges the next superintendent will face. When asked if the district is “meeting the needs of historically underrepresented”

students, the negative responses from parents, teachers, support staff, administrators, taxpayers and Black respondents outnumbered the positive responses. The survey also revealed a difference in perceptions about OPRF between taxpayers without children in schools and other groups, which “indicates the new leader will need to be skilled in outreach to the entire community,” Collins said. There was also a difference in perceptions between teachers and parents, which “may indicate different standards or expectations regarding the district’s effectiveness,” a reality the incoming superintendent will need to probe and address, she said. Collins said the leadership profile will be

posted online so that prospective candidates for the superintendent position will see if they’re a good fit for the position. She added that the firm is using the profile as they screen candidates’ resumes and other material to see if “the person has had the experience that will set them up for success as a good fit for the district.” The profile will also inform the questions the board generates in the two rounds of candidate interviews, she said. The D200 school board has indicated that it would like to hire Supt. Pruitt-Adams’ successor before the April 6 election, but so far it isn’t clear if that timeline will be met.

CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

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BLACK REPRESENTATION Support experienced candidates who will lead on issues for every Oak Parker.

The AMENS Group the following Black candidates running for Oak Park Village offices on April 6th!

Anthony Clark

Chibuike Enyia

Juanta Griffin

Christina Waters

Ade Onayemi

Candidate, Village Trustee

Candidate, Village Clerk

www.anthonyforoakpark.com

www.chibuikeforoakpark.com

www.juantaforoakpark.com

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Incumbent Candidate, Township Trustee

Anthony Clark is a lifelong Oak Park resident, U.S. Air Force veteran, OPRF teacher, and founder of the non-profit Suburban Unity Alliance -- which raised more than $200,000 in support of local families and initiatives. Anthony holds masters’ degrees in Criminal Justice, Special Education and Educational Leadership. Anthony is running to create a cohesive, safe and prosperous community that provides equitable opportunities for all. By thinking creatively and working collaboratively with homeowners, renters and small business owners, Oak Park can reimagine inclusive public safety and affordability for all.

Chibuike Enyia is a lifelong Oak Parker, mentor, and small business owner. As the son of Nigerian immigrants, Chibuike understands first hand the inequities that exist and the core values necessary for a strong community. Chibuike started his career working in telecommunications management for large companies and in educational systems. Today, as a small business owner, he is focused on pandemic recovery and long-term sustainable supports for local businesses. Chibuike spends his free time mentoring youth through Young Life, volunteering with PADS and Boy Scouts, and serving on his children’s school Diversity committee.

Juanta Griffin is a lifelong Oak Parker and -- like 41% of Oak Parkers -- a renter. As a community activist and working-class woman with a disability, she knows what it takes to achieve real equity. She is focused on housing affordability, renter’s rights, and pandemic recovery. Juanta excels in identifying a community need, and organizing to meet it using her strong internal compass and work ethic as a guide. Juanta holds a master’s degree in Early-Childhood Education and serves as our Multicultural Learning Coordinator at the Oak Park Public Library.

Christina Waters is a life-long civil servant of Oak Park and the current Deputy Village Clerk. Christina’s 20+ years of local government experience will help improve efficiency, increase transparency, and streamline access to information. Christina will revitalize our commissions and committees to increase resident input, restore trust, and achieve shared goals. Christina holds a bachelor’s degree in Management and completed Leadership Lab, a program of the OPRF Community Foundation, focused on thinking creatively about the Village’s pressing challenges. Christina and her three children are avid hikers, sports enthusiasts, and love all things outdoor Oak Park.

Ade Onayemi moved to Oak Park with his family in 1984. His children attended both D97 and D200. His long tenure of community leadership on nonprofit and municipal boards, includes D97 School board, current Trustee of Oak Park Township, as well as active service roles in the neighboring Austin Community. As a current Trustee of the Oak Park Township, Ade supports discussions with the Village, the Library, the Park District, the School Districts, and the community’s non-profit organizations to facilitate an equitable system of social justice. He is committed to the responsible use of funds for the social and mental health of all residents.

Make a plan to Tim Thomas Candidate, Township Trustee www.tim4township.com Tim Thomas has lived in Oak Park for 10 years, graduating from Vincennes University, receiving his B.A.S from Indiana State University. He came to Illinois to work for SEIU and is currently an autoworker and an appointed UAW official at Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant. In addition to other appointments, Tim is a member of NAACP, OP Liquor Control Review Board, OP Township Youth Services Committee where he advocates for social justice issues including immigration, fair tax, older adult services and mental healthcare access. Tim hopes to focus the board on building relationships to fund and maintain social services for Oak Parkers.

Jeremy Duffy

Candidate, Oak Park School District 97 Board Member www.jeremyforoakpark.com Jeremy is an attorney and Sexual Harassment and Nondiscrimation Coordinator for the Board of Education for Waukegan Public Schools. He and his wife have lived in Oak Park for six years with their Hatch Elementary School student and two toddlers. Jeremy is a former elementary and middle school teacher but spent the last 10 years as an attorney to school boards and district administrators throughout Illinois. Jeremy will continue the conversation on equity while focusing on improving student outcomes, enhancing organizational and professional structures, and ensuring fiscal responsibility.

Venus Hurd Johnson

Candidate, Oak Park School District 97 Board Member

www.venusforoakpark.com Venus, her husband and two sons have lived in Oak Park for 15 years. She currently holds a senior level position in healthcare sales. Venus is a solution driven problem-solver and “walks-thewalk” with experience in leadership positions within our K-5 schools as a PTO Co-President and District level PTO Council and DivCo Co-President. During her tenure in these roles, she’s worked collaboratively with our schools and District to develop policies that improve student outcomes. If elected, she will work to hire a new Superintendent while forwarding the Board’s emphasis on equity, community engagement, and fiscal responsibility.

Kebreab Henry

Candidate, District 200 School Board Member

www.kh4d200.com Kebreab is the President and Owner of Molior Inc, a telecommunications firm that provides services to major wireless carriers. Kebreab and his wife have lived in Oak Park for ten years. They have three children, the oldest a graduate of OPRFHS and is currently enrolled at the UIC Honors College. Kebreab is a current member of the OPRFHS’s Culture, Climate and Behavior Committee and the OPRF Community Council. Kebreab is running for school board to ensure that all students have an equitable opportunity for success without race or socioeconomic status being a determinant and to advocate for fiscal responsibility and accountability.

Reach AMENS Group at amensopgroup@gmail.com

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APRIL 6 in our local elections

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

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D97 candidate wants to center marginalized voices

PAID POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT

VOTE APRIL 6

Community Service Party OAK PARK TOWNSHIP

Venus Hurd Johnson says she’ll use her communication skills to build consensus and bring marginalized stakeholders closer to decision-making By MICHAEL ROMAIN

tion and the more the board and the superintendent are out there in the community, the Staff Reporter less likely that misinformation has the opporVenus Hurd Johnson is running for the tunity to germinate.” Johnson said she believes the district is District 97 school board so that the more marginalized and less vocal stakeholders in “heading in the right direction” as it relates Oak Park can have more representation at to juggling hybrid learning and remote learnthe board table, the candidate said in a recent ing during the pandemic, but she would like to see strategies put in place to interview. transition the district to a post“One of the big pushes we have pandemic normal. with equity is making sure all One way to manage that tranvoices are heard,” Johnson said. sition is to provide parents and “We as a village have a lot of town students with a roadmap that lays halls and meetings. I think we get out resources and materials to rea lot of voices and that’s really view over the summer in order to important, but the loudest voices make up for the pandemic year. know where to go and what to say. “For example, maybe all of the What about the voices who don’t fourth-grade teachers across the come to us or are intimidated to come to us? As a board member, I VENUS HURD JOHNSON district can get together and say this is what we covered in the want to seek out those voices and school year, this is what will be get that understanding.” Johnson, 52, said she believes the skills covered in the fifth grade and here are the she’s honed during her 20-year career in sales resources and materials we’re suggesting for are particularly translatable to the function you,” Johnson said. “I’m hearing a lot of parof school board member. Currently, she said, ents complain about a learning loss […] the roadmaps can allow them to feel like they’re she’s in healthcare sales. “I want to make sure we’re hearing all the combating learning loss — whether it exists voices, so we have a full scope of what’s going or not. Plus, you have summer learning, so it’s two-fold.” on in our district,” she Johnson said in order to said. “I think that’s where closely monitor students’ my strong communicaprogress, there should be tion skills come into play a plan for robust testing and my ability to connect “as soon as we get into the with people and to get school year,” so that the them talking.” district can know where Johnson, who has a sevstudents are and how enth-grader in D97, said All democracy is local they’ve fared since the she’s been volunteering last school year. in the Oak Park school Johnson, who is one of six people hoping to community since her oldest son, who is now a freshman in high school, was in kindergar- win one of four open seats on the D97 board, ten. She has served as co-president of D97’s acknowledged that the new board configuDiversity Council (DivCo) and co-president ration will include a majority of members with little to no board experience. She said, of D97’s PTO Council. Johnson said if she’s elected to the board, if elected, she plans to lean on the wisdom of she’ll look to have a role in hiring a superin- previous board members, but she also said tendent who “not only is an equity advocate, the new board majority presents an opportubut an equity expert and who can execute and nity to create a new culture of openness and has executed equity tactics and strategies collaboration within the district. “But I also think that, with a young board with results in a previous school district.” But Johnson said she’d also look for some- and a new superintendent, there is an opporone who is a “really good community” build- tunity for the district to create its own culture er and who can unite Oak Park’s very vocal, and set its own path,” Johnson said. “Communicating with one another and building yet disparate stakeholders. “Our stakeholders need a lot of attention relationships with one another will be critiand a lot of information,” she said. “We need cal. If you have a strong board with a strong someone who can handle that in a dynamic administrative leadership, that then radiway. The district puts out a lot of information ates out into the community.” CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com already, but there is also a lot of misinforma-

Providing locallygoverned supportive services to our community What we stand for: SOCIAL SAFETY NET Township services provide support to at-risk youth, people with mental health and substance abuse challenges, and senior citizens. Through Township grants, partnerships throughout the community, and our outstanding Township staff, we support programs in delivering services to address these critical needs. FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY The Township Board has a solid track record of fiscal responsibility, recording the smallest tax increases of any local government since the year 2000. To ensure the most cost-effective channels for delivering social services, we are committed to seeking greater collaboration among government agencies. We will also seek state, federal, and private grants to help fund township services. RACIAL EQUITY The Community Service Party is modeling its commitment to racial equity and social justice through a diverse slate of candidates that includes representation of different races, genders, and the LGBTQ community. We have undertaken a challenging program of listening to all, in order to refocus the work environments at the Township on equity and fairness to ensure that the services we provide are equitable and fair.

TOWNSHIP SUPERVISOR

Clarmarie Keenan

TOWNSHIP CLERK

Gregory White

TOWNSHIP ASSESSOR

Ali ElSaffar

TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE

Eric Davis

TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE

Ade Onayemi

TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE

Margaret Trybus

TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE

Tim Thomas

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

D97 candidate wants to bring psychology expertise to board

Kate Odom, a clinical psychologist, says her mental health expertise is unique among board members and candidates By MICHAEL ROMAIN

hiring the next D97 superintendent to succeed outgoing Supt. Carol Kelley, who will leave at the end of the school year to take Kate Odom, a 37-year-old mother of two a superintendent position in New Jersey. young students, one who is a second grad- Odom laid out her criteria for the next suer in District 97 schools, said she wants to perintendent. “I think the next superintendent needs to bring her unique mental health background remain equity-focused,” she said. “The disto the board. “When I started paying attention to what’s trict has put in some new initiatives, such as going on in District 97, I noticed no one on the new equity policy that came out a couple the board is in the mental health field and of years ago. We need someone who has already demonstrated the kind of I’m the only one running in the skills in leadership and managerace who is a mental health proment with implementing the eqfessional,” Odom, a clinical psyuity policy we have in place so it chologist who regularly works can’t be someone who is new to in schools, said in a recent interthe work, despite maybe being view. very eager.” “So, that’s what initially got Odom added that she’d like to me interested in running for the see someone with a proven track board and then COVID hit and record and “who knows what turned everything upside down it means to implement policies and we’ve seen mental health that will benefit all of our stucrises really spike in our student KATE ODOM dents.” She also said the next supopulation,” Odom said. perintendent has to have finanOdom, one of six candidates seeking four open seats on the D97 school cial discipline. “Oak Park has this history and habit of board in the April 6 election, said, despite the increasing prevalence of mental health asking for money and getting it in the name issues in Oak Park public schools amid the of students, so I would like to see this leaderpandemic, mental health challenges are still ship be more cost-effective and understanding of what we already have in the district stigmatized in the wider to make sure those are community. being utilized in a more “I don’t think that efficient way before askpeople are talking about ing for more money,” she mental health,” she said. said. “Outside of schools, cerOdom said she’ll bring tainly mental health has her status as an essena stigma. It’s taboo and tial worker to governing people don’t know what as a board member in a All democracy is local to say. That’s not unique pandemic. She said she to D97, but people don’t hopes to leverage her exknow how to talk about it pertise in trauma-informed care in an effort in a way that’s not stigmatized. Odom said she’s anchored her candidacy to address some of the distrust and “ineffecin a “community-centered place,” which tive communication happening within D97 prioritizes the perspectives of community and our community.” Odom added that, if elected, “I would like members, teachers and other stakeholders over outside experts when it comes to tack- to really help the school and community transition back into full-time learning or at ling the stigma of mental health. “When we can get community members least have that be an option … I think we’ll who are well-known, well-respected and have a robust remote learning option still trusted to start talking about the various as- available, if it makes sense and with the mitpects of mental health, then I think we can igations and all the precautions [but] I have start to reduce the stigma,” she said. “The seen that we can provide full-time in person other prong to this solution is having a bet- learning in a safe way and I do believe that ter understanding of what mental health in-person learning is a more effective way for most children.” looks like.” CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com If elected, Odom will likely have a say in Staff Reporter

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Gillis says ad experience will benefit RF village board Communication key to solving village challenges

She said that, overall, she’s been pleased with the village’s response to the pandemic, but she would like to see the village and Oak Park-River Forest Chamber of Commerce organize “shop local” promotions to support By IGOR STUDENKOV local businesses. Contributing Reporter Gillis said she supports River Forest’s efforts to make the village more equitable As someone who worked in the advertisfor all residents. As an adjunct professor at ing industry for 30 years, Lisa Gillis, a River Dominican University’s Brennan School of Forest village board candidate, believes Business, she saw how the university did “a communication is key to addressing the great job in their journey of embracing dimany issues the village faces. versity and inclusion.” Her work experience taught her the value “I think we can really lean on that to help of reliable data, the need to communicate the village support our journey,” Gillis said. effectively and the importance of telling a “[We need to be] embracing all the folks that good story. If elected, Gillis said she plans to live in the village and making sure everyone apply those skills, her involvement in varifeels welcome.” ous River Forest organizations and instituShe said she supports collaborations betions, and her experience chairing the River tween Oak Park and Maywood. Forest Sustainability Commis“My daughter used to go to sion to the job. Her major prioriMaywood Fine Arts [Associaties will be to attract businesses tion], so I spent a lot of time in in order to increase the village’s that part of Maywood,” Gillis sales tax revenue, improve the said. “There are a lot of great village’s outreach and reduce vilplaces to pick up food. It would lage expenses. be great for us to bring [River Gillis said that in the 20 years Forest and Maywood] closer to she’s lived in River Forest, she’s one another, [not just] from the been active in the community, operational perspective.” founding the Keystone Triangle She said her experiences with Neighborhood Association and LISA GILLIS River Forest police officers have serving as a member of Oak Park Village Board candidate been positive, but that she would River Forest Infant Welfare Socilisten to any residents who had ety. Her experience chairing the village’s different experiences. Sustainability Commission for the past nine “If there are people in the community months gave her “a good bird’s eye view of who don’t have the same experience as I do the village” and a better understanding of with the police, if that would be the case, I’d village issues, so she decided to run in hopes want to understand their experience, and of making a difference. then use those experiences to improve how Her major priority will be recovery from the police department operates,” she said. the COVID-19 pandemic. Gillis wants the vilGillis said her work experience taught her lage to hold community events to repair the the value of relying on facts to make decities frayed by self-quarantining and work sions and how to work with people she may to shore up the village’s finances. Because not necessarily get along with -- something she doesn’t want to raise property taxes, she that she will bring to her role as a trustee. would work to attract businesses that would “I feel that, [while] building something, bring in sales tax and property tax revenue. you can’t steamroll -you have to share and At the same time, Gillis would try to reduce learn,” Gillis said. “One of the things I’m village expenses by automating certain pretty good at is being a good collaborator functions and putting more services online. and a hard worker that basically makes deHer third priority would be to improve cisions based on fact. I’m a big believer in communications. Gillis wants the village separating facts from stories.” to use social media platforms to respond to Gillis said she would want a new village comments and complaints, the way many administrator to be “a positive collaborabusinesses do, and update the village webtor” who can work well with staff and offisite to “make it easier for residents to find cials not just in River Forest, but the neighinformation in one click.” boring villages. The latter, she argued, is particularly important given that River Forest is landlocked, which limits development -- but collaboration with the other villages can expand possibilities. “I think we need to really work to get someone who’s optimistic, sees the opportunities, understands how we can meet the challenges a village of our size has,” she said.

Elect

Experience Matters

• Approved a student-focused, reasoned, and researchbased needs analysis for facility upgrades. • Been a dutiful steward of our resources—voting for over $35 million in real estate tax abatements and never voting to impose maximum tax levy on property owners. • Been a staunch advocate for gender and racial equity to eliminate bias to create a safe, comfortable educational environment so all students can realize their full potential. • Founded the OPRFHS Imagine Foundation, creating a capital campaign to alleviate the burden on taxpayers and ensuring the completion of needed facility upgrades.

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

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C R I M E

Burglar flees after seeing victim

Three cars were targeted by a burglar in the 600 block of North Cuyler Avenue at roughly the same time on March 9. In the first incident, the burglar successfully entered the unlocked 2019 Honda Fit between 8 p.m. and 8:24 p.m. The car’s interior was ransacked but no loss was reported. Another vehicle of unreported make and model was broken into and its interior ransacked between 8 p.m. and 8:23 p.m. with no reported loss. An attempt to break into a third vehicle was made at 8:24 p.m. in the same block. While the victim was sitting inside his parked Dodge Charger, a man approached and attempted to open his car. Upon realizing the victim was seated inside, the man fled and got into a dark colored vehicle driven by an unknown person. The dark colored vehicle was last seen traveling southbound on Cuyler Avenue.

Burglary A Garmin International GPS device was taken from a 2012 Chrysler with an unlocked door between 9:50 p.m., March 12 and 6 a.m., March 13 in the 600 block of South Austin Boulevard. The estimated loss is $250.

Theft of motor vehicle ■ Someone removed a white 2015 Nissan Rogue, left unattended and running with the keys in the ignition, at 8:29 p.m., March 9 in the 100 block of North Marion Street. The vehicle was last seen traveling southbound on Marion Street. The estimated loss is $17,000. ■ A vehicle was removed from the street between 8 p.m. and 11:11 p.m., March 11 in the 1200 block of North Austin Boulevard. The estimated loss is $35,400.

Recovered stolen motor vehicle The 2014 Nissan Sentra reported stolen Jan. 30 out of Oak Park was recovered in the 5200 block of West Kamerling Avenue,

Chicago at 10:27 a.m., March 9 and returned to its owner. No apprehensions were made.

Theft ■ Someone removed a silver Apple MacBook Air laptop computer from an office in the 1100 block of South Cuyler Avenue between 10:26 a.m., Jan. 29 and 10:26 a.m., Feb. 22. Estimated loss not reported. ■ The catalytic converter to a 2005 Toyota Prius was cut while the vehicle was parked in a lot in the 6800 block of North Avenue between 5 p.m., March 5 and 4:30 p.m., March 8. Estimated loss is unknown.

Criminal damage to property ■ The rear passenger vent window of a 2002 Honda Odyssey was damaged while the vehicle was parked in the front of a residence in the 200 block of South Maple Avenue between 6 p.m., March 4 and 11 a.m., March 5. ■ The basement door of a residence was damaged after someone removed the lock and cylinder between 6:30 p.m., March. 3 and 10 a.m., March 5 in the 500 block of North Grove Avenue. The estimated damage is $200. ■ Two vertical posts and six horizontal rails of a wooden fence were damaged in the 1200 block of Fair Oaks Avenue at 10:39 a.m., March 13.

These items, obtained from the Oak Park Police Department, came from reports March 7 - 15 and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large, and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest. Compiled by Stacey Sheridan

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

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“

The Clerk’s role is imperative to connecting our community with our government.

”

Service

Transparency

Access

Community

The Clerk’s office should prioritize a high level of customer service to all of our residents

Lack of resources or ability should not restrict access to government data and information

Visit www.ChristinaForOakPark.com

Request your mail-in-ballot: http://mailvoting.cookcountyclerkil.gov Paid for by Friends of Christina Waters | Photos courtesy of Paul Goyette

Government process and operations should be highly transparent to all

I will bring a genuine voice of equity and inclusion to engaging the full community

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

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RF trustee candidate seeks solutions, not partisan victories Buis focuses on equity, sustainability By IGOR STUDENKOV Contributing Reporter

For Johann Buis, a music history professor at Wheaton College and a candidate for River Forest village trustee, racial equity isn’t an abstract concept. As a Black man who was born in South Africa during apartheid, he faced discrimination and ran into barriers trying to get a college education. He fled to the United States in the 1980s as a “political refugees” because he was threatened for opposing the regime. Buis said his experiences taught him the importance of building consensus and actively working to ensure equity. If elected, he would also advocate for environmental sustainability, putting more resources into disaster prevention, encouraging local arts, and using zoning codes and other tools to beautify the village and make it more attractive to tourists. Buis said he is running not so much because he wanted to, but because people have been asking him to run for the past 13 years. Serving on the River Forest Traffic and Safety Commission gave him a glimpse of the village government “behind the scenes,”

and now, he is ready for a more happen to live on the south side public-facing role. of River Forest, and that’s an If elected, Buis would focus equity issue as well,” Buis said. on environmental sustainability “Voices of all the citizens and and disaster prevention, espethe residents must be known to cially flooding and freight train us, but not all those [have been derailments. He wants to avoid represented].” something similar to the March He would bridge the gap by 2017 derailment of a sulfur-carorganizing town halls, which rying train in Lake Forest. Like would be advertised as widely other candidates, he would focus as possible. “I want everyone JOHANN BUIS on fiscal responsibility, while River Forest Trustee candidate to know that I’m a listener and also supporting going out for [will] take their ideas forward, state and federal grants to fund because they’re passionate about projects that would benefit residents. them,” Buis said. Buis praised the village’s overall response He said he was in favor of having River to the pandemic, but he argued that it could Forest police officers have body cameras have done a better job letting the residents recording “all encounters with the public.” know about vaccination opportunities. He “[Just as] the village trustees need to have also felt that River Forest should do some- open meetings, so that the community can thing to memorialize the residents who died see and hear them at work, so too must the of COVID-19, noting that, because of the police be seen at work,” Buis said. He also argued the encounters between pandemic restrictions, residents couldn’t be police and civilians usually escalate bethere for each other. “I think easily we overlook the fact that cause of unconscious biases that trigger a the pandemic is fatal, and we don’t have the fight-or-flight response. To illustrate his point, Buis recalled a time ability to mourn with those in our mist who when a group of kids damaged his lawn. Inare undergoing it,” Buis said. While he believes “we have to be inten- stead of getting mad at them, he introduced tional in working for equity at all times” himself and asked the kids’ names. This difinstead of waiting for it to happen, he said fused the tension, the kids apologized – but things could have ended very differently. would do his part to make it happen. “Just because a person is a transgres“I’m the only candidate of the four who

sor, or appears to be a transgressor, doesn’t mean we need to be fearful people,” Buis said. “Every police encounter must presume the humanity of the other person.” He said he fully supports making the village departments as diverse as possible -something that, Buis believes, could be accomplished by having a vision, committing to it and being willing to discuss biases. “It is important for us to recognize that it is not the matter to shun and be afraid of, but to [be] embraced,” Buis said. The same considerations, he said, should apply to a village administrator. Buis would look for someone with a good “bedside manner,” someone who would advocate for community, be good at getting federal and state funding and collaborating with the surrounding communities. When it comes to debating issues and casting votes, Buis said he would take inspiration from Nelson Mandela, whom he met in person several times. “The Mandela Principle looks at the two sides of the issue and takes the good from each side,” he said. “They might be totally in conflict with one another, but there’s good in each point of view, and you marry those points of view so it’s a win-win. My track record [shows] that I’m not a partisan, because I want to find solutions and not victories.”

A special thank you to the residents and partners who took the time to respond to our community survey and provided these positive comments about their experience and the work that we do. accessible advocate appreciated asset blessing caring compassionate competent confident critical dedicated efficient essential excellent support expert fiscally responsible friendly grateful great great value happy helpful important informative knowledgeable life-saving needed outstanding partner patient pleased polite positive professional resource resourceful respectful responsive satisfied service oriented supported supportive thankful valuable vital welcoming well-administered well-run If you would like more information on Township programs and services, please call: Township (708) 383-8005

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RIVER FOREST VILLAGE PRESIDENT (2 CANDIDATES FOR 1 OPEN SEAT) P A T T Y

H E N E K

In your time on the village I will vote YES on a more robust plan board, what are your biggest acwith actionable steps to reach higher complishments and how did those compliance goals. accomplishments work to benefit the entire community? Five years from now, how I am not one to singularly own Board should we measure the success of accomplishments. Effective leadership the twin city covenant between to me means inspiring engagement at River Forest and Maywood? all levels, both inside the administration Success to me means ever- inand within the community and creasing interactions between our communities because there is syncredit belongs to the collective. As a Board, I am proud to be a part of the following ergy that can be more fully realized. Oak Park and Village initiatives: new Village Comprehensive River Forest enjoy a cooperative relationship that Plan; Welcoming Resolution; creation of the North seemingly continues naturally. That relationship Avenue TIF; Madison St. TIF property acquisitions; required intentionality, at first, and I see the Twin VilTwin Village Covenant with Maywood; partnership lage Covenant as the first step in a similarly-organic with Dominican University on Diversity, Equity relationship with Maywood. That could mean annuand Inclusion (DEI); and, balanced Village Budgets. al co-sponsored events, partnering to advocate for Combined, these accomplishments have laid the forest preserve improvements and programming, foundation to stabilize taxes; broaden engagement or implementing shared services or infrastructure across neighboring borders; ensure inclusion of all projects that are mutually beneficial. The greatest success, however, will be residents, and deliver financial measured when residents in stewardship. But more is both communities see and WEB EXTRA needed. Status quo cannot treat each other as neighbors. See candidates’ complete answers and bios at be acceptable. I personally see the forest OAKPARK.COM/VOTEREMPOWERMENTGUIDE Building on this foundation preserves as a great place to advance real change to foster these relationships. demands intentional planning For too long it has been a and implementation. I will convenient barrier between bring residents into the our communities. An event similar to A Day in Our solutions by creating a culture and system that Village could be organized to showcase what both values and recruits input from all. Together, we will communities have to offer. Collaboration with achieve real gains on economic development, boat launch activities or a sidewalk along Chicago diversity, sustainability, and much more. Avenue to allow safe passage to Trailside would I am equally proud of the instances in which I have represent physical signs of the Twin Covenant. The demonstrated principled independence by voting opportunities are endless. NO on: the Lake & Lathrop project extensions (a lack of confidence in developer’s project management How will recent discussions on equity inside and unwillingness to support existing businesses); village hall affect your approach to hiring a the minimally compliant Affordable Housing Plan new village administrator? (the need for a more robust goal); and, the Red Light The Village Board has a single employee, the VilCamera Program (the lack of requested data to lage Administrator, a professionally-trained municimake an informed decision). pal manager who functions as the CEO to oversee Village staff. We have a terrific staff and the once-inIn a community best known for its affluent a-decade opportunity to hire and mentor the new housing, what are the economic and social village administrator with an emphasis on transbenefits of increasing affordable housing in parency and inclusivity, attributes I believe lead to River Forest? good governance. “Affordable housing” as a phrase has recently beI am a big believer in a 360 degree review of all come weaponized. To me, affordable housing: village functions. I championed the creation of the ■ ensures quality housing stock at varied price Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Ad Hoc Advipoints (providing new and existing residents houssory Group and believe it is the appropriate place ing aligned with changing life needs); to conduct a thorough review of internal and ex■ fosters economic diversity and inclusion which ternal initiatives, actions, and operating procedures enriches the village’s social fabric; to identify areas to revise in policy, training, and en■ allows households increased discretionary gagement for all village departments. As the Village spending in the community; administrator is intended to co-chair this Group, I ■ maintains intergenerational community ties will look for an administrator with DEI experience without displacing residents. River Forest is in the bottom 4% of Illinois cities in and a thorough understanding of how to lead a providing affordable housing. In 2003, the IL State community like River Forest forward. This person legislature set a minimum benchmark for munici- should have a clear vision of the importance of this palities to maintain 10% of its housing stock as af- experience and look to affect policy through this fordable housing and stipulated that a municipality lense at all times. below this minimum develop a plan to reach this The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at: benchmark. It took River Forest 17 years to create a oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide minimally-compliant plan, resulting in my NO vote.

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

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Local journalism promotes civil discourse, thriving communities and our vibrant democracy Growing Community Media connects citizens through independent journalism that is rooted deep in our neighborhoods, based in facts, and that reflects voices not always heard. These trusted news sources • Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest • Austin Weekly News

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Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

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OAK PARK VILLAGE PRESIDENT (2 CANDIDATES FOR 1 OPEN SEAT) C A T E

R E A D L I N G

In detail, explain how you will lead the village and its residents and stakeholders to financial recovery without increasing the property tax burden? To tackle the Covid crisis, we need to collaborate. We need to work with our Health Department and local health providers to facilitate vaccine distribution. We must underscore clear and effective communication and ensure that it reaches every corner of our Village. Oak Park needs to align our values with our finances. I will work to limit property tax increases, restructure our user fees, and help to implement progressive taxes at the state level so we can fully fund public health, education, and social services. Certainly part of that involves a participatory budget, meaning the community has a hand in deciding how the Village spends a portion of the budget. Our current economic development strategy is a race to the bottom, where tax breaks recruit corporations and developers. I will pursue an economic gardening strategy that uses those tools and others to support our existing business ecosystem, especially black and brown entrepreneurs. I also want to see more innovation come out of Oak Park. Our town has a great reputation and is known around the world for fantastic architecture. We can turn that into more revenue. Bringing outside dollars into our community directly brings revenue into the Village budget. It lowers taxes for homeowners. It makes our businesses more sustainable. It helps to create more success stories that motivate more people to grow their businesses right here at home. It creates more jobs. Instead of us fighting over some crumbs, we’re working together to build something amazing. How will you address affordability of living in Oak Park for all residents, not just homeowners? I care so deeply about this issue that I have a plan to improve Oak Park’s affordable and fair housing on my website. If I am elected I will immediately begin a targeted listening tour to hear the unique needs of renters in our village and, I hope, on our board. I will host “Coffees with Cate” and offer childcare to ensure that everyone can participate. Then I would seek to prioritize those needs and work with trustees to bring them into policy. I will also continue to lobby at the State level to eliminate the State controls on rent levels. Despite the threats to fair and affordable housing in Oak Park, the majority of the current Village Board has ignored the input from its commissions, committees, and community at large. In the past four years, the Village stopped collecting essential racial demographic information necessary to cultivate stable integration throughout Oak Park; failed to document or address increasing housing and rental costs; and reduced funding of our nationally recognized Oak Park Regional Housing Center. The current inclusionary housing ordinance doesn’t go far enough and that’s because it was pushed through without input from informed residents. The majority of the new housing in Oak Park is unaffordable to most of the community, disproportionately affecting our seniors and working families. We need a strong, effective inclusionary housing ordinance

V I C T O R I A

 V I C K I 

S C A M A N

In detail, explain how you will able to incent developers to integrate afretention and work with the lead the village and its residents fordable units. Chamber of Commerce to help and stakeholders to financial The only way we’ll really know if Oak inform on the needs of the recovery without increasing the Park is integrated is by collecting data business community. We must property tax burden? each year from tenants. For decades, the also engage Visit Oak Park to Of every $1 you pay in property Village collected data from landlords on increase tourism dollars and work together to create a more resilient taxes on your home, business the collective racial composition of their community for a strong recovery or through your rent, the village tenants. Now the Village relies on the from COVID-19, and pursue government receives fifteen gross estimates of the American Commuall options for federal recovery (15) cents to fund services such nity Survey, which is collected from 1% of grants. We have an opportunity as police, fire, and public works. the population and covers five-year time periods (2015–2019, for example). This data masks any We all know the cost of living and the cost of to plan for the future and do the hard work to discrimination and resegregation in individual buildgovernment rarely go down. It’s commendable retain and welcome more honestly Black and ings. The village needs to survey renters, analyze the that recent village budgets increased at the rate Brown owned businesses. We need to increase data, and identify in a timely fashion where affirmative of inflation or 3%. But, in 2021 the village board transparency in decision making across our marketing and other integration efforts are needed. significantly depleted the reserves to balance village and communicate long-term goals The Oak Park Regional Housing Center would be the so that we know we are not missing out on the village budget. This is not sustainable. ideal delegate agency for this work. As Village President I will lead a Board of opportunities to share resources. I would trust the Plan Commission on planned deWe will have an opportunity to use Trustees in prioritizing our shared goals and velopment ordinances rather than dismiss it. Over the living within our means. The Village Board Fi- inclusionary zoning funds to pursue a request past four years, we’ve seen the Board vote against their nance Committee did not meet during the for proposals (RFP) for affordable housing. We recommendations on major projects. That would not 2021 budget process. This created inefficiencies need to set firm data driven goals for those be my practice. in the budget process and it led to a lack of un- funds. I will want to understand what population I believe density is important derstanding of the budget is most in need of affordable housing; seniors, in the areas around our transit by community members. I families, or possibly people with disabilities. I WEB EXTRA stations and along major corwill restart the Village Board will strive to lead a board that makes thoughtful See candidates’ complete answers and bios at Finance Committee for and informed decisions to meet the needs of ridors, but not at the expense OAKPARK.COM/VOTEREMPOWERMENTGUIDE greater transparency and our community to address affordability for all of our neighbors. I would use efficiency. I will direct staff sectors of our community. Village incentives to encourage to align budget items with affordable housing and invest in our clearly defined goals entrepreneurs, especially people What does community policing in Oak and work with Village Trust- Park mean to you? Do you believe the vilof color that want to expand or ees to make informed decisions based on what lage should spend less, the same or more on improve buildings in Oak Park. investments will provide the greatest long-term policing and police facilities? Our housing policies and programs are still woeimpact for achieving a goal and work with other fully inadequate to solve the problems we face today. I plan to lead an open and transparent protaxing bodies and partner agencies so that every cess with my colleagues and village staff to Segregation by race or income always hurts Black and dollar spent is collaborative, thoughtful, and not identify what changes need to be made in popoor people disproportionately, and inevitably hurts contributing to redundancies. the entire economy. licing. I take very seriously the fact that not every There is opportunity to find efficiencies with person feels safe in our community. My view is better use of technology, clearer contracts that refusing to host this conversation has only What does community policing in Oak Park with partner agencies, and reaching across contributed to harm. This is a national conversamean to you? Do you believe the village should our borders for greater impact on climate tion that has to be had everywhere. My comspend less, the same or more on policing and pochange, racial equity, and economic recovery mitment to fairness and transparency has been lice facilities? from COVID-19. I believe we will have the unwavering and evident in my behavior and life We know what makes people safe. It’s good opportunity to pursue Federal grants and the accomplishments. jobs, good healthcare, affordable housing, and We have a collective responsibility to review ability to demonstrate partnerships increases our accessible community services. The problem is eligibility and potential outcomes. As chair of the all programs that serve our community, inthat we’re funding policing and incarceration to Liquor Control Review Board and co-chair of the cluding policing. I would lead a process of rethe detriment of those things. And that’s not what Law Review Committee of IMPACT I identified viewing policing responsibly, with all relevant we need to effectively take care of our commupartnerships and stakeholders, so that we can $1M worth of grants for Oak Park Township. nity and keep our neighbors safe. I will help crecome together as a community with a shared ate a truly independent Citizen Police Oversight How will you address affordability of liv- understanding for needed changes that proCommission, where commissioners are diverse ing in Oak Park for all residents, not just vide for more people feeling safe and have a and have true oversight authority, including subpoena powers. sense of ownership and belonging in Oak Park. homeowners? I would suggest that we change ambiguous and As Village President, I will listen for unWe need to begin with smart and thoughtful harmful laws, like the bike registry ordinance, to rebudgeting and building trust with governmen- derstanding and use my knowledge of our duce field interrogations. About one in five Oak Park tal partners to work together better to attain government and need for improved data residents are Black. So there is no reason eight out community level goals so that we can limit tax collection to advance policy reform that is of ten people stopped for police field interrogations increases across our community. I am coming responsive and fair. Together, we can realize are Black. And 95 out of 100 youth stopped by police into office with the relationships to begin doing a vision for Oak Park that lives up to our valare also Black. These stops criminalize our neighbors, ues. As a restorative justice practitioner I know that on day one. causing trauma and other health problems. I plan to direct the Oak Park Economic that our community is better when we all feel Since policing is such a significant portion of the Development Corporation to aid with business heard and affirmed. budget and police are currently expected to address issues far beyond their prescribed job, I believe we The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at must remain open to all possibilities for organizing our oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide budget, including the police budget.

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Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

OAK PARK VILLAGE CLERK (2 CANDIDATES FOR 1 OPEN SEAT) L U C I L L E Do you believe all Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and responses should be made publicly available on the village website and why? I absolutely do believe that all FOIA requests, as well as their responses, should be made publicly available on the Village website. There are many reasons why I think this is the case. First of all, when a person is interested in a FOIA request, it’s because they are seeking data. It is not unreasonable to assume that another member of the community has already requested the same information. If the archived FOIA requests were made available to the public in an easily accessible format on the Village website, citizens could save the time of filing an additional FOIA request and have immediate access to the data. An easyto-navigate website would relieve frustration by the public when trying to access important information and data, and would thereby reduce the number of FOIA requests. Secondly, the redundancy of multiple FOIA requests for the same information is a drain on the Village staff ’s time and lowers productivity. Making the FOIA requests and responses available on the Village website also promotes increased transparency. What do you want to accomplish as Clerk and why are you motivated to pursue this office?

“ L O U

A N N E ”

J O H A N N E S S O N

As Clerk, I want to create an environment where all members of our community feel welcomed, valued, and supported when reaching out for help or information. This includes renters, homeowners, business owners, as well any potential newcomers. I am motivated to pursue this office for many reasons. First and foremost, I love Oak Park. I am so fortunate to have spent my whole life here and have purposefully stayed here to raise my children. For the past 18 years, I have had the privilege to work with our K-8 schools in District 97 and for the past 6 years with IGOV. It has offered me the opportunity to learn so much about how our Village operates when it is at its best and when it’s striving to be better. I want to continue this path that I am on in a greater role by serving this community that has given me and my family so very much.

Park is responsible directly to the people of Oak Park, not the Board, and not to the Village Staff. The Clerk is not an advocate of policy. The Clerk does not propose changes in ordinance or law, but rather ensures those policies are being implemented according to their original intent, and that the Board and their meetings operate in accordance with state law and statute. I vow to promote transparency, equity, inclusion, fairness, and assistance to the residents that I represent. I will not allow the opinions of the Village Trustees or my own opinions on matters before them to get in the way of that mission. I know first-hand the vital importance of remaining independent, that all viewpoints must have a voice, but that remaining independent of the Village Board is crucial to ensure that the community remains the priority.

As the village clerk participates in village board meetings but does not have the authority to vote and as such remains a neutral party, will you allow your personal opinions and values to hinder your ability to carry out the duties of the position? How? I utterly believe in the independence and neutrality of the Clerk’s role. The Village Clerk of Oak

Do you believe the role of clerk should change from a full-time job to a part-time job with a reduction in salary? If no, why? If yes, what responsibilities of the clerk should be moved to a different department? No, the role of the Clerk is dictated by state statute. It is a professional position. The statutory responsibility, which also includes the facilitation

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of elections, responding to the public, signing off on contracts, managing FOIA requests, managing board meetings and minutes is full-time work. To alter that would alter the neutrality of those functions. To change this role from full-time to part-time would eliminate many from the community to seek the office. Many in our community would not be able to afford taking on this position on a part-time basis. The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide

WEB EXTRA See candidates’ complete answers and bios at OAKPARK.COM/VOTER-EMPOWERMENT-GUIDE

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OAK PARK VILLAGE CLERK (2 CANDIDATES FOR 1 OPEN SEAT) C H R I S T I N A

W A T E R S ( R E P R E S E N T OA K PA R K )

Do you believe all Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and responses should be made publicly available on the village website and why? Oak Park should work to move to an Open Data portal on our Village website. Socrata is an open data platform which is currently used by a number of nearby municipal governments including Naperville and Evanston. The Village would work to make data and information available on the Open Data portal which would be housed on the Village website. This would ensure that Village information and data would be open by default and would, at least initially, decrease the number of routine FOIA requests. This will also lower the barrier for staff and residents to access basic government data and increase transparency. The FOIA process should continue to be used by residents and the community when they cannot locate that information on the Open Portal. Additional FOIA requests would be considered in determining what additional data should be made available in the Open Portal. What do you want to accomplish as clerk and why are you motivated to pursue this office? I will work to: ■ implement innovative ways for the community to voice their public comments and to volunteer on Village commissions; ■ restore trust between the community, elected officials and Village Staff; ■ digitize processes within the Clerk’s office to create efficiencies and increase access to archived data; and ■ coordinate with D97 and D200 to educate students about local government and implement a robust internship program in Village Hall. As the village clerk participates in village board meetings but does not have the authority to vote and as such remains a neutral party, will you allow your personal opinions and values to hinder your ability to carry out the duties of the position? How? No. I have 20+ years of local municipal experience. Most recently, I have worked as the Deputy Village Clerk. It is my duty to serve the whole community without letting my personal views hinder that service. I will continue to do so as an elected official. I will have no difficulty working

with everyone in our community, on our Village Board and on the Village Staff. How do you intend to expand engagement between citizens and the village clerk? I will actively engage our community so they can be a part of the decision-making process. Residents and local business owners must be able to voice their needs and be heard before decisions are made which impact them. It is vital that the Clerk’s office proactively seek input from community members and local businesses. In addition, I will become our resident expert in the Village’s current digital resources, Legistar and Granicus, so that we can utilize them to their fullest potential and maximize resident involvement. I will work with our Citizen Involvement Commission to ensure barriers to entry are removed from the volunteer application process for those who wish to participate on a commission. I will explore how we can expand opportunities for residents to engage elected officials. Even as we emerge from the pandemic, I will work to implement online and telephone public comment tools so that residents can submit public comment to be read for them by the Clerk, presented as a recording, presented live in-person, or shared privately with the Board. Do you believe the role of clerk should change from a full-time job to a part-time job with a reduction in salary? If no, why? If yes, what responsibilities of the clerk should be moved to a different department? No. The tasks and responsibilities of the Village Clerk are best met by a full-time public servant. If we decrease the role to part time, the Clerk’s office will not be able to provide the level of service or transparency expected by our residents. In fact, we should be actively expanding the role of the clerk to oversee all activities which the Clerk is legally the authorizing individual including: special events, business licenses and liquor licenses. The Clerk should coordinate these activities with the department responsible for implementation.

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The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide

WEB EXTRA

See candidates’ complete answers and bios at OAKPARK.COM/VOTER-EMPOWERMENT-GUIDE

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OAK PARK VILLAGE TRUSTEE (6 CANDIDATES FOR 3 OPEN SEATS) A N T H O N Y What are the biggest equity challenges Oak Park faces, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how will you address those challenges? The basic definition of equity is “fairness and justice in the way people are treated.” True equity is hard to realize as based on an individual’s or board’s personal or collective experiences, who gets to define what fairness and justice looks like, impacts a community’s ability to realize greater equity. The real challenge in realizing greater equity in the community of Oak Park, is not what Oak Park can do, but are we as a community willing to do it? The systemic interconnected issues that existed prior to the pandemic have been magnified by the covid virus. The biggest challenges our community faces is lack of economic, environmental and social sustainability. All community stakeholders must engage in intercommunity and intergovernmental collaboration to evaluate policies, create new policies, and eliminate current policies that are not steeped in equitable sustainability. Equity is ultimately about the greater empowerment of those that have experienced systematic marginalization through the efforts and support of those who have greater power and privilege.

C L A R K

(REPRESENT OAK PARK)

How do you intend to balance the priorities and needs of the community with the financial realities of COVID-19 equitably without inordinately increasing taxation of residents? I think it is important to understand that our property tax burden starts at the state level. The state of Illinois relies much more heavily on local property taxes to fund our schools. Illinois ranks seventh in the nation for highest property taxes, while ranking 50th in the nation in the share of K-12 education revenues coming from the state. While the impact a village trustee can have regarding a state level tax burden is not to the level that can provide substantial tax relief, I believe it is the responsibility of a trustee to invest in intergovernmental work & collaboration with stakeholders to identify ways to create property tax relief. The Oak Park Village is responsible for 17% of a resident’s property tax bill total. Property tax levies are applied to the equalized assessed value of a resident’s property. This past year, the levy was at 3% and 3% is still an increase. We must evaluate how money is allocated, what current programs exist, what programs are effective, what programs need to be modified, what programs need to expire, & what new programs need to be implemented, while simultaneously focusing on affordability, as well as identi-

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What are the biggest equity challenges Oak Park faces, particularly in light Do you believe the village should spend of the COVID-19 pandemic, less, the same or more on policing and police and how will you address facilities? those challenges? Current policing models are reactionary that Equity includes race, ethnicinvolve a response to crime, not an elimination ity, gender, age, national oriof crime. We have an opportunity in Oak Park to gin, sexual orientation, income rethink public safety, shift to holistic community level, religion, as well as physical policing models and review funding to deterand cognitive capability. mine how policing can be shifted from reactionWe know that marginalized communities have been ary to proactive, addressing root cause issues that hit hardest by COVID-19, and are receiving relief at slower lead to crime, such as lack of rates. This pandemic has shown opportunity that not only crethat equity can not be an ‘afterates greater public safety for thought’ -- we must have a lens of WEB EXTRA community members, but for See candidates’ complete answers and bios at equity built into our systems and police officers as well. OAKPARK.COM/VOTEREMPOWERMENTGUIDE processes as a proactive measure. Through intergovernmenUnfortunately, our Village governtal and intercommunity colment has yet to adopt a racial eqlaboration which includes uity policy or any kind of comprepolice participation, shifting hensive equity plan, which would to a true community policing guide our decision making during model in which funds (the work will determine crises such as COVID-19. expenditures) police and the community work I have co-sponsored a Race and Social Justice Platform closely together in creative ways to create greater that would provide frameworks to develop goals, stratepublic safety for all can be realized. gies, and plans to mitigate racial disparities in our local government and provide equitable services to all residents. The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. A key part of that process is to implement a Racial Equity The full unedited responses can be found online at Impact Assessment Tool for public decision-making so oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide that all significant policy decisions are appropriately ana-

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OAK PARK VILLAGE TRUSTEE (6 CANDIDATES FOR 3 OPEN SEATS) lyzed through an equity framework. As a new board comes into office in the middle of this pandemic, they must be prepared to evaluate our vaccination, recovery and relief efforts through the lens of equity - and to make adjustments where needed. How do you intend to balance the priorities and needs of the community with the financial realities of COVID-19 equitably without inordinately increasing taxation of residents? There is no doubt that COVID-19 recovery will take creative budgeting. Revenues are down and numerous projects have been put on hold due to the pandemic. This challenge does, however, offer unique opportunities. It is clearer than ever that we have to utilize the resources at hand, including strengthening intergovernmental cooperation. It has also demonstrated that we must work to diversify our tax base and develop new revenue sources that do not weigh most heavily on low-income residents. We are not experiencing this pandemic in a vacuum, and our challenges are the challenges of municipalities everywhere. As trustee, I would work with other local leaders to understand how their communities are adapting and responding and seek best practice and collaboration from other elected officials. Do you believe the village should spend less, the same or more on policing and police facilities? Public safety is one core function of local government – it is the work of keeping residents, businessowners, and visitors safe from harm. Community policing in Oak Park means a true collaboration between the police and the community, for the benefit

L U C I A

R O B I N S O N

What are the biggest equity challenges Oak Park faces, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how will you address those challenges? Equity includes race, ethnicity, gender, age, national origin, sexual orientation, income level, religion, as well as physical and cognitive capability. Oak Park’s biggest equity challenge is making sure that we remain a community that is affordable and welcoming to all. Oak Park’s promise is one of inclusion which largely depends on being able to live here. The pandemic has had 2 impacts on equity - one is the devastating impact on our small businesses, which results in less tax revenue for the Village and therefore, higher property taxes. This places our economic, and therefore our racial diversity, at risk. I will work to rebuild the business community through marketing efforts and by making sure that Village Hall is responsive to business needs. A more immediate equity concern is the distribution of the COVID vaccine. COVID has affected our seniors, communities of color and homeless individuals disproportionately. It is critical that vaccine rollout plans are clearly communicated to these groups with collaborative efforts to provide transportation, accessible vaccination sites and solutions to any other barriers that prevent widespread distribution of the vaccine. How do you intend to balance the priorities and needs of the community with the financial realities of COVID-19 equitably without

and safety of the full community. Community safety would entail authentic relationships, built on a trust of both the individuals and the system they operate within, and include engagement from the full spectrum of residents in Oak Park - especially our young people. An effective safety strategy should proactively address root cause conditions that lead to public safety issues like crime, violence, and social disorder. The incendiary rhetoric around this process must stop and we must start recognizing that everyone in Oak Park wants to ensure the safety of our community, our families and our homes. We must also acknowledge the disproportionate impact of policing on certain communities, and use our lens of equity to center those communities in our decision-making. Too often in our nation’s past, white “safety” has come at the expense of Black and brown people. We can’t allow that to be the case in our own community. It is difficult to make an informed analysis and decision without taking into account data and community input that is not yet available. We need to gather more information before making budgeting decisions regarding the Oak Park Police Department. This includes engaging in a robust Community Engagement Process and collecting further data from the Oak Park Police. After receiving community input and more robust data, we will be in a better position to truly evaluate the effectiveness of our current approach and determine how we can move forward as a community.

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The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide

(UNITE OAK PARK) inordinately increasing taxation of residents? The needs of the community are in tension with the need to keep taxes down in an era of lost revenue. I would use property tax dollars to fund basic services as well as seek alternate sources of revenue for community needs. For example, the cannabis tax revenue is currently dedicated to capital needs. I would put those dollars in the general fund to help pay for partner agency services. I would also continue to focus on reasonable economic development as a source of property revenue and for the affordable housing fund. Finally, it is important that the Village identify and apply for state and federal grants to help us through these difficult economic times. Do you believe the village should spend less, the same or more on policing and police facilities? I would not decrease the police force in any way that negatively impacts public safety. The community policing model incorporates partnerships between residents and police to engage in shared problem-solving. When relationships are established, trust is built and conflict is de-escalated. I would ensure that the Village’s police department continues to innovate how it delivers community policing. I am not in favor of a new police station at this time due to fiscal challenges. The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide

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OAK PARK VILLAGE TRUSTEE (6 CANDIDATES FOR 3 OPEN SEATS) S T E P H E N A . M O R A L E S (UNITE OAK PARK)

R A V I P A R A K K A T (UNITE OAK PARK)

J U A N T A G R I F F I N (REPRESENT OAK PARK)

What are the biggest equity challenges Oak Park faces, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how will you address those challenges? COVID has certainly exacerbated Oak Park’s many equity challenges, particularly around access to care and access to services. As a member of the board of the Center for Healthcare Innovation, I have been leading conversations about access to COVID vaccines as a driver for greater equity in underrepresented communities here in Chicago and around the country. But even before COVID, Oak Park has made several attempts to ensure equal access for all of its residents to COVID testing, vaccines, housing, services among many other areas where equity plays a significant role. While some of those attempts have been successful, we must admit that we don’t have a perfect record. This election is a chance for us to re-commit and accelerate our efforts and explore new opportunities. I have made equity a cornerstone priority in my campaign and in early February, announced my plan to improve equity and diversity in Oak Park with five key actions: ■ Establishing an equity commission and metrics – This commission would have the ability to set quantitative and qualitative measures that let the board and Village staff know how Oak Park is performing on key equity criteria. I would suggest that the commission consider perspectives both inside and outside of Oak Park. ■ Addressing blind spots – Oak Park can set the bar for how local governments seek out a broad base of talent. Importantly, vendors for the village should be reflective of our diversity and equity priorities while still maintaining a high bar for quality. ■ Increasing access to board meetings and broadening board experience – Village board meetings where ordinances that affect sections of Oak Park - but which are not in the lived experiences of board members - should be held in those parts of the community that may be impacted. ■ Supporting a leadership pipeline – The Board should work from Day One to cultivate the next generation of leaders. We need to engage residents of all backgrounds and lived experiences to find paths to serve in local government. ■ Maintain a consistent focus on equity impact – At the start of my term, I will pursue an assessment of the equity impact of the Village’s ordinances, resolutions, and the budget.

What are the biggest equity challenges Oak Park faces, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how will you address those challenges? The pandemic has increased our economic divide. In communities like Oak Park where affordability is already a challenge due to high real estate taxation, the pandemic pushes out folks on the lower end of the economic spectrum. This group is also predominantly African American, so this economic inequality results in racial inequity as well. We should also consider that the definition of “marginalized minority” in Oak Park implies Black, and our equity challenges are characterized as racial Black vs White, to the exclusion of several other forms of diversity (national origin, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age to mention a few). Over 10% of Oak Park’s population is neither Black nor White, and per 2010 census 10.1% were foreign born, 13% spoke a language other English at home and older adults age 65+ is the fastest growing segment of the population. These voices are often underrepresented in equity and diversity conversations. As a result, I believe we, as a community, should: ■ Address affordability and equity with innovative ideas. Please see my high-speed internet proposal. ■ Focus on sustainable and equitable economic recovery. ■ Create housing options at various price points so folks can enter our community and grow as part of it at every life stage. ■ Strengthen the Community Relations Commission to reflect the true diversity and talent of Oak Park.

Do you believe the village should spend less, the same or more on policing and police facilities? The community should be involved in deciding what community safety means for Oak Park. Black residents, youth, and our most vulnerable residents plus Chief Reynolds and his staff need to be included in these discussions. We are going to have to make difficult decisions about spending, but it’s important to prioritize basic human needs like safety and wellbeing when making them. We should be careful and thoughtful about which capital expenditures are necessary when we have residents experiencing homelessness, trauma, food and housing insecurity as well as small businesses suffering. I believe that all public servants should answer to the people that they serve, so therefore the village police department works for the people of Oak Park. They should answer to the residents that they are sworn to protect and serve. If the residents believe that they are not doing their job effectively then changes should be explored. Today, we have a Citizens commission (CPOC) which would like to do more as a body to support what they are hearing from residents or seeing from the data. CPOC, our police staff, and the voices of our community (especially youth) is critically important to help inform any changes that are made. My community engagement process can help us begin to do the work towards truly listening and learning from our community.

How do you intend to balance the priorities and needs of the community with the financial realities of COVID-19 equitably without inordinately increasing taxation of residents? As much as I would like to be able to address all of our community needs without constraint, realistically we know we must work within our budget. But I feel confident that we can prioritize some key areas to help our community recover quickly post- COVID without exorbitantly straining our resources. Here are some examples: 1. Ensure vaccinations for all eligible Villager are delivered by the Summer by helping to set up vaccination centers and distributing information on the safety of vaccines. 2. Support businesses to help them accelerate out of the pandemic through task forces, talent promotion, and other ideas I proposed in my Business Enhancement Plan 3. Address and improve equity in our community across a number of dimensions by establishing metrics and a framework to help us continually strive toward a more equitable community 4. Streamline processes, such as permitting or Board requests, at Village Hall that will make the government more responsiveness to all villagers and reduce unnecessary spending. 5. Launch programs that reimagine what policing, taxation, and development should look like in Oak Park for the future. This can include establishing neighborhood micro-visions – letting our neighborhoods decide which businesses and systems work best for them. It can also mean creating rails for better coordinating across other taxing bodies so we don’t unnecessarily burden property tax owners with all of multiple capital improvements at the same time.

How do you intend to balance the priorities and needs of the community with the financial realities of COVID-19 equitably without inordinately increasing taxation of residents? The biggest priorities for our community are affordability, sustainable and equitable economic recovery, and community safety. I believe Oak Park should focus on these three priorities by: ■ Collaborating with the other taxing bodies to keep Business and non-profits the tax increases to less than 3% WEB EXTRA have suffered due to COVID-19. ■ Pursuing innovative ideas to make the community See candidates’ complete answers and bios at How will you help facilitate more affordable. Please see my high-speed internet OAKPARK.COM/VOTEREMPOWERMENTGUIDE their recovery? proposal. As previously mentioned, we ■ Creating and enabling an economic recovery plan have to prioritize people over focused on small business recovery (like Takeout 25) and development and keep focused attracting focused investments in the transition to a green economy. on humanity versus expediency. We cannot do it all - but, what we can do is feel good about making Do you believe the village should spend less, the same or more on policsound, equitable, well thought out decisions in the ing and police facilities? best interest of our residents. Trust is the very basis for all law enforcement. The Oak Park police department has been an acknowledged leader in community policing methods. Still, there is How will you address the affordability of living always room for improvement to maintain Oak Park’s leadership position in this in Oak Park, while understanding that affordability space. While I have not had negative experiences with the Oak Park police departmust extend to renters as well as homeowners? ment, I do know what it feels like to be stopped for driving while Brown and to be This is why I’m running, I am that person - my family subjected to extra scrutiny at airports for travelling while Brown. I also realize that are “those people”. I am a Black woman who is disabled, my experience is not consistent across everyone on Oak Park. In some cases, the an hourly wage earner, and a renter - like 41% of our Oak Park police department needs to deepen trust, or even repair it, by actively community. I plan to bring the perspective of middlebuilding relationships and partnerships with and within the community. income families that are working hard to live and thrive in our Village, to the board table so that we can make Community safety is a priority for a stable community. In an environment changes that will help people like me. I also understand with no meaningful gun reform, and with economic disparities resulting in that property taxes are unreasonable and it’s pushing crime, the police department is essential to keep our community safe. I do not Oak Parkers out of the village that we love. Uncontrolled recommend underfunding the police, but I am open to reimagining public tax increases impact homeowners, renters and small safety with the following considerations as outlined in my proposal on Keepbusinesses so if we say that we love this community, ing Our Community Safe. then we have to protect what we love by making eq■ The police department and the community at large must BOTH be active uitable decisions that impact our ability to thrive here; participants in a reimagination of public safety. the levy, the regional housing center, small business ■ The road map from where we are today to the reimagined future must be support, capital spending, and climate action decisions clear and specific with broad buy-in from all impacted parties. to name a few. ■ Success must be clearly measurable and independently verifiable.

The candidates responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide

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J O H A N N

B U I S

How will recent discussions on equity beyond racial inclusion, but also differently-abled persons, age equity inside village hall affect sensitivity, and more. your approach to hiring a new I will seek out candidates who village administrator? have experience with Diversity, Leadership is power with people, Equity, and Inclusion as well as rather than power over people. the management skills necessary Therefore, the Administrator, to run our village. Equity of racial working to serve the Board and the minorities, gender, differently-abled residents, brings professional skills, persons, age sensitivity, and similar insights, and consultative judgments matters, exist when the dominant for the common good of the village. Fiscal responsibility, long-range planning, and group treats a non-dominant group in the same interpersonal relations are simultaneously manner as the first group. The dominant group challenges and opportunities for the incoming ensures equity when the non-dominant group has the resources they need. There is increasing village administrator. In transitioning from a long-term administrator, openness in the village to examine racial and we lose institutional knowledge, a task of other equities among the residents. For me, racial and related cardinal importance for equities have never been an the village Board. My long abstract concept. I grew up experience and institutional WEB EXTRA in apartheid South Africa, knowledge in the village— See candidates’ complete answers and bios at the son of a black father having worked with three OAKPARK.COM/VOTEREMPOWERMENTGUIDE who taught me to always administrators--will benefit reach beyond the status us all as we hire and help our quo and despite those new administrator navigate circumstances we could the learning curve. not change, to build bridges A careful Board will be able to share power with the new administrator rather than burn them. For me, the real enemy is and guide them in their role while appreciating not my fellow human, it is hate. If my father and their expertise. After all, the Board must value the the great Nelson Mandela can build those bridges new village administrator’s role as the lynchpin in under the circumstances they faced, what can I administering the village. For most of my time as do but follow in their footsteps? Therefore, a new a River Forest resident, I noticed that the ethnic Village Administrator should display a sensitivity diversity of our village (about 7% Black American of matters of divergent equities. This posture residents and about 7% Asian-American of the future Village Administrator is a nonresidents) is not evidenced among the 72 village negotiable requirement in my book. employees. Equity in village hall enhances the diversity of perspective and sensitivity in The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at communication. I will expect that the new village oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide administrator should have intentionality towards

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How will recent discussions on equity inside village hall affect your approach to hiring a new village administrator? There are many factors that should be considered as we look to hire a new Village administrator. Having lived in River Forest for over 15 years I have learned that there is no typical River Forest resident and therefore, we should look for candidates that not only possess strong communication, management and leadership skills, but one that also values diversity and inclusion. To achieve this, we must ensure a diverse slate of qualified candidates that can bring creative and innovative solutions to the most pressing needs of the Village. Our current staff is highly effective therefore, we should look to bring on a leader that has complementary skills to maximize the impact of the administration office for our community. Do you think there is a need to control the deer population in River Forest? If so, what

measures would you support to do so? If not, how would you respond to those who have experienced property or foliage damage as a result of deer in the village? I do feel there is a need to control the deer presence through stronger deterrence methods and am supportive of the databased outcomes from the current committee that is tasked with identifying ways to reduce the impact deer have in the Village. This is an extremely complex issue with no completely right or wrong answer. It will take a combination of initiatives to make an impact in a manner that is both humane and effective. In a community best known for its affluent housing, what are the economic and social benefits of increasing affordable housing in River Forest? I strongly believe that River Forest should continue to be a place that values community. It should be a place that is accessible to anyone

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River Forest Community Center Voter Empowerment Election Guide • 2021 • sponsored by GOOD HEART/WORK SMART FOUNDATION Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021 45 Early Childhood Learning Center

RIVER FOREST VILLAGE TRUSTEE (4 CANDIDATES FOR 3 OPEN SEATS) L I S A

G I L L I S

our biggest line items in the Village How will recent discussions on budget. equity inside village hall affect your approach to hiring a new Do you think there is a need to village administrator? control the deer population in One of the most significant actions River Forest? If so, what measures taken by the Village of River Forest would you support to do so? If not, Board of Trustees over the past year how would you respond to those has been addressing the issue of who have experienced property or diversity, equity and inclusion within foliage damage as a result of deer our Village. An important first step in the village? was when the Village President There are two final reports being developed engaged with Dominican University’s alliance on racial equity. Dominican University is a leader on this issue: one coming from the Deer and one of the first cohorts of universities across Management Ad-Hoc Committee and a second the country to be designated as a Truth, Racial coming from members of that committee Healing and Transformation (TRHT) Campus who chose to resign in order to present an Center by the American Association of Colleges independent report. Until those final reports and Universities. TRHT is are made available, I think a nationally recognized, it premature to make a decision. We do not yet have community-based initiative WEB EXTRA all information. for racial justice. What a See candidates’ complete answers and bios at The conundrum we face great resource right here in OAKPARK.COM/VOTEREMPOWERMENTGUIDE is that the deer are the our own backyard! responsibility of the State of With the creation of Illinois and those deer live on the Diversity, Equity and property controlled by the Inclusion Ad-hoc Advisory Cook County Forest Preserve. Group and the pending review of Village process and protocol with an River Forest is in close proximity to Thatcher eye toward equity, it is imperative that the new Woods (part of the Cook County Forest Preserve) Village Administrator embrace diversity, equity and therefore, its residents are impacted by how and inclusion. He/she/they should also have the deer and forest preserve green ecosystems some experience leading and growing a diverse are managed and maintained with that impact staff while having a passion to continuously learn. being both positive and negative. The answer to the question of how I would Former Village Manager, Eric Palm, built a highly skilled team of 72 professionals across a wide respond to someone who experienced damage range of Village services including administration, due to deer: I would tell them to reach out to police, fire and public works. As a resident and the State and to the Cook County Forest Preserve. candidate, I believe that this team does the work of a team almost twice its size. This is important The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. to us as we will continually need to keep an eye The full unedited responses can be found online at on the budget in order to stay competitive from oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide both a salary and benefits standpoint as these are

that wants to live and contribute. Affordable housing is a key enabler to ensuring River Forest is a place where families can live for generations which can lead to a more vibrant community. This means creating housing that is accessible to young families that might be starting out to ensuring that seniors are able to age-in-place easily. This will lead to sustainable economic development as well. Affordable housing is a key enabler and is essential to a thriving community. If you are an incumbent, what accomplishments are you proud of most? If you have not served on the village board, what is the primary goal you would like to accomplish if elected? If elected as Trustee, I want to continue to make River Forest one of the most desirable places to live in the Chicagoland area. My primary goal is to get more community engagement and to help bring long-term economic developments to River Forest. I wish to work closely with River Forest’s other taxing bodies to ensure maximum community growth through transparency and diverse thinking. I strongly believe we can accomplish more

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RIVER FOREST VILLAGE TRUSTEE (4 CANDIDATES FOR 3 OPEN SEATS) R E S P I C I O

“ R E S ”

V A Z Q U E Z

environment for all of residents, How will recent discussions on business members, visitors, and equity inside village hall affect employees in municipal services, your approach to hiring a new community, and civic engagement. village administrator? Both the Village of River Forest and Equity is the fair and respectful the Village of Maywood unanimously treatment of all people and proapproved the Twin Village Covenant vide fair access to information and committing both Villages to the resources for all. Diversity is the recognition and respect of everyone’s principles of humanity, equity, and unique qualities and attributes. Ininclusion. clusion means building an environment of belonging, so all individuals feel respectDo you think there is a need to control the ed, accepted, and valued. [Terms collectively deer population in River Forest? If so, what known as “DEI.] measure would you support to do so? If not, I have been supportive and have been an advo- how would you respond to those who have cate for DEI early on in my life. I became involved experienced property or foliage damage as a in District 90’s Inclusive Advisory Board (IAB) since result of deer in the village? I do believe that there is a need to address the 2016 before recent events and discussions in the larger community. Although I welcome the larger deer population in River Forest. I supported the discussions in the community, I am saddened of creation of the Deer Management Ad Hoc Comthe negative and violent events that sparked mittee with the mission and purpose of investigating and providing the these discussions. However, Village Board with a written I support the Village Board’s WEB EXTRA report containing short and direction in pursuing the See candidates’ complete answers and bios at long term recommendafollowing DEI initiatives: OAKPARK.COM/VOTEREMPOWERMENTGUIDE tions regarding a spectrum The Village has approved a of deer management opmutually beneficial partnertions. Most recently, I was ship with Dominican Unisaddened to hear that some versity in collaboration with of the committee members Concordia University to assist the Village in creating a community committed to resigned, feeling that their viewpoint was not racial and social justice. The partnership will build on heard or represented in the pending written the work of the university’s Truth, Racial Healing and report to be released. I welcome the written reTransformation (TRHT) initiative. TRHT is a nationally ports from any and all committee members who recognized, community-based initiative for racial would like to submit recommendations to the justice. Dominican is one of the first universities Village Board. I commit to reviewing each report across the country to be designated as a TRHT Cam- before voting on any of the deer management pus Center by the American Association of Colleges recommendations and options. and Universities. The Village is in the process of creating an The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. advisory group that would review the removal The full unedited responses can be found online at of barriers that prevent the participation, oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide engagement, and welcoming & equitable

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DISTRICT 200 SCHOOL BOARD (6 CANDIDATES FOR 4 OPEN SEATS) E L Í A S Will you support the district’s plans for freshmen curriculum restructuring? Please explain your reasoning. The district’s plan for restructuring the freshmen curriculum is a bold move that centers equity and access to promote all students’ striving towards excellence. This plan is also a commitment to creating structures of learning where our first-year students can challenge themselves while receiving the support needed to promote their ongoing academic growth. Personally, my academic and professional success would not have been possible without one of my academic advisors taken a risk. While I was an excellent student in high school, graduating at the top of my class, my college transition was less than ideal. Within my first year, I went from a straight

O R T E G A A’s student to a B average. In talking with an academic advisor, this person challenged me to enroll in the honors program, that he will waive the GPA requirement for a year, but I needed to raise my grades. This opportunity gave me the motivation I needed to strive for excellence. I graduated college with honors and completed a Ph.D. with distinction. Without someone being willing to remove access barriers, it is likely that my life would have taken a different course. I believe that through the restructuring of the freshmen curriculum, we are saying “Yes!” to the success of our students. The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide

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Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

DISTRICT 200 SCHOOL BOARD (6 CANDIDATES FOR 4 OPEN SEATS) F R E D E R I C K Do you believe the district is adequately addressing the needs of its most marginalized students, particularly? No the district is not adequately addressing the needs of the most marginalized students. Unfortunately D200 data exhibits that race continues to be a very significant predictor of student outcomes. I believe the policies necessary to address the opportunity gap are already in place. The Racial Equity Policy was created by former Board member Jenn Cassell while I was on the Board and I wholeheartedly supported its passage. The issue is not one of policy but rather implementation. We need to operationalize the policy through procedures that will have the greatest impact on student learning and are evidence-based. One problem is that the State has changed their annual assessments at least three times in recent years which makes that measure for the short-term problematic. The Board must continuously monitor implementation to determine whether the policies are being followed. The newly created dashboards are critically needed tool that can quickly allow the board, administration and community to assess progress. We also need to conduct regular surveys of students and families to determine whether the initiatives are having the desired effect on the climate and culture

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Do you believe the district is adequately addressing the needs of its most marginalized students? I do not believe these needs are being adequately met. Our goal of not having race, socioeconomic status, and other social factors as a predicWhat do you understand to tor of student outcomes is still far be the core functions of a school from being realized. Issues outlined board member? in the District’s 2003 report, looking The role of a school board member back as far as the 1970s, remain today. Barriers and is to always keep in mind that the Board speaks and biases continue to negatively acts with one voice. The Board impact our students of color. collectively draws from their There remain significant gaps experience and expertise to WEB EXTRA in data on discipline and stuprovide leadership in develSee candidates’ complete answers and bios at dent outcomes when looked oping policies that will proOAKPARK.COM/VOTEREMPOWERMENTGUIDE at through the lens of race. The vide a safe, welcoming and recent data gathered as part comfortable environment for of our Superintendent search all students so that they may showed all stakeholders ratachieve at their fullest potening the district’s effectiveness in tial. The Board hires the Supermeeting the needs of traditionally underrepresentintendent who will direct and lead the administraed students at the bottom. tion in the implementation of these policies. While With that said, I am pleased that the current adnot considered a formal role of the board, I believe ministration and BOE has taken initial bold action, each member must act as the school’s ambassador putting in place a racial equity policy, modifying stuto the community, state and nation. dent discipline procedures, and taking initial steps to reduce barriers of access as part of curriculum restructuring. Facilities enhancements have also been The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at prioritized in areas with equity in mind. oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide What are your expectations from the next of the District. The Board needs to follow the data to determine whether initiatives are successful. Benchmarking will provide a baseline so that we can determine whether progress is statistically significant.

superintendent who will succeed outgoing Supt. Joylynn PruittAdams? When Dr. Pruitt-Adams was hired, as well as with her predecessor, the desire was for a change in leadership style. With Dr. Pruitt-Adams we have seen strong leadership and a willingness to drive needed change while bringing others along. I share her views, and hope we can continue in the direction she blazed. We need to build upon the strengths she brought forth. Our next Superintendent must be a student centric leader, owning and continuing to drive the long term strategic plan while recognizing there will always be vocal resistance on individual topics. The Superintendent must know their strengths and weaknesses and surround themselves with talent that is complimentary. They must use metrics and data and be accountable to drive the District towards achievement of exemplary status, which will require making measurable advances in areas currently disproportionately impacting our students of color. I expect a straight-forward communicator, able to alert the Board of Education on issues and challenges as well as successes. The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide

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DISTRICT 200 SCHOOL BOARD (6 CANDIDATES FOR 4 OPEN SEATS) D A V I D

S C H R O D T

Will you support the district’s plans for freshmen curriculum restructuring? Please explain your reasoning. I am the only D200 candidate that does not support the administration’s existing plan for restructuring the freshman curriculum. Many in our community consider the issue of restructuring to be the proxy for equity. I offer that framing the issue as a binary choice for or against the existing restructuring plan alone does not address – it cannot address - the complexity of issues involved. More importantly, framing of this matter as a simple “for or against” choice helps conceal essential problems with the existing plan. I am not in support of the existing restructuring plan because I am convinced it will not do what it claims. The existing plan does not account for the multitude of matters that restructuring experts say a school needs to address for its restructuring plan to be successful. OPRF’s own messaging on what the school needs to do to be successful has neither been consistent nor resolute. We do know that curriculum restructuring is only one aspect of a larger context and is almost certainly the easiest part. Experts on restructuring advise that a “whole array of new programs and policies” are needed to do restructuring right. The experts instruct that restructuring needs to include, among other things, reforming teaching protocols and increasing support for all teachers and students involved. Equity matters. So do making plans that align with goals. I believe the D200 community is right to hold OPRF to a standard that includes this measure, and I believe the administration’s current restructuring plan does not do this. Therefore, I do not support the current plan. The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide

M A R Y Do you believe the district is adequately addressing the needs of its most marginalized students? Not yet, though I’m pleased to see we’re making strong efforts toward improvement. What are your expectations from the next superintendent who will succeed outgoing Supt. Joylynn Pruitt-Adams? I hope for a superintendent already experienced in addressing equity concerns in a complex system with a host of varied stakeholders; I’m looking for a superintendent who can hit the ground running and continue the work that Dr. Pruitt-Adams has mapped out and started. What are your thoughts on the district’s

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hybrid learning model and its implementation? In general, I’m in favor of following evidence-based science on pandemic-related concerns. Given the current federal and state guidelines, hybrid seems the closest we can safely come right now to in-person learning. I look forward to a time, hopefully soon, when community spread is low enough, and vaccine sufficiently available, that we can all be safely back in the classroom again. As a teacher myself, I very much miss seeing my students in person. Will you support the district’s plans for freshmen curriculum restructuring? Please explain your reasoning. Yes, I think the new system that will offer

P H . D . honors-level material to all freshmen will be an important step in reducing systemic barriers and inequities in our community. What do you understand to be the core functions of a school board member? To ensure that the superintendent is enacting policies and structuring plans that hew closely to the school mission, to support staff in their work, to be engaged with and answerable to the community at large, especially the students and parents, and to oversee the budget, so that resources are spent appropriately and judiciously.

The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide

K E B R E A B H E N RY Do you believe the district is adequately addressing the needs of its most marginalized students? I believe the district is moving in the right direction with the development and implementation of the Strategic Plan. I am also encouraged by the recent adoption of a more equitable freshman curriculum that will allow all students to be challenged based solely upon their abilities. What are your expectations from the next superintendent who will succeed outgoing Supt. Joylynn Pruitt-Adams? My expectation of the incoming superintendent will be that they are fully prepared to work within a very diverse population. The diversity of our communities is what makes our area so desirable for families, and they should have experience working in that kind of environment. Also, I would expect the superintendent to be an active practitioner of equity work and not solely an

academic. Ideally, they will be ready to hit the ground running, and possess strong leadership skills that will sometimes require making tough decisions that are in best interest of the students and community Will you support the district’s plans for freshmen curriculum restructuring? Please explain your reasoning. I fully support revamping the curriculum to allow for all students to be afforded the opportunity to be intellectually challenged based solely upon their ability. There is a misconception that Honors level classes are being eliminated which is incorrect. I would highly suggest residents and parents read the plan on the websites, and if necessary, seek clarification from the administration. What do you understand to be the core functions of a school board member? From my understanding, the core functions

WEB EXTRA See candidates’ complete answers and bios at OAKPARK.COM/VOTER-EMPOWERMENT-GUIDE

of a board member are to provide oversight and accountability, as well as taking the opinions of all community members into consideration prior to rendering a decision. The decision should be rooted in logic and data, and ultimately what provides the best outcome for our students and community. The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide

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DISTRICT 97 SCHOOL BOARD (6 CANDIDATES FOR 3 OPEN SEATS) E R I N Do you believe the district is adequately addressing the needs of its most marginalized students? Through its most recent District Goals and Action Plan, D97 has laid a strong foundation to create more equitable outcomes for marginalized students, including students of color. D97 created a comprehensive, transformative equity policy that members of our community should be very proud of. D97 leadership has done thorough foundational work, including establishing common curriculum and assessments, introducing more rigorous content to students, providing climate & culture and restorative practice training for staff and focusing on students’ sense of belonging at school, that already started to yield results as it relates to tier 3 students who achieved accelerated growth in reading and math. The pandemic and resulting transition to remote learning will undoubtedly impact our progress towards narrowing the opportunity gap, so D97 must measure and address learning loss and put programs and supports in place to ensure students are prepared for next year’s curriculum. D97 leadership and school principals should engage and empower teachers to come up with creative solutions in the classroom to help struggling students right now, and not wait for the next batch of results to develop a plan.

J E R E M Y What are your expectations from the next superintendent who will succeed outgoing Supt. Carol Kelley? The next Superintendent must be an experienced leader who is laser focused on continuing the District’s growth and engaging and communicating with all the District’s stakeholders. This person should have a proven track record of being results-oriented and data driven. They should demonstrate measurable past achievements in impacting student achievement, both quantitatively and qualitatively. The next Superintendent should also have a past record on implementing an equity policy and achieving measurable outcomes on equity, so that the District can continue to progress on this front. This person should also be an experienced leader on rolling out teaching and leading initiatives. I would also like to see a Superintendent who will focus on improving school climate, providing mental health supports to students, and engaging the community regularly and consistently. What are your thoughts on the district’s policies regarding race and gender? The District has a multitude of policies on race and gender. I think the racial equity policy is strong, and is a testament to the hard work of the community that came together to

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What are your thoughts on Do you believe the district the district’s policies regarding is adequately addressing the race and gender? needs of its most marginalized D97’s policies regarding race students? and gender are important comThe district has work to do to mitments to our students and address the needs of its most part of the culture of our commumarginalized students. The district’s nity; they are explicitly stated and equity policy is appropriately will still be in place regardless of ambitious and sets out, in detail, to any change of board members or provide every child with what they superintendent. need to thrive; however, it is still in I support the universal goal that every Oak Park early stages of implementation. The administration D97 student is a known, nurtured, celebrated has made progress towards meeting the goals of learner, and the action plan to increase students the policy by building an instructional foundation who agree or strongly agree that facilitates sharing best that when they’re at school practices as well as sharing they feel they belong. One equity implementation plans WEB EXTRA of the board’s fundamental with educators and staff. The See candidates’ complete answers and bios at duties is to connect with the district was in the midst of OAKPARK.COM/VOTEREMPOWERMENTGUIDE community and to serve as implementing plans directly an advocate, so the board has derived from the equity policy a role in ensuring the climate during the 2019-20 school year at D97 schools is welcoming when the pandemic started. to all students. I know that “Mustang Stable While the work has continued, it is of necessity Groups” at my kids’ school has created a greater taking different form than planned; it is important sense of community among students in general to do a status check to ensure the district continues and similar initiatives should be implemented making progress. and shared across D97 schools. In the last year of full assessments, the quantitative data available continues to show discrepancies in scores; and this only looks at broad categoThe candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at ries such as race, income, and special education. oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide While I am satisfied that the district is moving

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The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide

forward, it is imperative that any momentum lost due to the pandemic pulling focus is regained. Having a policy is meaningless without an ongoing implementation plan to make it work in practice. As part of this effort, I firmly believe that the district cannot effectively move the policy forward and address the intertwined opportunity gap without a transparent, honest, and ongoing accounting of related metrics and accountability. What are your thoughts on the district’s policies regarding race and gender? Between the equity policy and existing policies addressing race and gender, I believe the district has done solid work setting up a good vision for the district. However, policies are only as good as their implementation. In addition to reviewing related data, I believe it is important to circle back with communities impacted on a regular basis to make certain that the implementation is equal to the goals set by the policies. It’s one thing to read through the handbook or equity policy and say they sound good, it’s another, critically important thing to make sure that they are being set up for success to actually function on a day-to-day basis. The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide

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What are your expectations make it a reality. While it has been from the next superintenpartially implemented, we need to dent who will succeed outgoing continue to implement it with fiSupt. Carol Kelley? delity, be transparent about its apI want our next Superintendent plication, and continue to monitor to have experience leading a diprogress towards its implementation and effectiveness. verse school district similar to Oak The District has a host of other Park and a leader with experience policies on discrimination, harassdeveloping an equity policy with a ment, equal educational opporfocus on racial initiatives who can tunities, student share the outrights and responsibility, comes from those initiatives. bullying, and the filing of Our equity policy is solid and WEB EXTRA complaints, to name a few. has not had an opportunity See candidates’ complete answers and bios at These policies must be reto get off the ground due to OAKPARK.COM/VOTEREMPOWERMENTGUIDE viewed regularly to ensure the pandemic. It should not that the District is continube scraped and re-build with ing to put equity first for all the next superintendent, but students. fine-tuned so we don’t slow The Board must set the down our progress. policy and then ensure that the administration Also, our next superintendent needs to be an understands the importance of the policies excellent communicator with a grassroots apand implements them with fidelity. We proach to community engagement and value must also engage teachers, other staff, the diverse opinions. We currently have a plethora administration, students, and community of experienced and talented individuals within stakeholders to ensure that we are listening to D97, by recognizing and harnessing existing taltheir input and adjusting policy when needed ent our next superintendent will have a smooth to ensure that we are protecting the rights of transition and can make impactful change all stakeholders. quickly. What are your thoughts on the district’s policies regarding race and gender? In review of the multiple D97 policies that ad-

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dress race and gender, none stood out to me as having major discrepancies or misaligning with the current vision and goals. Most importantly, none of the listed policies appear to alienate or harm students and staff. The policy entitled “Ensuring Racial and Educational Equity” offers specific language on racial disproportionality and helps to frame initiatives to reduce the opportunity gap. Per the policy “race is the most persistent predictor of student performance in D97.” The policies on race and gender solidify D97’s commitment to the success of every student and to create a positive learning environment that focuses on the whole child and helping them achieve their full potential. As with all policies, reviewing and modifying to reflect current standards is an important role for the board members. As a board member, I would support D97 continuing to receive guidance on updates to standard policies from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and making any necessary adjustments to policies pertaining to race or gender and as well as drafting any original policies regarding race, gender and disabilities that advance equity and academic success for students. The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide

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Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

DISTRICT 97 SCHOOL BOARD (6 CANDIDATES FOR 3 OPEN SEATS) J E N N I F E R Do you believe the district is adequately addressing the needs of its most marginalized students? Closing the opportunity gap among D97 students is the most pressing need in our community. We must ensure that the learning experience of Oak Park’s students of color is exemplary at all levels and in every respect. Right now, the District is not yet adequately addressing the needs of its Black and Brown students. First of all, we need more and better data. As a Board member I would advocate for increasing the resources dedicated to collecting, analyzing, reporting and using data to more thoroughly assess the District’s efforts to close the opportunity gap. In my experience as an educator, I find it most valuable to have “hard” and “soft” data that I can put together to make sense of a situation and take action. “Hard” quantitative data is helpful in understanding what is happening. We can measure things like attendance, grades and standardized test scores to paint that picture. Meanwhile, “soft” qualitative data helps us understand why it is happening. Why are students showing up to school or not? Why are they engaged in their coursework or not? How are students experiencing school? Hearing students’ voices and their narratives, and that of their families and educators, provides the nuance needed to then know how to change--what policies do we need or what investments do we make in order to move toward closing the opportunity gap?

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What do you understand to Do you believe the district is be the core functions of a school adequately addressing the needs board member? of its most marginalized students? The School Board is responsible for The district can be applauded for working with the administration to creating the equity policy and beginset and guide the District’s overarchning its implementation. It’s too early ing mission and vision. The Board to see how this policy and other efemploys the Superintendent and forts to increase equity and inclusion holds her or him accountable for imhave performed, particularly with plementing the District’s vision and the most marginalized populations. working toward agreed upon goals. However, from Thus, a School Board memmy discussions with both adber’s role is to work collabministration leaders in the Eqoratively with the rest of the WEB EXTRA uity and MTSS departments, See candidates’ complete answers and bios at Board and the administration as well as families in the D97 OAKPARK.COM/VOTEREMPOWERMENTGUIDE to guide the District in its work community, the efforts seem by asking questions, raising to be rooted in strong, eviconcerns, advocating for ardenced based interventions, eas of the District’s goals that as well as increasing some need greater attention, ensurfamilies’ sense of inclusion. ing resources are used responsibly and effectively, However, there is more current research coming and evaluating progress toward the District’s goals. out regarding how the implementation of culturMeanwhile a School Board member should solicit ally responsive instruction models (adapting the input from the community around the District’s previous evidence-based models to more culturwork. Underlying this work, at every decision point, ally diverse values and practices) is more effective. a School Board member should ask—How does This research is showing that interventions aimed this work to improve the learning experience for all at increasing equity are only as effective as their our students? implementation is grounded in culturally diverse delivery. In other words, if the efforts towards equity are still placing value on white/euro-centric The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at structure, systems, traditions, and ways of judging oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide success, then no improvement or progress will

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O D O M be made. As a board member, I would bring this knowledge of the most upto-date practices, as this is the focus of both my professional and personal interests. What are your thoughts on the district’s hybrid learning model and its implementation? The hybrid as is currently implemented is proving to be successful in providing an in-person learning model with very little-to no risk (as evidence by no outbreaks or evidence of COVID spread since implementation). However, this model still has very limited inperson learning options, particularly for our middle school students. Students are receiving less robust valuable services (special education, ‘specials’ class time, positive non-academic peer interactions) due to the limit in-person time and that these services simply are not effectively replicated virtually. I believe this hybrid model should have been implemented in the fall at the beginning of the school year, proven that in-person learning can be safe, and at this point D97 should be offering a full-time, 5 days/week, in-person learning option. The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

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Sedgwick Completes Environmental Cleanup at Lake and Lathrop, Readies for Groundbreaking in 2021

espite being confronted by the most environmentally challenging site in the area and after years of effort, Sedgwick Development has successfully completed cleanup of decades of contamination at the corner of Lake and Lathrop in River Forest, a milestone that will allow development of RF-Lake Street, the first high-end condominium project in the village. The Lake and Lathrop site had been a stubborn environmental dilemma caused by dry cleaners and other businesses going back to the 1920s that left behind contaminants from an era when environmental regulations weren’t as strict as they are today. When Sedgwick entered the project in 2017, environmental and economic factors combined to slow efforts to develop it since 2001. Sedgwick worked closely with the Village of River Forest, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, previous developer Keystone Ventures, and Chicago-based Pioneer Engineering & Environmental Services to evaluate the extent of the problem and manage a comprehensive cleanup of the site to ensure public safety. That effort was expensive and time-consuming, but Sedgwick persevered to meet today’s environmental regulations and is poised to begin construction in mid-2021. “This has been a long journey, but we are delighted the environmental cleanup is complete and look forward to progressing through the next phase of developing a generational asset for the Village of River Forest,” said Sedgwick Director of Operations Mark McKinney. Sedgwick’s no-shortcut approach included a commitment to neighbors, the River Forest community and village government to protect public health. Throughout the process, Sedgwick maintained a complete plan to manage engineering, preventive and institutional controls during every step of the remediation project and upcoming construction of RF-Lake Street, which breaks ground in mid-2021. “Sedgwick’s team has been committed from day one to protecting public health through the clean-up of this under-utilized site,” said Sedgwick Project Manager Kyle Haste. “With the completion of remediation work at the site, we’re ready to build a new development that will generate long-term benefits for River Forest.” The combination of a site that needed environmental remediation, an economic crisis that prevented the project from being financially viable until recently, a years-long effort to remove tenants from the site so remediation work could proceed, and a global pandemic that plunged most commercial development into a standstill would have been enough to cause a less determined developer to throw in the towel. Instead, Sedgwick persisted to finish attempts to develop a site that faced numerous obstacles

in the past 20 years, including three different owners of the property. A complete timeline is below, but remediation milestones include: In 2001, the first testing was performed at 76017615 Lake Street. It confirmed the presence of contamination. Initial reports were prepared, and the site was officially enrolled into a remediation program with the Illinois EPA by 2004. The extent of contamination was determined by additional testing in 2005, followed by multiple rounds of incremental testing to determine the scope of any spread in 2006 and 2007. In 2008, the Illinois EPA initially accepted the findings of multiple, successive reports. The Illinois EPA in 2010 requested a work plan to delineate horizontal and vertical extent of contamination and stated in early 2011 that “the investigation of the site is acceptable.” Environmental investigation, remediation and demolition activities were largely halted from 2010-2019 due to difficult, time-consuming negotiations and litigation with holdout property owners and vacating tenants who did not want to move; an exception was in 2016 when the Village of River Forest hired its own firm to conduct soil and groundwater testing. In 2019, Sedgwick engaged Pioneer EES, an environmental engineering firm, to evaluate areas of the site where tetrachloroethylene (PCE) had been identified as being above the soil saturation limit.

Throughout 2020, extensive activity included providing multiple reports to the Illinois EPA and the Illinois Drycleaners Environmental Response Trust Fund (DERT), which makes financial resources available for the cleanup of releases from dry-cleaning machines and solvent storage units at dry-cleaning facilities. In May, the Illinois EPA conditionally approved responses made to its specific requests, and analysis confirmed in mid-October that chemical concentrations had been reduced to below the Illinois EPA-approved soil saturation limit. In addition to successfully managing remediation of the site, Sedgwick was confronted with a simultaneous challenge of negotiating the sale of adjacent parcels with property owners and the departure of several commercial tenants. Not all property owners wanted to sell their land, which was needed for the project, and relocating tenants became a long process. When Sedgwick entered the project in 2017, only one of the three needed parcels had been acquired. The process to acquire the remaining two parcels moved at a slow pace, but Sedgwick closed on the properties without further delay. As to relocating tenants, that also was a slowmoving exercise that involved litigation with a few of them and even a court-order for one. Ultimately, all tenants were successfully removed and Sedgwick could proceed with demolition of the buildings on the site and begin the remediation project.

With clean-up of the site now complete, Sedgwick is preparing to submit building permits later this spring and start construction this summer. Meantime, sales and marketing efforts have been underway in recent months. Pre-construction pricing remains available for the next few months from $699,000 to $1.475 million at RF-Lake Street’s two-, three-, and four-bedroom condominium homes. Showroom hours have been reestablished between 10 a.m. and noon on Saturday/Sunday and by appointment during the week. Despite COVID-19, interest and excitement regarding the project have remained strong. The suburban home sales market has gained momentum in recent months, as homebuyers look to move away from densely populated neighborhoods in the city. Corwin Partners at Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty is leading the sales and marketing efforts. Call 312-335-5354 or visit www.RF-LakeStreet.com to schedule a private appointment or virtual presentation.

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Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

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Timeline | Environmental Remediation and Commercial Development At Rf-Lake Street 2001 Initial testing was performed at the 7601-7615 Lake Street property to determine if the site had been impacted by on-site dry-cleaning operations.

2003 A Focused Site Investigation Report (FSIR), dated December 15, 2003, was prepared.

2004 The site was enrolled into the Site Remediation Program, and the FSIR was submitted to the Illinois EPA; the Illinois EPA disapproved the FSIR on August 18, 2004.

2004-2005 Supplemental testing was conducted in an effort to further characterize the extent of contamination.

2006 A response letter, dated February 28, 2006, was submitted to the Illinois EPA to present the 20042005 testing results; the Illinois EPA disapproved the response letter on May 4, 2006.

2007-2008 Supplemental testing was conducted at the 7617-7621 Lake Street property to evaluate off-site migration, and an Off-Site Supplemental FSIR was submitted to the Illinois EPA on August 21, 2007; the Illinois EPA accepted the Off-Site Supplemental FSIR on April 18, 2008. After decades as the site of dry-cleaning businesses and gas stations and several years as an under-performing and functionally obsolete property with environmental contamination issues, River Forest officials develop a plan to use proceeds from a successful tax increment financing (TIF) district to finance environmental clean-up and encourage development of the site. The Great Recession in 2008/2009 also prevented the project from being financially viable until recently.

2009 Supplemental testing was conducted at the 7601-7615 Lake Street property, and an FSIR was submitted to the Illinois EPA on July 27, 2009; the Illinois EPA disapproved the FSIR on September 28, 2009. The Village of River Forest and local developer Keystone Ventures enter into a pre-development agreement to create an economic model that enabled River Forest to preserve $2 million from the successful Lake and Harlem TIF for future development.

2010-2017 A Focused Site Investigation and Remedial Objectives Report Addendum (FSI/ROR Addendum), dated January 7, 2010, was prepared to respond to the Illinois EPA’s September 28, 2009 denial letter; the Illinois EPA disapproved the report on March 4, 2010 and requested submittal of a work plan to delineate the horizontal and vertical extent of contamination. Supplemental testing was performed at the 7601-7615 Lake Street property, and a Revised FSI/ROR Addendum, dated November 2010, was submitted to the Illinois EPA. On January 4, 2011, the Illinois EPA disapproved the Revised FSI/ROR Addendum. Note, however, that the Illinois EPA stated that “the investigation of the site is acceptable”; the denial of the report was related to corrections to figures and tables. Investigation activities at the site were halted due to litigation with adjacent property owners. Attempts to assemble property parcels at Lake and Lathrop required difficult, time-consuming negotiations with holdout property owners and vacating tenants who did not want to move.

2017-2019 The dry-cleaning facility’s Site Remediation Program listing was noted to be inactive. In August and September 2019, supplemental testing was conducted to evaluate planned construction spoils and areas of the site where tetrachloroethylene (PCE) was previously identified above the soil saturation limit. Sedgwick joins Keystone as project developer and begins to acquire the parcels; not all commercial tenants are willing to leave, resulting in an eviction process that delayed demolition activities.

2020 The site was re-enrolled into the Site Remediation Program in January 2020, and an Amended Focused Site Investigation Report/ Remediation Objectives Report/Remedial Action

Plan (Amended FSIR/ROR/RAP) was submitted to the Illinois EPA on January 15, 2020. In March 2020, a budget for supplemental sampling and remediation was submitted to the Illinois Drycleaners Environmental Response Trust Fund (Trust Fund). The Trust Fund approved the budget in May 2020. On April 3, 2020, the Illinois EPA disapproved the Amended FSIR/ROR/RAP. The Illinois EPA requested additional sampling but noted that the site-specific soil saturation limit calculated for PCE and the plan to address PCE concentrations above the limit were approved. On May 8, 2020, a Responses to Illinois EPA Comments letter, dated April 17, 2020, which included a sampling plan for supplemental testing, was submitted to the Illinois EPA. On May 21, 2020, the Illinois EPA conditionally approved the Responses to Illinois EPA Comments. In June and July 2020, supplemental testing was conducted in accordance with the Illinois EPAapproved plan. In July and August 2020, in-situ chemical oxidation was performed to remediate PCE concentrations exceeding the Illinois EPAapproved soil saturation limit. On August 12, 2020, confirmation sampling was performed. Analytical results obtained on August 20, 2020 identified one concentration of PCE that remained above the soil saturation limit (in the northwestern portion of the treatment zone). On August 28, 2020, a budget request was submitted to the Trust Fund to request approval for supplemental confirmation sampling in the northwestern portion of the treatment zone. On October 6, 2020, the Trust Fund approved the budget for supplemental confirmation sampling. On October 9, 2020, supplemental confirmation sampling was performed. Analytical results obtained on October 16, 2020 confirmed that PCE concentrations had been reduced to below the Illinois EPA-approved soil saturation limit. All legal issues are resolved, demolition of existing buildings is completed; Sedgwick buys out Keystone Ventures; Sedgwick initiates sales and marketing of RF-Lake Street.

2021 A Focused Site Investigation Report/ Remediation Objectives Report/Remedial Action Plan Addendum (FSIR/ROR/RAP Addendum), dated February 5, 2021, was prepared to obtain Illinois EPA concurrence that active remediation is complete, and Illinois EPA approval of the plan for addressing residual compounds in place using engineering, preventive and institutional controls in accordance with the State’s Tiered Approach to Corrective Action Objectives regulations. Engineered barriers and a venting system will be installed as part of planned construction activities. Following installation of engineered barriers and a venting system, a Remedial Action Completion Report will be submitted to the Illinois EPA to request a No Further Remediation (NFR) letter. Sedgwick continues sales and marketing program, prepares for construction and groundbreaking in mid-2021.

About Sedgwick Development Founded in 1996 by Marty Paris, Sedgwick Development has grown to be one of the leading development companies in Chicagoland and beyond. Focusing on both the residential and commercial development, Sedgwick has built a sterling portfolio by creating value in coveted districts and distinctive communities. As a full-service real estate development company, Sedgwick has a reputation as a highly respected neighborhood developer. As a fully integrated real estate firm, Sedgwick Development houses its own development, design and construction departments.

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

Voter Empowerment Election Guide • 2021 • sponsored by GOOD HEART/WORK SMART FOUNDATION

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DISTRICT 90 SCHOOL BOARD (5 CANDIDATES FOR 4 OPEN SEATS) K A T H L E E N

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Equity has been a focus of District What do you see as the most 90, with both the Inclusiveness urgent concerns in terms of student Advisory Board and the Equity achievement in District 90? Committee. How effective do you It important to first begin with think these groups have been? defining achievement. For me, What are the most important areas achievement is not simply about that need to be addressed by the standardized test scores but instead district moving forward? taking into consideration the whole Equity is an evolving issue. child and how they are progressing Mitigating inequities should be, and in terms of classroom performance is, the forefront of our district. We and student growth as well as social need to refine our focus on how to get all of our students to emotional well-being and student engagement. Standardized do their personal best. In the past few years there have been a tests provide information about a specific moment in time number of committees to address and improve inclusion and and also frequently measure if a student is good at taking such foster growth, understanding and a sense of belonging. They tests rather than actual capacity for learning and achieving. are not perfect, but they have been aggressive in identifying While they do serve a purpose in identifying trends or areas for issues and moving forward to promote equity amongst all growth, they are not the sole measure of achievement. students. The most urgent concern is to ensure that each child Something that needs to be addressed is anti-racism, is getting what they need to achieve their personal best. implicit bias and different ways to combat it. It needs to be In light of recovery from pandemic, that means assessing addressed in a healthy way that it fosters growth students to determining areas that may and change in a positive direction. We have the need additional support. In terms of resources as a district for all of our children to the existing achievement/opportunity WEB EXTRA thrive and be successful. gap, that means continuing to reduce See candidates’ complete answers and bios at barriers and offer support as necessary. OAKPARK.COM/VOTEREMPOWERMENTGUIDE What do you see as the biggest challenges For high achievers, that means continuing currently facing District 90? to provide opportunities for challenge and for struggling learners, that means Getting back in school full time safely is the appropriate scaffolding. The district’s biggest challenge at the moment. All children decision to pursue standards-based need it, parents need it, and our teachers need it. grading has been an important step to However, there needs to be a level of community ensure student achievement because it allows for a better responsibility. If a child doesn’t contract covid, they cannot spread it. If everyone is safe, considerate and just practicing understanding of student’s individual progress towards state being a good human and neighbor, we should be able to standards and provides clearer communication between move forward together. If not, we could have an outbreak and teacher and student as well as teacher and parent. be back to square one. Equally important to the question of achievement is considering district culture and classroom environment. Are children What do you see as the most urgent concerns in terms of engaged in the material, is there joy in the learning process, student achievement in District 90? do teachers feel valued, are kids learning key skills like critical Along with equity and tough curriculum, the social emothinking and problem solving. Being a parent of three kids with tional toll this pandemic has had on our students needs to different learning needs and also now having a child in high be addressed. Truly it needs to be at the forefront of our plans school, it gives me a perspective about what we want for our moving forward. We need to be flexible, adaptive and highly kids as they leave District 90 – and for me it is much more than aware of the different and changing needs of our students. I achievement on standardized test scores but instead thinking have total confidence in our teachers that they can and will be about what we are doing to prepare our kids for their future able to tackle any concerns or issues coming our way. rather than our past as well as creating life long learners. The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide

The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide

Do you want to keep your public officials accountable?

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Describe how your background and experiences will bring value to the District 90 school board. My professional and educational experience is unique amongst current and campaigning Board members. I have a BA in economics (Michigan), am a Chartered Financial Analyst and have an MBA in Finance (Univ. of Chicago). I am a Managing Director at Jefferies (an Investment Bank) in their Private Wealth Management group and have more than 20 years of finance, business, banking and investment experience. My entire career has been spent analyzing and using “evidence-based” thinking to make optimal decisions. These skills make me well-suited for a Board role, and I think there is a need for this type of perspective more now than ever. Equity has been a focus of District 90, with both the Inclusiveness Advisory Board and the Equity Committee. How effective do you think these groups have been? What are the most important areas that need to be addressed by the district moving forward? Public education should be an equalizer. Districts that lack comprehensive early childhood programs miss an opportunity to start all of our kids off on a level playing field. Tying into my response to the prior question, our lack of comprehensive early education, limited preschool and halfday kindergarten offerings create meaningful inequities for minority students, students with special needs, and socioeconomically disadvantaged children. Some of the most compelling and reproducible research around equity, inclusion and achievement gap emphasizes the value of robust early education and intervention. It doesn’t matter the size of the minority group or other subgroup; without proper pre-K and full-day kindergarten, we are setting groups of our children behind the starting line just as they get going. As a Board member, I would continue to seek out the latest research on the interplay between early childhood development and equity issues, and would advocate for increased offerings that support our earliest learners and their families so that all of our kids can achieve their fullest potentials. The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide

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Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

DISTRICT 90 SCHOOL BOARD (5 CANDIDATES FOR 4 OPEN SEATS) N I C O L E

T H O M P S O N

What do you see as the biggest challenges currently facing District 90? This past year has been traumatic for our students, parents, and community as a whole because of the COVID19 pandemic. One pressing issue will be navigating our collective recovery while continuing best practices around safety and social-emotional well-being. This will be addressed by increasing social support and encouraging student, teacher, parent, and community voices to help guide this recovery. Another issue is that we must continue to examine ways to improve equity by refining resource allocation to support students in their academic growth. Finally, the idea of establishing a full-day kindergarten option has been an ongoing community concern. We will actively examine options that could benefit our community. I would prioritize trauma recovery in order to improve the health of our students, staff, and parents. The newly formed Social Emotional Advisory Panel will lead the charge on this initiative. I would then address equity in education and explore a full-day kindergarten option in partnership with our administrative team and community stakeholders. Much of the work regarding equity has been addressed by the Inclusive Advisory Board and the Board of Education’s Equity Committee. This work should continue. What do you see as the most urgent concerns in terms of student achievement in District 90?

CELEBRATE INTELLECTUAL/DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES AWARENESS MONTH For Llaned Villegas and her teenage sons Cesar and Jonah, COVID times have been characterized by the unique highs of hipshaking Shakira dance parties and the unique lows of remote learning demands and layered health concerns. Cesar, who has Down’s syndrome and complex learning needs, was receiving strong supports and services at his local high school, but now he’s mostly at home, in the Zoom classroom from 8:45 to 10:30 am. He won’t return in-person until after he turns 16 in June and is eligible for vaccination. The change in routine has taken a toll. “Most of my time now is spent with Cesar,” said Llaned, who leans on Cesar’s grandma for weekend support while Llaned drives shifts for Uber. “I graduated two years ago now [with a degree in Psychology] and I still haven’t been able to start working in my field.” These shifts and stresses contributed to Llaned developing Bell’s palsy last May and with it, temporary paralysis of the

Opportunity Knocks 8020 Madison Street River Forest, IL 60305 708.771.6159

S T A C E Y

W I L L I A M S

I currently chaired the District 90 EduEquity has been a focus of cation Committee which expanded the District 90, with both the Incluuse of formative student assessments siveness Advisory Board and the and adopted the use of Standard Based Equity Committee. How effecGrading. Formative assessments have tive do you think these groups been used to direct education delivery have been? What are the most in real-time and enhance student learnimportant areas that need to be ing. Standards Based Grading has been addressed by the district movused to more accurately evaluate learning forward? ing and mastery of skills. Our district has I think the IAB has done an outalways worked to standing job enhance our student’s educain its role of serving in an tional experience to improve advisory role to the SuperinWEB EXTRA growth. We consistently work tendent regarding issues of See candidates’ complete answers and bios at on growth and achievement inclusion across the district. OAKPARK.COM/VOTEREMPOWERMENTGUIDE which has been evident in our The group itself is made up student’s formative and sumof a cross-section of people mative assessments. Based on including parents (with and the Educational Opportunity without children in the disProject at Stanford University, trict), teachers and administhe district’s test scores are three grade levels above trators. Student voice has also been sought. One the U.S. average and our MAP scores during Covid of the most important outcomes of this group’s shows continued growth. Our goal as a district is to work is the Inclusiveness Survey, which is given continue the rigorous educational offerings we curevery other year and is intended to get a deeper rently provide, expand access to these offerings using understanding of how different groups in the Universal Design for Learning, and to make adjustdistrict assess their own sense of belonging and ments based on evidence based educational research inclusion. The tool is very useful and has led to to improve student growth. important initiatives like the Advisory program at Roosevelt. The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The Board’s Equity Committee, on the other The full unedited responses can be found online at oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide hand, is charged with policy-making as it re-

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS & DANCE TO SHAKIRA

right side of her face. Additionally, Llaned and Jonah tested positive for COVID-19 in November. While Cesar tested negative, Llaned knows he was exposed. “I cried when I found out [the test results],” said Llaned. “I was worried about Cesar’s health because he’s also asthmatic. The possibility of hospitalization or death was in the air so that did scare me.”

developed an engaging virtual program platform and then a compressed style of smaller group programs to continue to provide safe, essential support to young people like Cesar and their families. “I love the community and family feel,” said Llaned. “I got to see it firsthand when I volunteered and interned there in college. I always wanted Cesar to be part of Opportunity Knocks.”

They kept a strict quarantine routine for three weeks and luckily, symptoms were mild and they all made a full recovery.

She credits OK in helping Cesar develop more independence, social skills, and confidence.

They’re counting their blessings, referencing more home-cooked family meals and Jonah and Cesar deepening their brotherly love through at-home workouts as highlights of these times. Halfway through last year, Cesar also joined Opportunity Knocks (OK), a person-centered, communitybased program for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. After a brief closure of onsite programs last spring, OK quickly

“Opportunity Knocks is like PE,” said Cesar. “I dance. We go walking, I painted a constellation. I have lots of friends there.”

opportunityknocksnow.org facebook.com/okwarriors

lates to ensuring that all students have access to success and positive outcomes in the district. I think the committee has done a good job to date, but the work continues. Going forward, the district will continue to work toward ensuring all students are given the opportunity to achieve their personal best. True equity is embedded in the culture and systems, it is beyond individual initiatives. What do you see as the biggest challenges currently facing District 90? As in all school districts, the biggest challenge will be recovery from the pandemic. The district has already put a plan in place to assess and address learning loss as well as provide social and emotional support for students and staff. It begins with understanding, now, where students are and, ultimately, providing the tools and opportunities to begin the rebound. It will require creativity and diligence, and a shared commitment from our community. The district will also need to focus on finances, particularly as we come out of the pandemic and assess the impact. The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide

I/DD CONSORTIUM Community Support Services cssservices.org Oak Leyden Developmental Services oak-leyden.org Oak Park Township Senior Services oakparktownship.org/senior-services Opportunity Knocks opportunityknocksnow.org PACTT Learning Center pactt.org Progress Center for Independent Living progresscil.org Riveredge Hospital riveredgehospital.com Suburban Access, Inc. subacc.org The Answer, Inc. theanswerinc.org UCP Seguin of Greater Chicago ucpseguin.org West Suburban Special Recreation wssra.net

You can show your support for our Consortium members and the great work they do by visiting their websites – learn more, donate, volunteer, and follow them on social media. We appreciate your support!

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

Voter Empowerment Election Guide • 2021 • sponsored by GOOD HEART/WORK SMART FOUNDATION

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

RIVER FOREST PARK DISTRICT BOARD (4 CANDIDATES FOR 2 OPEN SEATS) C A R L What can the park district do to increase environmental sustainability and equity of all forms within the community? The current board has given minimal attention to environmental sustainability or equity within the park district. The current method of executing projects is a linear path from project to project, and without thought about how the projects will fit together in our limited park space. A master space plan for future growth will allow the inclusion of greenspace in the discussion and planning of any rework of the parks. A site search on the Park District’s website shows no discussion about equity in the Board minutes, and on the most recent survey race was not a question in the demographics section. An organization cannot identify potential issues with equity or increase equity if it is not having the discussion about it. First and foremost, the discussion needs to begin. As you see it, why has the issue of platform tennis become so heated? As a park district board member, how would you recommend navigating this issue to come to a decision that would satisfy all stakeholders? This is a perceived Us vs Them, Public vs Private issue that has been growing. The Park District

M I K E What challenges face the park district in the near future and how will you as a commissioner address them? The immediate need for the Park District is the need for a comprehensive, long-term Master Plan. The board needs to change and must consider community feedback. Current efforts have failed to do this. A major component and information source for moving into the future – the 2020 Community Survey results – are, basically, being ignored. One particular item, Youth Sports, the #1 most important item (on page 6) NEEDS to be explored and discussed. The community is owed a response. A long-term plan considers known needs (improvements/upgrade – “musts of what we have already) and then add community WANTS – the village’s wish list. Based on available capital, projects costs, park space, etc., all things come together to establish the plan. This plan is revisited often to implement change for unknowns and activity/program/ camp performance. Currently, this does not happen. A board member’s role is essentially the same as a business owner. I own and run a business. What I do at and within my business can be used in creating success. We need to ensure that the Park District’s offerings,

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has enabled the controversy by What aspects of the park dishaving signs that forbid use by trict, regarding services and comnon-members at risk of fines, and munity engagement, need imby not allowing any walk-on or provement and how do you plan reserved use of the courts by nonto make such improvements? members. Though the Park District I think the Park District does a nice recently changed the signs and job communicating program ofallowed walk-on play (at times that ferings via email, their website and are inconvenient and that most the seasonal Fun Guides. I believe members do not play), these changes there needs to be better commucame at a time that opposition to the nication with the community after expansion really started to get loud. Some people each Board meeting. In my experience with the look at the changes as a token response and not Keystone East Turf Project and the proposed a real concession to allowing the Keystone East Rehabilitapublic to use the courts. tion Project many residents The current need for more form opinions without havWEB EXTRA courts is not debatable. The ing all the facts. See candidates’ complete answers and bios at method of which it is being While Board materials OAKPARK.COM/VOTEREMPOWERMENTGUIDE forced through the park district and minutes are available agenda is debatable. My preferonline, people rarely take ence is to create a 5- or 10-year the time to read them or master plan, determine where in search for details. They form the community platform expanopinions based on what sion is prioritized in relation to all the other potenthey hear through engagements with neightial projects and work from there. People may not bors, who often do not communicate all of the get what they want right away, but if this method facts or are biased to some degree. I feel we is done correctly everyone should understand the should post highlights of the Board meetings why and eventually get the want. and/or send monthly or quarterly communications to the community to enhance transparThe candidate’s responses have been edited for print. ency. Additionally, I believe recordings of Board The full unedited responses can be found online at meetings should be posted on the Park District oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide website.

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budget and space sync with the community and our environment.

What challenges face the park district in the near future and how will you as a commissioner What part does the park address them? district play in the reconfiguring A lack of proactivity, longof the River Forest Community term vision, and communication Center? with the residents. There is also a The RFPD was really in the narrow focus on singular issues “back seat” on this. However, that lead to a more reactive, the PD, along with seven other unproductive approach to the governmental growth and entities and not-for-profit development of our facilities organizations, has been and programs. We need WEB EXTRA participating in the feasibility to establish a long-term See candidates’ complete answers and bios at study conducted by the vision and relay that along OAKPARK.COM/VOTEREMPOWERMENTGUIDE Village and Cordogan/Clark with the associated budget to assess the needs of each back to the residents. Have organization and explore a plan and share it with the cost and practicality of the constituents. I will also potentially combining all of perform a SWOT analysis of the needs in one facility. Preliminary findings the Park District and its affiliated programs. of the Feasibility Study indicate a limited need Identifying the strengths, weaknesses, for a new facility for several of the participating opportunities and threats in all areas of the entities, including the school districts. Given Park District’s operation. the challenges presented by COVID, and the cost projections for a building to meet the What can the park district do to increase various needs, at the end of the day, it looks environmental sustainability and equity like a combined facility will be cost prohibitive. of all forms within the community? The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide

There are some simple first steps as it pertains to clean-up and recycling. But this is a broad topic that merits more research and likely some investment. There are obvious

B R O W N What part does the park district play in the reconfiguring of the River Forest Community Center? Recently an engineering study was completed that evaluated the River Forest Community Center facility that resulted in a different outlook for the facility than what was originally expected. The engineering study showed that the building is in relatively good shape for its age and there is significant useful life remaining. I believe in the short-term there are opportunities for the Park District to work closely with the Community Center to better utilize the Community Center facility. The Park District needs indoor space for basketball and other indoor programming. There are ways for the Park District and Community Center to align and provide more value to River Forest taxpayers. Long-term, I believe the building will need a complete renovation at some point. I believe all River Forest agencies should collectively work together to come up with a solution that would likely be spearheaded by the Village as they have the most financial resources to allocate to such a project. The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide

W E S T campaigns and efforts that can be widely promoted within the community. There is a lot of pride and heritage in River Forest and we have the resources to in invest in its preservation. Park spaces are sacred spaces the sustainability of green space is a top priority. Public outdoor gathering spaces are critical to our sense of community and to our need for recreation and wellness. I will concentrate on sustainability opportunities to ensure that our parks provide an outlet for generations of River Forest residents to come. One of the things I love most about River Forest is being able to get out and be active in our outdoor spaces. This is important now more than ever. Whether it’s running and hiking through the forest preserve trails, playing co-ed softball with friends on Thursday nights at Keystone Park, keeping my kids active and social, or taking our dog on long walks around the Priory, I find that there is so much to offer for physical and mental wellness in our community. There is also room to expand those offerings and ensure that every RF resident is able and welcome to enjoy all we have to offer. The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Voter Empowerment Election Guide • 2021 • sponsored by GOOD HEART/WORK SMART FOUNDATION

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

To: The Oak Park Village Board and the Environment and Energy Commission From: Interfaith Green Network As the local faith community, we want to strongly encourage the Village Board and Environment and Energy Commission to bring forth a community wide composting program. John F. Kerry, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, said in his opening remarks, ‘The scientists told us three years ago that we had 12 years to avert the worst consequences of the climate crisis. We are now three years gone, so we have nine years left’ . Later his office said, “Without an increased and urgent mitigation ambition in the coming years, leading to a sharp decline in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, global warming will surpass 1.5 C in the following decades. This will lead to irreversible loss of the most fragile ecosystems, and crisis after crisis for the most vulnerable people and societies.”

We need to continue to move forward towards a zero-waste commitment. Ana Garcia Doyle, Director of the One Earth Film Fest, continues to warn us of the fact that our treatment of the planet is also a reflection of how we treat others. Seeing the earth as “disposable” is also seeing others as having no worth. Caring for the earth is a practical way of caring for others. Mac Robinet, former member of the Environment and Energy Commission, wrote in the Wednesday Journal: the primary purpose of composting is to divert organic material (e.g. food and yard waste) from landfill in order to avoid production of methane. Methane (CH4) is a powerful greenhouse gas, which is a significant cause of global warming. Composted material also has environmental benefits when added to soil. Utilizing organic compost will increase organic matter, prevent fertilizers from leaching into ground water, and provide microorganisms that can break down pollutants.

Our youth high school project, It’s Our Future, was able to collect over 500 signatures to adopt a more community wide composting (opt-out) approach which they presented to the Oak Park Trustees. The book Drawdown: The most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming, rates Preventing Food Waste and Composting as top solutions. Nearly half of the solid waste produced is organic or biodegradable. Much of it ends up in landfills producing methane, which is up to 34 times more harmful than carbon dioxide. In 2009, San Francisco passed an ordinance making it mandatory to compost the City’s food waste. Denmark has not sent organic waste to landfills in more than 25 years, reaping composting win-win-win of cost savings, fertilizer production and reduced emissions. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, more of us are staying at home and producing more food scraps and waste. The need for composting has increased so now is the time to act.

We ask our political leaders, as we ask ourselves, to show care for all aspects of creation, (from toxic landfills to whole communities struggling to survive), and not trash it! Join the Village Composting Program: www.oak-park.us/village-services/refuse-recycling/compostable-program.

Interfaith Green Network:

Rev. Dr. David John Hailey, First Baptist Church of Oak Park

Rev. Carl Morello, St. Giles Catholic Church

Rev. Dr. John G. Rumple, Grace Episcopal Church

Rev. David R. Lyle, Grace Lutheran Church and School

Rev. Kathy Nolte, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Rev. Dr. Marti Scott, Euclid Av. United Methodist Church

Rev. John Edgerton, First United Church of Oak Park

Rev. Ben Lynch, Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church

Reverend Dr. Katherine Thomas Paisley, First United Methodist Church

Rabbi Adir Glick, Rachel Glick, West Suburban Temple Har Zion

Rev. Hailey Braden Lynch, Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church

Fr. Rex Pillai, Ascension Catholic Church

Rev. Alan Taylor, Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation

Rabbi Victor Mirelman, Emeritus at West Suburban Temple Har Zion

Mac Robinet, St. Edmunds Catholic Parish

Rev. Christian Coon, Urban Village Church, River Forest First United Methodist Church

Rev. Colin Knapp, Pilgrim Congregation Church

Oak Park Friends Peace, Justice and Environment Committee

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

Voter Empowerment Election Guide • 2021 • sponsored by GOOD HEART/WORK SMART FOUNDATION

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

RIVER FOREST LIBRARY BOARD (3 CANDIDATES FOR 2 OPEN SEATS) A N N

K .

B E R E N S

K A T H E R I N E

How can the library improve upon virtual services? The RF library did a great job providing both materials and programming to the community over the past year. There are two steps I would recommend in considering improving virtual services. The first is to understand through assessment the strengths and opportunities the library learned as it transitioned from physical to remote access. These lessons could then be used to inform future practice. The second is to consider how to optimize user experience with the RF library website as this is often the gateway to virtual service. As a trustee, how do you intend to minimize the tax levy increase for residents during this period of economic hardship and uncertainty? I would work with the current Board to continue to be good stewards of resident funding. I do not believe that this is a time for increasing the tax levy and instead it may be necessary to develop alternative creative avenues for funding programs. For example, there may be ways to share programming costs with other libraries particularly since so many events are currently online, e.g. split the cost of a keynote speaker with other public libraries since virtual participation is not limited by physical space constraints. We can also invigorate our donor base. What areas of library operations do you believe need to be bigger priorities for the library board? In order of priorities: greater assistance to support children’s academics, expansion of donor base, and retention of personnel. What innovations brought on during the pandemic ought to be continued going forward? I would be interested in having programming continue to be accessible virtually even when it is feasible to host in-person events. In-person programming might be live streamed thereby improving accessibility to all interested participants. There may also be ways to offer past programming events virtually for patrons who were unable to attend on the original date. What experience and qualifications do you possess that will help the library overcome obstacles and limitations? My experience working in libraries makes me aware of many of the day to day issues that arise in a library. I believe this experience provides a lens that can be used to support the outstanding work and staff of RF library as well as share patron perspectives. Working in libraries also makes me vested in the need to ensure that policies and procedures are in place and developed to address any potential challenges. Additionally, I believe my strengths include seeing possibilities, solving problems, and making connections. I look forward to using my “boots on the ground” experience along with my strengths to help the library overcome obstacles and limitations. The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide

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How can the library improve upon virtual services? The pandemic accelerated the library’s adoption of online services, both in terms of quantity and type. Pre-pandemic, the library offered virtual services such as eBooks and eAudiobooks for download as well as access to magazines online. In 2020, the library added over 1,000 digital titles to its collection. It also added the Kanopy streaming service, allowing patrons to pick from a broad selection of movies that can be watched from home on demand. During 2020 the library also increased its own online programming. Families with young children can watch live story times presented by the staff on What experience and qualifications do you possess that YouTube. The library also runs hundreds of its programs will help the library overcome obstacles and limitations? online via Zoom, including crafts, STEM challenges, The first relevant experience is that of six years on the library book groups, and trivia. In addition to serving an Board, including time on Finance and Policy committees and educational function, these virtual programs provide on the Director search team. I have institutional knowledge much needed social contacts for children and adults. of the library’s services, facilities, The Library Director wants to and budget that will help the library continue and build on these online through this period of transition that opportunities that were created in includes introducing a new Director response to the pandemic. I fully See candidates’ complete answers and bios at and recovering from the turmoil of the support these new initiatives. OAKPARK.COM/VOTEREMPOWERMENTGUIDE pandemic year. The library also has improved I have a particular affinity for the Board’s the way its patrons access online role to oversee the library’s finances, as I content. Library patrons have have a BSBA in Finance and previously several ways to experience worked in financial consulting. During eBooks, depending on the device my time as Treasurer, I aided library they are using and which app they administration in setting up a defined reserve structure and in find easiest to use. The library is moving its online establishing forward-looking capital improvement planning and magazine collections from Flipster to Libby, a more budget processes. I hope to continue working on understanding user friendly portal. Staff members are also available and stabilizing the long-term financial health of the library, to troubleshoot if patrons have technical problems anticipating challenges before they become problems. accessing content. The library staff has demonstrated that it can adapt its online services as devices change What infrastructure or remodeling issues remain to be and new apps are developed. resolved at the library? The library recognizes that not all patrons are equally The library continually strives to optimize its small space. The situated to take advantage of its online offerings. library is currently pursuing an opportunity to reclaim space from Some patrons do not have the tech hardware or Wi-Fi a mechanical room and convert it to usable patron space. If the needed to access eBooks or participate in programs logistics prove feasible, this would provide an exciting opportunity over Zoom. To address this issue, the library loans out for increased community meeting and programming space. Over tech, including mobile hotspots and eReaders. The the next few years, the library might also look at updating the public library can adjust its purchases of this tech as it sees meeting room. The library should also continually review how how heavily these mobile devices are used. space, including the front garden, is being used for different groups at different times in order to enhance existing spaces.

What areas of library operations do you believe need to be bigger priorities for the library board? The library Board creates a three-tofive year strategic plan and the library Director and staff utilize this plan to guide specific operations. The changing circumstances of the past year have meant that some strategic plan goals were not able to be fully addressed. As the library moves towards more regular operations, the Board should review the status of the current strategic plan and begin considering the next one. I think that the next round of strategic planning will need to take into account the many changes that society has faced, and should include focus groups and interviews with community members to determine how the library can best serve our community going forward.

WEB EXTRA

The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide

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The candidate’s responses have been edited for print. The full unedited responses can be found online at oakpark.com/voter-empowerment-guide

R E A D E R S :

Thirty-two pages wasn’t quite enough for all of the candidate questionnaires. So here is a heads up: Go to OakPark.com/voter-empowerment-guide to find the profiles for candidates in contested races for Oak Park Township trustee and the Triton College board. You will also find questionnaires completed by most candidates in races which are not contested.

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Voter Empowerment Election Guide • 2021 • sponsored by GOOD HEART/WORK SMART FOUNDATION

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

Positive Youth Development The Workgroup for Positive Youth Development (+PYD) strives to strengthen collaboration in our community to address youth Alcohol substance use. Through engagement and education of community members, youth, parents, local governments, and organizations we can support the coalition’s efforts to prevent and reduce substance use among youth. By identifying the factors in a community that increase the risk of substance use and promoting healthy behaviors we can work together to decrease the 30-day marijuana and alcohol use rates Marijuana of our teens.

National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week Monday, March 22- Sunday, March 28

Linking Teens to Facts that SHATTER THE MYTHS about drugs and drug use. Join Positive Youth Development (+PYD) and help share the facts about drugs, alcohol, and addiction in your community.

According to the Illinois Youth Survey 30% of Oak Park and River Forest 8th12th graders consumed alcohol and 21% used marijuana in the past 30 days.

Please visit: • oakparktownship.org/prevention-services/ For more information about NIDA and NDAFW • teens.drugabuse.gov/national-drug-alcohol-facts-week

Oak Park & River Forest Townships

A convenient and safe way to dispose of your unwanted and expired Rx medications. JUUL, Vape Pens & Cartridges will also be collected. Get your Prescription Lock Box & Drug Deactivation kit, while supplies last. Please note hypodermic needles will not be accepted. Questions? Contact koconnor@oakparktownship.org

SATURDAY, APRIL 24 • 10am - 2pm 105 S. OAK PARK AVE OAK PARK TOWNSHIP

Oak Park & River Forest Townships

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

Voter Empowerment Election Guide • 2021 • sponsored by GOOD HEART/WORK SMART FOUNDATION

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Do you live in Suburban Cook County and

need help paying rent and utilities

due to COVID-19?

The Cook County Emergency Rental Assistance program pays up to 12 months of missed rent and utilities payments and up to 3 months of future rent payments.

HOW CAN I APPLY? Applications open March 11, 2021, and will be accepted until April 2, 2021. Start the application process at cookcountyil.gov/recovery. How do I know if I’m eligible? To be eligible, renters must: •

Live in suburban Cook County and rent their home (Landlords may apply on behalf of tenants)

•

Lack access to other support (e.g., don’t live in public housing or receive rental assistance from other programs)

•

Have proof of financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic

•

Have a household annual income at or below these requirements:

Household size Income

$51,000

$58,250

$65,550

$72,800

$78,650

$84,450

$90,300

$96,100

What documents do I need to apply? For the initial application, renters need: •

Photo ID

•

Social Security card (ifavailable)

•

Verification of income for 2020 (e.g., recent paystubs or tax returns)

•

Documentation of COVID-19 financial hardship (e.g., unemployement claims or proof of income decrease)

•

Latest utility bill (if applying for utility assistance)

To apply and learn more: •

Visit cookcountyil.gov/recovery

•

Get text alerts by texting: AlertCook to 888-777

For assistance with your application and language translation services, please contact the Cook County Emergency Rental Assistance Program helpline at 877-426-6515.

If you live in the City of Chicago and need rental assistance, visit chi.gov/housinghelp for more information.

You may also call Oak Park Regional Housing Center for more information: 708-848-7150

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

NEED TO REACH US?

oakpark.com/real-estate email: buphues@wjinc.com

Homes

Pandemic pets

Homes expand for animal adoptions and fosters By LACEY SIKORA

Contributing Reporter

uring the past year, everyone has found themselves spending more time at home than normal. A lot more time. When stay-at-home orders were enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, some people used the extra time at home to perfect new recipes. Others cleaned out their closets, kitchen cabinets and basements. As the pandemic went on and health advisories continued to urge people to stay at home, quite a few people looked at their lives and realized they had the time for something else they’d always wanted to do and brought a pet into their homes. Kira Robson, executive director of Oak Park’s Animal Care League, states that a typical pre-pandemic day saw about two to three adoption applications. During the pandemic, that number has risen to five to 10. Robson says that large numbers of people have been adopting pets this year for a few reasons. One reason? Suddenly wide-open schedules. She said the pandemic opened up the floodgates for busy people. People who used to be busy all day with commutes, work and family

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

DOG DAYS: Jenny O’Rouke (right) and her daughter Nora Tiffen walk Fred (out front), the family’s second foster dog, as well as their dog Oreo, along Lombard Avenue in Oak Park last week. Fred was recently adopted and will go to his forever home on Saturday, March 13, 2021. life suddenly had a lot more time on their hands as all extracurricular activities were cancelled, and everything that had to be done was done from home. Robson notes that interest in pets skyrocketed when people realized they weren’t going back to the office anytime soon. On top of more time, people also found something was lacking in their at-home lifestyles. “We saw a combination of life slowing down and people realizing they couldn’t be around people anymore,” Robson said. The pandemic highlighted a need for companionship, and pets happened to be a safe way to have that experience. “We all have a need for bonding,” she said. “We’ve been forced to disconnect from each other as humans, but we need companionship. The human-animal bond is getting its moment in the sun.”

New practices On top of a lot of new interest in adoptions, Robson says that the Animal Care League, like most businesses, had to rethink its practices to keep staff and volunteers safe. The

organization relies on dedicated staff and volunteers to man its clinic and take care of the animals. Now, they had to take of the pets and the people, making sure that there weren’t too many people in the clinic at one time. Noting that the clinic is in a small, older building, Robson said they had to assign volunteers into A and B teams and reduce the number in the building since the care of animals is not work that can be done remotely. The Animal Care League also had to close their doors to the general public, which put a damper on their in-person adoption process. The services of the Animal Care League are considered essential, so the agency pivoted quickly to Zoom and Facetime pet adoptions. “Initially, I thought this wouldn’t work,” Robson said. “I thought no one was going to connect to an animal over a computer. But we found doing the initial meet and greets via Zoom or FaceTime was much less stressful for our animals.” The animals were in their natural habitats without the intrusion of an unknown visitor, which Robson says allowed the adopting families to get a better sense of the animals’ real personalities. She also said it was a better process for See PET FOSTERING on page 67

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

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Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

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PET FOSTERING

How You Can Help

Ready for adoption from page 61

pets who are shy and might not immediately warm up to an in-person meeting. Another change is where the animals are coming from. Robson says that the Animal Care Leagues is a local organization that usually takes in strays from seven nearby communities. They have been able to expand that with the heightened demand for animals.

Fostering Oak Parker Jenny O’Rourke and her family decided during the pandemic that the time was finally right to foster a dog. Already the owners of a dog, they weren’t certain about bringing a new pet into their family permanently. The family turned to fostering because, O’Rourke says, “We’ve been in a bit of a funk because of COVID.” The family typically travels over the holidays to see O’Rourke’s parents, and since they couldn’t this year, they needed something to cheer up the kids. She saw a social media post about Mobile Mutts Rescue, a foster organization that matches families with fosters and then facilitates the adoption of those fosters. She and her daughter Nora picked up their first foster, an 8-week-old puppy, right before the holidays and kept him for a month. When it came time to send him on to his forever home, O’Rourke got to participate in interviewing potential families, who

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

ALL SMILES: Foster dog Fred, outside his Oak Park home on March 10. had already been vetted by Mobile Mutts. She says it was so rewarding to see him with his new family. After the exhaustion of teaching a new puppy manners and getting up with him during the night, they planned to take a break from fostering. Then, they saw a photo of Fred, an adult dog who had never lived in a home before but was fed scraps by people in the small Kentucky town where he was found. Fred is now happily ensconced in their home for a while.

Mobile Mutts provides medical care, including spaying and neutering the animals, and also provides training guidelines. It is up to foster families to offer the love and gentle guidance the rescued pets need. While O’Rourke says there are many “foster fails” or animals who end up being adopted by their foster families. That has not been the case with her family. She notes that before deciding to foster she discussed with her three children that they were not doing this to find a second pet, and she says set-

S W E N

The Animal Care League has many ways you can help. Foster needs range anywhere from temporary housing to long term/hospice needs. The Animal Care Leagues needs fosters who have dog experience and may be willing to help with dogs needing a bit of extra training or attention as well as fosters who may be willing to help with medical cases or neonatal kittens. People interested in becoming a foster can email foster@animalcareleague.org or fill out an application by visiting animalcareleague.org and clicking the “Foster Program” link on the home page. Robson says that the pandemic has also made it difficult for some pet owners to support their pets, and the Animal Care League can offer support through their Pets & People Support Program. A link to request pet food through the Animal Care League’s Pets & People Support Program can be found at animalcareleague.org/ppsp-info.html. People who would like to help by donating to the Pets & People Support Program can email support@animalcareleague.org or visit the program’s Wishlist at https://a.co/3TjS1xo

ting expectations before deciding to foster is key. At the Animal Care League, applications to foster are up 79 percent and Robson says that the need for foster families is still great.

! H S A FL

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189 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 (708) 386-1400

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Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

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It takes more than the Luck of the Irish to sell or buy a home.

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Call me at 708.218.8102 for a Market Evaluation of your home. I’m here for you, for every move you make!

Call Jill at (708) 524-8300 or visit OakPark.com/subscribe

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

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Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

@ @OakPark

SPORTS Fenwick boys claim conference title in shortened season Hopkins caps stellar career as McDonald’s All-American

“Lauren is a great role model for the girls. She works and plays hard,” said Power. “She also works hard in the classroom, and her work ethic and attitude are great. She always gives it her all in everything she does, and a lot of kids could learn from her.” Fenwick returns everyone but Hall next season. Juniors Mia Caccitolo, Amanda Hansen, Elise Heneghan and Mira Schwanke were all key contributors, while sophomores Cam Brusca and Kailyn McHugh along with freshman Grace Kapsch also saw valuable minutes. In addition, the Friars will also see Audrey Hinrichs return. One of the state’s top post players during her first two years, the junior missed this season due to injury. With such a large number of returnees, Power is eagerly looking forward to next season -- one during which he likely will reach 1,000 wins in his career. “We certainly did see glimpses of some really good things to come,” he said.

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted virtually every aspect of everyday life, and high school athletics are no exception. A traditional basketball season for Illinois high schools begins in mid-November and ends by mid-March. But due to restrictions being placed on youth sports by Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Illinois High School Association was not able to hold a season until early February. The schedule was limited to largely conference-only games and ended on March 13. Here is how the boys and girls basketball teams at Oak Park and River Forest, Fenwick and Trinity High Schools fared:

Trinity

Fenwick Boys Against a rigorous schedule, the Friars finished with a stellar 13-3 record and claimed the Chicago Catholic League Blue Conference title. All three of Fenwick’s losses came by three points or less, including a pair of buzzer-beaters at the hands of Notre Dame and Brother Rice. Senior Bryce Hopkins had another outstanding season as he led Fenwick in scoring and rebounding. The 6-foot-7, Hopkins, a Kentucky signee, was nominated to the prestigious McDonald’s All-American Game and will go down as one of the program’s alltime greatest players. Hopkins was the only senior to see significant playing time and will be missed next season. However, Fenwick has a chance at another highly successful campaign, thanks to a strong group of returnees, including David Gieser, Denium Juette, Gabe Madej and football stars Eian Pugh and Max Reese.

OPRF Boys The Huskies went 3-3 in the debut season of head coach Phil Gary. The season was cut short due to COVID concerns, but Gary saw enough progress to be encouraged about a return to the program’s good standards in the near future. “I would say we got better every single day in building a new culture,” he said in an email. “We learned from each other and became more of a team.” The top players for OPRF included seniors Anthony Coleman and Rashaad Trice, ju-

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

TIGHT D: Fenwick’s Mia Caccitolo (2) takes the ball down court against Trinity defender Ciarra Richardson during a varsity basketball game last week. niors Demetrius Dortch and Justin Mullins, and sophomore Sam Lewis. Coleman and Trice, along with classmates Tyler Bracey, Diego Garcia and Jack Greenwald, depart. But Dortch, Lewis, Mullins and John Vincent provide the Huskies a solid foundation to build around in their effort to climb back towards the top of the West Suburban Conference Silver Division. “I believe this experience will help the returning players more than ever,” Gary said. “I think having a short season will make our guys appreciate basketball more. I believe having your love and passion taken away brings more appreciation and dedication to that craft.”

OPRF Girls The Huskies went 5-9, but ended the season on a high note, defeating Proviso West on March 13 in the closing seconds thanks to a pair of free throws by junior Martha Lipic. “It was a difficult and strange year,” said OPRF head coach J.P. Coughlin. “But this group continued to grind through the adversity and grew as a team throughout.” Junior Lilah Gery and seniors Rachel Hartman, Abby Spencer (Illinois Wesleyan recruit) and McKale Thompson led the Huskies in scoring, while Maeve Wojcik (Carthage commit) and Kennedy Jones were the

team’s top rebounders. Next season looks bright as there will be plenty of experience returning for OPRF, including Gery, Jones, Lipic, freshman Keira Kleidon, sophomores Sandra Caldwell, Reese Garland, and Libby Majka, and junior Sadie Lyons.

Fenwick Girls The Friars went 6-7 and as usual played a challenging slate. Fenwick did manage to be the only team in the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Red to defeat the division champion Loyola Academy, splitting a pair of games with the Ramblers. While grateful for the opportunity to play some games, head coach Dave Power lamented the fact that it wasn’t a typical season. “I’m glad we had an opportunity to play basketball. But without a state tournament, it didn’t seem like there was a lot to play for,” he said in a phone interview. “To not have one this year was sad. We had so many things to play through, including injuries. Yet, our girls played with so much heart and gave it everything they had. They played for the love of the game.” As the Friars’ only senior, Lauren Hall provided steady leadership while concluding her solid four-year varsity career.

After starting 0-6, the Blazers finished up strong by winning six of their final eight games, including back-to-back victories over Fenwick at the end of the season -- 5946 on March 11, followed by a 49-48 overtime thriller on March 13. “It’s been up and down,” said head coach Kim Coleman. “I don’t think our record reflects just how good we are this year. But we’re blessed to be able to have had a season.” Makiyah Williams, who will play at Marquette in the fall, capped a stellar four-year career by named as a nominee for the McDonald’s All-American Game. Williams led Trinity in scoring and rebounding. Coleman credited Williams and classmates Savanna Childress and Maddie Miller for laying the foundation for the Blazers’ future success. “Maddie’s leadership and willingness to put the team first has been next level,” she said. “Savanna has been a glue in our program since she was a freshman. And obviously Makiyah has been a huge asset. Hopefully she earns the GCAC Player of the Year. We’re going to miss them.” However, Trinity has two good starters to rebuild around in freshman Lauren Miller (Maddie’s younger sister) and sophomore Ciarra Richardson. Top reserves Maeve Lundt and Sophia Rodriguez will also return for the Blazers. “We have a lot of young players who are going to make some noise in our conference, and we’re excited to put (our team) together in the offseason,” said Coleman.

S P O R T S

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

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As spring dawns, there’s football in the air

Huskies, Friars ready to take the field

“Obviously, everyone wished we could have had a normal season, but I think the guys did an outstanding job staying focused on the things that they could control.” Here is a look at the 2020-21 football teams for each school, beginning with OPRF:

By MELVIN TATE

Contributing Reporter

lmost seven months after its usual kickoff date, the Illinois High School Association football season will finally commence on March 19. There was concern among players and coaches that the COVID-19 pandemic might have wiped out an entire season. But last month, the Illinois Department of Public Health along with Gov. J.B Pritzker approved the resumption of all youth sports -including football -- once a region advanced to Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois reopening program. Both Oak Park and River Forest High School head coach John Hoerster and new Fenwick High School head coach Matt Battaglia are appreciative of having a season, albeit a shorter one. “Everybody was very excited to get an opportunity to play. I think we all really missed each other,” said Hoerster, entering his 11th year as the Huskies’ head coach. “We were just excited for an opportunity to be together as a team,” added Battaglia.

OPRF The Huskies went 4-5 during 2019, missing the IHSA playoffs for the first time since Hoerster’s debut season in 2011. Although there won’t be postseason play this spring, OPRF returns several veterans with experience and adds some good talent which is young and inexperienced. The top returning player in the program is Naahlyee Bryant. A three-year starter at defensive end/linebacker for the Huskies, the Western Michigan signee is expected to see plenty of time on both sides of the ball. Classmate Jake Birmingham (Valparaiso recruit) teams up with Bryant to form a solid 1-2 punch in the linebacker corps. Amarion Jones is a physical run-stopper on the OPRF defensive line, while Ryan McFaddin is a jack-of-all-trades that helps out in the back seven. Newcomers Timmy Spillane and Henry Thompson also look to play key roles in the defense. The Huskies’ offense has some good tal-

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ent to build around, including wide receivers Eric Locke and Jemari Smith-Payton, running back Kelby Gray and center Cole Robertson, a sophomore entering his second season as a varsity starter. Demetrius Dortch will compete for time with Gray at running back, and Henry Spillane looks to be a key contributor as well. The biggest question mark for OPRF is at quarterback. Jaden McGill, who was the starter the last two seasons, has transferred to Naperville Central, thus creating an open competition for the job. Senior Jack Landis, junior Drew Kunkel and sophomore Jack Gooch are the contenders. The Huskies play in the rugged West Suburban Conference Silver Division, and even with the pandemic the league is as tough as ever. OPRF faces the two teams favored by most to win the Silver on bookends of the schedule. The Huskies travel to Hinsdale Central on March 19, then to Glenbard West to end the season on April 24. The fact that there are no playoffs this spring doesn’t take away from the program’s annual goals, according to Hoerster. “Our approach is the same as it’s always been. We want to create a positive environment that helps our athletes grow on and off the field, we want to make every day a joy and a challenge and we want to make every player feel important and valued because they all are,” he said. However, with the pandemic having delayed the season, Hoerster also wants his team to cherish the time they have with each other, because no one knows for sure what the future holds. “Treat every practice and game like it could be their last,” he said. “Last year, the world changed without any notice. We don’t want to take anything for granted.”

Fenwick The year 2019 marked the debut of a super-talented sophomore class for Fenwick football, led by quarterback Kaden Cobb, wide receivers Eian Pugh and Max Reese and center Jimmy Liston among others. The Friars qualified for the IHSA Class 5A playoffs, but then saw head coach Gene Nudo get suddenly dismissed from his duties before their first playoff game against Payton College Prep. Under interim coach Titcus Pettigrew, the Friars defeated the Grizzlies, but then fell to visiting Hillcrest 28-7 in the second round. New head coach Matt Battaglia comes to Fenwick after being a graduate assistant at Kent State. And he’s thankful to be able to have some games this spring. “Our approach is to take everything day by day and get better,” he said. “Both of those are huge, but I think the thing this team wants to do more than anything else is compete.” Battaglia has plenty of cause for opti-

Kaden Cobb is prepared to take the Friars to the next level this spring. mism as the upperclassmen are a talented group. In addition to the aforementioned players, there are a lot of juniors expected to be key contributors, including running backs Danny Kent and Jacque Walls, wide receiver Bryan Hunt, offensive tackle Rasheed Anderson, defensive lineman Quin Wieties and defensive back Denium Juette. And there is also a strong senior class headlined by running back Isaac Novak and wide receiver Jonas Capek. Declan Donnelly, Billy McGee and Nick Polston supply additional depth. Other newcomers to watch for are Suleiman Abuaqel, Pat Durkin, Aaron Johnson, Conor Paris and Marty Paris. Battaglia wants the Friars to have fun, play fast and compete. And compete they will as their schedule is extremely challenging. The good news? The first two games are at Triton College. The not-so-good news? They’re against two traditional powerhouses -- Nazareth Academy and Joliet Catholic. It’s a daunting task to be sure. But it’s not one Battaglia and the Friars are backing down from. “This team wants to be great,” said Battaglia. “It’s a great opportunity to compete against two programs that have helped establish what great looks like at [the high school] level.”

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS FRIDAY 5 P.M. Call Viewpoints editor Ken Trainor at 613-3310 ktrainor@wjinc.com

Stumbling in the curricular crosswalk

iver Forest District 90 implemented new curriculum and instructional practices described online as “The Crosswalk” and “Vision for Equity”; however, test scores suggest student learning may have declined even before schools shuttered due to COVID-19. The latest release of the Educational Opportunity Monitoring Project (EOMP), a Stanford University Center for Education Policy Analysis (CEPA) initiative, describes high average test scores, but a disturbing learning rate lagging far behind others. Whereas students in Hinsdale, LaGrange and Winnetka are learning 10, 17 and 29 percent more per year than the average U.S. student, respectively, River Forest students appear to be learning less than the national average. The CEPA research group describes their goal as “clarifying patterns and trends in the equality of educational opportunities and outcomes in the United States,” and it does so using reading and math test score data from third through eighth grades for every public school in the nation from 2008-2009 to the 2017-2018 school years. A large part of their effort is stitching together data describing school effectiveness and overcoming sources of discontinuity stemming from district changes in testing, standards or the timing of certain activities. The group developed an online visualization tool so that journalists, educators, policymakers and parents have a way to explore school effectiveness (http://edopportunity. org) using several measures, two of these are Average Test Scores and Average Learning Rate. Measures of school effectiveness use the U.S. national average as a benchmark. For example, an Average Test Scores value of 0.0 suggests student achievement equal to the U.S. average, a value of 1.0 one full grade ahead, 2.0 two grades ahead and so forth. Learning Rate measures how much student test scores improve each year, a measure the CEPA group describes as best for determining school effectiveness. Learning Rate uses the same benchmark, a value of 0.0 indicates learning as much in one year as the average U.S. student. A Learning Rate value of 10.0 suggests learning 10% more than average, etc. and negative values mean learning less than the U.S. average. For context on this U.S. average benchmark, in 2019 the National Assessment of Educational Progress reported only 34% of U.S. eighth-grade students achieving at or above proficiency in reading and math. River Forest has been a sought-after school district for a variety of reasons; historically high student achievement is one. The EOMP describes River Forest Average Test Scores roughly three grades ahead of the national average, and comparable with other high-performing districts. While 10 years of River Forest data wrapped up into one Average Test Scores value suggests success, the negative value for average Learning Rate over that time is cause for concern,

STEVE LEFKO

See LEFKO on page 83

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

VIEWPOINTS

Remembering Sherlynn Reid p. 72, 85

Time to open our hearts and minds on reparations

would like to thank Walk the Walk Oak Park for bringing the issue of reparations to the village board on Feb. 22. This was a historic meeting and I felt honored to be a part of it. The topic of reparations is important and potentially pivotal for our society, and it was time for Oak Park to start discussing it. As I’ve said before and deeply believe, Oak Park should be at the forefront of social justice issues because the desire to do the right thing and the political will run deep in this community. The members of Walk the Walk described the events of the early 20th century in which Blacks in Oak Park were denied a permit to build a church and then driven out of their neighborhood near Lake and Harlem. They also reminded us of what has been done since to keep Black people from fully participating in civic society since then, and what might have become of those Black residents in early Oak Park if they had been allowed to thrive. The issue of reparations got a shot in the arm after the death of George Floyd. The cover of the NYT Sunday magazine of June 30 last year was titled, “What is Owed.” Nicole Hannah-Jones, creator of the 1619 Project wrote, “If black lives are to truly matter in America, this nation must move beyond slogans and symbolism. Citizens don’t inherit just the glory of their nation, but its wrongs too. A truly great country does not ignore or excuse its sins. It confronts them and then works to make them right. If we are to be redeemed, if we are to live up to the magnificent ideals upon which we were founded, we must do what is just. It is time for this country to pay its debt. It is time for reparations.” Ta-Nehisi Coates’ article, “The Case for Reparations,” which first appeared in the Atlantic Monthly in 2014 and is referred to repeatedly, wrote, “Now we have half-stepped away from our long centuries of despoilment, promising, ‘Never again.’ But still we are haunted. It is as though we have run up a creditcard bill and, having pledged to charge no more, remain befuddled that the balance does not disappear.” Churches and denominational networks are also discussing reparations. Even the editor of Christianity Today, a right-leaning publication represent-

ing evangelical churches, wrote an article last spring on reparations titled, “Justice Too Long Delayed.” It’s time for the church to make restitution for racial sin. For those who question why a municipal government should concern itself with reparations, Coates writes, “A crime that implicates the entire American people deserves its hearing in the legislative body that represents them.” And that means us. Our own village board. We shouldn’t wait. Evanston has already moved forward on reparations initiatives. Oak Park should lead on this. Walk the Walk Oak Park proposed three primary ways to address reparations in Oak Park. First, apologize for the village government’s role in the enforcement of segregation and the stifling of Black wealth. Second, create avenues to support the creation of Black wealth in Oak Park, including asking the village manager to establish a process to boost economic mobility and opportunity in the Black community; creating a Reparations Fund from a percentage of the marijuana sales tax (similar to Evanston), plus 40% of our Affordable Housing Fund (which consists of the in-lieu fees from developers under the village’s Inclusionary Housing Ordinance); and establishing a low-interest real estate purchasing program for Black residents of Oak Park aimed specifically at increasing Black wealth and land ownership in the village. Finally, Walk the Walk proposed to establish a new Community Reparations Commission empowered to address the creation of generational wealth and to boost economic mobility and opportunity in the Black community by making recommendations for the use of the newly established Reparations Fund. Addressing reparations via funding for housing and the creation of generational wealth is not a new idea. Walk the Walk has done their homework and could advise the village exactly how it could work. I encourage Oak Park residents to open their hearts and minds to the idea and even the necessity of reparations. It would be one small step toward righting the wrongs of the past 400 years. Let’s get started. Susan Buchanan is an Oak Park village trustee.

SUSAN

BUCHANAN One View

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

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A no-drama Farmers Market

ood news. Farmers Market is coming back to Oak Park. It will look more like 2019 than 2020. The hub of the market will be back in the Pilgrim Church parking lot where it belongs. But it will be a one-way walking loop at least halving the chances of a surprise and joyful encounter with someone you didn’t expect to see. Bad news. The market manager from recent years, Colleen McNichols, won’t be back. It’s all mysterious. There is, so far, no replacement. The chair of the market commission, Laura Lencioni, says she’s done once her term ends — though she did request a short extension so she can stay on until this year’s market opens. Farmers Market Commission meetings have become Must See Zoom as we look for the next plot twist. And perhaps the worst news? The Farmers Market Band will be back but it will be all banjos and ukuleles. No wind or brass instruments in a pandemic. Going back to church. A movie at The Lake. The 4th of July parade. The pool opening. Those are, or would be, all fine things and signals that the pandemic is easing its grip. But the nearest thing to normal in Oak Park (and among its neighbors) is the Farmers Market open, safe and drama-free.

Going up

Like many of our readers, we get tired of saying, “It’s not our favorite building” as we watch large, sometimes tall, buildings rise up in Oak Park. To the consternation of some, we have been steady proponents of more dense development in and around downtown Oak Park. Building apartments and some retail along the Metra/Green Line makes nothing but good sense. Add units, mid- to high-end, in the downtown and you create a front-line audience for the restaurants and shops all of us depend on and enjoy. You create opportunities for people to work in the West Loop and live in this great village, possibly without a car or with auto use minimized. You also build the only tax base increases Oak Park will ever grow. If local taxing bodies controlled their spending, we might see some relief from what is becoming an unbearable burden. New construction also funds Oak Park’s affordable housing fund. With a new, likely more progressive village board, it will be time to talk openly about why we don’t push harder for developers to include affordable units. We know they don’t want to. But would they relent under stiffer pressure? This all comes up as the final notable development of Anan Abu-Taleb’s eight-year tenure as mayor was approved by the village board on Monday night. Drechsler, Brown & Williams, the funeral home building that had no future purpose, will now come down and be replaced by an apartment building that isn’t bad but is certainly not ambitious. It has nice features but, for its size, lacks charm. When all is toted up, there is only one hideous building constructed during this remarkable period of development. Take a guess. It is the bland blob at Harlem and South Boulevard. And also at Maple and South Boulevard. And almost at Marion and South Boulevard. Would gladly have traded five more floors here for some relief from its unrelenting presence nearly anywhere you look up in the downtown. Yes, it almost makes the Whiteco Building (which houses Trader Joe’s), attempting to be rebranded as Oak Park Apartments, look like a neat trick. Almost.

V I E W P O I N T S

Sherlynn Reid helped make us whole

herlynn and Henry Reid made history when they moved to Oak Park in 1968. They were the first black couple in the 1960s to buy a home from a realtor using a conventional loan — which happened just after the adoption of the village’s landmark Fair Housing Ordinance. Sherlynn talks about that era in Joe Kreml’s video in the Fair Housing exhibit at the Historical Society’s Oak Park River Forest Museum. The Reids, along with the Robinets and the Registers — the 3 Rs of Oak Park integration — were the 1960s pioneers who paved the way. And so were Sherlynn’s three daughters, Mary, Dorothy and Lorie who helped integrate OPRF High School. The first thing Sherlynn did when they moved into the big house on Ridgeland Avenue was call Police Chief Fremont Nester and tell him he could remove the squad car from in front of her home, which was assigned as protection against, well, people with anger issues and poor impulse control. Sherlynn wasn’t worried. She told the chief they would take their chances, which sounds like a good motto for Black Oak Parkers: They took their chances. The next thing she did was get involved, quickly weaving herself into the community fabric. She joined the First Tuesday Club, a group of remarkable women — including Joan Pope, Marge Greenwald, Ann Armstrong, Fran Sullivan, Bobbie Raymond, Trudi Doyle, Marie Kruse, Mary Ellen Matthias, Gloria Merrill, Sandra Sokol (and no doubt others) — who networked, researched issues, and started waking up this sleepy suburb. By 1999 when Sherlynn retired after more than two decades as head of the village’s Community Relations Department, she had served as chair of the League of Women Voters’ Human Relations Committee, established a human relations workshop at OPRF High School, joined the Beye School PTA board, the Christian Education board at First Congregational (now First United) Church, was a Brownie Troop leader and served on the Girl Scouts Council. Actually, she did all that in her first three years here. She eventually got around to being president of the League of Women Voters and the 19th Century Club; was an active member of two African-American social organizations, Jack & Jill and Links; helped launch the block party tradition in Oak Park; and started the “Dinner & Dialogue” program through the Community Relations Dept. to increase the comfort level between white and black residents. She was also a longtime supporter of the CAST arts program at Julian Middle School, which

her husband Henry co-founded, and the scholarship fund for that program, which bears his name. She even acted in some of the plays. And she was a member of the task force that founded the Oak Park Education Foundation. Sherlynn helped Oak Park come a long way from that grocery store where, according to a 1971 Oak Leaves article, a “grayhaired matron” came up to her and said, “Pardon me, Miss. I’m looking for domestic help. Can you spare a day for me?” And after speaking engagements when well-meaning members of the audience gushed, “You’re so different,” she would answer with the air of authority that came so naturally, along with her gracious smile: “There are thousands of black people exactly like me. I happen to be the only one you’ve met.” Oak Park is a different — and much better — community than the one Sherlynn found when she arrived in 1968, thanks in no small part to her efforts. In that same 1971 article, Henry Reid was quoted as saying, “Only whites can integrate a community. Blacks just desegregate it.” But Sherlynn did integrate this community, in the true sense of the word “integrate,” which is “to make whole.” The Reids, the Robinets, the Registers, and many other black families and households helped make Oak Park whole. We have a long way to go, but thanks to pioneers like Sherlynn Reid, we’re going together. As opposed to how Sherlynn was born, reportedly 2½ hours after her twin brother, Sherwood, emerged — and with no one expecting her to show up. Her mother, Mary Dee, the first black radio personality in Pittsburgh, is rumored to have told the doctors, “It’s not over till it’s over.” Well, Oak Park wasn’t expecting Sherlynn to show up either, but she got here none too soon — and definitely left too soon. By the age of 85, she had slowed down some and her eyes were giving her trouble. But her vision was as keen and clear as ever. Here’s how she described that vision just before the Millennium: “We must look at new paradigms where people of all races, professions, sexes, religions, sexual orientations, ages, etc. are determined to live side by side in tolerance, if not love, of one another.” Sherlynn Reid did as much as anyone to make the new Oak Park paradigm a reality. As Frank Lipo, executive director of the Historical Society, put it, “There is always a need for the Sherlynns of the world. She created systems of non-oppression.”

KEN

TRAINOR

Honoring Sherlynn Reid With great admiration and appreciation I honor the life and contributions of Sherlynn Reid. Sherlynn was a community leader extraordinaire, leading with passion. She was facilitator of, and advocate for, change who inspired and walked the walk in so many ways. And she was so kind and thoughtful in all her interactions. I was able to get to know Sherlynn in our intensive work together for Thrive Counseling Center, then known as Family Services and Mental Health Center. She understood the essential nature of providing accessible, responsive and high-quality mental health

services to our community. She was engaged and involved as a board member, in our capital and endowment campaigns and in many other agency initiatives to ensure mental health services were readily available, including our collaboration with the high school and the police. My heart is warmed with deep thanks for all she contributed. Thrive is a better agency today because of Sherlynn’s deep engagement. And she is in our hearts leaving a meaningful and powerful legacy.

Jan Pyrce

River Forest

V I E W P O I N T S

W E D N E S D A Y

Open letter to Oak Park trustees I object to the proposed development at 203 S. Marion and urge you to deny approval. The uninspired massing and lifeless cubic form is not compatible with the surrounding vibrant buildings in the Ridgeland-Oak Park Historic District. Its fenestration proportion and scale are also out of character with surrounding historic buildings. The apartment units at street level in this viable business district will be detrimental to the continuity of retail commerce. Giving these units a chic upmarket name will not improve their appearance. The proposed small coffee shop at the corner will be inadequate to sustain pedestrian traffic. The height of 84 feet, 10 inches is at least triple the height of the mixed-use two-story building to the east on Marion Street and double the height of the adjacent Carlton Hotel and Decker Building at 220 S. Maple. The contribution to the affordable housing fund in lieu of incorporation of affordable units within the development should not be permitted. I encourage the village board to require developers to always provide affordable apartments which are seamlessly integrated into their projects. The use of a development fund to build future affordable housing projects will likely lead to housing developments visually and physically separated from the majority of the village.

As you know, such a plan has a long history of urban devastation. Developers’ proposed “compensating benefits” are vastly insufficient to offset the valuable profit increase they are requesting. I continue to be concerned that there has been a spate of recent planned developments which have been awarded lenience from current zoning metric and statutory design standards without much, if any, real public benefits in exchange. It seems to me that both the Plan Commission and the village board simply considers any new building proposal to be compensating enough in and of themselves to be approved. If the parking garage were to be entirely located below grade, the two out-of-character maisonette apartments could be removed and a deep, accessible landscaped courtyard could be positioned in the center of the east façade fronting on Marion Street. The building height should be reduced to five stories to be a good neighbor within the adjacent urban setting. I believe that a really pleasing and high-quality architectural statement can be built on this significant site. It should serve as a valued exemplar for future replacement or infill buildings in Oak Park.

of Oak Park and River Forest

Editor and Publisher Dan Haley Senior Editor Bob Uphues Staff Reporters Michael Romain, Stacey Sheridan, Maria Maxham Viewpoints Editor Ken Trainor Real Estate Editor Lacey Sikora Food Editor Melissa Elsmo Arts Editor Michelle Dybal Sports/Staff reporter James Kay Columnists Marc Blesoff, Jack Crowe, Doug Deuchler, Linda Francis, Mary Kay O’Grady, Kwame Salter, John Stanger, Stan West Staff Photographer Alex Rogals Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead Designers Mark Moroney, Javier Govea, Debbie Becker Business Manager Joyce Minich Marketing Representatives Marc Stopeck, Lourdes Nicholls Sales & Development Mary Ellen Nelligan Circulation Manager Jill Wagner E-MAIL jill@oakpark.com Chairman Emeritus Robert K. Downs

Oak Park

nesses around the world. Locally, he founded TakeOut25, an innovative fundraiser which supported local restaurants and was then duplicated in other Midwestern towns. The Wednesday Journal honored him by naming him one of its “Villagers of the Year.” Their academic records are impressive. Lucia graduated from Oak Park’s Ascension School and is an alumna of Bryn Mawr College and the DePaul School of Law. An attorney, her advocacy skills will be an asset in negotiating proposed housing developments. Stephen received his undergraduate diploma from MIT; his MBA from Duke University specialized in the health-care field. Ravi’s undergraduate concentration was Industrial Engineering, followed by an MBA in Finance and Marketing. Their banner is their promise. “Unite Oak Park ... Let’s work together!”

Galen Gockel

Village trustee, 2001-2005

If the budget process isn’t broken … Patty Henek’s plan to improve the financial health of our village is to develop a 5-Year “Comprehensive Plan” comprising prior year, current year, and 3-year forecasts. She criticized the current approach noting that the village only prepares an annual budget. This response puzzles me because my review of the current year’s budget shows that this is exactly how the village budgeting process works today. In fact, our village has won a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association of the U.S. and Canada for its budgeting practices.

JOURNAL

Frank Heitzman, AIA

Parakkat, Robinson and Morales for OP trustee I am proud to support the three candidates for Village Trustee who are most able to bring civility, experience and intellectual firepower to the challenges they will face over the next four years. They are Ravi Parakkat, Lucia Robinson, and Stephen Morales, who have formed the “Unite Oak Park” slate. In contrast to the inexperience of their opponents, these candidates will immediately bring their past involvement in local government to the table. As just one example, Stephen chaired the village board’s important Citizens Advisory Committee, which recommended how to allocate the $280,000 Community Development Block Grant received from the federal government. Professionally, his firm consults with, and serves various health-care agencies. Ravi serves with distinction on the Village’s Energy and Environment Commission, and is a founding member of the Oak Park Climate Action Planning Team. He is also a specialist and consultant in energy efficiency, working with governments and busi-

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

I appreciate the work our village staff and board have done to operate balanced budgets and maintain healthy fund reserves. I have been a Chief Financial Officer for over 30 years and recognize the importance of a good budgeting process. If the current process isn’t broken, perhaps Patty can turn her attention to giving us some specific examples of what she would actually do to improve our town’s financial health.

Paige Rodgers River Forest

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About Viewpoints Our mission is to lead educated conversation about the people, government, schools, businesses and culture of Oak Park and River Forest. As we share the consensus of Wednesday Journal’s editorial board on local matters, we hope our voice will help focus your thinking and, when need be, fire you to action. In a healthy conversation about community concerns, your voice is also vital. We welcome your views, on any topic of community interest, as essays and as letters to the editor. Noted here are our stipulations for filing. Please understand our verification process and circumstances that would lead us not to print a letter or essay. We will call to check that what we received with your signature is something you sent. If we can’t make that verification, we will not print what was sent. When, in addition to opinion, a letter or essay includes information presented as fact, we will check the reference. If we cannot confirm a detail, we may not print the letter or essay. If you have questions, email Viewpoints editor Ken Trainor at ktrainor@ wjinc.com.

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Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

V I E W P O I N T S

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Move forward on equity and inclusion If you ask Oak Parkers why they moved here or choose to stay, they’ll often say they value the racial diversity and progressive community. Our village’s “Equity, Diversity and Inclusion” statement reflects these values. Several times, our village stepped up with bold actions — such as the 1968 Fair Housing Ordinance, the 1997 Domestic Partnership Registry for LGBT couples, and the 2017 Welcoming Village ordinance to protect immigrants and Muslims. But we’ve also been complacent while inequalities persist. Our schools face opportunity gaps, residents struggle with housing affordability, there’s hidden hunger and homelessness, racial profiling in policing persists, and women and minority-owned businesses struggle. Municipalities around the country have adopted racial equity policies to systematically approach equity and inclusion. They result in more accessible and affordable services, increased workforce diversity, inclusive contracting and procurement, expanded civic engagement and many other community benefits. Professionally, I work for a national racial justice organization and provide

equity consulting to government agencies, school districts, philanthropic organizations and social justice organizations around the country. Four generations of my family have called Oak Park home and I’d love to see us truly lead on racial and social justice. Four years ago, our Community Relations Commission (CRC) recommended that the village trustees adopt a “Governing for Racial Equity” model. Unfortunately, a majority of the trustees often stalled or obstructed efforts. Last summer, six CRC members resigned together out of frustration. We still have no racial equity policy or comprehensive plan. Now there’s an opportunity to move forward. Three trustee candidates — Juanta Griffin, Anthony Clark and Chibuike Enyia — backed by a new community formation called Represent Oak Park, are ready to bring capable and committed leadership. Juanta has spearheaded local school equity initiatives with the PTO Diversity Committee. She’s our public library’s Multicultural Coordinator with a history of community engagement. An Oak Park renter, she grew up in Austin and understands the needs of working people and youth.

Lester will be an asset as Township Trustee

Anthony, an admired OPRF teacher, has worked with equity organizations to help drive District 200’s efforts to adopt and implement a new Racial Equity Policy. He’s all about action — whether fundraising for families in need, organizing a vigil for a young life lost to gun violence, speaking out against local hate crimes, helping young people find work or supporting small businesses. Chibuike, the son of Nigerian immigrants and a father and business owner, is also an active community volunteer, serving on Irving School’s Diversity Committee and mentoring youth. He listens acutely, with a deep commitment to make lives better for all Oak Park residents. Together, they have solid proposals for expanding community engagement, advancing a Race and Social Justice Initiative, and paying attention to renters and those struggling to afford to live here. The “Represent Oak Park” candidates represent the best of us, with proven community experience and deep commitment to the values we hold dear. I urge you to elect these leaders to represent and uplift our entire community.

I am writing to encourage Oak Park residents to elect Valerie Lester to our Township Board of Trustees. Once I became involved in the Township Senior Services Program as a part of its Caregiver Support Group, I quickly learned of the extensive range of programs available to my late wife Charlotte and me. Through this, I became aware of the very deep involvement of Valerie Lester as a volunteer in a number of the Senior Services programs, as well as on the Senior Services Committee itself. I also learned of her volunteer services to the Oak Park Regional Housing Center, which I would consider to be one of the primary organizations that contribute to our excellent reputation as a desirable place to live. As a 42-year resident of Oak Park, it is my opinion that Oak Park Township is among the most efficient of the many taxing bodies that serve us, and arguably has delivered the greatest per dollar value among them. I believe that the election of Valerie Lester to the township board will result in a strong continuation of the excellent work that has been produced over the past few decades, and that she will be a definite asset in helping voters to be aware of and appreciate the role that our township continues to play.

Oak Park

Terry Keleher

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Ralph Lee

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Why I’m voting for independents I’ve been a Democrat all my life, since I first registered as a teenager in Florida. In 1980 I was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention at Madison Square Garden. I’ve continued to support Democratic candidates at all levels, except in municipal elections. There’s a tradition here of running as independents which is almost as old as I am. The two major political parties have low signature requirements for petitions and are listed “first” on the ballot. This has allowed them to dominate most elections nationally. This was true in Oak Park until the early 1950s when a local group of concerned citizens organized to throw out corrupt partisan politicians at village hall. They realized that things would not change unless they ran candidates who were not beholden to party politics but committed to serving the public. For the past 68 years, candidates have continued this tradition. Independent slates and parties must get 600+ signatures while “partisan” candidates need 50. And

the Democrat or Republican is guaranteed to be listed “first” on the ballot, ahead of any independent. Many Oak Parkers have a real fear of a takeover by outside forces and look to our local elected officials for loyalty to the local community ahead of the expediency of taking the “easy way” for petitions and ballot position. I will be voting for those who, even in this most challenging year, reached out to the whole community in a safe way for petition signatures rather than relying on a small group of supporters. Three of the candidates who initially chose to run for Village President got the hundreds of signatures; one did not. The one who chose the easy way will be rewarded with the first position on the ballot. I want the people I support to go the extra mile, to find a way to get the job done even in the face of adversity we haven’t seen in over 100 years. That’s why I will be voting for Vicki Scaman for Village President.

Teresa Powell

Former Village Clerk

On the errors in Sorenson’s Trinity A recent One View article by Dale Sorenson, objecting to the proposed highrise building on the Drechsler Funeral Home site, prompts me to testiculate my rejectification of his three Trinitarian points. Mr. Sorenson claims that “Locals prize the human-size buildings.” This opinionatorial statement directly contradicts the Biblical Commandment that we humans build a tower that reaches up to Heaven so that we can see the face of God (page 15 in my picture Bible). Mr. Sorenson also claims that perhaps more of this trend of building high-rises may supply the straw that breaks the camel’s back. But again, constabulate the Bible’s truth that a rich man is as likely to get to heaven as a camel is to pass through the eye of a needle. If that is true, then how can one needle in the stack of straw even be found? Has Mr. Sorenson even looked for that needle? (Picture Bible, page 27) Thirdly, Mr. Sorenson farcenamically wants to “encourage the [village] trustees to remain alert to the poetry, spirit and history of a distinctive village.” What about the poetry and history of the sacred Bible text? Shall we ignoramously pustulate in an un-truthulamous way? I plan to follow in the way of Martin Luther, and nail my 95 theses to Mr. Sorenson’s door. I just need to buy a hammer and 95 of the proper nails. Can anybody let me know what type of nails? Probably

need some rubber gloves, too. I suggest that the village trustees hear my cry in the wilderness and commiserate my plea. We need to build a massive tower that reaches up to Heaven, so we can peer into the face of God. This tower will promote three importistical edifications. One, it will cast a shadow upon Unity Temple and other Frank Lloyd Wright structures and religiate them to the shadows. Two, it will provide a worldwide attraction, drawing pilgrimmations from many lands, such that Frank Lloyd Wright will be forgotten. People will ask, “Frank Lloyd Who? Who cares?” Three, this tower, where tourists ascendenate to view the face of God, will prove to the Godless, Aesthetic Unitarians that they are Frank Lloyd Wrong! Yes, this tower idea (previously called the Tower of Bible?) failed 3,000 years ago because of inadequational technofaction. However, we now possess greater technology, greater hubris, and more innofarction than ever before. I have done some calculations on the back of an envelope that prove the tower can be built this time. As Joe Biden says, “Build Back Better.” As Donald Trump says, “It’s going to be YUGE and we will make Mexico pay for it!” Both Liberals and Conservatives can support this project.

Rich Pokorny Oak Park

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

Don’t judge schools by high-stakes testing Campaign literature in River Forest expresses concern because we have no schools rated “exemplary.” The history of designating schools as “exemplary” began with No Child Left Behind, continued under Race to the Top, and now the Every Student Succeeds Act. What these all have in common is reliance on high-stakes tests. Based on standardized tests, schools are rated as exemplary, commendable, underperforming or lowest performing. Communities with high concentrations of poverty, students for whom English is a second language, or those with significant special education needs must all be part of the subgroups, with unrealistic goals and punitive responses for lower performance. There is a great deal of money involved in the process. Imagine the profit realized by the developers of standardized tests, test preparation materials, etc. Political contributions by these organizations are significant and longstanding. Parents should realize that, under this test-driven approach to education, many districts “teach to the test,” emphasizing subjects that are tested while decreasing creative arts. Entire wings of schools with high-quality and stimulating Industrial

Parakkat, visionary and pragmatic As Head of School and President of the Board at Urban Prairie Waldorf School, we are pleased to endorse Ravi Parakkat for Oak Park Village Trustee. A not-for-profit Waldorf school, Urban Prairie is a community that not only values inclusivity but also works continually to explore and deepen our commitment to its practice at every level, from the board of trustees to the day-to-day of the classroom. As a member of our board, Mr. Parakkat shares this value. He brings a diversity of experience and perspective to our board conversations. In his contributions toward strategic planning at the school, Mr. Parakkat has brought just the right mix of visionary and pragmatic thinking. He is able to frame a problem and see the opportunities, which has been critical for our board as we addressed the pandemic. Similarly, he has brought to the board a deep awareness and commitment to practical approaches to sustainability during this time of climate crisis. Vision, inclusivity, sustainability, solution orientation — Mr. Parakkat brings a richness of experience to the Oak Park Village Board as a Trustee. We encourage you to vote for him on April 6.

Sharla Paul

Head of School

Shannon Callahan

President, Board of Trustees

Arts classes have been decimated. How valid are these tests deemed so crucial? Long before COVID-19, many of the top universities in the nation determined that SAT and ACT test results were not a good indicator of college success. Rather, grade point averages were far more valid and reliable. In 2019, the University of Chicago made these tests optional. Curriculum Based Measurements are effective and reliable and provide the blueprint for our teachers regarding mastery and needs. There are highly effective ways to achieve accountability. I consider the River Forest public school system to be exemplary in the true sense of the word. High-stakes tests and Common Core will eventually be replaced. I hope we will not judge our schools by meaningless, anxiety-provoking standardized tests. What schools really need to focus on now is the mental health crisis created by the isolation and losses our kids have endured. Increased music and art and less emphasis on tests will help alleviate anxiety. Let’s not fail our students. They are not pawns to be used for hidden agendas.

Patti Marino

River Forest

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Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

Informal reparations

Proud to support Scaman

America’s largest lynching took 11 Italians in 1891 New Orleans, but the 1921 Tulsa Black Wall Street pogrom murders of 36 was just a fraction of the achievement setbacks suffered by former slaves. Last year a Tulsa lawsuit was filed. Reparation lawsuits require good arguments, educating the public, and may win. Fair is fair. I have a different suggestion to help fix society. We can start locally. The first step would have the village government agree to manage a Vanguard S&P 500 Index Fund (VOO). Anyone can donate to this fund by name or anonymously. To prevent corruption, all transactions should be posted online. Shares currently are about $350 with an annual dividend over $5. Two thousand shares = $10,000 in annual scholarship money. This would be a good start. The yearly dividends can be given as scholarships to seniors at OPRF High School who are descendants of slaves. I suggest a criteria simply based upon the highest scores on national exams. Personally, I would emphasize math. Math skills open many job opportunities and advanced degrees where African Americans are under-represented. The APPLE parents group could take care of award details, such as one or more scholarships, ceremonies, etc. I have no idea about the taxes situation. If needed, maybe Democrats could pass some special legislation. Making donations deductible might bring in more funds. Black Lives Matter raised $90 million with an average contributions of $30, says cbsnews.com.

I have lived in Oak Park for more than 25 years and I manage the Oak Park and River Forest High School Scholarship Foundation. I take pride in living amid dynamic, progressive residents, and applaud the schools that have nurtured our two children who are now compassionate, astute and happy 20-somethings. As wonderful as Oak Park is, it is also a complex community with many voices, visions and opinions on how Oak Park can provide a safe, equitable and welcome place for all its residents and businesses. Vicki Scaman understands that. She has spent 30 years working among, learning from, and listening to community partners as an involved business owner, resident, volunteer and now Village Clerk. She has the deeply lived experiences needed to bring Oak Park fully into the future we want to embrace around affordability, equity and sustainability. Her experiences running a small business will enhance her commitment to building up Oak Park’s small business community. Vicki, I strongly believe, is committed to bringing her depth of expertise to benefit all who live and thrive here. On day one, she would show up with a toolbox filled with everything needed to address the issues we care about here in Oak Park. I am honored to support Vicki Scaman for Village President. Visit her website at www.votevicki.org and you, too, can learn more reasons to “Vote Vicki.”

Oak Park

Robert Sullivan

Melanie Weiss

Defund/abolish the police? The Oak Park Village Board election on April 6 is a pivotal one. At stake is whether the composition of the board shifts to a majority supported by defunding advocates, who fell just two votes short of defunding the police last August. Their effort was based on misleading information and unfounded conclusions in reports published by Freedom to Thrive Oak Park (FTTOP), a group that Trustee Arti Walker-Peddakotla helped found after winning her board seat two years ago. She received only 3,041 votes out of nearly 40,000 registered voters in Oak Park. Voter turnout is typically low in off-year elections which magnifies the votes of fringe and specialinterest candidates and issues. At the Aug. 25 meeting, Walker-Peddakotla introduced the disingenuous and baseless defunding resolution. Both Walker-Peddakotla and village president candidate Cate Readling, another FTTOP organizer, signed their names to a FTTOP form email sent to the board that called for a 27% reduction of the police force in fiscal 2021, committing to future cuts. Readling also made a public comment supporting the defunding resolution. Besides FTTOP’s website, its misleading policing and social services information is also promoted on the website of Activate Oak Park (AOP), a political action committee co-founded by Walker-Peddakotla and another defunding advocate, financially supporting Anthony Clark, Chibuike Enyia and Juanta Griffin for village trustee in April’s election. Many defunding advocates support abolishing the police. In her blog, Walker-Pedda-

Adduci is a force of nature

Village President Cathy Adduci is a person who accomplishes things when other people give up. She possesses every qualification and characteristic desired in a government servant: whip-smart, personable, and her managerial style is one of consensus building and collaboration. Notably, she is a creative problem-solver and forward thinker. She also possesses an impressive financial skill set, having earned an MBA with a decades-long career in finance. As a result, she has a sophisticated understanding of the village’s finances, including its levies and budgets. Cathy’s creative expertise has benefitted our village many times over. She originated the proposal to decrease the village’s portion of our property tax bills this year due to the unexpected and devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. She leads the way in procuring state funding for village projects, becoming aware of possible funding solutions through her networking with fellow governmental officials throughout the state and her active participation in the Illinois Municipal League where she is currently second vice-president and slated for the presidency of IML in 2023. My family has lived in River Forest for nearly 75 years, including my parents and my siblings and their families. We are grateful for Cathy’s commitment to

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the safety and quality of life of River Forest residents and her prudent financial planning for the village. At the same time, we appreciate that societal values are reflected in the village’s policies and actions. We enjoy a sense of community and belonging that comes with inclusiveness, equity and fairness. Under her direction, the village approached JewelOsco River Forest to let them know that if they experienced any issues with timely distribution of COVID vaccines, the village would coordinate their provision. As a result, hundreds of at-risk village residents recently received vaccinations administered by JewelOsco pharmacists at village-run sites. Two senior members of my family became aware of this opportunity through the village newsletter and commented on the ease of obtaining the vaccination through the village’s efforts. In sum, Cathy is a dedicated and tireless advocate for River Forest and its residents, and all without a paycheck. The village has been in excellent hands for the last eight years with her at the helm. It is for these reasons that I strongly support Cathy Adduci’s continued leadership. I will vote for her on April 6, and I encourage you to do the same.

Marcia O’Brien Conway River Forest

kotla wrote, “Progress isn’t continuing a relationship with a system that is responsible for your oppression. Progress is breaking the bonds, removing the funding from that system, and reimagining a world without that oppressive system.” Her blog also includes links to abolitionist readings. FTTOP holds a monthly “Abolitionist Reading Club,” its first listed article is titled, “Yes, We Mean Literally Abolish the Police.” A key FTTOP organizer, Cynthia BritoMilan, posted to Facebook last July that “Defund the Police has always been intended as a steppingstone to the ultimate goal of abolishing police completely.” Brito-Milan was a presenter at the FTTOP information session for village board candidates in January. She also serves as an adviser to the youth group Revolutionary Youth Oak Park Action League (ROYAL), the organizers of the unlawful protest at Village President Anan Abu-Taleb’s home last August. In response to these efforts, an advisory referendum on defunding the police appears on the April ballot. It is important to vote “no” and send a strong message to the new village board of the community’s wishes on this critical safety issue. Make a plan now to vote and share this information with friends and neighbors. Early voting begins on March 22. During the Aug. 25 meeting, Walker-Peddakotla said defunding is a step to abolition if that is where this board wants to go. If just two of the four open village board seats go to defunding advocates on Election Day, that reality may be just around the corner.

Monica Sheehan

Oak Park

Waters is ready to go as Village Clerk

I enthusiastically endorse Christina Waters to be our next Village Clerk. She has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to this community, has a positive, even-keeled temperament, is smart and pragmatic, and will get off to a fast start given that she’s already serving as deputy clerk. I first got to know Christina through our PTO volunteer efforts, and witnessed what a community leader she was, not only for academic equity but also for health equity. For example, she spearheaded the FB group “Workout Warriors,” inspiring many of us in the community to get up and moving. We connected again when she enthusiastically took up my suggestion that she participate in the OP-RF Community Foundation’s Leadership Lab to further cultivate her already demonstrated community leadership skills. Not surprisingly, her team’s topic was titled, “Oak Park Needs You: Diversifying Representation in Civic Leadership.” As a Black woman, renter, and single mom, her candidacy embodies this call to action. Most importantly, Christina has the temperament to serve. You know those people who are magnetic with can-do positivity and intelligence? Who are quietly confident, kind, funny, and lift up those around her? She is that rare gem of a person, and we are lucky that she is willing to run for office. Please join me in supporting Christina Waters for Oak Park Village Clerk.

Libbey Paul Oak Park

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Adduci’s proven leadership President Cathy Adduci is an outstanding public servant. I have observed her dedication to River Forest as she continually seeks what is best for the village, particularly for the older adults. Cathy is a person of the highest integrity and you can depend on her word. Her advocacy on behalf of older adults reflects her commitment to creating and supporting an age-friendly village, one good for all ages and all abilities, where people can age in community. She is a futurist and understands the changing nature of the demographics in our village. She recognizes the opportunities as well as challenges of having a higher-than-average percentage of older adults who reside and want to continue to reside in River Forest. She has worked tirelessly to create and support initiatives in our village that bolster people’s ability to age with purpose, dignity, and in community while enhancing their everyday lived experience and overall quality of life. Under President Adduci’s leadership, she has sustained efforts to honor older adults and combat ageism in her work with the Celebrating Seniors Coalition, Arbor West Neighbors, and Oak Park/ River Forest Township Senior Services. She has been instrumental in helping to

start Dementia Friendly River Forest and has laid the groundwork for the village to receive the AARP designation of Age Friendly with the creation of the agefriendly advisory ad-hoc committee. The committee will survey residents in the village to determine the necessary changes and next steps to achieve our age-friendly status while putting programs and policies in place that will help people remain in community as they age. During the COVID-19 crisis, President Adduci established a COVID Senior Response Program, bringing together resident volunteers with older adults for grocery and prescription pickup, dog walking and other vital chores. She also helped organize a vaccine clinic which was tremendously effective in helping older adults in the village and surrounded areas receive a vaccine. Cathy is a role model for what public service is about. She has shown her ability, desire and leadership skills necessary for the person needed in the role of River Forest President. I strongly encourage all River Forest residents to re-elect President Cathy Adduci.

Lydia Manning

River Forest

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

Three for D97 school board

I served on the Oak Park Elementary School District 97 board from 2013-2017. Quality public education in Oak Park has remained an important issue for me, as it is for many Oak Park residents. At this pivotal moment in time, D97 is facing urgent issues that include safely returning to school, hiring a new superintendent, and advancing equity in a manner that tangibly impacts the opportunity gap. One of the keys to meeting these challenges and maintaining strong public schools is ensuring that we elect thoughtful board members who can exercise good judgement, think and act strategically, and coalesce around the 20% of issues that make 80% of the impact. Board effectiveness directly impacts the educational experience, outcomes, and lives of over 6,000 children and their families in Oak Park. And to take it one step further, in a village where D97 is the largest share of the property tax bill and continues to be the leading reason why new families move to Oak Park and thereby support property values and local businesses, getting high-caliber individuals on the D97 board is of critical importance to all Oak Park residents. With that background, and following extensive research and vetting, I am strongly supportive of these exceptional candidates

for the D97 school board: Nancy Ross Dribin – A Beye parent, Nancy is a PTO leader, has a background in education technology, and has been involved in longitudinal equity studies in public schools as part of her graduate education at NYU. Jeremy Duffy – A Hatch parent, Jeremy is a Teach for America alum who taught in both the Los Angeles and Chicago public schools before attending law school and entering education law. He has been outside counsel to numerous school districts on behalf of two of the most reputable firms in the field of education law, and is now in-house counsel at a large suburban district. Venus Hurd Johnson – A Julian parent, Venus is the former Mann PTO president and is currently co-president of the PTO Council, and helped found and continues to be part of the leadership of the Oak Park PTO Diversity Committee (DIVCO). Based on their skill sets, insights, and experience, I think Oak Park is incredibly fortunate to have such talented and capable people raising their hands for public service. Please consider Nancy, Jeremy, and Venus for your vote on April 6.

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Graham Brisben Oak Park

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

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Gillis for River Forest Trustee

Readling has the skills to lead Oak Park

Lisa Gillis is a longtime River Forest resident who believes in giving back to the community. Currently, she is chairperson of the River Forest Sustainability Commission, member of the Oak Park-River Forest Infant Welfare Society, including three years on their board of directors in charge of marketing, adjunct professor and guest lecturer at Dominican University, and founding member of the Keystone Triangle Neighborhood Association. Now Lisa seeks to give back to the community as village trustee. She will bring to the board table her years of experience working on both professional and volunteer teams. As a 30-year business professional, she has experience in strong functional team leadership and as a skilled collaborator. She understands the necessity to maintain a focus on the big picture of what is best for River Forest, all the while engaging community members at a personal level. She recognizes COVID recovery here must include the social as well as the financial. As village trustee, Lisa will work to increase revenue sourced from sales tax rather than property tax, through support of our local businesses and look for opportunities along North Avenue, Lake Street and Madison Street. Her time spent with Dominican students will prove invaluable as River Forest moves forward with our DEI commitment and our partnership with the university to expand truth, racial healing and transformation efforts. I urge everyone to vote for Lisa Gillis for River Forest Village Trustee.

Good leadership involves not just seeing what is in front of you, but also what is around the corner. We believe that Cate Readling has this ability. One look at her policy positions on her website, cateforoakpark.com, and you will find she has the depth of knowledge about Oak Park and how “we” operate to make an effective village president. Her ideas about how to make the village budget more accessible through transparency and broad participation is just one example of her goal to get more residents involved in the budget process and government. She has spent the last several years on a listening tour of Oak Park. She understands where we have been and where we are as a village. She has a vision for where we can go and how we can get there. These are unique and challenging times in our village. Leadership must offer creative and innovative solutions to tackle issues post-COVID. Her stance on open and transparent government recognizes that we all have a voice in shaping the future of Oak Park. Though viewpoints may be similar or disparate, she is well reasoned and has the ability to listen and hear the thoughts and ideas of others. Moreover, she can knit these ideas together and synthesize realizable solutions. Cate has demonstrated that she can stand on her own, take on difficult issues and make measured intelligent decisions. Sitting at the board table can be challenging if the members cannot find it within themselves to be open to collaboration. She has worked on several issues in Oak Park that demonstrate her ability to lead and work for the common good. Listening to her at various forums has convinced us that she has the temperament and humility to work cooperatively with others across the political ideological spectrum. As one friend said after a recent forum, Cate offers leadership with vision versus implementation of the same.

River Forest Historic Preservation Commission member

Oak Park

Janet Saeger

Glenn Brewer & Karen Haskins-Brewer Michelle & Austin Harton

Why I support Henek for RF President The demographic changes in River Forest are bringing about a major change in the nature of its village board. In the 2019 election, the board began a significant shift from old guard to new. The coming election will complete that shift. The old in-groupiness of RF village boards, in which mostly those who knew somebody got to be somebody, will be gone. The new people on the board from 2019 and 2021 will neither be beholden to vested interests in the village nor under their control. We need someone from that new guard at the helm to make it work. We truly don’t need someone so emphatically from the old in-group trying to keep the village from facing multiple issues it has needed to face for quite a while. With Patty Henek as president, the board can come to grips with fixing

Scaman will serve us well as president

I have known Vicki Scaman for more than 20 years, and over that time span I have witnessed her growth as a thoughtful and caring human being. She is a generous person, but able to call out what needs to be called out without judgment. I am supporting Vicki for Village President because she has a remarkable history of concretely addressing real-world problems, experienced by real people in this community. Whether as a teacher, a community activist, a highly skilled businessperson, or a competent, and dedicated public servant, time and again Vicki has evinced her capacity to get beyond abstractions to achieve results. Her outlook and knowledge of this community continue to inform her critical responses to its needs. Her devotion to the circumstances of all children, especially marginalized children, as evidenced by her work in nonprofit and for-profit establishments, attest to her fiscal and organizational skills. She has for a long time been on the forefront of parlaying her calm and steady strengths into making Oak Park a better place for everyone. Vicki’s transition into professional public service began when she was recruited to chair the Oak Park Liquor Control Review Board. Her evenhanded leadership in that position enhanced the growth of Oak Park’s business sectors. A perennial advocate for all youth on both sides of Austin, Vicki co-chaired the Law Review Committee of IMPACT. Her work within this agency assisted youth in Oak Park and in Chicago’s West Side communities realize options to running afoul of the judicial system. As village clerk, she resisted attempts to remove oversight of Freedom of Information processes from her office. Had those attempts been successful, village government would less transparent today. Her breadth of knowledge and experience of village operations, make her better equipped to serve as president of the village of Oak Park. Vicki’s contributions to the life blood of this community are well known and too numerous to detail here. Her candidacy reminds me that we are living in a time during which received old ideas are not sustainable enough to resolve new ignored issues and problems.

George Bailey Oak Park

Cofsky’s experience is key

the bungled affordable housing initiative, with executing a true diversity (and racial equity!) plan, and with taking definitive action on the miserable Lake-Lathrop mess. We could conceivably see the end of red-light cameras in the village, removing a boost to the village coffers gained at the expense of low-income drivers — not possible under Ms. Adduci, for numerous reasons. We could see an actual, meaningful relationship with Maywood based on common concerns and ideas. And we could keep Ms. Adduci to her sort-of promise of a few years back: to serve only two terms. This all sounds really hopeful. It can only work if we elect Patty Henek as River Forest Village Board President.

Ed McDevitt

River Forest

Tom Cofsky’s experience is critical to District 200. His leadership is vital to help the district stay the course on essential strategies. Tom’s experience as a leader has never been more critical as OPRF makes necessary investments to ensure its long-term financial sustainability, implements substantial curriculum improvements, and continues the journey to address its long-term equity challenges. Over the last 15 years, I have spent considerable time working at the board level for both District 97 and D200. These two boards arguably have a significant and lasting impact on the Oak Park and River Forest community, both through our young adults’ education and the financial challenges our community has faced and will face as we recover from COVID-19 impacts. Even in a four-year term, it’s a challenge for board members to get up to speed and genuinely understand the key levers that drive the issues in their district. As a board member with eight years of experience, Tom will bring this perspective to the board table in ways that balance the needs

of stakeholders and help make every board member better. During my years on the board, I found Tom a trusted adviser who I listened to carefully to understand the key issues. He has helped guide the district while faculty, superintendents, and other board members have come and gone. He has been a part of the OPRF board through some of the most challenging times in recent history. This kind of experience is rare and something our community should value and applaud. Tom is deeply committed to OPRF and will help guide it down a path that balances the interests of all our students, our community and our faculty. OPRF needs Cofsky’s experience and leadership and the stability this offers. I feel this is so important in the uncertain times that now face us all. I hope you will join me in supporting Tom and casting your votes to keep D200 on a path implementing the changes it needs.

Craig Iseli

Oak Park

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It comes down to trust

I strongly endorse Vicki Scaman for Village President. Vicki has the necessary experience to lead a board, an entire board, and not just people who agree with her point of view. She understands the intricacies of how local government works because of her long history of service on various projects, boards, and, of course, her role as Village Clerk. In the clerk’s role, she has served our constituents, board members, and stakeholders with dignity, grace, transparency, and accountability. I will always look back on her work as our village clerk with great admiration and respect. Vicki and I have engaged in hundreds of political discussions over the years. Full disclosure — we disagree on many issues. However, she has always presented her point of view with evidence and a truly persuasive style; she has influenced my vote plenty of times. She does not use bullying or shaming tactics because she does not need to in order to build consensus. I have observed her authentically listening to various points of view because she is genuinely interested in the diversity of thought that makes Oak Park such a special place. She also cares so deeply for this village that she will take seriously the fiduciary duty of being our leader. She will not make mistakes that will diminish public safety or decimate our finances. Vicki also wants to lead for the right reasons, which are to serve and to bring people together for a better Oak Park. In the end my support comes down to trust. I trust Vicki Scaman and I hope you do too when you cast your ballot.

Deno Andrews Oak Park

I remember the phone call

It was late 2009 and we were planning our relocation due to a new job opportunity. Cate had been visiting neighborhoods and villages in and around the Chicago area and was midway through her tour of Oak Park when she called. “I’ve found the place for us!” she said. “It’s called Oak Park and you’ll love it.” Thus our journey in Oak Park began. Our family had lived in four states over a five-year period, and had settled into seven different houses due to my work. It wasn’t easy moving our family that often, but I never worried about Cate and the constant changes. Every time we were set up in a new location, Cate would get involved. She quickly built professional and personal relationships within the community and, after taking time to educate herself, worked to be an instrument of change. I saw this again when we settled in Oak Park. I was very involved in Scouting and am proud to be an Eagle Scout. Scouting teaches leadership and values — values that are very important to both Cate and me. After our twins completed their first year of Cub Scouts, we became aware of an arcane policy within the Boy Scouts of America that forbid openly gay Scouts and leaders. Cate was infuriated that an influential organization serving youth could still hold such ridiculous and discriminatory beliefs. We talked about this at length and decided that the opportunity to be an instrument of change would be from within the organization and not from without. Cate became a registered leader and then later co-founded a local Scouts for Equality chapter in Oak Park and an intentionally inclusive Club Pack at First United Church of Oak Park. Through her actions, tremendous support from others in the community, and a nationwide effort, the Boy Scouts of America eliminated the policy. It was a change that Cate was committed to and saw through to the end. That’s what she does. She has been at village meetings, knows the current board members, been active in village elections, and understands the inner workings of Oak Park. She has been a voice in our community for years and has brought both awareness and solutions to many situations. I’ve seen her apply compassion and love to leadership in our home, in our church, in Scouts and in her work. I know that wherever she is, relationships will be fostered and ideas will be born. We need this creative and inclusive approach throughout our community. Please join me in voting for Cate Readling for Village President.

Chip Readling

Oak Park

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

Morales puts good ideas to work

As we all know, COVID-19 has impacted us, our neighbors, and our community in unprecedented ways. From the struggles of our many small businesses, obtaining access to appropriate care and services, and confronting mental health challenges, we will need informed and collaborative leadership to pull us forward together. While River Forest and Oak Park are facing these challenges together, it is the willingness to say, “How can I help?” that really distinguishes leaders in our respective towns. Stephen Morales is a unique candidate who can help our community do just that — he rolls up his sleeves and puts good ideas to work. He’s an engineer, health-care consultant, and business executive who has devoted his career to creating better outcomes for patients and their families. He also brings fresh thinking to help Oak Park and River Forest in this time when we will be emerging from the pandemic stronger and, hopefully, wiser. I have seen what he has done at the Center for Healthcare Innovation, an organization that is tackling the very challenging task of transforming health care. He and I have often talked about what transforming health care could mean for our communities. I most often interact with Stephen as a fellow board member at Thrive Counseling Center, which aims to build healthy minds, families, and communities by empowering people to attain mental and emotional well-being. At Thrive, Stephen and I worked together to make sure our organization stays on task, providing the best care to our fellow neighbors in Oak Park and River Forest. I saw firsthand how his business acumen and health-care knowledge translated into real results for Thrive and our community. When we needed to make tough decisions, Stephen volunteered to lead the teams and to make sure that we measured the outcomes of our decisions. He gives me confidence that he will be able to do the challenging work of controlling rising taxes and collaborating across borders. Having worked with Stephen in the past and hearing directly from him about his many plans to bring recovery to our businesses and equity to our neighborhoods, I am pleased to support him in his campaign for Oak Park village trustee. I look forward to working with a new Oak Park Village Board that includes Stephen Morales.

Cathy Adduci

River Forest Village President

Adduci: responsive, energetic, intelligent

We are writing in support of Cathy Adduci as Village President of River Forest. We have worked with Cathy on a variety of issues, many focused on dealing with the COVID-19 catastrophe, and have found she is responsive, energetic, intelligent, and compassionate. She’s a welcome breath of fresh air from many involved in government: There’s no bureaucratic double-talk from her. She responds quickly to her constituents and works to find ways to address new problems. She demonstrates the fact that organizational norms and behaviors start at the top, which has made a noticeable change at village hall. Being a public servant at the local level is a vital but demanding job. River Forest has been fortunate that Cathy has been willing to lead us for many years. We’re even more fortunate she’s willing to keep doing it for us. Let’s elect her and make it so!

Bob & Ardyth Eisenberg River Forest

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Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

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Aging in place is more difficult than ever

lder adults face extra challenges associated with the effects of the pandemic, especially as one attempts to “age in place” safely within their own home and community. By taking proper precautions to reduce risk of infection from others, there has been a higher incidence of social isolation, reduced ability to access essential on-site community services and even perform what would be otherwise easily completed errands to stores and other public places. Transportation is more difficult. Those who rely on restaurants for meals may not be getting enough food. Low- and moderate-income individuals may have extra challenges in accessing their usual support services. Obtaining necessary caregiver supports in the home may be more restricted. The village of Oak Park Aging in Place Commission continues to support policies and efforts to make it easier for people to age in their homes, particularly during the pandemic. Our role as a commission is to advise the village board in facilitating full participation in community activities by its senior residents and bringing persons over the age of 55 into the mainstream of Oak Park life by recognizing policies that support aging in place. We do this in a variety of ways, a recent example being last year’s successful endorsement and active engagement in obtaining a Dementia Friendly designation for the village of Oak Park. Information about

our proposed 2021 work plan and virtual meeting times can be found on the village of Oak Park website: www.oak-park.us/ aginginplace. We recognize that in many ways, Oak Park has many assets and is resource rich. Community agencies and organizations that support older community adults have worked hard at their outreach to provide support during the pandemic. Yet we also recognize that there are still many people who are vulnerable and may not be aware of the services and supports that exist. It could be that we as a community need to think about how we can all better support our friends and neighbors who may need extra help with meals, shopping, snow shoveling, a ride to the doctor, or just someone to talk with. Let’s remember the challenges for people without access to the internet in making COVID-19 vaccination appointments or even accessing telehealth visits. As a commission, we welcome your input, comments and suggestions and invite you to attend the next virtual meeting. You can check the website for updates on meeting times or contact the Village Clerk: clerk@oak-park.us or 708-358-5672. In these challenging times, we need to think about how we all can ensure that our older adult neighbors get the help and support they need, and we as a commission are here to listen and act on these issues. Lance Taylor is chair of the village of Oak Park Aging in Place Commission.

LANCE TAYLOR One View

Buis will help wake River Forest up I just finished listening to Johann Buis, who is running for River Forest Trustee, talk about what he can bring to the village. Oh my gosh! This is a Renaissance Man. I am not exaggerating. He discussed ideas he has for the village — some are long-term planning things, important and progressive, but not what I want to talk about here. What impressed me the most was his passion for bringing the arts to River Forest in a variety of ways. I have always considered River Forest a sleepy, conservative village. I moved here 24 years ago and it has not changed much. What you have to realize is we have so much more to offer our community and the communities that surround us. Johann had some brilliant ideas for moving forward. He is not just about short-term goals; he is a visionary and really thinks it is important to look toward the future. I am writing to encourage anyone who wants to see a more vibrant River Forest to join one of Johann’s meet-and-greet Zoom meetings and just listen. I am sure you will be just as excited as I am about the possibilities for our community if you take an hour and attend one of these meetings. For more information: https://vote.johannbuis.com/home Our village will be better for it!

Laurie Gillard River Forest

Unite behind Unite Oak Park

Oak Park needs vision and imagination

Cate Readling shows up and she listens. Anyone who knows her will say the same. I am voting for Cate because she is tireless — as an advocate, as an ally, as a bona fide progressive. I am voting for her because she has worked tirelessly to campaign for genuine progressive reforms in Oak Park, Cook County, and the state of Illinois. Her leadership will bring the voices and perspectives of genuine progressive campaigns to the municipal level: the fights for a progressive income tax, for rent control, for county budgets that prioritize public services, and equity and anti-racism community work. Her leadership brings the shrewd understanding that, yes, Oak Park is unique, but it is uniquely situated in and related to Cook County and Illinois. Oak Park can lead the state in equitable government, the people’s access to and participation in its government, and become a true progressive beacon in our region. I am voting for Cate not because she has held board positions or parrots transparency or questionably-effective grant programs. No, I am voting for her because her style of leadership requires her to work tirelessly on behalf of the people left out of those programs and institutions. She has walked more miles, knocked on more doors, and shown up way more (before this spotlight) as an advocate, ally, and humbly, as a servant of the people’s causes. The unique position of Village President requires a candidate who shows up and listens to those who do not have access, to chair meetings with an ear to the myriad causes and constituencies of the Oak Park Board of Trustees, not just the establishment, the nonprofits, the MBAs and their apologists. Oak Park needs a vision and imagination, not just more of the same.

Adam Paradis Oak Park

Supporting Schrodt for D200 board

We write to offer our strong support for the Unite Oak Park team running for the Oak Park Village Board. These three candidates, Ravi Parakkat, Stephen Morales and Lucia Robinson, are exactly what Oak Park needs at this moment. They bring expertise, experience, judgment, and diversity of background, perspectives, and talents. This team also recognizes that the future of our village requires careful attention to multiple pressing priorities and constituencies. Unite Oak Park is focused on the right issues, including: ■ Progressing further toward equity ■ Controlling property tax growth and seeking revenue streams that don’t further burden taxpayers ■ Building stronger, functional relationships within the village board ■ Supporting local small businesses ■ Reimagining public safety without defunding our excellent police department With respect to the latter point, we urge a resounding “No” vote on the advisory referendum to “defund” the Oak Park police. Especially with recent data on rising crime in the village during 2020, a clear message is needed that reducing support for our police is exactly the wrong policy. In contrast, we urge building on the sophisticated appreciation of the Unite Oak Park team about how our police can enhance their successful current collaboration with local mental health resources like Thrive. Finally, we express our profound appreciation and gratitude for the service of Mayor Anan Abu-Taleb and his many accomplishments over the past eight years.

I have known Dave Schrodt since 2016 and I am honored to offer my support of his candidacy for the District 200 school board. Dave has performed Pro Bono legal work for Beyond Hunger, www.gobeyondhunger.org (formerly the Oak Park-River Forest Food Pantry) for the last several years. His contributions have been thoughtful but also accomplished speedily, which was essential, given the community-critical nature of the mission of this agency. He performed this work, then as now, with an eye toward equity for our clients. He has also served as a legal advisor (again, Pro Bono) for Music and Potlucks (www.musicandpotlucks.org). His efforts were instrumental in the recent change of status of this 4-year-old community agency to a 501c3 not-for-profit corporation. As a board member of both Beyond Hunger and Music and Potlucks, I am deeply indebted to Dave for his insights and hard work in the furtherance of the mission and work of these agencies. He and his family are also benefactors of both agencies. Dave is a deep thinker. He brings his professional training as both a CPA and a lawyer to bear as well as his lifelong study of progressive causes. He does not make snap decisions; he seeks counsel from multiple sources, even those on the opposite side of issues. His final viewpoints are informed by careful listening and a respect for a broad bandwidth of viewpoints. I urge you to join me in supporting David Schrodt for the 2021 District 200 school board.

Oak Park

River Forest

Mark & Evelyn Segal

Betsy Backes

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OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Vote to continue D200’s progress

t is entirely unfair that we currently have a system where eighth-grade students must decide before they enter high school whether they will take Honors classes during their freshman year. And unfortunately, once a student starts a high school track, it is very difficult for them to switch. So the current system results in eighth-graders making decisions that will affect them throughout high school and quite possibly after their high school careers have ended. The current system also privileges those students who start with advantages — who are white, who are wealthy, who have parents or guardians who attended college. This is because those parents are more likely to have access to resources to prepare their children to jump into the current Honors curriculum as freshmen. Black students and other students of color, who do not feel welcomed by the school system, are less likely to participate when that decision must be made before starting high school. OPRF’s curriculum restructuring plan is a thoroughly-planned, well-developed structure that will allow all students the opportunity to experience an Honors-level curriculum. Students who are certain that they would have taken a dedicated Honors class will still learn that same material. Students who are less certain will receive support so they can learn this material as well. And since there will be no tracking of freshmen, all students will benefit from learning together with a greater mix of peers, developing the social and relational understanding that will benefit them, our community, and our broader democratic society. Once students receive this support and have this experience as freshmen, they will still have access to Honors and Advanced Placement classes in the higher grade levels.

The restructuring plan does not take opportunities from anyone. Instead, it gives opportunities to more people. Unfortunately, not all of the candidates for the District 200 school board election on April 6 see it that way. Fred Arkin, Mary Anne Mohanraj, Elias Ortega, Kebreab Henry, and Tom Cofsky have all expressed support for the district’s freshman restructuring. But David Schrodt has stated his desire to suspend this plan and stop this progress. Mr. Schrodt describes the restructuring plan as “mixing people up and throwing them together,” but nothing could be further from the truth. OPRF has been considering how to address its educational inequities for decades and has been working on the restructuring plan for the past four years. Staff members have done their research, and the research clearly demonstrates that tracking students has no discernable benefit for students at any level. Instead, providing all students with a rigorous curriculum and the support they need to learn that curriculum is what makes the difference. That is what creates the opportunities our students need. “The land of opportunity” is one of the essential mottos of this nation. Let’s ensure that Oak Park continues to be a community of opportunity by allowing students to experience freshman year without being tracked. Let’s vote for the school board candidates who support OPRF’s restructuring plan — Arkin, Mohanraj, Henry, Ortega, and Cofsky — and against the one candidate, Schrodt, who wants to stop opportunity in its tracks. And once the election is over, let’s support the school board and OPRF staff to implement the freshman restructuring plan to provide our students with the opportunities they deserve. Jim Schwartz is an Oak Park resident, an educator, and a blogger at Entwining.org.

JIM

SCHWARTZ One View

Eckmann for D90 school board I’ve lived in River Forest since 2011. I’ve never paid attention to village political races because in a town like this I figured “it is what it is.” This year is different, mostly due to the pandemic and how it has affected our children’s education. It has made me realize that it can’t just be “what it is,” but has to be “what’s best.” It needs to be what’s best for our children, teachers and staff, and what’s best for our community. The only way to get what’s best, is to ensure that those charged with making decisions, care about what’s best for everyone. Sarah Eckmann is a person who genuinely cares what’s best for all. Her passion for children and community is genuine, bold, and refreshing. She grabbed my attention on social media while discussing the decision-making process of the board to send children back to school at the beginning of the school year. She was able to speak about the physical and mental health risks because of her experience as a nurse practitioner. She also volunteered her time to vacci-

nate teachers and staff at OPRF High School. She knows the value of education but is willing to do the work needed to get teachers and kids back to school safely. That’s an example of the kind of leader I think she will be: someone who doesn’t just talk about the issues, but who will roll up their sleeves and do the work! Finally I want to touch on the subject of equity and inclusion. These are issues that have become popular and somewhat of a fad to mention. Sarah is truly passionate about these issues, and doesn’t just use the words to sound good. She can articulate the issues, takes the time to ask and learn about them, and is passionate about eradicating racism and discrimination in the district’s schools. She understands micro aggressions and how they ultimately impact every student, not just minorities, and she is ready to do the work to change our mindset as a community.

Alishia Myrick River Forest

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

Development for us, not developers Current and past village boards have ignored the recommendations of commissions studying the impact of proposed high-rise buildings in Oak Park. They insist that these buildings bring tax revenue to the village and that an influx of (primarily white, upscale) people is required. Well, show me the money. Show me the occupancy rates. Show me the property and sales taxes paid. Then, show me the net benefit to the village after accounting for increased expenses, ranging from schools to water mains to services. It would not surprise me to find out that they generate a net loss to our community while making big profits for the developers. I’d also like to see what businesses these new residents support. I’m guessing that it is not many of the family-owned small businesses that are the heart of our village. I’m tired of being kept in the dark about village developments. I’m tired of vague assurances. I am disgusted to learn that the “affordable housing” in the proposed Drechsler development consists of $120,000 studio-style condos. Are you kidding me? That’s why I am supporting Anthony Clark, Chibuike Enyia and Juanta Griffin for Village Trustee. They have pledged to thoroughly investigate the impact of pro-

posed developments — on neighbors, on nearby businesses, on parking, on services, and on contributions to the vision of what we want our village to be. If they grant a variance to a developer, they will seek an ongoing cash contribution — not a onetime payoff — toward village initiatives such as actual affordable housing. They will appoint a small-business liaison and put the needs of small businesses ahead of the needs of outside developers. They will revise policies, upgrade services and seek creation of housing that serves all kinds of people, including renters, firsttime buyers, empty-nesters who want to downsize, and people who want to remain in their family homes. In short, they want to put us first, not developers. We, the people who have put down roots in Oak Park. We, the people who believe in the vision of inclusiveness that drew our families here in the first place. We, the people who know that the presence of businesses such as the Live Cafe, Pumpkin Moon and the Book Table are what make Oak Park a very special place to live. Please join me in voting for Anthony, Chibuike and Juanta on (or before) April 6.

Kris Gallagher

Oak Park

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Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

This election could be a turning point

’m writing about the Oak Park Village Board election. But first, an embarrassing confession: I’ve lived in Oak Park for 36 years and never voted in a municipal election. When Judy and I first moved up here from southern Illinois, Oak Park seemed like the ideal spot, with its liberal and diverse reputation. I liked the way Oak Park “looked” on me. As the years passed, I began to see the disconnect between Oak Park’s rhetoric, and the actual reality: how white liberals often resist real dialog about race for fear of looking racist, leading to facile discussions that rarely translated into action. It wasn’t until our oldest son got to OPRF High School that Judy and I saw firsthand some of the cracks in the veneer of the shiny reputation the school system promoted. It dawned on us, if ours was the experience of a prosperous white family, what’s it like for Black kids and their families in similar academic circumstances? While making America to Me, it occurred to me that I’d kept Oak Park at arms-length all these years, while many Black families were trying desperately to feel welcome in a community that kept them at arms-length, or worse. I owed this community far more than a docuseries. In recent years, I’ve watched the racial reckoning going on here that mirrors what’s happening nationally. What’s missing in village government are the voices of Black people themselves. As trustee candidate Juanta Griffin said during an online conversation I moderated, “So many people run for office and say, ‘I’m going to support those who are disproportionately affected by racism.’ Well, I’m those people that they’re talking about bringing change to. … We can’t continue to silence the people who want to fight for themselves. … I’m showing up because I am a renter, I am a woman, I am disabled, I’m Black, I’m from here. … Let me fight for myself.” Juanta is running alongside two other Represent Oak Park candidates, Chibuike Enyia and Anthony Clark. They are not the usual campaign suspects. They’ve all experienced our community at its best and worst, and have still chosen to make Oak Park their home. They’ve made it their mission to make us a better, more inclusive community. For them, being a trustee isn’t about finally “giving back” — it’s an extension of what they’ve been doing for a very long time. Serving this community is part of their DNA. They bring perspectives of a teacher, a renter, and a small business person, that traverse lines of race. As Chibuike said, “I don’t want you to vote for me because I’m a Black candidate. ... I want you to vote for me because you know I’m a strong candidate and you know I can do the job.” Imagine what a profound statement this community could make by electing all three of them to the board of trustees? As Anthony said the other night, “I never heard someone say, ‘Do I have to vote for three white candidates?” He also said, “We are here because we care about humanity. … You cannot be a successful person of color and only care about Black people.” Electing Juanta, Chibuike, and Anthony could mark the date when a community finally begins realizing the dreams of Black Lives Matter, rather than just planting supportive signs in our yards. When a community proves that Black people are not just welcome here, but vitally important to our success, to its values, and its soul. That’s an Oak Park I would be very proud to call my home. Steve James is a longtime Oak Parker and filmmaker.

STEVE JAMES

One View

V I E W P O I N T S

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Lester is well-suited to be Township Trustee

When I first heard that Valerie Lester would be running for Oak Park Township Trustee, it wasn’t surprising that she would be offering her talents and service in this way. She combines a genuine care for the community with financial acumen and fiscal responsibility; she has a solid track record of contributing her skills to community groups that promote inclusivity and work to offer a helping hand to those in need. I first met Val some years ago when she moved to Oak Park and joined the Oak Park Friends Meeting (Quakers). Her social concerns became evident when she served as organizer of the PADS (Housing Forward) dinners for homeless people. She has also volunteered with the Oak Park Housing Center and was the Friends’ representative to the Community of Congregations. In the past five years, she has become more dedicated to providing services to senior citizens, working with groups that focus on building community, as well as personally providing the kinds of hands-on outreach and help that so many seniors could use. She is the one who delivers homemade soup to someone recovering from surgery,

drives someone to their doctor appointment, and not only calls, but arranges for others to call an elderly shut-in. Her social concerns and actions show that she would be a good fit for the township, whose mission embodies precisely the types of community services that are such a priority for her. Her strong business background has led her to serve as treasurer for the regional Quaker organization, Illinois Yearly Meeting, to which the local Friends meetings belong. She has made careful stewardship and wise use of funds important guiding principles and also demonstrated good negotiating skills backed up by a calm and steady temperament; I’ve seen her use these assets to help groups involved in knotty discussions make decisions that have enabled them to move forward productively. Valerie Lester is a person of integrity who can help the township respond to the current and future needs and challenges created by the pandemic. I urge everyone to vote for her.

Voters, your time is now

Adrian Fisher Oak Park

Buis for RF Trustee

I support Cate Readling for President of the village of Oak Park. Some 60 years ago was the birth of Oak Park as we know it today. The Citizens Committee for Human Rights successfully fought for an Open Housing Ordinance. Those efforts led to the creation of the Housing Center. Over the years there has been an incremental failure to preserve true citizen participation addressing racial justice and diversity as well as the many other strengths that Oak Parkers can bring to their government. Forgotten or unknown to most Oak Parkers today is that the campaign of the Citizens Committee and the courage of the then-president and board to pass the Housing Ordinance resulted in a “white backlash” slate of candidates for trustee and president. This galvanized an unprecedented number of us who fought for the ordinance to become heavily involved in supporting the VMA slate of candidates. That heavy citizen involvement resulted in the creation of many committees and commissions which were the beginning of the Oak Park we have known and want it to be. Today citizen committees and commissions are ignored. Cate Readling has long demonstrated the kind of leadership in her civic and principled involvement in our community. She has inspired others by example. Village government is much more than one person at the top and a board of trustees. It is the many other dedicated staff who put into action not just the budget but the many facets of a community in which we wish to live, including law enforcement and community services. Cate is more than qualified to step into the kind of leadership our village now needs more than ever. I know Cate (and her wonderful family) well and admire her demonstrated leadership. I look forward to an Oak Park worthy of its principled past and a recommitment to those values. The opportunity for a new generation of people interested in an Oak Park worthy of their involvement is now. You are the successors, a large group who gives a damn about where our president and board might take us and who welcome our involvement after the election as much as promises made before. Today that citizen spirit has been much less present. We must bring back that citizen spirit of so many years ago. As president of our village, Cate Readling will lead a rebirth of Oak Park’s greatness. Cate embodies everything that drove us to action 60 years ago. Your time, voters, is now.

In the aftermath of the 2008 Des Plaines River flood that devastated the west Lake Street area, Johann Buis and I were appointed to the River Forest Flood Task Force. We both lived in this neighborhood and had firsthand knowledge of the impact that the flood had on our families, neighbors and property. Over a period of months, the task force met with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District and studied numerous flood-related topics with a goal of finding solutions to minimize future overland flooding, underground seepage, and sewer backups that might result in significant flooding in residents’ homes. During the task force meetings, I was impressed with Johann’s ability to absorb and instantly process new information outside of his area of expertise. He brought his skills as a college professor to bear, presenting complex issues in accessible language which advanced our discussions and deliberations. He was as comfortable discussing a neighbor’s basic needs as he was talking about a proposed $4 million Lake Street pumping station. Johann was creative in identifying solutions to mitigate the impact of future flooding and steadfast in advocating on behalf of neighbors for village assistance to acquire sump pumps and related equipment. Based on this direct experience, I believe he would be a great village board trustee who will listen carefully to the issues and offer thoughtful insight. He will be a steady voice and offer sound judgment, even in the midst of issues fraught with tension. With his creativity, he will see solutions others may miss and will offer an independent and constructive voice during deliberations. I am confident in Johann’s community focus and am thrilled to endorse him for Village Trustee. Please join me in voting for him on April 6.

Oak Park

River Forest

Robert Downs

Dan Cekander

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

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Crime stats don’t support defunding police I read with interest your article on the village board meeting concerning Oak Park’s crime statistics [Oak Park crime stats turns to defunding argument, News, March 10]. First of all, no one seemed to acknowledge that Oak Park does not exist in a vacuum. Of the arrests made, how many were of people who live in Oak Park and how many were of people who do not live in Oak Park? Isn’t this the core principle of community policing? Second, as the “meeting turned instead into an argument over the movement to defund the police” (whatever that means), no one broached the subject that, relatively speaking, Oak Park is not necessarily a safe place to live.

An organization called Alarms.org analyzed Illinois cities of over 10,000 population that submitted complete FBI Uniform Crime Report Statistics (Violent and Non-Violent crimes, including property crimes). Of the 100 cities with the lowest crime rates in Illinois, Oak Park came in as ranking 79th (#1 is the least amount of crime). River Forest came in at 65 and Chicago at 87. So when it comes to defunding the police (whatever that means), Oak Park should remember that a ranking of 100 on the FBI Crime Statistics is not a good thing.

Alan Krause

Oak Park

Cate’s plan means sustainable growth

I’m excited to vote for Cate Readling as Village President because I know she brings the leadership our community needs to align with its values. We stand for inclusion, equity, and belonging here, although we have work to do to achieve it. We don’t need more giveaways of tax dollars to developers. We need investment in our future. Cate’s vision would allow us to start generating additional revenue by focusing on the growth of our community — the people and businesses who are here already. Oak Park’s small businesses can prosper and thrive with an economic gardening strategy. Oak Park deserves a participatory budgeting process. Right now there’s not enough power over the budget in the hands of the community. We need more transparency and accountability. Cate’s vision is to work with the community to create more civic engagement and disperse the powers currently held by the trustees deeper into the hands of our people. Oak Park stands at a critical time in planning our future. We are at a real risk of property values going down or staying flat while taxes go up. Our

community’s real estate strategy was built upon the concept of diversity, but it never got far enough. Diversity is just existing, side by side. It doesn’t mean collaborating or thriving. That’s what starts to happen when we start achieving more inclusion and equity. Those create a thriving ecosystem — one where everyone can truly grow together. Cate is the leader who can lead us through the difficult work toward achieving the next step of Oak Park’s values — and in ways that allow us to overcome our difficult financial challenges and stimulate our local economy. Her style of leadership builds more civic engagement and collaboration in our community, which is exactly what we need to build a healthier community that works better for everyone. You’ll get to experience a piece of that if you join any of her upcoming policy discussions. In an uncertain future, Cate is the bold choice forward for Oak Park. I hope you’ll join me in voting for her as Village President.

Aaron McManus

Oak Park

A grateful senior gives thanks I would like to thank the Oak Park Department of Public Health, the Oak Park Residence Corporation, and the Oak Park Housing Authority for providing the seniors at Mills Park Tower with COVID-19 immunizations. The first doses were administered on Jan. 19 and the second on Feb. 26. Knowing the myriad problems that have plagued (pun intended) the vaccine rollout, we here at Mills Park felt especially blessed. We simply had to take the elevator to the first floor of the building and enter our community room. There the very well organized health department had

established 7-8 vaccination stations throughout the room. From start to finish, the entire process took less than a half-hour. Additional thanks should be accorded to the management team who worked with the health department and coordinated the notification and registration of the residents. They were David Pope, Ken Southward, Mercedes Sandoval, Caroline Wilz and Shawn Lewis. The grateful citizens of Mills Park salute you.

Larry Joyce

Mills Park Tower resident

Venus for D97 school board

I am writing to share my enthusiastic support for Venus Hurd Johnson as she runs for the District 97 school board. As a parent who has navigated D97 for almost 10 years with her two boys, taking on leadership roles in the PTO along the way, Venus has the experience to really succeed in this role. She is passionate about making the schools the best they can be for all students. She is thoughtful, persuasive,

and a good listener. While she was PTO president at Mann, I knew her to take on challenges fairly and efficiently, with savvy and compassion. If elected, I know Venus will productively collaborate with the board, administration and community to steer D97 in the right direction.

Margo Thomas-May Oak Park

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

Candidates need to address crime

Criminal sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault/battery, and motor vehicle theft are all on the increase in Oak Park. But where are the candidates for village president and village trustees on these important matters? I have yet to hear a candidate say how they are going to address rising crime in Oak Park.

The first responsibility of government at any level is to keep its residents safe. I think the people of Oak Park would like to know how candidates, if we elect them into office, plan to keep us safe and get criminals off our streets.

LEFKO

behind these 10-year averages, look deeper into math and reading and step out farther into the crosswalk. In this series, and as an advocate for children and District 90, I hope to help explain causes and effects so that River Forest might return to a district offering excellence for all. On a bright note, racial diversity among River Forest students rose over the last decade where now one third of the student body identifies as non-white. Over that same decade, the EOMP shows a school system with no evidence of racial predictability of achievement. Isn’t this another good reason to bring a shiny red apple back to school?

from page 71 or at minimum cause to investigate further. These results summarize school effectiveness before COVID-19 interrupted learning. Moreover, it would take a steep decline in Average Test Scores to pull a 10-year average Learning Rate into negative territory. The Illinois State Board of Education did recently downgrade two of three River Forest schools so that none have the state’s “exemplary” status. Something has changed. Next time I’ll explore the trend

Michael Pajonk Oak Park

Learning rates and average test scores Among comparable districts, as described by Stanford’s Educational Opportunity Monitoring Project (edopportunity.org). The following districts are described as comparable to River Forest. K-8 DISTRICTS

LEARNING RATE

Northbrook 27 Winnetka 36 Union Ridge 86 Butler 53 Glenview 30 Lagrange Highlands 106 Western Springs 101 LaGrange 102 Pleasantdale 107 Franklin Park 84 Hinsdale 181 LaGrange 105 Skokie 69 Rosemont 78 Glencoe 35 Hillside 93 Riverside 96 Gower 62 Oak Park 97 Northbrook 28 River Forest 90 Komarek 94

38.0 29.8 28.3 23.1 21.2 21.0 21.0 17.3 12.8 10.8 10.0 9.2 8.0 6.6 6.4 5.6 5.6 4.1 1.3 -0.6 -1.8 -11.3

+ MEAS. ERROR

6.7 9.2 7.4 8.0 7.0 7.5 6.6 6.0 7.6 6.2 6.5 6.4 6.6 8.6 7.0 7.2 6.4 7.1 8.1 6.8 7.5 7.6

AVG. TEST SCORES + MEAS. ERROR

2.9 2.7 1.1 3.7 3.3 2.3 3.2 2.3 2.0 0.1 3.2 0.9 0.1 0.9 2.8 -0.5 1.9 2.5 1.8 2.2 3.1 0.5

0.10 0.20 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.09 0.10 0.09 0.09 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.09 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.10

Learning rate: A measure of how much students’ scores improve each year while they are in school compared to the national average. Example, 10% indicates learning 10% more per year than the national average. Avg. Test Scores: The educational opportunities available in a community, both in and out of school, are reflected in students’ average test scores. They are influenced by opportunities to learn at home, in neighborhoods, in child care, preschool, and after-school programs, from peers and friends, and at school. An Average Test Score value of 1.0 indicates achievement one full grade higher than the national average.

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

V I E W P O I N T S

Vote for the Unite Oak Park slate

Lucia Robinson, Ravi Parakkat, and Stephen Morales bring new voices and previously unrepresented voices to the Village Board. Lucia is an attorney, graduate of OPRF High School and returned to Oak Park to raise her three children — two grads of OPRF and one soon to graduate. Ravi Parakkat has served along with Stephen Morales on the Environment and Energy Commission. They understand and want to improve the relationship between commis-

sions and the board. These candidates will focus on small business success. Ravi Parakkat initiated the $25 per week takeout program for restaurants to great success. These candidates will bring civility, leadership and progress to the Oak Park Village Board — qualities desperately needed. Vote Unite Oak Park.

Nancy Leavy Oak Park

Readling, Griffin, and Enyia for equity The last four years have been difficult ones for our community. Four years ago, we elected two candidates who promised to value equity and progressive values but promptly switched to reactionary stances once elected. That resulted in a divided board which held back progress on our core values. We can’t afford another four years of this status quo. It is imperative that we vote for candidates we know will both prioritize equity and govern effectively. There are three candidates who have proven they have this combination of passion and pragmatism. For President, Cate Readling has demonstrated that she will lead selflessly and bravely for the values we hold dear, while sincerely listening to all. Her leadership is critical to healing Oak Park from four years of political division and regression. For trustees, Juanta Griffin and Chibuike Enyia have shown they

are ready to govern reasonably and bring voice to constituencies that have long been overlooked. The actions of the village board over the last four years have had a detrimental impact on the character of our community. A course correction is necessary to get us moving in the right direction again. This election will likely determine if Oak Park continues to be at the vanguard of progressive values or devolves into just another suburban enclave. We need leaders like Readling, Griffin, and Enyia in our community to both ensure our core values are upheld and that our government will be effective. I hope you’ll join me in proudly voting for them and continuing to strive for a more equitable, inclusive, and prosperous community for all.

Rob Breymaier Oak Park

Support Grant & Bade for RF Park Board

As a 47-year resident of River Forest and former village board trustee, I wholeheartedly support both Mike Grant and Carl Bade for positions on the River Forest Park District Board. They have promised to bring inclusiveness and fair-mindedness back to the board, something that has been lacking for the last couple of years. Their first action will be to advocate a new five-year comprehensive plan for the park district that represents all residents and their respective interest in the various programs. To do this, they will conduct a complete review of the 2020 Community Survey; reach out to youth sport groups and special interest groups; have meaningful discussions with park district staff and research trends.

The current plan to expend significant funds to expand the paddle ball facilities will take up more of the limited land available at Keystone Park. The associated costs of this expansion, including past and proposed expenditures, will easily reach $2 million. To be sure, those residents interested in paddle ball deserve the ability to enjoy their activities. However, no one activity, especially one that does not encompass the majority of program users, should be allowed to appropriate a disproportionate share of the park district budget. Regardless of who you support, I encourage everyone to exercise their right to vote.

Russ Nummer River Forest

Lester for strong leadership

This is a critical time for our village and we will need strong, independent leadership as we navigate current and future challenges. That is why I strongly support Valerie Lester in her bid to join the Oak Park Township Board of Trustees. Valerie is not afraid to take on new responsibilities, as evidenced by her active volunteerism. She is as comfortable when delving into the details of an issue as she is when discussing policy or leading a project to completion. I have worked alongside her on a num-

ber of volunteer projects and have witnessed her ability to listen and to collaboratively build solutions. She will engage in the difficult conversations we need to solve problems triggered by ongoing social and economic distress within our community. She cares deeply about this community and is strongly passionate about the mission of the township. Please join me in electing Valerie Lester for Oak Park Township Trustee.

Phyllis Walden Oak Park

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Hall brings passion, empathy to education I’m the co-founder of Kindness Creators Intergenerational Pre-School in Oak Park, and I want to express my strong endorsement of Scott Hall for River Forest District 90 school board. Scott is the treasurer of KCIP, and his leadership and financial guidance as a member of our board have been instrumental in the school’s success. Scott has also become a dear friend and trusted adviser. I founded KCIP with a friend and fellow educator three years ago, and Scott has been a guiding, business-minded voice as we’ve learned and grown. A not-for-profit preschool is a labor of love, and he contributes to this with passion and empathy. We pride ourselves on our service to a diverse population of students, many of whom face learning disabilities and other challenges. Scott recognizes the various stakehold-

ers and emotional elements of running a school but also knows how and when to pivot to a rational, fiscally sound business awareness to lead us toward decisions that further our goal of creating well-rounded, enthusiastic learners. Whether he’s advocating strongly to safely return River Forest kids to the classroom since last summer, helping us develop a successful scholarship fund at KCIP, or volunteering as an unpaid D90 substitute teacher, Scott’s dedication to our kids above all else is admirable. Scott Hall will be an excellent addition to our D90 board as we face difficult decisions climbing out of the pandemic. He has my full support, and I hope he will have yours as well.

Pam Lawrence River Forest

We have an outstanding police dept. I write in support of Stephen Morales, Ravi Parakkat, and Lucia Robinson for Oak Park trustees. I recently finished my term on the Citizens Police Oversight Committee, during which I reviewed every complaint against the Oak Park Police Department for the past four years. Policing is a tough job and, viewing these complaints in their totality, I found the Oak Park PD to be an outstanding police department. The officers are dedicated, well trained, and serve our community well, and the command staff is top-notch.

True, other police departments have significant issues but not Oak Park PD. They do policing right and they should be treated accordingly. Certain other candidates want to defund the Oak Park PD, but there is no value in punishing those who do policing right. Stephen Morales, Ravi Parakkat, and Lucia Robinson have committed to not defund the police. For that reason, I support them all for Oak Park Trustee.

Bob Pickrell Oak Park

Clark will make your voice heard I moved to Oak Park in the fall of 2013. Like most things these days, I found the village from the internet. It was touted as city-lite and a utopia of progressivism. My family is multiracial and I wanted to live somewhere where we could feel comfortable, where my kids could see faces like theirs and feel welcome. I also came to know of Anthony Clark through the internet. One 2014 summer evening, I witnessed and learned of racist practices at a neighboring village’s bar. Management was unresponsive at the time. I was in shock and shared it with some local Facebook groups. I couldn’t see how “something like that” could happen in this area. Some people shared their own experiences, but a lot of people proceeded to gaslight me and make me feel terrible for reporting. It just “couldn’t happen” in Oak Park. I didn’t know Anthony, but he believed

me. He reached out to verify my story and made me feel heard; then he took action. Within days he organized a peaceful March of hundreds through Oak Park to this place of business asking for accountability and for this business and all Oak Park businesses to take a pledge against racism. This was a few years before Trump, years before being “woke” was trendy, but he took a stand. It was my first protest. It was many people’s first opportunity to make a stand for justice. Anthony inspired people, he showed courage, and made sure that voices that were always silenced were heard. For this and many other instances where he has stood up for the little guy, he has my vote and support. Oak Park, we have a champion. Vote for Anthony Clark for Oak Park Village Trustee on April 6.

Pem Hessing Oak Park

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

O B I T U A R I E S

Sherlynn Reid, 85 Longtime head of OP Community Relations

Sherlynn D. Reid, 85, of Oak Park, died on March 10, 2021 following a medical emergency. Born on Nov. 4, 1935 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to the late Mary Dee (Goode) and Franklin, she had a radio show as a teenager, where she was known as Little Dee, and also worked in her uncle’s pharmacy. She attended Fisk University to study arts and drama and later met and married Henry Reid. Three daughters were born of that union. They moved to Cleveland, then Detroit and finally to Oak Park. She was involved with the League of Woman Voters, the Human Relations Commission and later became the director of Community Relations for the village of Oak Park for more than 25 years, retiring in 1999. A member of First United Church of Oak Park, she was a longtime member and past president of the 19th Century Charitable Association. She is also a Charter member of the West Towns Chapter of the LINKS Inc. Over the years Sherlynn was the recipient of numerous awards for her service to and love for the community. Sherlynn was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, and her sister, Yvonne (“Bonnie”), her twin brother Sherwood, and her youngest brother Franklin (“Buddy”). She is survived by her daughters Mary, Dorothy and Lorie (Cederick) Fuller; her grandsons, Henry Ryan Reid, and Connor and Isaiah Fuller; and by many nieces and nephews, cousins, and dear friends. Visitation was held on March 14 at Drechsler, Brown & Williams Funeral Home, 203 S. Marion St., Oak Park. In lieu of flowers, donations to CAST, Henry E. Reid Scholarship Fund (jpnose19.wixsite. com/cast-at-pjms/reid-fund) are appreciated.

Mary Daly Lewis, 73 Educator, former D97 board president

Mary Daly Lewis, 73, of Oak Park, died peacefully from Alzheimer’s Disease on Saturday, March 13, 2021 at Wittenberg Village in Crown Point, Indiana. A Chicago native, born on March 30, 1947, she grew up on the South Side along with her four siblings, Sharon, Patrick (Lorraine), Edward (Sharon) and Michael. She

was the first born of Christopher and Julia Daly, and first generation American on her father’s side of the family. After finishing high school at Academy of Our Lady, she a B.A. in English and Education from St. Xavier College, becoming the first college graduate in her family. She then received her M.S. in Reading Education from Chicago State University, a Certificate of Advanced Study in Reading Consulting from the University of Chicago, and her PhD in Public Policy Analysis from the University of Illinois Chicago. She is the only one in the family to have a doctorate, which she earned while working full time and raising two children on her own. Neighbors were used to seeing her study light on late into the night. A dedicated educator, she began her career in the Chicago Public School system as a reading specialist, and ended it as a professor and dean at Aurora University. She was a champion of education, access and human rights. When she moved to Oak Park with her two small children in the early ’80s at the recommendation of friends, it was a bit of a leap of faith. She talked often about how happy she was that she took that leap. The community, the schools, and the friendships formed all shaped who she was. Mary became and remained an active member of the Oak Park community from the time she moved there. Among a long list of community service involvement, she was a longstanding member of the League of Women Voters, and sat on the District 97 school board from 1987-1995, serving as the president from 1990-1993. She met the love of her life in Oak Park, John Lukehart, who was also a fixture in the community, while they were at Comiskey Park during an Oak Park baseball outing. John and Mary joined their families and their friends together, serving the greater community until their respective illnesses made that impossible. She was a devoted Democrat, and was often active in political campaigns. While education and public service were her callings, she loved literature (her favorite poet was Keats), and always had a book on her bedside table and she had much-used memberships to the Art Institute of Chicago, the Chicago Symphony, and Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. Selfless, funny, strong-willed, and incredibly generous with her time and resources, she inspired and mentored many people throughout her life. She loved to travel, to cook and gather with friends and loved ones. Mary loved celebrating life with her husband, John and his two children, as well as her own two children. She is survived by her children, Jennifer (Walton), Colin, Alison (Lorenzo), and Jason (Elizabeth), and grandchildren, Michael, Maeve, Imogen, and John. Her sister Sharon Daly was instrumental in her care and comfort over the course of her long illness. Key parts of Mary’s personality remained consistent until the end. She reacted to and enjoyed Motown music. She continued to

straighten the wrinkles on the sleeves of those who were able to sit with her and hold her hand, and she continued to laugh and smile. Mary will be laid to rest next to her husband, John Lukehart, at Forest Home Cemetery.

Roy Burton, 78

Owned Village Laundromat J. Roy Burton, 78, died on March 10, 2021. He attended South Kent School and was a graduate of Roosevelt University. Professionally, he worked as director of purchasing at Loyola University Medical Center for 22 years, followed by a 30-year career as the owner of Village Laundromat. An active member of the community, he touched the lives of many. He will be remembered as a kind man with a wry sense of humor and dry wit. He loved reading, movies, theater, travel, fishing, and family. Roy Burton is survived by his wife, Ann Burton; his children, Liz, Rachel, Joe, Ben, and Kathleen Burton; his siblings, Rod Burton, Terry Koepke (Paul), and Bill Burton (Laurel); and many nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and -nephews. There will be a private service for the family. Donations can be made in his name to A Red Orchid Theatre Company.

Frank Stone III, 83

Dedicated volunteer for Misericordia Frank R. Stone III, 83, of Oak Park, died on March 5, 2021. Born on July 30, 1937, he was a grain trader and 30year member of the Chicago Board of Trade. His proudest endeavor was being a lifelong friend of Misericordia Heart of Mercy, which included serving on the board of directors, being the last surviving member of the original Misericordia Bums Golf Committee, and a most enthusiastic Candy Days volunteer. His greatest joy was his family. Frank Stone was the husband of Susan (nee Finn); the father of Colleen Stone (Daniel) Funda, Frank “Boots” (Heather Noe), Shannon Stone (Sean) Kerrigan; the grandfather of Billy Stone; the brother of Lee (Joe) Wiewel and the late Dennis, Terrance and William (Louise) Stone; the uncle, cousin and friend of many; and son of the late Frank R. Jr. and Elizabeth Spillane Stone. Visitation was held on March 12 at Drechsler, Brown & Williams Funeral Home. A funeral Mass was celebrated on March 13 at St. Luke Church, followed by interment at Queen of Heaven Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations to Misericordia Home would be greatly appreciated (misericordia.org). W E D N E S D A Y

Chuck Costello, 88 Poet and film buff

Charles J. “Chuck” Costello, 88, longtime Oak Park resident, died on March 12, 2021. Born in Chicago on Aug. 8, 1932, son of the late Charles Joseph Costello and Mary O’Brien Costello, he attended Oak Park and River Forest High School and Elgin Academy. A longtime resident of the Oak Park Arms he attended Forest Park Baptist Church for many years. He was very proficient at writing poetry and loved watching old movies. Many years ago he worked helping his father at Columbian Funeral Home. Chuck is survived by his sisters, Patricia (Fred) Bowles and Marilyn (Charles) Mays, and many nieces, nephews and cousins. All services are private. Arrangements were handled by Drechsler, Brown & Williams Funeral Home.

JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest

To run an obituary Please contact Ken Trainor by e-mail: ktrainor@wjinc.com, before Monday at noon. Please include a photo if possible.

Drechsler, Brown & Williams Funeral Home

Since 1880 Family Owned & Operated Charles Williams, Owner/Funeral Director 203 S. Marion St. Oak Park 60302 708/383-3191

Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021 New local ads this week

HOURS: 9:00 A.M.– 5:00 P.M. MON–FRI

WEDNESDAY

CLASSIFIED Deadline is Monday at 5:00 p.m.

Place your ad online anytime at: www.OakPark.com/Classiﬁed/

YOUR WEEKLY AD

REACHES SIX SUBURBAN COMMUNITIES: OAK PARK, RIVER FOREST, FOREST PARK, BROOKFIELD, RIVERSIDE, NORTH RIVERSIDE, AND PARTS OF CHICAGO

Please Check Your Ad: The publisher will not be responsible for more than one incorrect insertion. Wednesday Journal Classified must be notified before the second insertion. The newspaper reserves the right to edit or reject any advertisement.

BY PHONE: (708) 613-3333 | BY FAX: (708) 467-9066 | BY E-MAIL: CLASSIFIEDS@OAKPARK.COM | CLASSIFIEDS@RIVERFOREST.COM HELP WANTED PART TIME TUTOR POSITION Flexible hours, afternoons and evenings. Monday through Thursday and possibly Saturday. Preferred background in math. Background check required. 708-447-8200 Or skillstutoringcenter@gmail.com SEASONAL FARMERS’ MARKET ASSISTANT The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Seasonal Farmers’ Market Assistant in the Development Customer Services Department. This position will provide administrative support to the Farmers’ Market Manager to allow growers and producers of food to sell directly to the public within established guidelines. This position requires work in inclement weather conditions; some heavy lifting of up to 50 pounds; walking or standing for sustained periods of time. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at http://www.oak-park.us/jobs. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application. Open until filled. Village of Brookfield

Department of Public Works Position Available Seasonal Public Works Employment May - September

Applications are now being accepted from qualified individuals for seasonal public works employment. Employment period will be from May through September. The position requires physical labor and will be in the Streets, Forestry, Water, Sewer, and Public Buildings Divisions. Work hours are 7:00 am to 4:00 pm five days per week, with one weekend day required as part of the five day work schedule. Starting pay rate is $11.00 per hour.

Applicants must be 18 years of age and possess a valid driver’s license. Candidates must be self-motivated and possess strong communication skills. Selected candidates will be required to pass a post-offer criminal background check, driver abstract record search, physical and drug screen with results acceptable to the Village.

Interested applicants should submit a completed employment application to the Human Resources office. Email submissions are preferred: sdumanovic@brookfieldil.gov. You may drop off or mail your completed job application to Human Resources office, Village of Brookfield, 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield IL 60513 Fillable job applications may be found online at https://brookfieldil. gov/careers/. The Village of Brookfield is an Equal Opportunity Employer

HELP WANTED Village of Brookﬁeld

UTILITY BILLING CLERK

Career Opportunity:

The Village of Brookﬁeld’s Finance Department is seeking qualiﬁed applicants for the full-time position of Utility Billing Clerk. Under the direction of the Accounting Manager, this position is responsible for the preparation and processing of monthly utility bills for the Village. General Responsibilities:

Some of the essential responsibilities include ensuring accurate and timely utility billing; working with a third-party billing processor; collection and maintenance of residential and commercial accounts; and working closely and professionally with Village residents.

A more detailed job description can be found at https://brookﬁeldil.gov/ careers/. Qualiﬁcations:

High School Diploma or GED equivalent, a valid driver’s license, a minimum of three years of general office experience, proficiency with the Microsoft Office suite, specifically Excel, and exemplary customer service skills are required. Two years of previous experience in utility billing, accounting or related activities and experience utilizing enterprise systems in a municipal setting are preferred.

An offer for this position is contingent upon the candidate’s successful completion of a criminal background check and a drug screen with results acceptable to the Village. Salary and Beneﬁts:

The minimum of the hiring range for this position is $48,445.60 ($23.29 per hour) and includes insurance, participation in the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) and all Village beneﬁts available to full-time non-bargaining employees. How to apply:

All interested applicants should submit a cover letter, current resume, and completed job application to the Human Resources office at the Village of Brookfield via email by the end of the day on Friday March 26th to sdumanovic@brookfieldil. gov. Career posting to remain open until filled.

URGENT HIRE: The Village would like to have someone start in this position by April 12th

WANTED TO BUY

OFFICE & RETAIL SPACE FOR RENT

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PETS

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While you’re away, your pets are okay . . . at home

ANTIQUE HALL TREE Antique American Hall Tree, solid oak. Excellent condition. 29”w x 78”h x 11”d, with covered shelf and mirror. $159.00. 708-488-8755

cat calls

KENMORE WASHER & DRYER Sold as set. $100.00. Call Terry Baggett 773-988-6468

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MUSIC Music: piano scores, concertos, piano trios, ﬂute music violin music. Variety of composers. $3.00 each. 708-488-8755

524-1030

PLANT STAND Barley twist plant stand. Very solid. Approx. 4 ft. tall and 15 in. diameter. Fruitwood finish. $149.00. 708-488-8755

Lost & Found, Items for Sale, and To Be Given Away ads run free in Wednesday Classified. To place your ad, call 708-613-3342

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PRAYER TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN (NEVER KNOWN TO FAIL) Oh, most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. Oh, Star of the Sea, help me and show me, herein you are my mother. Oh, Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth. I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succor in my necessity (make request). There are none that can withstand your power. Oh, show me herein you are my mother. Oh, Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee (3 times). Holy Mary, I place this prayer in your hands (3 times). Say this prayer for three consecutive days and publish; your request will be granted. CAC

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Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

HAULING

PUBLIC NOTICES

BASEMENT CLEANING

INVITATION TO BID

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

The Park District of Forest Park (“Park District” or “Owner”) will receive bids for the Interior painting of the Administration Building, located at the 7501 Harrison Street, Forest Park, Illinois 60130. Bid Documents, including Instructions to Bidders, Drawings, Technical Speciﬁcations, General and any Special Conditions, and Bid Forms, including required Contractor Certiﬁcations and Prevailing Wage Determination and Supersedes Notice, are available at Park District of Forest Park Administration Building, 7501 Harrison St., Forest Park, Illinois 60130 commencing on March 15, 2021 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The Park District of Forest Park (“Park District” or “Owner”) will receive bids for the Administration Building Flooring Project, located at the 7501 Harrison Street, Forest Park, Illinois 60130. Bid Documents, including Instructions to Bidders, Drawings, Technical Speciﬁcations, General and any Special Conditions, and Bid Forms, including required Contractor Certiﬁcations and Prevailing Wage Determination and Supersedes Notice, are available at Park District of Forest Park Administration Building, 7501 Harrison St., Forest Park, Illinois 60130 commencing on March 15, 2021 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Notice is hereby given by the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest, Cook County, Illinois, that sealed bids will be accepted for:

A Pre-bid Meeting will be held at Administration Building, 7501 Harrison St., Forest Park, Illinois, at 10:00 a.m. on March 22, 2021. This meeting will be used to review the Speciﬁcations and give any Bidders the opportunity to discuss any concerns with the Owner. Attendance at this meeting by all persons desiring to bid on this Project is highly recommended.

Each bid shall be placed in an opaque sealed envelope and clearly marked “Park District of Forest Park, Indoor Painting of the Administration Building.” The envelope shall be addressed and delivered to and received by the Park District at the following location: Administration Building, 7501 Harrison St., Forest Park, Illinois 60130. No responsibility shall be attached to any person for premature opening of a bid not properly identiﬁed.

Each bid shall be placed in an opaque sealed envelope and clearly marked “Park District of Forest Park, Administration Building Flooring Project.” The envelope shall be addressed and delivered to and received by the Park District at the following location: Administration Building, 7501 Harrison St., Forest Park, Illinois 60130. No responsibility shall be attached to any person for premature opening of a bid not properly identiﬁed.

Bids will be received until 10:00 a.m. April 8, 2021. Immediately thereafter, the bids will be publicly opened and read aloud. Bids received after that time or at a different location will be rejected and returned to the Bidder unopened.

The Park District of Forest Park reserves the right to waive technicalities, to accept or reject any or all bids, and/or to accept only portions of a bid and reject the remainder. Owner will award the Contract to the lowest most responsible and responsive Bidder, as determined by Owner. In considering the Bidder’s responsibility, the Owner may evaluate, among other factors, the ability of the Bidder to provide experienced labor sufﬁcient in numbers to timely and properly complete the services, the ﬁnancial capability of the Bidder, and the performance of the Bidder on other projects

Bids shall not include federal excise tax or state sales tax for materials to be incorporated in, or totally consumed in the prosecution of the Work. A tax exemption certiﬁcate will be furnished by the Park District at the request of the Bidder. The Park District’s tax exemption number shall only be used by the successful Bidder for the Work of this Project.

After the bid opening time, no bid shall be withdrawn or canceled for a period of sixty (60) calendar days.

The Work of this Project is subject to the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act, 820 ILCS 130/0.01 et seq. A prevailing wage determination has been made by the Park District, which is the same as that determined by the Illinois Department of Labor for public works projects in Cook County. The Contract entered into for the Work will be drawn in compliance with said law and proposals should be prepared accordingly and provide for payment of all laborers, workmen, and mechanics needed to perform the Work at no less than the prevailing rate of wages (or the prevailing rate for legal holiday and overtime work) for each craft, type of worker, or mechanic.

The Contractor(s) selected will also be required to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws, rules, regulations and executive orders, including but not limited to those pertaining to equal employment opportunity.

Direct questions to Jackie Iovinelli, Executive Director, Park District of Forest Park, jiovinelli@pdofp.org, 708-366-7500.

Published in Forest Park Review

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PUBLIC NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICE The Village of Oak Park will receive sealed bids from qualified consultants at the Public Works Center, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302 Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time until 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 31, 2020 for the following: Village of Oak Park 2021 Urban Forestry Consulting and Inspection Services Proposal Number: 21-121 Bid documents may be obtained from the Village’s website at http://www.oak-park.us/bid. For questions, please call Public Works at (708) 358-5700 during the above hours. Published in Wednesday Journal March 17, 2021

LEGAL NOTICE The Village of Oak Park will receive sealed bids from qualified vendors at the Public Works Center, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302 Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time until 11:00 a.m. on Friday, March 26, 2021 for the following: Village of Oak Park 2021 Emergency Vehicle Equipment Bid Number: 21-123 Bid documents may be obtained from the Village’s website at http://www.oak-park.us/bid. For questions, please call Public Works at (708) 358-5700 during the above hours. Published in Wednesday Journal March 17, 2021

3/17/2021

Public Notice: Your right to know

In print • Online • Available to you 24/7/365 OakPark.com | RiverForest. com

2021 Street Patching Program This project consists of the patching of approximately 4,050 square yards of existing, defective asphalt pavement at various locations throughout the Village, as designated by the Department of Public Works. The bidding documents are available for download starting Monday, March 15, 2021 at: www.vrf.us/bids

PUBLIC NOTICES

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certiﬁcation was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y21006185 on March 5, 2021 Under the Assumed Business Name of TWISTED SOU’LS CATERING with the business located at:139 HARRISON ST APT 2N, OAK PARK, IL 60304. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: ANTHONY BOWMAN 139 HARISON ST APT 2N, OAK PARK, IL 60304, USA

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certiﬁcation was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y21006206 on March 11, 2021 Under the Assumed Business Name of AMERICAN DREAMS CLEANING COMPANY with the business located at:1025 PLEASANT PLACE, APT. 2G, OAK PARK, IL 60302. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/ partner(s) is: JEFFREY RUSSELL COLLINS 1025 PLEASANT PLACE APT. 2G OAK PARK, IL 60302, USA.

Notice is hereby given by the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest, Cook County, Illinois, that sealed bids will be accepted for:

Bids must be submitted by Monday, March 29, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. at:

2021 Pavement Crack Sealing Project

Public Works Department, 2nd Floor Village of River Forest 400 Park Avenue River Forest, IL 60305

The Work consists of the application of approximately 42,455 pounds of Fiber-Modiﬁed Crack Sealing to various asphalt public roadways.

The bid proposals will be publicly opened and read at that time. Proposals will be considered not only on the basis of cost, but also on past performance, experience and ability to perform the work.

The bidding documents are available for download starting Monday, March 15, 2021 at:

No bid shall be withdrawn after the opening of the Proposals without the consent of the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest for a period of thirty (30) days after the scheduled time of the bid opening. Bidders shall be prequaliﬁed by IDOT for: HMA Paving The Village of River Forest reserves the right in receiving these bids to waive technicalities and reject any or all bids. Published in Wednesday Journal 3/17/2021

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS Notice is hereby given by the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest, Cook County, Illinois, that sealed bids will be accepted for: 2021 Curb and Sidewalk Replacement Program (Various Locations) This project consists of the installation of approximately 5,000 square feet of PCC sidewalk, 175 linear feet of PCC curb/gutter, 75 square yards of driveway apron and other work incidental thereto. The bidding documents are available for download starting Monday, March 15, 2021 at: www.vrf.us/bids Bids must be submitted by Monday, March 29, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. at: Public Works Department, 2nd Floor Village of River Forest 400 Park Avenue River Forest, IL 60305 The bid proposals will be publicly opened and read at that time. Proposals will be considered not only on the basis of cost, but also on past performance, experience and ability to perform the work. No bid shall be withdrawn after the opening of the Proposals without the consent of the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest for a period of thirty (30) days after the scheduled time of the bid opening. Bidders shall be prequaliﬁed by IDOT for: Concrete Construction The Village of River Forest reserves the right in receiving these bids to waive technicalities and reject any or all bids. Published in Wednesday Journal 3/17/2021

www.vrf.us/bids Bids must be submitted by Monday, April 5, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. at: Public Works Department, 2nd Floor Village of River Forest 400 Park Avenue River Forest, IL 60305 The bid proposals will be publicly opened and read at that time. Proposals will be considered not only on the basis of cost, but also on past performance, experience and ability to perform the work. No bid shall be withdrawn after the opening of the Proposals without the consent of the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest for a period of thirty (30) days after the scheduled time of the bid opening. The Village of River Forest reserves the right in receiving these bids to waive technicalities and reject any or all bids. Published in Wednesday Journal 3/17/2021

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certiﬁcation was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y21006103 on February 25, 2021 Under the Assumed Business Name of ADG HANDYMAN SERVICES with the business located at: 2417 N. 75TH AVE UNIT F, ELMWOOD PARK, IL 60707. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: ALBERT JOSEPH DEGENOVA 2417 N. 75TH AVE UIT F, ELMWOOD PARK, IL 60707, USA Published in Wednesday Journal 3/3, 3/10, 3/17/2021

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certiﬁcation was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y21006089 on February 25, 2021 Under the Assumed Business Name of WILSON FINANCIAL with the business located at: 1126 N. 6TH AVENUE, MAYWOOD, IL 60153. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/ partner(s) is: ALEATHA WILSON 1126 N. 6TH AVENUE, MAYWOOD, IL 60153, USA Published in Forest Park Review 3/3, 3/10, 3/17/2021

OakPark.com RiverForest.com

Published in Wednesday Journal 3/10, 3/17, 3/24/2021

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certiﬁcation was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y21006062 on February 24, 2021 Under the Assumed Business Name of FIRST FINANCIAL PLUS with the business located at: 4232 EDGEWATER AVENUE, HILLSIDE, IL 60162. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: STEEVE KIDD 4232 EDGEWATER AVENUE, HILLSIDE, IL 60162 Published in Forest Park Review 3/10, 3/17, 3/24/2021

PUBLIC NOTICE OF COURT DATE FOR REQUEST FOR NAME CHANGE STATE OF ILLINOIS, CIRCUIT COURT COOK COUNTY. Request of Maeve Madeleine Kennedy Riordan Case Number 2021CONC000230 There will be a court date on my Request to change my name from: Maeve Madeleine Kennedy Riordan to the new name of: Rory Quinn Kennedy Riordan The court date will be held: On May 13, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. at Cook County Court Calendar 6.

Published in Wednesday Journal 3/17, 3/24, 3/31/2021

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certiﬁcation was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y21006244 on March 12, 2021 Under the Assumed Business Name of CHAMBERS ADVERTISING with the business located at: 414 GENEVA AVE, BELLWOOD, IL 60104. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: FOSTER CHAMBERS, 414 GENEVA AVE, BELLWOOD, IL 60104, USA. Published in Forest Park Review 3/17, 3/24, 3/31/2021

PUBLIC NOTICE OF COURT DATE FOR REQUEST FOR NAME CHANGE STATE OF ILLINOIS, CIRCUIT COURT COOK COUNTY. Request of Mercedes De La PazBuck Case Number 20214000895 There will be a court date on my Request to change my name from: Mercedes De La Paz-Buck to the new name of: Cedes Delapaz Buck. The court date will be held: On April 27th, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. at 1500 Maybrook Drive, Maywood, Cook County, IL in Courtroom #0111.

Published in Wednesday Journal 3/10, 3/17, 3/24/2021

Published in RB Landmark 3/17, 3/24, 3/31/2021

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Wednesday Journal, March 17, 2021

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