WednesdayJournal_072325

JOURNAL

of Oak Park and River Forest

Kids from the River Forest Communit y Center’s Early Childhood Education

Festival Theatre’s enchanted evening Viewpoints, page 21

Prog ram & Daycare Center on July 3.

Turmoil as RF Community Center and township battle

By LEAH SCHROEDER Contributing Reporter

River Forest Township has set an Aug. 31 deadline for the River Forest Community Center to resolve alle ged breaches in the contract between them.

The township government doubles as the governing body for the River Forest Civic Center Authority, the longtime

owner of the building at Madison Street and Thatcher in the village. The township also leases space in the center for its offices.

A contentious public meeting July 15 included extended public comments from parents with children in the community center’s daycare program and other supporters of the center who were critical of the elected township officials positions.

John Becvar, River Forest Township supervisor and head of the civic center authority board, said it had extended its deadline from July 31 to Aug. 31 hoping to resolve differences.

The township is threatening to terminate the community center’s lease of the building for alle gedly “entering into

See COMMUNITY CENTER on pa ge 13

Car the s drop, police sta ng churn continues

Oak Park police share details on sta ng, crime stats, camera use

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

Oak Park police have submitted their annual re port to the village board.

The re port gives insights on Oak Park’s 2024 crime stats, the police department’s recent staffing challenges, future priorities and new initiatives it introduced over the last year. T he re port also touches on how the department has used its F lock camera license plate reading technolo gy over the course of investigations.

The re port is available to the public and will be discussed in depth at the village board’s meeting Tuesday, July 22.

The re port also contained several tributes to Detective Allan Reddins, the long-serving Oak Park officer who was shot and killed

See POLICE REPORT on pa ge 4

COURTESY OF THE RIVER FOREST COMMUNIT Y CENTER

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WEDNESD AY

Plenty of talk about River Forest term limits

Where the issue stands, where it is going stymies residents

By GREGG VOSS Contributing Reporter

If it ’s one thing Rive r Fo rest’s April term limits referendum has g enerated it ’s talk.

Talk about where the issue curr stands, and what may be the ultimate outcome. There appears to be plenty of uncertainty in both cases.

River Forest resident Phyllis Ru spoke during the public comment po tion of the village board’s July 14 meeting about the issue. Where does she think the issue finally lands?

“Like I have a crystal ball,” she said with a laugh.

The exact wording used in a citizen group’s petition that placed the referendum for the matter on the election ballot has caused confusion about whether that referendum is binding or advisory.

That has led to speculation about moti and both immediate and long-term steps to resolve the issue. For example, when the village board will discuss the matter formally has been part of that speculation.

of Oak Park and River Forest

Interim Executive Director Max Reinsdorf

As of Monday, the matter has not been placed on a re gular meeting agenda. A special committee of the whole meeting proved too challenging to schedule in late July or early August.

“Due to scheduling conflicts, we will not have the entire village board present on Aug. 25,” Matt Walsh, village administrator, said Monday. “Accordingly, we will not have term limits on the agenda for that meeting. We want to make sure all board members are present and are working toward finding a date that works.

The matter did not make the July 14 meeting due to a packed agenda.

“I think the board would love to get this back to court,” Rubin said. “Citizens have spent our own money twice to keep this on the referendum. Some citizen challenged the first petition. All of us chipped in to pay the lawyer to help us with this. It was thousands of dollars. We had to defend the position.

“Then we ran out and got the petition signed again. Now they are saying we’re going to ignore it and do nothing. How many times do we have to say we want term limits?”

Another resident, Cary McLean, also spoke during the public comment session July 14. Where does she think the issue is headed?

“I do n’ t know wh at they are going to decide,” she said. “I have the f eeling it will be on the b allot again. I think it ’s a lot on the citizens because they’ve already done that.”

Is the eight-year resident frustrated?

“I guess kind of,” McLean said. “It felt like they put it up for vote, the people who wanted this talked about it, and now it’s, dare I even say, delay, delay, delay.

“The biggest takeaway from my point of view is its volunteer and it’s a lot of time to run the village. I respect volunteer time, but the cavalier attitude about this vote is what fr ustrated me more.”

Yet another resident, Patty Henek, a former village trustee who ran for board president in 2021 and lost to current president Cathy Adduci, said “we had a free and fair election (and) the majority of River Forest voters voted.”

That should make the issue unambiguous, in her mind. Adduci has said the issue isn’t time-sensitive and that time should be taken to ensure the ultimate decision will stand up under legal scrutiny, not only now

but well into the future.

“All that needs to happen now is the village administration update the code,” Henek said. “The question appeared as binding. At this point, I don’t understand what there is to debate. The election results are the election results.”

But where does she see the issue going, in both the near and long term?

“I have no way of answering that,” she said. “I’m not in the heads of board members or the village attorney. I just know from my perspective it was a free and fair election, the voters responded, and this is the result.”

Twenty-one-year resident Ed McDevitt said he thinks there could be another referendum in the future “if this does not get resolved as the will of the people.”

“The g eneral tenor of p eople who are against the referendum (is), they are stealing our vote aw ay,” he said. “It’s kind of a silly argument. T he p eople I’ve heard against the whole idea didn’t vote People who didn’t vote and p eople wh o didn’t know about it and still do n’ t kn ow about it .

“If you want term limits, vote the people out. In this village, that’s not going to happen. Things are stacked against that.”

Senior Audience Manager Stac y Coleman

Sta Repor ter Brendan He ernan

Viewpoints Editor Ken Trainor

Real Estate Editor Lacey Sikora

ntributing Editor Donna Greene

Columnists Marc Bleso , Nicole Chavas, ck Crowe, Vincent Gay, Mary Kay O’Grady, John Stanger, Josh VanderBerg

Shrubtown Cartoonist Marc Stopeck

Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead

Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea

Designers Susan McKelvey, Vanessa Garza

Senior Media Strategist Lourdes Nicholls

Marketing & Adver tising Associate Emma Cullnan

elopment Manager Mary Ellen Nelligan

Circulation Manager Jill Wagner

Operations Associate Susan Babin

Special Projects Manager Susan Walker

Chairman Emeritus Robert K. Downs

Senior Advisor Dan Haley

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chair Eric Weinheimer | Treasurer Nile Wendor f Deb Abrahamson, Mary Cahillane, Steve Edwards, Judy Gre n, Horacio Mendez, Charles Meyerson Darnell Shields, Audra Wilson

July

Concert: Louie Kertgen

Friday, July 25th

July Concert: Louie Kertgen

Concert: Louie Kertgen

Friday, July 25th

Friday, July 25th

5-7pm in the Ballroom July Concert: Louie Kertgen

Friday, July 25th

5-7pm in the Ballroom

ng challenges

from page 1

while on-duty last November.

in the Ballroom

Louie Kertgen is a singer, songwriter, drummer, middle teacher, chef, dog owner, bartender and guitarist. music ranges from folk and punk and pyschedelic. front man and guitarist Chicago band Coyote Fire! Snack provided

5-7pm in the Ballroom

Louie Kertgen is a singer, songwriter, drummer, middle school teacher, chef, dog owner, part time bartender and guitarist. His music ranges from folk and country to punk and pyschedelic. He is the front man and guitarist in the Chicago band Coyote Fire! Snack provided

• 708-386-4040 • oakparkarms.com

songwriter,drummer,middle schoolteacher,chef,dogowner, parttimebartenderandguitarist. Hismusicrangesfromfolkand countrytopunkandpyschedelic. Heisthefrontmanandguitarist

Louie Kertgen is a singer, songwriter, drummer, middle school teacher, chef, dog owner, part time bartender and guitarist. His music ranges from folk and country to punk and pyschedelic. He is the front man and guitarist in the Chicago band Coyote Fire!

Snack provided

“Our mission to provide high-quality law enforcement services that are accessible to all is rooted in the fundamental belief that public safety is a shared responsibility between the community and law enforcement,” OPPD Chief Shatonya Johnson wrote in her address to the community.

“This past year has also brought profound sor row to our department and the wider community with the tragic loss of Detective Allan M. Reddins. His dedication to service and commitment to the safety of our residents will always be remembered. Detective Reddins embodied the values we strive to uphold: inte g rity, respect and a deep sense of community. We mour n his passing and extend our heartfelt condolences to his f amily and all who knew him. His le gacy will inspire us to work even harder in our mission to serve and protect.”

Re ddins’ killing was one of three homicides that o ccu rred in Oak Pa rk last November, the only killings in the village all of last year, a ccording to the re po rt From 2020 to 2024, there we re a total of 12 homicides in the village, a ccording to the re po rt

In April, Corey Gates, a 54-year-old from South Holland, was killed in what authorities have described as an attempted carjacking. He is the most recent victim of an Oak Park homicide, and a 20-year-old Chicago man Jabari McGee has been charged with first-de gree murder in connection with the killing . T he man charged with Re ddins’ murde r, Je rrell T homas, was ar rested at the scene and now awaits t rial facing l ife in prison. Sergeant Derrick Ve rg e, one of the ar resting officer s, was given the Police Medal of Valor award from the I llinois A ssociation of Chiefs of Police fo r his heroism on the day.

According to the re port, there were 507 assault or battery incidents, 30 sex offenses and 37 weapons violations in Oak Park in 2024. T he weapons crime figure was a five-year high, according to the re port.

Oak Park also saw 1,475 theft incidents, 206 motor vehicle thefts and 64 robberie s, according to the re port. 2024 re presented a steep decline in motor vehicle thefts with the count trending down from 347 in 2023, but figures are still much higher than they

were in 2020 and 2021 when police only investigated 94 and 76 motor vehicle theft incidents in the village respectively, according to the re port.

Staffing woes at the department has been a talking point in recent years, as the new re port speaks to what staffing has looked like in detail.

According to the re port, 2024 saw the greatest amount of turnover that the department’s seen over the last six years, with highs in both new hires and departures among sworn officers. T he department hired 19 new officers but lost 20 to either retirement or resignation last year

Johnson told Wednesday Journal in April that the department has 86 swor n officers with the goal of g etting to 116 by “mid 2026.”

In 2019, the department had 109 swor n officers, according to the re port T he department also has six open civilian positions, according to the re port

T he re port also delved into the department’s use of F lock license plate reader cameras. T he cameras’ addition to the department’s tool kit has been controversial among some residents concerned with how the cameras impact privacy and with what access departments in other states or jurisdictions have to Oak Pa rk data.

According to the re port, Oak Park police received nearly 30,000 total alerts from the F lock cameras in 2024, mostly in connection with suspected stolen plates. The department received 1,728 F lock alerts related to suspected stolen vehicles, 81 related to suspected missing persons and 33 related to suspected violent persons.

T he department said it leaned on information gathered by the cameras over the course of investigations into several violent incidents, including an investigation that led to the arrest of two men for a string of armed robberies last September, according to the re port.

According to the re port, Flock provided insight into cases that did not necessarily lead to arrests. Examples of this identified in the re port include the investigation into the murder of Scott Robinson, a 34-year-old Chicago man shot and killed near the intersections of Ridgeland Avenue and Roosevelt Road last November.

According to the re port, Flock cameras identified the car used by the suspects in the killing as stolen and tracked where it maneuvered through the village prior to the shooting. The stolen car was later recovered by authorities in Chicago, but no arrests have been made on murder charges related to Robinson’s slaying.

Senate President Don Harmon addresses an audience at the Oak Park Arms on July 17, as Rep. Camille Lilly looks on.

Topics ranging from Illinois’s response to continuing aggressive and legally questionable tactics by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to senior programs and even the issue of legalizing “human composting,” came up July 17 when some 40 people gathered at the Oak Park Arms Retirement Community to hear State Sen. Don Harmon and State Re p. Camille Lilly. The two Democrats presented their review of the recently concluded legislative session in Springfield, answered questions while addressing constituent concerns.

Also on the list of topics were af fordable housing, consumer protections, pensions and animal cruelty.

Looming over it all was the political polarization in Washington and Springfield, and the anticipated economic pain of loom-

Harmon and Lilly said the $55.2 billion FY 2026 budg et, which not one Re publican voted for, was “a good budg et in a bad year.” T hey touted the fact that the state had balanced its budg et for the seventh consecutive year, was continuing to address pension obligations, and had set aside money to help cover expected gaps in federal funding.

Democratic lawmakers budgeted $2.7 billion for public safety, including money for recruiting and training 200 additional Illinois state troopers. With social safety nets threatened by federal cuts including access to health care, Lilly said, she was gratified that more than $600 million had been appropriated for “safety net” hospitals that underserved communities rely upon for medical care.

DWYER

La Shawn Ford won’t run for 8th District state representative again

Mulch: A Key Ally to Beat the Heat

He announced the news July 15 after ling to run for U.S. Congress in May, but will retire from politics if Danny Davis runs for reelection

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

his district.

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After 17 years as a state representative for Illinois’ 8th district, La Shawn Ford said on July 15 that he won’t be running for reelection come November 2026.

The announcement comes near ly two months after Ford filed with the Federal Elections Commission on May 21 to run for United States Congress in Illinois’ 7th district, a position held by Danny Davis since 1997. Ford said that, if Davis runs next November, he won’t run against him and instead plans to retire from politics

“Once I filed those papers that I was considering running for Congress, I knew at that time I would not run for reelection as state representative,” Ford told Growing Community Media

Last November, Ford was reelected as state representative, a position he’s held since 2007. But with the first day to circulate nominating petitions for his current position coming up on Aug. 5, Ford wants to prepare those who want to be the next state representative for

“It’s only fair that I am able to give full notice before the process starts of circulating petitions so that, if there are people who are interested in running, they have that information,” Ford said. He added that those interested in running for state representative of the 8th district should contact his office for an opportunity to receive some mentorship from Ford

“Being connected to the community is most important, and hopefully [my successor] will continue a relationship with me so that I can be of assistance,” Ford said. Not only does Ford want to collaborate with his own state representative, but also to share what he’s learned from his constituents over nearly two decades in the position. “I hope that anyone who takes on that will continue to have open communication with the district.”

Ford sends out a daily email, full of updates about what he’s doing in office, constituent polling and job opportunities.

“We’ve helped thousands and thousands of people get employed based on our daily job

Dealing with local government and community members in such an intimate way will be one of the biggest things Ford misses about being a state representative. He mentions his role in passing Illinois’ evidence-based model for educational funding, prioritizing schools with the greatest need. He was also involved in passing bills that have brought infrastructure to his district — like the Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation and Christ the King Jesuit College Prep, both in Austin.

“I’ve helped bring money home to those entities and not-fo r- profits, ” Fo rd said. “ Springfield is a p lace where a lot of impactful things happen, and being able to p ass public poli cy is an honor.”

Even if Ford’s political run could be nearing its end, he plans to continue to have a presence on Chicago’s West Side and in the wester n suburbs

“It makes sense to let the community that voted for me 10 times know that I thank them for the years that they’ve entrusted me to re present them in Springfield,” Ford added. “I hope that they’ve been satisfied, and I look forward to working with them more.”

As Ford plans state house exit, open seat draws early bids

The announcement last week, reported exclusively by Austin Weekly News, that state Rep. La Shawn Ford would relinquish his seat in the Illinois House has brought the first contenders the seat in next year’s Democra primary.

Thomas Gary, an Oak Park who has served on the Triton C lege board and in the U.S. Navy Reserve for 27 years, announced late last week that he will run Ford’s seat.

Pastor John J. Harrell, a p tor with both Austin and Provis Township roots, has also filed to run. Harrell is an Austin resident and p of New Hope Baptist Church in Austin. He also leads Proviso Baptist Church in May-

wood and is on the board of Loretto Hospital and Hire 360 Workforce Development. He filed his candidacy with the state on July 10.

Gary currently serves as director of the State Treasurer’s local ver nment investment pool, Illinois Funds. During his tenure, Illinois Funds has grown from under $7 billion to over $22 billion in assets under management.

“Public service is the price pay to make the lives of our neighbors and our communities stronger and safer than how we ound them,” Gary said. “I have voted my life to serving my neighbors and communities. And I have used my deep well of knowledge in government finance to help communities in Austin,

the wester n suburbs, and around Illinois.

“Public service isn’ t just about numbers – it ’s about communities,” Gary said.

“I’ve spent my career making sure taxpayer dollars go further and serve the public better. I’m running to bring that same le vel of inte g rity and impact to the General Assembly.”

Gary has volunteered in Austin serving as Economic Development Task Force co-chair in developing Austin Coming Together’s Quality of Life plan. He also serves on the board for Beyond Hunger, the anti-hunger nonprofit serving swaths of the 7th District. Gary raised his two children, Alex and Maya-Gabrielle, in Oak Park. He lives with his wife, for mer Deputy Gover nor Cristal Thomas, in Oak Park.

— Dan Haley

LA SHAWN FORD

THOMAS GARY

Scott McAdam Jr.

Community awaits impending vote on bike plan

Oak Park trustees will vote on plan that will decide the future of cycling in Oak Park

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

Oak Park will either have a new bike plan, or the transit engineers will have to go back to the drawing board after this week’s meeting of village trustees

T he proposed plan aims to make Oak Park more accessible for cyclists of all ages, with short-term infrastructure additions in the plan including new bike lanes, neighborhood greenway treatment and other road sharing measures. It’s an update to a plan that was first ratified in 2008 and last updated in 2014, according to the village.

Village staf f have said the plan leans on nationwide standards to create a comprehensive plan for the village as governments around the re gion look to improve and modernize bike access in Chicagoland.

If it’s passed, the short-term updates described in the plan will be worked into the village’s 2026-31 capital improvement plan during this f all’s budg et cycle, according to the village

T he proposed plan has earned a cohor t of opponents, many of whom live in south Oak Park either on or near Harvard Street. Harvard Street has become a lynchpin of the discourse around the plan, as the proposal eliminates parking on both sides of the street in favor of striped bike lanes.

Critics say that bike lanes on both sides of the street don’ t make sense for the relatively quiet residential area and that the village hasn’t been consistent or clear on why it believes that bike lanes are

the most appropriate intervention for the road. Harvard Street is low traffic and has had few cyclist involved accidents over the years, opponents have said.

Harvard-area residents also argue that the only parts of the street that exceed the average daily traffic threshold in which experts recommend a bike lane intervention are in front of the schools on the street, which will not be protected by the bike lanes

T hese opponents maintain that they are not against the bike plan as a whole and have said that they would welcome neighborhood greenway treatment on Harvard Street.

Some residents feel that Harvard Street is being singled out as a test case for future village projects which will remove parking from even larger groups of residents in favor of bike lane expansion.

“This isn’ t justified by the traffic volume or speed or the way Harvard is used by cyclists now, the street doesn’t even extend to Harlem,” resident Evan McKensie told Wednesday Journal by email.

“Nothing about this is necessary to the plan. It doesn’t make sense by the terms of the plan itself. So why was the change made? I continue to believe that the plan was changed in order to g enerate opposition from residents, so that the cyclist advocates can make an example of the opponents and silence the opposition when they go for the north-south routes. We are being f alsely portrayed as selfish NIMBYs, not just by the cyclist advocates, but by Wednesday Journal, especially your edito-

rial car toonist.”

Supporters of the plan say that Oak Park needs an east-west bike lane south of the Eisenhower Expressway for the entire village to be accessible for cyclists. To them, Harvard Street makes the most sense out of the available options

“Harvard is most appropriate, it’s not right along the highway, it’s slower, parking utilization is relatively low,” said Sylvia Schweri, a leader of the Bike Walk Oak Park group that’s championed the proposed update in recent months. “It is also so well placed in terms of connecting neighborhood amenities.”

Village staf f also points to the street’s lighted crossings at intersections of busy north-south streets like Ridgeland Avenue and Oak Park Avenue as reasons why Harvard Street is the right choice for south Oak Park’s bike lanes

“The reason Harvard was selected as the east-west route through the village south of I-290 is because it is one of two streets that span the entire village, it is centrally located and has traffic lights at Oak Park Avenue and Ridgeland Avenue, as well as an all-way stop at East Avenue and Lombard,” staf f wrote in the plan’s supporting documents. “This makes crossing the major north-south routes safer and more predictable. Harvard also directly touches three parks and two public schools and several other points of interest.”

“The Bike Plan Update network recommendations detail actions along 20 corridors we will pursue over the coming years, with short-, mid-, and long-ter m

timelines,” village staf f wrote in the plan.

“To meet the plan’s objectives, we must act on different scales – at the intersection, corridor, and village-wide while considering re gional connections. While this plan focuses on infrastructure, we will embrace a holistic approach. T he village must upgrade our infrastructure, test new street designs, and continue to support new policies and progr ams that promote a culture of safety.”

T he proposed short-term plan calls for striped bike lanes on Augusta Street from Cuyler Avenue to Harlem Avenue, and protected bike lanes on Chicago Avenue from Ridgeland Avenue to Kenilworth Avenue.

T he board’s vote on the plan comes about 6 weeks after a rowdy -- by municipal gover nment standards -- meeting that took place June 3, in which do z ens of village residents shared perspectives on the plan.

In the time since that meeting, the board has appointed a new trustee in tech entrepreneur Derek Eder.

Eder spoke in favor of his “deep support” for the bike plan at June 3’s meeting, saying that he and his f amily live in the Harvard area and would welcome bike lanes on the street.

T he village also held a pair of community feedback sessions last week, hearing from a few do z en more residents about the plan. At the meetings, residents recorded their opinions on the plan to be shared with the trustees.

Check Oakpark.com for more coverage following the board’s vote Tuesday night.

Petition organizer eyes Oak Park progress on ballot initiative ordinance

Advisory referendum on the matter passed over whelmingly in November election

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

The young org anizer of a direct democracy focused advisory referendum that passed overwhelmingly in Oak Park last fall is eager to see progress.

Jacob Drews, a recent OPRF graduate and a political science student at Columbia University in New York, was the central organizer behind putting the question “Shall the people of Oak Park have the initiative right to amend and propose ordinances by voter petition and enact those ordinances by voter referendum?” on last November’s ballot.

That question hinged on giving voters the right to make changes in the village more directly. The idea is that if there’s an issue residents feel strongly about, they could organize a petition with a certain number of signatures to bring an ordinance before the village board to vote on.

Voter driven ballot initiatives are a key part of politics in many states, but municipalities that allow them are very rare in Illinois. Arlington Heights is a notable exception, first passing an ordinance allowing ballot initiatives in 1980, according to the Evanston RoundTable.

“It’s just a way for the people of Oak Park to have the same rights that people in thousands of other communities have,” Drews said. “This has been tried and tested across

the country for over 100 years.”

Oak Parkers voted “yes” overwhelmingly, with the advisory referendum winning an 85% majority in a high turnout election that shared a ballot with the U.S. presidential election. In the months since, Drews hasn’t stopped campaigning for the idea.

To him, the village passing this ordinance wouldn’t just be a good faith act following the referendum, it would make a real difference to future generations of Oak Parkers.

“This is a way to get an issue or a solution to the board table,” he said. “We don’t know what the board will look like in 50 years, but this is a way for the people of Oak Park to be involved in those decisions.”

Drews said the number of petition signatures which would be required to put a measure on the ballot would be substantial. And, he said, that while a successful referendum would be required to go on a village board agenda that the board could reject the outcome or it could enter negotiations with three key people involved in pushing the referendum and revise aspects of the

referendum.

Drews also had the help of for mer Illinois Gover nor Pat Quinn, who Drews said has been eager to mentor him through the entire process

Quinn, who served as Illinois’41st governor from 2009 to 2015, previously told Wednesday Journal that Drews work on this issue is a role model for how young people can make a difference in their communities.

“[Drews] believes in this ability of people to discern issues and most importantly to vote on issues,” Quinn told Wednesday Journal last year. “[This can] also inspire other communities in the western suburbs or any other place in Illinois that this can be done. And it can be done by young people.”

The village board has not discussed any sort of draft ordinance on the matter since the advisory referendum passed. Oak Park spokesperson Dan Yopchick said that there is no update from village staf f yet ready to share with the public on the issue, either Still, Drews is confident that the ef fort is

moving in the right direction.

He said he’s met with all of the Oak Park trustees and shared a draft ordinance he prepared with them based on what Arlington Heights has on the books. The conversations have gone well, he said.

“I think I’ve spoken with everyone on the board, I think there’s a lot of positivity,” Drews said. “It’s just about getting it on the agenda.”

In a recent conversation with the Journal Trustee Jim Taglia strongly endorsed the measure.

Drews said that he hopes that village hall will move on this issue soon and mak e Oak Park a statewide leader in voter empowerment.

“It’s a way for us to get more involved and to give the people more of a say and to strengthen our democracy,” he said. “I mean, democracy in a lot of places is receding. These same rights are going under attack in a lot of Republican controlled states. This is a way Oak Park has always been a leader.”

South Boulevard project back on the docket

By LACEY SIKORA Contributing Reporter

On May 22 Oak Park’s Historic Preservation Commission voted not to approve the proposed development at 1035 South Blvd. Architect John Schiess is representing the developers of the 10-story residential build-

ing proposed to be built in the current parking lot of the Boulevard Arcade Building.

After the May meeting, Atefa Ghaznawi, Oak Park’s planner focused on historic preservation, said the developer had three options going forward.

■ Appeal the commission’s decision and request a public hearing

■ Revise the proposal and come back to the commission for a Certificate of Appropriateness Application

■ Withdraw the COA application

So it’s back to square one for Sachem Building LLC and Schiess. Because the developer did not file an appeal request within 15 days of receiving the commission’s deci-

sion in writing, they have to start the process over. Ghaznawi clarified that the ordinance does not allow the developer to file an appeal at this time due to the 15-day deadline. The developer reportedly will attend the commission meeting on July 24 for a COA application. The meeting is at 7:30 p.m., at Village Hall, 123 Madison St

SCREENSHOT/FILE

Jacob Drews, intern and Congressman Danny K. Dav is during a press conference in 2022.

Oak Park debuts online help for police and sta

Por tals will allow people to repor t crimes and other issues

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

Oak Park has opened new ways for people to report issues to both police and village staf f via the village’s website.

Oak Park has launched a new “Police to Citizen” portal that allows people to report non-emergency incidents to police and updated an online form that lets people ask for help from the village on other matters, the village announced this week. The tools offer a new way for residents to get access to services already of fered by village hall.

The Police to Citizen portal can be used to report a variety of non-emergency issues that occur in Oak Park but should not be used to report incidents involving violence.

“This portal can be used for instances that involve theft, lost property or damaged property,” the village said of the program.

“This does not include someone physically taking something from your person or any instance where an injury occurred or a weapon was involved. Some examples of instances where this system can be used, package delivery theft, graffiti on your property, property that is missing from your home or leaving items in a restaurant, items stolen from your garage or yard or ve-

hicle, keying of a vehicle, etc.”

The village said incident reports via the portal that require mental help ser vices follow-ups or other social services support for residents in need will be coor dinated through the village’s E.C.H. gram, the alternative response progr village introduced earlier this year

Residents can also use the portal to quest traffic accident reports. Most of reports can be made available instantl through the portal after a requester $5 fee, but reports on certain accidents li those involving juveniles, significant inju ries, hit-and-run incidents or fatalities will still require a for mal Freedom of Infor tion Act request, the village said.

Oak Park’s newly updated “Rep Issue” online form will make it easier residents to report problems and get help from the appropriate village department, the village said.

“This user-friendly tool allows residents to easily re port non-emergency service requests to the Village of Oak Park,” the village said. “Developed through a collaboration between the village’s Public Works and IT departments and Municipal GIS Par tners, the platfo rm streamlines communication between the public and village staf f.”

Most of the issues well-suited to be reported using that form fall under the Public Works department including problems related to garbage, potholes, streetlights, sidewalks and water and sewer systems.

Residents can also use the online form to make business complaints, re port health issues, animal issues, permit issues and parking issues. You can also submit general questions for village staf f through the form.

Village looks to spark emergency resident loans

Stand alone program aims to boost use of funds

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

Oak Park’s village board approved a proposal from the village staf f to create a standalone emergency loan program for low-income residents who need help paying for emergency home re pairs.

The vote came following recommendations from both the staf f and the village’s Housing Programs Advisory Committee to update the village’s residential rehabilitation loan program guidelines. The recommendations come after a trend in which each of the village’s loan programs have seen low utilization in recent years.

There have been only seven emergency

loans given out by the village over the last 10 years, said Jonathon Burch, director of neighborhood services.

The emergency loan program had low visibility that staf f hopes will be solved through making it its own program, when it had previously been one facet of a larger single-family residential rehabilitation loan program, said Burch

“Staf f embarked upon this after seeing decline in the number of projects we’ve been doing through these rehabilitation programs over a number of years,” he said.

“At one time the goal had been to do 10 projects a year, and in very recent years we’ve been doing between two and three a year, so really a tremendous decline from where we

were a decade or so ago.”

The emergency loans in the now standalone program are paid out by the village interest-free with funds that come from federal Community Development Block Grants. Only residents with incomes below 80% of the Chicago metro area’s median household income are eligible for the program.

The program would apply to households making less than $59,600 a year, based on 2023 income figures.

Loans total a minimum of $500 and a maximum of $5,000 and repayment is due after five years. Money that’s paid back on the loans gets reinvested into the village’s rehabilitation programs, Burch said.

“The benefits of folks who’ve repaid loans in the late ‘90s is funding the rehabilitation work being done in households today,” he said.

These types of programs have existed for many years in the village and support the village’s property standards goals, according to documents submitted to the board.

“A program priority is the upgrading of Oak Park’s housing stock,” staf f wrote in the supporting documents. “Therefore, in cases where owners are poor credit risks, loans may still be made, at the discretion of Neighborhood Services staf f, since the loans are secured by the property, and any ar rearages in repayments can be collected at the time of property transfer.”

With no development options, River Forest eyes parking lot

Parcel near village hall could become a pocket park

By ROBERT J. LIFKA Contributing Reporter

A parking lot across from River Forest Village Hall could be transformed into a pocket park if village officials follow through on a proposal made at the July 14 village board meeting.

The village owns two properties at that location, a parking lot at the southeast cor ner of Lake Street and Park Avenue and a vacant grass lot at 419 Park. Previous ef for ts have been made to market the properties for economic development, along with the privately-owned 7777 Lake Street property that bisects the village properties.

Turning the property into a small park with seating and relaxation areas would increase walkability and green space in line with the village’s Age-Friendly re port and the comprehensive plan. It is one of several suggestions made by Village Administrator Matt Walsh.

“There are a number of potential uses,” he said. “There are a lot of different ways we can think about it.”

Other possibilities he mentioned include public art, a historical display or a water feature; a village message board; and an event space or stage to host village gatherings.

Village President Cathy Adduci supported the pocket park suggestion.

“I just think it’s a good idea,” she said. “Why don’t we

make some green space out of it?”

Walsh explained that the 7,100 square foot lot currently provides parking for village employees and visitors to village hall, along with “a few” residential permit parking holders. Converting the lot into a park or one of the other suggestions would require relocating drivers to another village-owned lot at 418 Franklin Ave. or street parking along Central Avenue.

He said ef for ts by officials to attract developers to purchase all three properties and develop the combined parcel have failed. Those ef forts, which predate his hiring in 2022, were “challenging,” he said. Jack Strand, owner of 7777 Lake, continued to market the property until fall of 2024 when he removed the property listing and is filling the existing property with new tenants, Walsh added. As a result, there is little likelihood of development at the village owned sites in the near future, he added. Adduci ag reed, noting the likelihood of the property coming to market within five or six years is “slim.”

In response to a question from Trustee Katie Brennan, Walsh said staf f members have no plans for the grass lot at 419 Park either leaving it alone or using it for pa rking.

Trustee Erika Bachner supported using the lot as a public gathering spot.

“The Lake/Park parking lot is located at a prime corner within the central commercial district,” Walsh said in a memo to officials. “There is potential to convert the Lake

Street-fronting space to public use that can beautify and complement the corridor better than the current lot.”

He said village staf f members have begun preliminary discussions re garding converting the lot into a public park space. However, the project is not included in the capital improvement program and would not take place until the next fiscal year.

The scope of work could include excavation, grading, landscape design, concrete and purchase of specific design elements. Estimates on cost will depend on the final design and construction.

Although no for mal action was taken, officials directed Walsh to begin planning public eng agement sessions for residents to provide input on potential design elements.

Lights now required on e-bikes and e-scooters in River Forest

E or

t to get ahead of growing safety worries

By ROBERT J. LIFKA Contributing Reporter

Anticipating an increase in the use of e-bikes and e-scooters, especially among young people, River Forest village trustees voted unanimously July 14 to revise the ordinance pertaining to bicycles and motor scooters.

Under the ordinance white front lights and red rear lights will now be required for all types of e-bikes and e-scooters.

Although no documented crashes specifically involving e-bikes and e-scooters with

motor vehicles occurred in the village in 2023-24, police Chief James Greenwood cited safety concerns in recommending revising the ordinance to blend the village’s local ordinance with relevant provisions of the Illinois Vehicle Code. He noted that 18 crashes involving traditional bicycles and motor vehicles occurred over the same period.

“The issue came to the Village of River Forest as concerns from residents and community members,” he said. “There is great concern for the safety of the children that are operating the varying modes of transportation that travel at faster speeds and are not as familiar with traffic laws. Younger kids are less likely to understand or see the significance of stopping at stop signs or familiarity with operating the controls of the devices

“To make matters more worrisome, many of the youngsters are riding without helmets. This is likely the only safety gear that riders wear that can provide them a higher level of protection from serious head injuries in the event of a fall, or worse, a crash with a motor vehicle,” said Greenwood

Village President Cathy Adduci stressed the need to educate youth and their parents about the changes.

“We need to work with D90,” she said, refer ring to the River Forest elementary school district.

Trustee Megan Keskitalo agreed, suggesting that Oak Park and River Forest High School also be contacted Greenwood said another concern is youths riding the devices through parks and on sidewalks

“The bikes are inherently more likely to damage grass and plants due to their potential speeds and weight,” he said. “When pedestrians are walking along, they run the risk of being struck by the rider or the rider having to quickly adjust for the pedestrian that may not hear them or see them coming.

“The risk to the pedestrian is being struck by a heavier machine than a traditional bike or scooter. The risk to the rider is travelling at higher speeds and making a sudden adjustment can cause the rider to lose control and fall or crash.”

Village Administrator Matt Walsh noted that village staff members have recommended that signs be posted in parks in the village

River Forest sorts out changes to ethics code

Right

Error made in 2022 revision is reversed

By ROBERT J. LIFKA Contributing Reporter

Conflict of interest complaints in River Forest are now officially under the jurisdiction of the Ethics Commission following action taken by the village board at its July 14 meeting

Ethics Commission members were under the impression that conflict of interest complaints were their responsibility until January, when such a complaint was filed against a member of the Economic Development Commission. However, when they met to discuss the complaint, they were surprised to learn they were not and that their only jurisdiction related to complaints about prohibited political activities and the gift ban.

village board correct the er ror, commissioners held three meetings over a six-month period to review the entire ordinance. T he revised ordinance was adopted by a unanimous vote at the Ju ly 14 meeting with a few minor changes related to wo rding. C ommission C hair Pe ggy Daley was present at the meeting to answe r q uestions and a ddress c oncerns raised by of ficials.

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Apparently, that section of the ordinance was changed when the ordinance was updated in 2022, a change that Village President Cathy Adduci said was “not intentional” and “made in er ror.”

Monday & Friday 9am-5pm

Rather than recommend only that the

Tue s/Wed/Thurs 9am-7pm Saturday 9am-12pm

In addition to restoring jurisdiction over all ethics complaints to the commission, the revised ordinance includes creating a section on how to make a complaint; redirecting complaints from the village administrator to the ethics commission chair; changing references to “Village covered individuals” to “Village Covered Individuals,” designating the term as a defined term with capital letters; and adding language ensuring that complaints are ke pt anonymous until the commission is required to disclose

website. Each Village Covered Individual will be required to sign a statement affirming they read and understand the ethical standards

Not changed is the commission status as a recommending body, leaving the village board ultimately responsible for enforcement of the code

Continued from previous pa ge

Keskitalo said publicizing the age restrictions for e-scooter riders is impor tant.

“We want to prevent parents from buying an e-bike or e-scooters then learning their kids are too young,” she said.

De ning types of bikes and scooters

Under the revised ordinance, a functioning white front light and red rear light will be required on all types of e-bikes and escooters, including low-speed e-scooters, high-speed e-scooters, all three e-bike classes and out of class (OCEV) e-bikes.

The electric motor on Class 1, 2 and 3 e-bikes is 750 watts or less and that of an OCEV is higher.

Class 1 e-bikes are limited to a top speed of 20 miles per hour and the motor works only when the rider is pedaling. A bike with an electric motor that assists only during pedaling is called a pedelec.

Some bikes have a throttle on the handlebars that offers an extra power boost, but

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A form for making an ethics complaint will be created and ke pt on the village

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on Class 1 e-bikes the throttle works only if the rider is also pedaling.

212 S Marion Street Fl G

Oak Park, IL 60302

Oak Park, IL 60302

Bus: 708-383-3163

Bus: 708-383-3163

www.colinfane.com

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Class 2 e-bikes are also limited to a top speed of 20 miles per hour, but they have throttles that work the motor when the rider is not pedaling.

Monday & Friday 9am-5pm Tues/Wed/Thurs 9am-7pm Saturday 9am-12pm

Monday & Friday 9am-5pm Tues/Wed/Thurs 9am-7pm Saturday 9am-12pm

Class 3 e-bikes can go up to 28 miles per hour and do not have a throttle.

Class 3 and OCEV e-bike riders are required to be at least 16 years old and OCEV riders are required to hold a valid driver’s license. There is no minimum age for Class 1 and 2 e-bike riders.

Class 1, 2 and 3 e-bikes are allowed where bicycles are allowed but Class 2 and 3 ebikes are not allowed on sidewalks and OCEV e-bike use is restricted to roads.

E-scooters are classified as low-speed and high-speed. Low-speed e-scooters weigh 100 pounds or less; have two or three wheels; and are limited to a top speed of 10 miles per hour. High-speed e-scooters have no restrictions.

Riders of both e-scooter types must be at least 18 years old. Both types are allowed on roads and bike lanes but low-speed escooters also are allowed on sidewalks and high-speed e-scooters are not.

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Good Trouble protest draws 200 to Longfellow Park

With signs aloft, protesters hear honking support from passing cars

By JONAH CLARK Contributing Reporter

Approximately 200 members of the Oak Park community gathered Thursday evening to participate in the Good Trouble protests, a nationwide movement to commemorate the five-year anniversary of the death of John Lewis a leader of the Civil Rights Movement and to protest the Trump administration. These protests took place from 5 to 7 p.m. at Longfellow Park

Attendees lined both sides of Ridgeland Avenue, protesting as many cars drove by honking their horns in support.

According to the Good Trouble Lives On website, the day of protests was “a National Day of Action to respond to the attacks on our civil and human rights by the Trump administration.”

The demonstration was org anized by Cong re gations Networking for Social Justice, an Oak Park faith-based activism group. The group also org anized the Hands Of f! and the No Kings protests in Oak Park.

Cynthia Breunlin, the lead org anizer, said the goal was to “get reco gnition for how much the people object to the policies. We are outraged, it’s not political red or blue, we are outraged.”

Breunlin said that 130 people re gistered but estimated that closer to 200 people were in attendance.

“If we don’t do something … this country will become an autocracy, and we will lose the Democratic re public we’ve had for 200 years,” said Mark Podolner, a protester at the event.

Across the nation, more than 1,500 communities participated in the Good Trouble protests, including demonstrations in Downtown Chicago and other suburbs

“We the people object, we care about due process, we care about the rule of law, and no person should be above the law,” said Breunlin.

The demonstration started in the park at Jackson and Ridgeland with a performance from the Oak Park Raging Grannies, a group that puts a political spin on classic songs. After that, the group moved

line Ridgland Avenue at Long fellow Park for the Good

from the park to Ridgeland Avenue and started chanting.

One of the protesters, Anya Bida said, “It’s up to us, each of us, we are the change we are looking for.”

Several attendees called for the removal of President Donald Trump from office.

“We want the government to start following the law … like the Supreme Court to make them follow the law, like to change the Congress in [20]26 and start impeachment proceedings and remove Trump from office,” said a protester who asked to be anonymous.

During the Civil Rights Movement, Lewis helped org anize many marches and protests. He played a vital role in leading the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery with Hosea Williams. The march, which was later referred to as Bloody Sunday, ended with police brutality incidents against peaceful protesters. According to the National Archives, on Bloody Sunday 58 peo-

ple, including Lewis, were taken to the local Selma hospital after being attacked by Alabama state troopers. Lewis suf fered a skull fracture during the incident.

Later in his life, Lewis was elected to re present Georgia’s fifth congressional district. He served from 1986 until his death in 2020 from pancreatic cancer, a total of 17 terms. During Trump’s first term, Lewis was strong in the resistance movement.

Breunlin hoped more lawmakers would take strength from that example. Breunlin said, “We’ re waiting for Congress and our re presentatives to stand up and speak out as we are.”

The term “Good Trouble” is a reference to a line famously re peated by Lewis. “Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.”

Jonah Clark is a re porter for The Trape ze, the Oak Park and River Forest High School newspaper, and a contributing re porter for Wednesday Journal.

TODD BANNOR

Protesters

Trouble Lives on Protest on July 17, 2025.

Cook Dems endorse former Oak Parker Croke for State Comptroller

Harmon, Welch split on suppor t

By BILL DWYER Contributing Reporter

Come 2027, Don Harmon may not be the only Oak Park native with a high-profile role in Illinois state government.

COMMUNIT Y CENTER

Squabble with RF township from

page 1

(sublease) ag reements without approval and failing to provide required re porting” to the civic center authority.

Dick Chappell, the community center’s longtime executive director, said the relationship between the center and the civic center authority “has never been challenging until recently.” He said he was optimistic the situation could be resolved after a meeting last week. However, he disputed the township/civic center leaders position that there is something untoward in the multiple subleases it has in place.

Those leases include long term space rental to both Opportunity Knocks, a nonprofit working with individuals with developmental delays, and Oak Park and River Forest High School, which has operated CITE, its program for life skills training for young people who have aged out of high school but require state mandated support. Also at issue are other subleases to entities which provide enrichment services to the center’s daycare students as well as to the public within the center’s space.

Becvar said officials for mally notified the center of its alle ged breaches via email in March and allotted the center 60 days to respond and resolve the issues. He said they failed to do so.

What followed was a chain of stor my events. At the authority’s May public meeting, its Board of Managers voted to end its ag reement with the center if the two parties could not reach a mutual solution by July 31.

On Friday, the Cook County Democratic Party endorsed for mer Oak Park resident and 2010 Oak Park and River Forest High School graduate Margaret Noble Croke for the office of State Comptroller in next March’s primary. Croke appeared before county Democratic ward and township committeemen Friday morning at the IBEW Union Hall on the near southside, to make her case for their support.

Chappell said the center has a lease management ag reement with the township/ civic center authority which runs through June 30, 2028.

Becvar said the township/authority met with the center late last week and outlined five possible pathways forward.

“We asked to work through the issues that we have, and we’re having a really hard time working with them to get to the point,” Becvar said. “Obviously, we want to work with the community center. We would welcome them to work with us if we could find a way for everyone to be in the building in the long ter m.”

Becvar’s view of the current subleases is that they were made without the approval of the civic center authority as the owner of the building. That is in breach of the existing contract, he said.

Becvar said the center was expected to cancel, effective June 30, 2023, all prior and future lease ag reements. As of that date, the Opportunity Knocks sublease ended and the center entered into a month-tomonth arrangement with the local nonprofit, which Becvar said was not presented to the authority. He also said the center did not have a payment for space relationship with OPRF.

Chappell said that for many years the center and the high school had a non-cash reciprocal ag reement in which OPRF held the CITE program at the center while the center operated the childcare program at OPRF.

Becvar said the authority first received the proposed Opportunity Knocks lease and the OPRF lease via email from Chappell on Feb. 17, 2025. However, he said, the authority did not provide verbal or written approval for the center to enter into either ag reement and at the March 2025 author-

Harmon and Chris Welch, house speaker, split on backing Croke. Harmon raised concerns that the planned slate did not include either an Hispanic or Asian candidate and was Chicago-tilted.

In her current job as Illinois House 12th District Re p., which she has held since 2020, Croke re presents the Chicago neigh-

See CROKE on pa ge 19

ity board meeting, officials voted unanimously to not allow the center to enter into the Opportunity Knocks lease. Despite this vote, the center re por tedly collected further rent payments from Opportunity Knocks for April and May 2025.

OPRF has now terminated its sublease ag reement and is moving out of the building by July 31, 2025 to a new location in Forest Park. Meanwhile, Opportunity Knocks is working with the authority to create a new lease agreement for the future.

Also housed in the building is the center’s early childhood and before and after school programs.

Sagar Upadhyaya and Stacey Hultgren recently moved to River Forest and their two children are in the center’s daycare. They are concerned about the future of the center’s childcare program and what the cur rent confusion means for their children, Upadhyaya said. Hultgren attended the public meeting July 15 and said it was “palpable” in the meeting “how passionate people are about the center.

“I would love to see them come to a resolution and allow for their community center to remain within the building, because losing that resource, to us personally, would be a massive disruption in our day to day, in terms of childcare. But based on what I heard being at that meeting, it would be a massive disruption to the community as a whole,” Hultgren said. “I just want to see the community center remain a vibrant part of this community.”

Becvar said the authority values and appreciates the center’s early childhood programming and that they reco gnize that it has a “g reat” early childhood program.

The authority also found that the center was in breach of its ag reement by failing to provide contractually required re port-

ing to the authority on the building’s operations and finances. The authority estimates that $5 million in capital re pairs will be necessary over the next three to five years to re place the leaking roof and dated HVAC system and update the building’s fire detection and suppression system, alarms and security system, interior bathrooms and parking lot.

Though taxpayers do not currently fund the building, aside from the monthly rent the township pays to the center for its own office space, there are active discussions taking place to merge the authority into the township so taxpayer money can be used to supplement the building’s rental income and support any necessary re pairs. The authority is also in discussion with current and prospective tenants about what capital contributions they can make.

In the meantime, Becvar said the Authority has asked the Community Center to meet on a weekly basis and that they are “hopeful” that the two groups can reach a mutual ag reement that allows the center to stay in the building ahead of the next public meeting taking place August 19.

“We have a statutory obligation to follow certain laws, and we have a contract with them that they have re peatedly breached, and we need to preserve our rights, because we expect in the near future that we are going to have to inject taxpayer dollars into the building to save the building,” Becvar said.

Chappell said the nonprofit community center has always been self-sustaining and operates without taxpayer support. “We are self-supporting. Everything has to make economic sense for us. If we were in the dire straits some suggest we’d be out of business.”

MARGARET NOBLE CROKE

MARGARET NOBLE CROKE/FACEBOOK

PROFESSIONAL

Oak Park police investigate sexual battery incident

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

Oak Park police are investigating a reported sex crime that occurred near the village’s downtown last week, according to police.

An Oak Park resident was walking in the 800 block of Ontario Street shortly after midnight July 17 when they were approached by a man. The man then reportedly exposed himself and began masturbating before groping the victim, according to police.

The victim re por tedly hit the attacker in self-defense before the suspect fled northbound on Kenilworth Avenue on a bicycle, according to police.

Domestic battery arrest

A 26-year-old Chicago woman turned herself in to Oak Park police last week on domestic battery charges.

The warrant for her arrest was re portedly connected to an incident that occurred in the 1000 block of South Lombard Avenue in the village, with the victim being another Chicago resident.

Car burglary

Police are investigating an incident in which thousands of dollars in stolen goods were re por tedly taken from a car. Suspects gained entry to an Oak Park

resident’s Volkswagen SUV that was parked overnight in the 200 block of South Maple Avenue last week and stole designer goods. The suspects re por tedly stole a pair of Balmain sneakers, three pairs of Nike sneakers, a pair of Versace sunglasses and a pair of headphones, according to police. The overall value of the stolen goods is estimated at $2,200, according to police.

DUI arrest

A 34-year-old Berwyn woman was arrested by Oak Park police and charged with driving under the influence, according to police.

Police stopped the woman while she was driving in the 700 block of North Elmwood Avenue.

She was arrested shortly after 2:30 a.m. July 18 and released from custody with a citation and a notice to appear in court, according to police.

These items were obtained from Oak Park’s Police Department re ports dated June 25–30 and re present a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these re ports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We re port 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 a description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.

HARMON & LILLY Report on state budget

from page 5

In addition, there were appropriations as large as $700 million for the Community Care Progr am that provides in-home care services for seniors, to an additional $8 million for the state’s Home Delivered Meals progr am.

T he two senior legislators heard concerns over the looming revenue losses to Illinois from the Trump administration’s ag gressive cuts to funding across numerous categories, including Medicaid and Medicare, the SNAP food assistance program and education.

When an attendee asked about the recent Supreme Court r uling allowing the Trump administration to go forward with the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education, Harmon re plied, “This crystalizes the dilemmas we’re facing.”

“The question for us is, when the Department of Education goes away, do the federal dollars go away? We’re trying to figure that out,” Harmon said, adding,

“You can’ t predict the unpredictable.”

Harmon expressed frustration at the fiscal burden placed on Illinois and other large Northern and western states that pay more into the federal system than they get back.

“Illinois is a donor state. We send so much more money to Washington than we g et back,” he said. “Ironically it is some of the red states that are recipient states.”

He said many people also don’ t really grasp the facts of who will be most hur t but defunding social progr ams.

“I think there are some people in Washington who think that if they cut food programs (and) Medicaid, they ’re gonna hur t a lot of Black people, and a lot of Brown people,” Harmon said. “They ’re gonna hurt a lot of white people (since) most of the people on gover nment support programs are white folks in rural America.”

After a pause, he said, “I don’ t know what this reality TV show is about, but it’s not one I want to be part of.”

When an audience member asked about Re publican criticism of local law enforcement in northern Illinois not working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents (ICE) to arrest suspects, Harmon said the Illinois Trust Act, which was

signed in to law in 2017 by Re publican Gov. Bruse Rauner, has been routinely mischaracterized.

“Some of the folks in Washington like to call (Illinois) the ‘sanctuary state,’ or something that sounds sinister,” Harmon said. “All it really says is that the federal ICE agents can’t come in and make our local police officers help them on things in which the local police don’t have any role.”

Local law enforcement, he said, “should be controlling our streets, wor rying about traffic, arresting people who’ve committed crimes.”

“If (ICE has) a court ordered warrant for someone’s arrest, they can work with local police,” he said. However, he said, that does not include “people in masks, without badges, just coming in and arresting people,” as happened in Los Angeles Harmon mocked the “flip flopping” by the Trump administration and “let’s arrest farm workers, let’s not arrest farm workers, let’s go back to arresting farm workers.”

“Our economy depends on immigration,” he said. “It always has.”

Lilly said the political polarization in Springfield is puzzling. “The other side of the aisle votes no on everything,” she

Our Century, Your New Beginning.

said. “And I’m like, ‘You don’ t want these things?’ T hey vote no on every budg et that spends money for education, that spends money for healthcare, spends money for housing, spends money for senior services.”

“We do that with our budg et every year, and the other side of the House votes no.”

Harmon said he likes many of the Republicans he works with, despite all the disag reements, but can’t fathom their reasoning.

“I asked my Re publican colleagues ‘How do you vote no on that,” said Harmon. “It’s really the Goldilocks defense It was too hot, it was too cold. It was too big, it was too small, it was too thick, it’s too thin. They can always justify a no vote based on one particular thing.”

“We need to g et past the theatrics, the performative part of politics,” Harmon said. “Unlike some other people in politics, I’m not in charge of a reality TV show that appears to be what’s happening in the White House.”

“We have a responsibility to govern, and to put aside those dif ferences.”

“The important part is that we stay focused on what is needed for the citizens,” Lilly said, “and that is what we do in Springfield.”

TBy LACEY SIKORA Real Estate Contributing Reporter

he bulk of Oak Park and River Forest’s residential landscape has been filled in for a long time — most residential areas were built up almost 100 years ago. Historic homes lining neighborhood streets are a part of the wallpaper of living in the villages, and a newly built home is somewhat of a rarity.

There are typically two ways developers or homeowners can build new: they either tear down an existing home or they find an older home on two lots where the owner is willing to sell of f their extra property.

The home at 1437 Ashland in River Forest falls into the latter category. The historic brick home to its north, which legend has it once served as a convent to nearby St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church, once sat on a very large lot. A few years ago, the owner sold of f a portion of the lot to the south of her home, and a developer jumped

Rare new construction home hits the market in River Forest

Six bedrooms spread across three levels

on the opportunity to build a new home in this established neighborhood

Dan Halperin of @properties is marketing the home for $2,199,500 and says of the 5,275 square foot house, “It’s a large house but very livable in scale.”

The house boasts six bedrooms and four-andone-half baths over three levels. Halperin says that contractor John Grant took over one year to build the home and remarks, “He researched and did the best quality I’ve ever seen in new construction.”

The entryway, with an office on one side and the garage and mudroom to the other, leads to an open floor plan living space. The kitchen and the living room span the back of the house and face the backyard. In the kitchen custom pale wood cabinets and white cabinets create a neutral backdrop

High-end appliances are part of the package, and a pocket door opens to a walk-in pantry with a full

See NEW CONSTRUCTION on pa ge 18

FROM THE GROUND UP: New construction home at 1437 Ashland Avenue in River Forest.

NEW CONSTRUCTION

5,275 square feet

from page 16

sink and plenty of storage room.

The for mal dining room features more custom cabinetry with built-in lighting, a wet bar and a wine refrigerator. The 10-foot ceilings on the first floor make the space feel airy and open.

The second floor is home to four of the bedrooms and an upstairs laundry room. The primary bedroom feels like a separate

There are two walk-in closets so large that Halperin states the owners won’t even need a dresser in the main bedroom for clothes storage. The primary bath features a soaking tub, separate shower and two vanities.

One bedroom on the second floor features a private bathroom, and the other two bedrooms share a bathroom between them. Al of the bathroom floors are heated, and the closets are professionally organized. Halperin points out the attention to detail in the built-in shelves in all smaller bedrooms — perfect for kids to display their favorit belongings

Another bonus of new construction is full-height finished lower level with ninefoot ceilings. The developer is letting the

buyer choose what type of flooring to install in the basement. Halperin notes that some might want to use the two bedrooms on this level as bedrooms, and others might see them as office or playroom space, so it makes sense to let the buyers decide how to finish the space.

With large egress windows throughout the lower level, this space is a far cry from a typical dreary basement. There is a full bathroom on this level, as well as additional laundry hook ups. A family room

on this level features a bar with industrial pipe open shelving, a sink and a beverage refrigerator.

The two homes on either side are set back on their lots, af fording privacy in the yard. A contemporary home in the midst of historic houses, 1437 Ashland was constructed to be a modern addition to the block.

Halperin, who not only sells house but often rehabs local houses himself, says of the home, “I’m know I’m biased, but I think it’s a special house.”

A spacious deck and back yard too.

Wide open and airy is the plan for living room, dining room and kitchen.

CROKE

OPRF graduate from page 13

borhoods of La keview, Lincoln Pa rk , including the Boystown neighborhood, the N ear Northside, Old Town and Uptown. S he lives in Lincoln Pa rk with her husb and, Patrick, and their three children.

In a press release We d nesd ay, Croke thanked outgoing C omptroller S usana Mendoza for her servic e, mentioning seve r al a ccomplishments wh ich she said, “set an example for responsible stewardship of taxp ayer dollar s. ”

“ I’m gr ateful for her leadership and the strong path she has charted in the c omptroller’s offic e, ” Croke said of Mendoza. Croke’s c oncluding sentence in the release p ivoted from congratulatory to promotional as she for the first time publicly alluded to the personal q ualities, q ualifications and values she would bring to the C omptroller’s of fic e.

“Wi th chaos unfolding at the national level, I llinoisans need steady state leadership and d eser ve a c omptroller who is prep ared to lead with transparency, efficiency, and inte g rit y, ” she said.

Croke reiterated that in a statement released F riday through her c ampaign, expressing her gr atitude to pa rt y officials for the endorsement and vowing i ntegrity and transparency.

“This is a c ritical moment in time and now more than ever I llinois needs a c omptroller who will lead with honesty, protect our most v ulnerable populations, and bring fiscal responsibility to state gove r nment, wh ich is exactly wh at I’ve a dvo cated for throughout my time in the General A ssembly,” Croke said, “ I’m

ready to bring that same principled leadership to this offic e, serving as a watchdog for taxp ayer d ollars and ensurin g transparency and a ccountability for eve ry Illinois family.”

Croke will face at least two o pponents in the March 17 Democratic primary; La ke C ounty Treasurer Holly Kim, and far west suburban 25th District Stat e S enator Karina Vi lla.

T he C ook C ounty Democratic Pa rt y endorsement is a huge advantage in a c ounty that c ounts for more than 40 pe rc ent of the Democratic vote in statewide elections. In 2022, Gove r nor JB P ritzker rece ived j ust under 45 percent of hi s vote from C ook C ounty, and Mendoza go t 78,000 more votes than Pritzker

T he endorsement carries more than j ust bragging rights; it c omes with c ampaign adve rt ising suppo rt and c ampaign field wo rker s, b oth highly valuable components of any statewide campaign

T he endorsement is even more important given that Democrats next spring will be asked to choose between politically seasoned female candidates of distinct ethnicity from three varied areas of northern Illinois; Croke, from Chicago, Kim, of Asian heritage, from Lake County, and Villa, an Hispanic State Senator from far west suburban West Chicago re presenting parts of DuPage and K ane c ounties

Th at p olitical reality led to c ontroversy F riday; Capitol News I llinois’s Andrew Adams re ported that the c omptroller endorsement “sparke d an i ntra-pa rt y fight, with House Speaker Chris Welch on one s ide and S enate President Don Harmon on the other.” Welch backed Croke, wh il e Har mon backed Vi lla.

Harmon told CNI that his c oncern was over a lack of ethnic re presentation on the slate. “We have a slate that d oes not

BREAKING

have any re presentation from the Latino C aucus, no re presentation from the Asian C aucus, no one from outside the city of Chicago. I think this is the problem,” Harmon said, a dding, “I wo rr y that the pa rt y was more divided than evid enced by the final outcome. But it’ll be up to the voter s. ”

T he comptroller’s office was created by the 1970 I llinois C onstitution. It re p laced and expanded the old Office of the Auditor of Public Accounts and provide s fiscal transparency through oversigh t of the fiscal a ccounting for the state. Bes ides maintaining the state’s c entral fisc al accounts, the office provides monthly debt transparency re por ts to the General A ssembly and produces an annual financial re po rt “summarizing the reve nues, expenditures, f und b alance and debt of units of local gove r nment throughout the state.”

Croke, who earned de grees in political science and communications from the University of Michig an after graduating OPRF, served as the statewide Women’s Outreach Director for JB Pritzker’s first campaign in 2018, and on his transition team. She then worked as de puty chie f of staf f for the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, where she “managed various special economic development projects...”

Croke has had a swift rise within Democratic ranks since she defeated appointed incumbent Jonathan “Yoni” Pizer in 2020 in a five-way primary. After Pizer was appointed to fill the State House vacancy left when long time State Re p. Sara Feig enholtz was appointed to the State Senate, Croke took him on, despite Pizer being endorsed by Feigenholtz, then-mayor Lori Lightfoot, 44th Ward alderman Tom Tunney, Cong ressman Mike Quigley, Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin and the

Chicago Sun-Times

But Croke, who has a strong record of civic eng agement and enviable political connections, had the endorsement and financial support of Pritzker, and was also endorsed by the Chicago T ribune, City Clerk Anna Valencia and 24th Ward Alder man Michael Scott Jr.

She also had the suppo rt of Democratic me ga donors Michael and Cari Sack s, and smaller donations from Cong ressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, Cong resswoman Nikki Budzinski and for mer Cong resswoman Cherie Bustos.

Croke did not hesitate to assert herself or criticize local party leaders. After Tunney and other ward committeemen voted to appoint Pizer to the Feigenholtz vacancy just over a month before the primary, Croke publicly blasted the process, telling Chicago Magazine’s Edward McClelland that “Chicago Democratic Party insiders rubber stamped the appointment of Jonathan Pizer in an attempt to boost his chances in the March primary election.” Croke beat Pizer, 45.8% to 41.4%, in what has been her only close election so far. She ran unopposed in the 2020 g eneral election.

In 2022, after r unning unopposed in the primary, she crushed Re publican George Kemper, taking 80.2% of the vote, a more than 23,000 vote margin.

In the spring of 2022, Croke also won a three-candidate race for 6th District Democratic State Central committeewoman, gar nering 37.85% of the vote against Nancy Sheperdson (32.57%) and then-MWRD board member Mariyana T. Spyropoulos (29.57%). Spyropoulos went on to be elected Cook County Clerk. Croke re placed sixterm Committeewoman Cynthia Santos, an ally of for mer Illinois House Speaker Michael Madig an.

ainor: Festival Theatre’s

enchanted evening

VIEWPOINTS

A little humility adds credibility

Irecently learned about the concept of “epistemic humility.” It’s a fancy phrase for a simple idea: I might be wrong. It’s the awareness that our understanding is limited, and the willingness to question even our most strongly held beliefs. It means being humble in our perspective, cautious in what we claim, and curious enough to keep asking questions — especially of ourselves at happens when that mindset is missing from our public life?

e all seen it: public debate in Oak Park often leans ward certainty over curiosity. Whether it’s about bike lanes, elopments, or how we dispose of our leaves, our conrsations too often collapse into loud assertions, sweeping eneralizations, and personal anecdotes delivered as gospel

One recent letter to the editor argued that the Madison Street bike lanes are a failure because the writer has only er seen “seven total bicyclists riding in them.” (https:// oakpark.com/2025/07/01/do-we-really-need-bike-lanes) hey admitted they don’t regularly drive or ride on Madison, ut added that a friend who does has “never” seen a cyclist either. That’s the extent of the evidence offered to argue that the lanes aren’t needed. (A pity they never saw me biking my daughters to and from preschool each morning on those very bike lanes — cute enough to charm any skeptic!)

CHAVAS

This is what researchers call “anecdotal absolutism”: treating limited personal experience as objective fact. It ignores the presence of data, the experiences of others, and the complexity of public decisions. It reduces a shared public investment into a personal grievance.

And it has real consequences

It makes those who voice alter native views feel unheard, their experiences dismissed. It puts the onus on them to keep defending their place in the conversation. When someone says, “Nobody wants this,” what they really mean is: I don’t want this, and I don’t want to consider that others might. That kind of dynamic doesn’t just stifle dialogue, it exhausts the people trying to participate in it. Goodness knows we parents of young children are exhausted enough already.

I’ve been guilty of this too. Of course I have! Embracing this level of humility is hard. We Oak Parkers are a passionate bunch, and I too have felt strongly about issues and spoken from a place of certainty. But I’m working on it because epistemic humility isn’t just good for debate; it’s good for community

Robert Milstein recently exemplified epistemic humility in action in his response to Josh VanderBerg’s piece on housing development (https://www oakpark. com/2025/07/15/equity-must-anchor-our-housing-solutions). He opens by acknowledging shared values, then raises thoughtful concerns without assuming his view is the only correct one. He focuses on policy, not personalities, and frames their perspectives as complementary rather than oppositional. Most importantly, he invites continued dialogue. His letter is a rare but powerful example of disagreement handled with care — grounded in shared purpose, infor med by evidence, and open to collaboration.

These are values that help community conversation thrive. Let’s practice them more often.

Nicole Chavas has lived in Oak Park for five years. She believes everyone’s perspective matters, no matter how long they’ve lived here.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS FRIDAY 5 P.M.

Call Viewpoints editor Ken Trainor at 613-3310 ktrainor@wjinc.com

Reverse racism has become a standard trope on the right.

Were I to have coined such a phrase, it would have been “obverse racism,” since the idea of “reverse racism” resides in the idea that everything is a coin flip and has a single opposite. It derives from a sort of concrete thinking that sees everything in absolute ter ms – in this case, perfectly black and white.

In our local weekly newspaper recently a letter-writer parroted the mantra of the right, complaining it was distressing that the Village next door to ours, Oak Park, maintained its diversity, equity and inclusion program despite her thinking “DEI was dead.” She went on, “Such positions across the country have been removed due to the obvious racism DEI embraced.”

The proud barrenness of thinking in these sentiments — never mind the paucity of empathy — is stunning, drawn, quite possibly, from a chyron on a certain cable channel.

More revealing, though, is that the current administration’s regressive campaign has permitted many such voices to openly announce their resentment against, and disdain for, exposure and correction of historic wrongs. It’s revealing that the resentment and disdain focus, as this letter-writer did, almost entirely on racial diversity, equity and inclusion and the sense that white people are suffering discrimination from DEI. Because from the beginning, DEI has had a broad scope, seeking to recognize and come to grips with the struggles of women, non-white people, the disabled, the aged, the sexually non-binary, and the marginalized of all sorts in our society Not to state the obvious, but white people in our nation are, comparatively speaking, in fine fettle. Their forebears were not enslaved people, and they don’t have to live with unremitting otherness and the gratingly negative assumptions that come with

OUR VIEWS

RF e-bike regs

As Oak Park moves forward, we hope, in adopting its thoroughgoing bike plan, we also appreciate the decision in River Forest to put at least some modest guardrails around the use of e-bikes and e-scooters.

Those are the devices that are always lurking, creeping, flying by you as you walk or drive. Surely you’ve had the experience of exclaiming to yourself as the 12-yearold kid with the 5-year-old little brother hanging on to hips or handlebars go blithely along – neither with a helmet, which might contain their brains in case of an accident.

In River Forest a new ordinance requires both headlights and taillights on all such amped-up bikes and scooters. While we are not fans of cops stopping cars for a failed taillight, we won’t mind seeing some enforcement mechanism in this circumstance. The ordinance that aligns the village with state code also assigns required ages to specific forms of transit.

Small progress, but worthy

Stand up for public media

If there was a moment’s doubt that there is a determined effort out of the Trump administration to upend independent, fact-based news reporting in America, the clawing back by Congress of $1.1 billion in already approved funding to public media across this country dispels any illusion. Our deep concern goes out to public radio and TV stations, especially those in small towns where local funding and programming are most limited

This won’t be easy either at the combined WBEZ/SunTimes nonprofit newsroom or at WTTW. Like many of you, many of us at Growing Community Media are already donors to these essential Chicago news operations. And we’ll likely try to dig a little deeper. Hope you will, too. Growing Community Media receives no dollars from the federal gover nment. So we don’t face any loss of revenue.

What’s clear to us though is that building out a model for sturdy, authentic local news in America has never been more important than right this minute. And our nonprofit model relies on you, each reader, to consider investing in our reporters, in our hard work

We choose to see this as an additive process We want you to support BEZ. Now. And we want you to become a monthly recurring donor to the Jour nal, Austin Weekly, the Review in Forest Park, or our Riverside-Brookfield Landmark. A monthly donation at any dollar amount is valuable to us

All of us, right now, need more reporting, more eyes, more holding power to account.

Stand up straight with public media and Growing Community Media

e spell of an Austin Gardens evening

There are a good many reasons to spend time sitting in the green amphitheater of Austin Gardens on a fine midsummer evening, even if you’re not a of William Shakespeare, even if don’t like a particular play.

Fortunately, Twelfth Night was a good one Festival Theatre’s Sunday performances which start an hour earlier (7 p.m.), featur late-day sunlight splashed against the trees that overtower the stage, with cicadas ho like a Greek chorus. The Park District of Oak Park, Festival’s longtime sponsor, in honor of this, their 50th season of outdoor Shakespeare, gifted the troupe a new LED lighting system — which wasn’t need in the first act, but worked to beautiful effect in the second when night finally fell.

TRAINOR

The spell of an Austin Gardens evening extends beyond the stage with fireflies pulsing like fairies in the enchanted forested backdrop and actors appearing and disappearing from every direction. The lovely pastel blue and orange stage with Mediterranean tiled floor glows in the LED-lit deep dark, allowing any avid suspender of disbelief to enter this Elizabethan universe, filled with Greek gods and magical “elephants … excrements … elements!” (as Sir Toby articulates it during his drunken revelry)

ommoners steal the show. Festival mainstay vin Theis has a ball playing the aptly named by Belch (whose inebriation is a tour de so to speak). Theis long ago established his dramatic chops, but here he proves a gifted complemented nicely by his characfoil, the pompous-assed Puritan, yellowstockinged and cross-gartered like no Malvolio in the history of Shakespearean productions, yed with no-holds-barred gusto by Josh enter

he play works its way through a confused triangle and resolves in a happy-ever-after quadrangle, just as you like it, as you would have scripted it yourself, but the plot devices are fueled by the “wise fools” and why not?

But enough of the setting. Let’s get down to business, which begins with a casket ominously stationed in the middle of the stage, holding the brother of the griefstricken Olivia (Madison Kiernan) and the Duke of Orsino (Evan Ozer) launching the script with the famous, never fully explained, first line: “If music be the food of love, play on.”

What stingy audience could begrudge them anything after a beginning like that? A shipwreck ensues and a young woman, saved from the waves, dresses as a young man, disguised for her safety, grieving her presumed-lost identical twin brother. Shakespeare loved his cross-dressing, cross-gendered, cross-gartered, star-crossed tales of mistaken identity, and Festival Theatre has long been a gender-neutral zone, so make of all this “What You Will” as the Bard subtitled his airy frivolity.

You have to work hard to take this play seriously, so it’s best to surrender early and go with the frolicking flow Shakespeare typically constructed his plays with parallel plot lines, nobles and ignobles, a kind of theatrical Upstairs/Downstairs, one stuffy and serious, the other bawdy and earthy, seeking some cosmic balance.

In this production the emphasis is inverted as the

Shakespeare’s playful wit doesn’t elicit nearly the laughs that J. Cody Hunt’s Sir Andrew Aguecheek (possibly the Bard’s best name ever) generates during his pathetic (but wellchoreographed) attempt at a swordfight — accompanied by ample giggles from the kids in the audience.

Kudos to director Peter Andersen (Festival’s new artistic director as well), for better pacing and modulation on the delivery of lines, which is my pet peeve about Shakespeare plays that don’t trust their audiences to handle the silences and pauses that quality acting is heir to. One of the brighter young talents, Ama Kuwonu (as Viola/Cesario), did succumb to the infamous Shakespearean shouting trap as her voice grew hoarse in the second half — unnecessary since the sound system is much improved, rendering voices fully audible.

But that’s quibbling. The well-oiled chicanery, pratfalls, slapstick, tomfoolery and buffoonery finds greatness thrust upon it (another famous line hiding here), achieving midsummer night madness, nonsense at its noblest. Comedy has always been Festival’s forte — and, in some ways, also Shakespeare’s, who elevates our highest aspirations and wallows in our lowest common denominator with equal fervor. There are no villains here, only the pompous, tumbling off their pedestals, fools and wise fools on parade. Comedy, they say, is hard, but Festival and the Bard make seriously silly look easy. It is their gift.

Do look this gift horse in the mouth (not Shakespeare). Go and see Twelfth Night some enchanted evening soon. Four weeks left in Festival Theatre’s production of ‘Twelfth Night.’ Performances are Thursdays through Sundays (plus two Wednesdays) through Saturday, Aug. 16, starting at 8 p.m. (7 p.m. on Sundays). For tickets, visit oakparkfestival.com

Grab your green while going green

Have you been thinking of buying an EV (electric vehicle), making your property more energy-efficient, or upgrading to clean electric energy? If so, don’t wait! Federal tax credits that make such investments more af fordable will expire soon, thanks to the Trump administration’s anti-environment policies.

You have only until this Sept. 30 to get a $7,500 tax credit toward the purchase of a new EV or $4,000 toward a used one, or until Dec. 30 for tax credits to offset the cost of getting a building energy audit, weatherizing your home or commercial property, or installing solar panels, heat pump HVAC, and more. A home EV charger must be in service by June 30, 2026, to ear n a tax credit. (Details at https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/cleanenergy/tax-credit-changes-trump-law.)

Meanwhile, don’t overlook the village of Oak Park’s Energy Grant program, which could give you up to $10,000 for energy efficiency investments in your home or residential property. Spread the word!

Wendy Greenhouse Oak Park

From bank to village hall?

U.S. Bank, by closing their location on Oak Park Avenue, has given Oak Park trustees a great solution to a long-ter m problem. This historic building would be the perfect location for our village hall. Centrally located and close to parking and transit, it would be a convenient location for all Oak Parkers.

Of course it would need renovations and updates, but who wants to see it sit empty for decades like other large properties in our town have done? It has good bones and the right look for a building of prominence.

The existing village hall could then be converted to the dedicated police facility the village needs badly. It is, of course, up to the trustees to make sure this all happen at a price the taxpayers can stomach, but let’s not let the better be the enemy of the good. Move forward with an obviously good solution.

Don Anderson Oak Park

Village has grants for home improvement

Strapped for money for needed home improvements? The village of Oak Park can help, with federally funded, 20-year, no-interest Rehabilitation Loans. Income-qualified homeowners and landlords of small residential buildings with affordable units can borrow up to $25K to bring their structures into compliance with housing and building codes and make them safer and healthier to live in. The money can also be used for weatherization, for electrification (including adding air-conditioning), and to provide accessibility for the disabled

Even better, these loans can be bundled with the village’s

Energy Efficiency grants, giving low-income homeowners access to up to $35K in funding to make improvements to their home.

And the icing on the cake: you should save money on your utility bills!

For details of these programs and to apply, visit https:// www.oak-park.us/Services-Parking/Homeowner-Programs.

A new location for village hall?

The closing of the U.S. Bank branch on Oak Park Avenue provides a great alternative to the expensive options being explored for remodeling village hall.

The centrally located and historic building at 104 N. Oak Park Ave. could become the new village hall. The village could sign a long-term lease with GW Properties, which owns the building, and any needed renovations would be done in concert with that organization. The police department could then take over all of the existing village hall and do the renovations it needs, which would cost a fraction of the $80 to $150 million cost of the current proposals. Best of all, this centrally located building would not sit empty waiting for another large tenant. Alternatively, the for mer U.S. Bank building could become

the new home of the Oak Park Police Department, following the ideas listed above, and the village could do necessary renovations to the existing and architecturally significant village hall.

Yes, we’d probably need another study, but that would cost less than the insanely high price tag that seems to be the only way forward for the village and our police. Let’s use the buildings we have rather than committing to new construction! I first heard this great idea from village resident Kevin Brubaker. Others may have floated this idea, and I am sorry that I cannot give them credit. Let’s pounce on this new idea.

River Forest’s budget award

This summer, the Village of River Forest received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). This is the 13th consecutive year River Forest has received this honor. While it is nice to get an award plaque for the office, I am more excited with what it re presents for the community.

GFOA established the award to encourage local governments to prepare budgets that meet best practices established by the National Advisory Council on State and Local Budgeting. The award is given to gover nmental bodies that produce budgets that excel as a policy document, financial plan, operations guide and transparent communication tool. Village staff members take great pride in assembling the required pieces of data over several months, and the village board spends time reviewing and questioning the final budget.

The result? A 300-page encyclopedia filled with valuable village information.

Want to know how much a pet license costs? Check out the fee schedule on page 44.

How many firefighters do we have? It’s right there on page 125.

How many trees did the village trim last year? Page 140 has your answer.

The budget document is not simply made up of pages of numbers in tables. Each department provides a narrative and lists yearly goals that align with the village board’s established guiding principles. This is a reminder that every decision we make needs to contribute to protecting public safety, stabilizing property taxes and strengthening property values by improving quality of life

This year, I am especially pleased to announce that the GFOA gave the village special recognition, specifically for our long-range operating financial plan and our capital program. Our capital program makes up the second half of the budget document. The program projects needed equipment purchases and infrastructure investments for the next five years. Planning ahead allows us to set aside funds to ensure projects are completed on schedule

To read the budget or lear n more about village finances and operations, please visit //vrf us/transparency.

Rosemary

McAdams Finance director, village of River Forest

Cynthia Klein-Banai Oak Park

Kris Hansen Oak Park

SHRUB TO WN by Marc Stopeck

A panhandler proposal

I was out and about in our community today and between a parking lot and my destination I passed two females with children exchanging candy for cash and a man in a wheelchair asking me to help a veteran. I know that the village of Oak Park prefers or encourages us to donate the cash I might have given to these people to their “Make Real Change” campaign

My proposal is to augment that program. It’s all well and good to make donations via the village website, which gets channeled to the OPRF Chamber of Commerce as fiscal agent, and then the village “works with local nonprofit partners to use those funds to support unhoused people in Oak Park.”

First and foremost, I doubt that all of these people are unhoused (although, admittedly, they may not be in a preferred situation). And in a sense this process leaves out what I’m generically calling the “panhandler” as we silently walk by making a note to ourselves to make a donation to Make Real Change.

What I suggest is that the village, perhaps several villages together, make available for purchase a small pocket-sized

card (my back pants pocket will fit an index card) with helpful resources listed like Housing Forward, Beyond Hunger, Thrive, maybe ECHO or whatever agencies the village determines to be the most appropriate. List the name, perhaps the focus (e.g., housing, food, mental health), address and phone number. Make one side English and the other side Spanish. Make these available for purchase for $1 each, certainly at village hall. Perhaps we could purchase them in packs of 10 or 25 by mail for an additional fee.

Maybe the village could arrange with Pete’s and Jewel and Fresh Thyme to sell these cards like they sell yard waste stickers. The village can certainly deduct an administrative fee, but the balance should go to the agencies listed on the card. (And, as always, I volunteer my time to help administer this program so it doesn’t become a burden on village staff.)

That way, when I next chance upon individuals like the five I did today, I have something to give them other than nothing and other than money, which shows that I do care — me, the person standing in front of them right now.

Ron Elling Oak Park

WEDNESD AY

JOURNAL

of Oak Park and River Forest

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e goal of the Viewpoints section is to foster and facilitate a community conversation and respectful dialogue. Responsible community voices are vital to community journalism and we welcome them. Space is at a premium and readers’ attention is also limited, so we ask that Viewpoints submissions be brief. Our limit for letters to the editor is 350 words. For One View essays, the limit is 500 words. Shorter is better. If and when we have su cient space, we print longer submissions, but when space is limited — as it o en is — we may ask you to submit a shorter version or hold the piece until space allows us to print it.

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■ Signature details as at left

This year marks an incredible milestone for Oak Park Township: Ali ElSaffar, our dedicated Township Assessor, is celebrating 25 years of service to our community.

Ali first joined the Township Assessor’s Office in 2000 as deputy assessor and was elected assessor the following year. Since then, he has guided countless Oak Park residents through the complexities of Cook County’s property tax system — assisting with thousands of tax appeals and helping secure millions of dollars in refunds and exemptions for local homeowners.

At the 2025 Illinois Property Assessment Institute Conference, Ali received the Marshall Theroux Memorial Award — the Institute’s highest honor — for his exceptional ethical standards, professional achievements, and unwavering service to others. And yes … the moment he realized the

Assessing Ali ElSa ar’s service

award was his? When a photo of his adorable dog Shakira popped up during the presentation!

Our Assessor’s Office, under Ali’s leadership, offers top-tier tax assistance at no cost to residents, enabling families to save significantly and expand their opportunities. Many families have shared their gratitude for the meaningful savings, which have enabled them to provide a broader range of choices for their children’s universities, cover tuition costs, or even buy a much-needed car. Ali’s work has made a real difference in people’s lives — not just in their tax bills, but in their everyday possibilities.

Ali’s roots in public service

ALI ELSAFFAR

No thanks to giant gas stations

Re: your Editorial published June 15, 2025 (https://www.oakpark.com/2025/07/15/thats-abig-gas-station) concerning the complete failure of the village to properly handle the redevelopment of the Mohr Concrete Site, I believe I speak for many of my neighbors in Southwest Oak Park that the presence of a block long truckstop-style gas station is absolutely not the kind of development we would want adjacent to a quiet residential area and Maple Park

To encourage a more low-impact development, the village should at least offer some kind of incentive to developers for clearance and cleanup of the site.

Speaking for myself, I propose that the village consider the use of the site as the location for the new police station. It is properly-sized to accommodate a large single-story building with ample parking and at a cost likely less than plans currently under discussion. Its impact on the neighborhood would be a net positive in every re gard

As your editorial stated, “This is bad governance. And there ought to be consequences.” I ag ree. Re gardless of my own ideas, we need to see some real vision and leadership here.

Noah Sullivan Oak Park

run deep. A proud graduate of Oak Park and River Forest High School’s Class of 1984, he ear ned degrees from Grinnell College and the University of Iowa College of Law. After returning home to Oak Park in 1991, he continued his family’s tradition of real estate management, laying the foundation for his passion for real estate law and community advocacy

Ali’s accomplishments speak for themselves — from partnering with Senator Don Harmon to strengthen state laws on referendums and senior tax exemptions to being named Villager of the Year by the Wednesday Jour nal in 2007 and Illinois Assessor of the Year by

the Illinois Assessors Association in 2012. His leadership extends throughout Cook County, where he has served as president of the Cook County Township Assessors Association since 2008, supporting and training assessors across the region.

Even in a field as serious as property taxes, Ali has always reminded us that important work can be done with care and humor — his unofficial motto, “We Make Taxes Fun!” has guided his approach for years.

On behalf of Oak Park Township, I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations and gratitude to Ali for 25 years of dedicated service, leadership, and unwavering commitment to helping our residents feel informed, supported, and empowered. We are truly fortunate to have him serve Oak Park. Tim Thomas is Oak Park Township supervisor.

Oak

Park’s

budget is sinking in on itself

Oak Park owes over $150 million in firefighter and police pensions, is expected to take on $70 million in liabilities this year, and raised property taxes by 6.2% in 2024. Despite this rapidly increasing hole in the budget, the village continues to pour money into long-term initiatives with no clear goals, no measurable results, and no end in sight. In other words, the budget shortfall seen today might never stop with the current spending.

Even amid the current fiscal crisis, the village continues to pursue ambitious projects For example, Police Chief Shatonya Johnson recently announced that the Oak Park Police Department aims for women to represent 30% of the police force by 2030. While well-intentioned, the plan lacks detail: will it require more staff, new divisions, or additional enlistment? In a department already struggling with under-recruitment and high tur nover rates, these questions raise concer ns about the feasibility and cost. Oak Park has yet to explain how they will pay for both major reform goals and the improvements the village direly needs.

All of this comes at a time of great need for utilizing funds efficiently. Illinois has cut hundreds of millions from its mental health budget in the last decade, leaving fewer than one out of four people with adequate access to psychiatric care. These cuts have placed immense financial pressure on nonprofits like Housing Forward — an Oak Park-based organization that helps house the homeless, many of whom struggle with mental illness. The responsibility to help programs like Housing Forward will fall to the village Oak Park’s disoriented spending doesn’t just strain funds — it eats into the limited $25 million budget allocated yearly for

village development, and only about $3 million a year to mental health programs. Can Oak Park fund the solutions it needs?

Sources:

https://www.oakpark.com/2025/04/01/oak-park-chiefshares-hiring-goals-as-police-staffing-woes-continue (police initiative)

https://www oak-park us/files/assets/oakpark/v/1/finance/ budgets/oak-park-village-fy2025-adopted-budget-book-withpage-numbers.pdf (liabilities)

https://oakparktownship.org/2024/07/assessor-press-release-2nd-installment-bills (tax increase)

https://www oakpark.com/2024/10/16/oak-park-capitalimprovement-plan-finance-debt/#:~:text=However%2C%20 it’s%20advised%20to%20keep,over%2020%20to%2030%20 years ($25 million budget)

https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/trump-administration-blocks-more-than-400m-in-funding-for-illinois-healthprograms/amp (Illinois mental health cuts)

https://www.bhecon.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/ IL-Workforce-Fact-Sheet.pdf (¼ of the state’s mental health needs being met)

https://www.oak-park.us/News-articles/Engaging-Community-for-Healthy-Outcomes-E.C.H.O, https://oakparktownship.org/community-mental-health/, https://www.oakpark. com/2025/02/24/oak-park-based-foundation-expands-reachfocuses-on-mental-health-grants (total of ~$3 million spent on mental health)

Nick Dmitriev Oak Park

Crocheting coral

The Oak Park Ar t League (OPAL) presents solutions to Plastic Awareness Month this July with a Plar n Coral Reef exhibited in Spiraling Exhibition. For six months, 120 OPAL and UIMA reefers (Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art) have joined the 25,000 reefers to crochet coral for ocean health awareness. Coral is an essential building block of ocean health. OPAL’s unique crocheting is with plarn or plastic yarn. Oak Park Reefers cut single use plastic bags into strips to hand spin into plarn for crocheting into coral. OPAL now has a reef! Stop by OPAL, 720 Chicago Ave.

Margot McMahon Oak Park

ACL’s stretched resources

Several times a week I see a post on Facebook re garding a stray or lost animal, with the postscript that the animal has been taken to Oak Park’s Animal Care League. This is very good news for the animal and the people concerned for its welfare. It will be housed, fed, health needs will be addressed, and attempts will be made to locate an owner. Failing that outcome, plans for adoption to a new home will be put in place. In the meantime, the animal will be given attention and affection by staf f and volunteers, and they’ ll do it for as long as it takes.

But there is a problem. Like every other animal welfare org anization, Animal Care League’s resources are limited. With each new arrival, resources are stretched a little thinner. Right now, Animal Care League is well over capacity, but they somehow always make room for every animal that comes in. Staf f will set up housing in offices, they’ll stay later, they’ll work harder, they’ll recruit additional volunteers, they’ ll search for new foster homes. Every animal is precious at Animal Care League and each will receive exemplary care I consider Animal Care League to be a community treasure, but it needs community support to keep doing the remarkable job it does daily. There are many ways to show support: when it’s time to add a pet to the family, adopt. Donating, volunteering, fostering, and spreading the word help immeasurably. Going to their website makes everything easy.

If everyone does what they can, we can continue to breathe a sigh of blessed relief when the end of that Facebook post says, “The animal is now at the Animal Care League.”

Kathy Capone Oak Park

Bike plan n eeds to be rethought

The current bike plan for Harvard Street is deeply and dangerously flawed.

We object to the current plan to have bike lanes on both sides of Harvard, from Maple to Humphrey. The elimination of parking is a significant problem for many homeowners, renters, schools, parks and churches along this corridor.

1. In this corridor, there are at least nine homes that face Harvard. There is one private school and two public schools. There are three parks and several churches

2. There are 68 garages and/or driveways that face Harvard. Adding the 22 alleys, the count to rises to 86 incursions in that 1.4 mile stretch between Humphrey and Maple. Most of those homeowners will back out of their garages, meaning that they are already partially in the street before they see traffic, including bikers.

3. There are 16 four-way stop signs. Additionally, there are three East/West stop signs. That means that cyclists, if they follow the law, must break to a stop 19 times to travel the corridor of approximately 1.4 miles. That doesn’t include two 4-way traffic lights which will sometimes not be in cyclists’ favor, bringing that total to possibly 21 stops. How likely is it that cyclists will completely stop or just

slow down through those intersections? Or slow down at alleys? Bike lanes will do nothing to reduce these dangers. The busier intersections at Ridgeland and Oak Park avenues can be made much safer by installing signs and flashing lights in addition to the traffic lights

In the “winter off-season months” bike traffic volume diminishes substantially, yet the proposed infrastructure plan impacts homeowners, renters, church-goers, parents, teachers, bus drivers, and staff the entire year

4. Barrie Park, Irving School, Montessori School, Carroll Park, Lincoln School, Boulevard Presbyterian Church, Cor nerstone Academy, Kieran Dayley Church, Harvard Family UCC Church, and Maple Park increase traffic and parking congestion on weekends – when, predictably, more bicyclists are on the street. Parking near these locations is high during the week as well.

Please reconsider putting a one-way bike lane on Harvard and a one-way lane on Fillmore as an alternative Or go back to the earlier plan of Fillmore and Lexington. Paul & Lynda Shadrake Corner of Highland and Harvard Jim Kelly & Bruce Broerman Harvey Av enue

Pete’s needs to support our recycling e orts

I’ve been heartened by the various small ef for ts the village has made, over the years, to help combat the heating up of our planet. One has been the recycling program. However, the problem of recycling plastic bags has been addressed by refer ring residents to the Jewel stores, apparently the only nearby locations where we can drop of f plastic bags for re cycling. This

has met my needs nicely; however, I do have a question. Pete’s does not provide this service. Why has the village given this grocery firm such a local competitive advantage, i.e., the huge new store, when they do not support the village’s ef for ts to slow down global heating?

David DeMarais Oak Park er since 1975

Strike three for Don Harmon?

The Chicago Tribune (7/18/25) now discloses yet a third transaction involving our local state senator, Senate President Don Harmon, that raises serious questions about his ethics, just three days after Wednesday Journal published my “One View” about his shortcomings in the first two cases

Now, we are told about Mr. Har mon’s action on behalf of one of his state Senate Democratic leadership colleagues, Sen. Napoleon Harris III, who just won an election to replace the highly controversial township supervisor of Thor nton Township, who had gotten herself paid over $200,000 annually, when most similarly-sized township supervisors are reportedly paid under $50,000. According to the Tribune, Mr. Harris had, prior to winning the election to re place her, previously offered a bill for a state law preventing the township from lowering the pay, which apparently went nowhere — because Mr.

Har mon, the Tribune re ports, put it through in “identical language” instead, as his amendment to a bill that started out dealing with Crohn’s disease, then morphed into voting access, before solving the problem of the Thornton Township supervisor’s pay. Was this a “sneaker”? As a result of his little amendment, Mr. Har mon’s friend now makes nearly $380,000 at taxpayer expense for his combined official salaries. The Tribune merely urges him to undo his law on behalf of his beneficiary. But what about his ethics? Where are they?

Strike three! One wonders when this is going to end. Isn’t it time that Mr. Harmon write to his local constituents an ethical repudiation of his actions (perhaps in WJ), also explaining what he will do to re pair them?

Frank Stachyra Oak Park

Praying to change Trump’s heart

Oscar Wilde speaks, from long ago, shedding light on the ugly phenomenon known as Donald Trump. Known for his “biting wit,” Wilde said this; it fits Trump perfectly: “A cynic is a man (sic) who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.” Trump touts dealmaking as his primary, even his only, goal in life: How can he manipulate, maneuver, or muscle this sucker to get what he wants? It’s his only consideration.

In the face of that, a long-ago popular song stated the eternal truth that “The best things in life are free.” Things that have true, intrinsic value cannot be bargained for or bought. Love, joy, peace, grace, hope, truth, beauty are always and only gifts. You insult and demean the giver if you say, “All right. You must want a payoff for this from me. It can’t be just from the goodness of your heart.”

Any caring person can only pity

Psomeone with such an outlook on life, especially if that person claims to be a follower of Jesus. As one such person, I’ve decided that means I need to pray for this man, that God’s love may bring a change in his heart. Of course, actions must always be joined to prayers. Join me, please.

Fred Reklau Oak Park

Protecting ourselves at rallies

rior to the “No Kings” march in June, a number of groups offered online trainings on staying safe, should the National Guard, police, etc. arrive and cause (bad) trouble. I happened on an online training by the Nonviolent Peaceforce (NVPF), a group that came into existence in 2002 and has been providing training in conflict regions around the world ever since. In preparation for our next community rally, here is what I learned in case things ever get rough: The OODA Loop stands for Observe, Orient, Decide, Act, behaviors for assessing the situation and leading to acting safely. “Activation Points” are frightening events that trigger some level of trauma response. These events could be hearing gunshots, being shot at, or witnessing someone shot nearby. Trauma responses to such events are: Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn (appeasing/capitulating).

RUBIN

ED MCDEVIT T

DEI backlash

from page 20

that otherness

But they don’t any longer feel safe in their privilege. As a result, their ability to understand the rank inequities of our society is truncated as they rush into their anti-DEI shelters.

It is interesting that our response may be different, depending on whether we are being threatened personally or witnessing threats to others. It is important to know what our wired-in response is so that we can override it and act in a safer way when

necessary. In other words, think about it

Also, at the rally identify your “Anchor Point,” something or someone representing safety or comfort. It might be as simple as someone to hold hands with, or to make eye contact with. Always have a buddy! You may already know the ways to be an upstander when you see someone being threatened. NVPF teaches these “protective interventions”: (1) Protective presence (shifting the focus away from the one being targeted); (2) Protective accompaniment (join that person and talk to him/her); (3) Distraction (make a commotion to change the aggressor’s focus); (4) Holistic check-in (once the threat is over, find out how the targeted person is doing).

Quite interesting were descriptions of repelling materials that could be used to disperse protestors. Tear Gas and Pepper Spray are poisons and highly irritating. They can make it hard to breathe, cause disorientation and panic, coughing, sneezing and the overproduction of mucous. They can cause long-ter m damage to women, pregnant or not. Anyone exposed must shower in cold water and wash your

clothes multiple times

Who knew? Long Range Acoustic Devices (LRAD) used for announcements can cause vertigo, nausea, vomiting and hearing loss. Flashbangs and Concussive Explosive Devices can cause disorientation, temporary loss of hearing and vision, loss of consciousness, injury and death. Rubber bullets, Pepper Balls and Bean Bag Rounds can cause serious injury. And, if horses are used, stay calm around them and don’t swing your ar ms.

If you are inclined to sit down in protest, don’t. There could be a stampede. They recommend that your Protest Safety Kit include:

Eye protection (goggles), Helmet, Eyeflush material (water or saline), Earplugs, Water to drink, First Aid Kit, N-95 mask for tear gas, Alcohol wipes for injuries

Electrolytes, Poncho or umbrella (can be a barrier to projectiles and Pepper Spray), Powerbank, Nitrile gloves (for helping others), Cough drops, and a Sharpie (to write phone numbers and lawyer’s number on your arm and/or underwear)

I sure wish we didn’t have to know this and hope we never have to use it!

Phyllis Rubin is a River Forest resident.

It’s not a patch of grass, it’s a park

The July 9 article, “No village hall construction talk scheduled yet for Oak Park board,” refers to the proposed site for a new police station as merely “a patch of grass south of the existing village hall

parking lot.” In fact, this space is one of the few public parks in east Oak Park

Minimizing its importance overlooks the vital role it plays in the lives of neighborhood children. Wednesday Jour nal should

acknowledge the significance of this park and advocate for decisions that support the well-being of east Oak Park children. Richard Willis Oak Park

I myself, an unthreatened white person, look out and see a brighter day instead, lit up by the idea that I can help to remove previously insurmountable barriers to equity and inclusion. Rather than diminishing my quality of life, it improves it. I’ve certainly had privilege. It gave me more than a leg up. I can cede that privilege and, at the very least, get out of the way of those who strive for a better life. Better than that, I can try to help pave the way to that better life by paying attention to inequities and working to displace them.

The right loves to speak sneeringly of what they call “woke” ideas. If you’ve paid attention, their real quarrel is with the very idea of identifying and helping people who, for many reasons, can’t have the lives they themselves have. They truly see such activity as simply not their job. The right is obsessed with bootstraps. They think everyone has or should have them. They utterly lack the ability to perceive that lots of people are born without bootstraps (never mind boots) and haven’t the means to buy them. And, as I’ve strongly suggested, they particularly scor n non-white, bootstrapless people who, they greatly fear, want to steal their bootstraps.

But enough about bootstraps. Let’s keep on keepin’ on with DEI. And when our neighbors complain, pat them on the head, give them a hug and send them on their way.

This post appeared first on Ed McDevitt’s blog, Art Can Save Us and Life’s Ideas

MAIL

Davis supports peace and the rule of law

As constituents, we want to thank Congressman Danny Davis (7th District) for joining other U.S. Congresspeople, including Illinois representatives Garcia, Jackson, Ramirez, and Schakowsky, by co-sponsoring H.R.3565, the Block the Bombs Act By supporting this bill, Davis and his peers are taking action to oppose ongoing crimes against humanity in Gaza and to uphold the rule of law.

H.R.3565 would block the Trump administration from delivering specified weapons to Israel – bombs, tank rounds, and artillery shells – which it has used in its mass killing of Palestinians in Gaza and the systematic destruction of health clinics and hospitals,

homes, schools and universities, as well as mosques and churches. More than 90 percent (1) of the population’s homes have been destroyed or damaged, and Gazans are being systematically starved through Israel’s blocking of humanitarian aid by experienced relief providers

As the Trump administration and the Israeli gover nment continue to escalate the starvation, slaughter, and mass displacement of Palestinians, this bill is one step to end U.S. support for Israel’s war on Gaza with our tax dollars, an onslaught in which more than 58,000 Palestinians have been killed (2), and 139,607 injured (3).

Blocking these weapons to Israel is both

the morally and legally right action for Congress. US law, as cited in the Act, prohibits weapons to any country that blocks humanitarian aid, engages in systematic patterns of gross violations of human rights, and uses weapons for purposes other than inter nal security and legitimate self-defense

We appreciate Congressman Davis cosponsoring H.R.3565 and standing on the right side of history. We look forward to his continued backing of legislation supporting peace and justice. Please let him know of your support for his action at https://davisforms.house.gov/contact.

Sources:

(1) Doctors without Borders https://www.

doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/destruction-homes-leaves-palestinians-unable-safely-return-rafah

(2) Politico https://www.politico.com/ news/2025/07/20/dozens-of-palestinianskilled-while-waiting-for-humanitarian-aidacross-gaza-health-ministry-says-00464449

(3) OCHA https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-306-gaza-strip#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20 Ministry%20of,per%20cent)%20have%20 been%20killed

Steering Committee Committee for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel

We couldn’t have made it to 50 without you

Perhaps you attended the very first perfor mance in 1975 — A Midsummer Night’s Dream, with young actors William H. Macy and David Mamet. Perhaps you came with your parents, who packed a picnic the way you pack one now for your kids. Or maybe one summer night in Oak Park, you happened upon Austin Gardens and were struck by the familiar lines, “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?”

No matter how you have been engaged, we, the board of Oak Park Festival Theatre, are grateful to you, our community, for helping us reach our 50th season!

As OPFT Artistic Director Peter Andersen has said, “It takes a village to put on a play.” In no place is that more true than in Oak Park. OPFT is the oldest outdoor festival theater in the Midwest. It is no coincidence that we hold this honor. We do so because of you and the village of Oak Park.

OPFT is also Oak Park’s only professional theater, and the community’s ongoing support helps provide a unique and memorable experience not only for the audience but for working actors as well.

This year’s performance of Twelfth Night is a delightful romp of mistaken identi-

ties, love triangles, and mischievous plots

Already we have been delighted by the audience response. Seeing the audience spread across the lawn in Austin Gardens under the stars is a great joy. We are grateful to the Park District of Oak Park for their tireless work in the village and for allowing us to use Austin Gardens as our home for 49 seasons

We are grateful to Wednesday Jour nal for their continued coverage of our trials, successes, and productions

Mainly, though, we are grateful to the people of Oak Park for their support. Once again, thank you! We are so honored

OBITUAR Y

John Morrison, 87 University professor, author

John Mor rison, 87, for merly of Oak Park, died peacefully at home on July 5, 2025 in Washington D.C. A graduate of Hunter Colle ge, Adelphi University and Robert Williams Colle ge, he was committed to working on solutions to complex social issues. Dr. John Morrison was a

professor of social work and social development at Dominican University, Aurora University, and the University of Pennsylvania, with research interests in Community Practice, Social Development and International Social Work. He taught courses on Policy, Macro Practice, and Social Planning and was visiting faculty at Stellenboch University in South Africa and Addis Abbaba University in Ethiopia.

He served as the chair of the National Association for Community Organization and Administration (ACOSA) and chair of the Illinois Social Service Exchange. He was a founding member of the program which included 24 international exchanges with over 200 U.S. social workers and 300

to serve on this board and to have your support. The tireless work of the actors, the crew, the apprentices, and the staff is remarkable. None of us would be able to do what we do with such talent, skill, and joy if not for all of you.

We hope to see you in Austin Gardens this summer (and for the next 50 years).

P.S. Twelfth Night runs through Aug. 16 in Austin Gardens

The

foreign social workers and elected officials.

He is author of books and articles, including Macro Social Work Practice: A Strengths Perspecti ve and Community Organization and Social Administration. These publications draw from his policy experience working on initiatives to address poverty in Chicago and New York.

John was the husband of Maye Mor rison, father and grandfather. He lived in Washington D.C., with his family and was born in Rochester, New York He lived for several decades in Oak Park, and also resided in New York City and Philadelphia.

He is survived by a daughter, son-in-law, grandson, nephews and extended family.

Marta Block, Barbara Cimaglio, Mary DeYoe, Martha Moylan, Marianne Simpson, Chris Vazquez

Oak Park Festival Theatre Board

SPORTS

Trinity’s Dambrauskas goes overseas for basketball prep

Fenwick football kicker, meanwhile, commits to Big Ten school

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

Rising Trinity High School senior basketball pl mante Dambrauskas recently spent two weeks in Lithuania, not just to participate in a junior tournament, but also to see relatives.

“It’s always nice to see my family,” Dambrauskas told Wednesday Journal in an interview, “and to visit a diffe ent country.”

Not only did Dambrauskas enjoy spending time with loved ones, she appreciated the chance to stay sharp on the court.

“It was a good experience,” she said. “I really li have that different vibe of basketball. It gives me a lot of perspectives on the game and opens up new ways to improve.”

Dambrauskas, a 6-foot forward, is ranked 32nd Class of 2026, according to Prep Girls Hoops. After spending her first two years at Lockport, she decided to transfer to Trinity because of the program’s strong culture.

“I just felt [Trinity] was where I belonged,” she said. “I feel real happy I get to spend my last year here.”

T rinity coach Kim Coleman says Dambrauskas has blended in well with the Blazer s, both on and of f the cour t. She also believes Dambrauskas’ best basketball is yet to come

“She’s super-versatile, lanky, and can shoot the ball,” Coleman said. “As last season went on, she got more confident and looked to attack the basket. She’s just a really good teammate; when she’s not scoring, she’s looking to help the team in other areas like rebounding. She’s hard

Trinity’s Armante Dambrauskas (11) puts up a shot against Fenw ick during a Girls Catholic Athletic Conference game, Jan. 9, 2025 in River Forest

on herself and really pushes herself to the max.”

Dambrauskas is excited about her final high school season. She’s working on getting stronger and widening all aspects of her game, and she hopes to help Trinity have another successful season.

“We have to have communication and stay together more

on the court,” Dambrauskas said. “I feel like it’s important everywhere when we play, and I feel that will lead us to successful results. We want to take it down

Dambrauskas has received some colle ge interest, but eping an open mind and will take her time if necessary with the recruiting process.

I’m just waiting for the right [school],” she said. “I’m lookam that’s like Trinity and has a coach who ou on and off [the court]. It has to give me a feeling that I belong and has good energy.”

Fenwick football

enwick football team saw two players sign with Big Ten Conference schools – Nate Marshall (Univeran) and Jack Paris (University of Illinois). squad will likely have at least one player joining the Big Ten in the fall of 2026 as rising senior kicker/ punter Noah Sur announced on X, June 19, his verbal commitment to Northwestern University.

ed Honorable Mention last fall for the All-ChiLeague/East Suburban Catholic Conference White Division team. He connected on seven field goals with a long of 41 yards and has yet to miss an extra point in his two seasons on the varsity.

He also averaged 45.8 yards per punt, and 23 of his punts traveled at least 40 yards. Moreover, 28 of his 35 kickoffs went into the end zone for touchbacks – an 80 percent success rate.

Additionally, Sur, who sports a 4.1 grade-point averag e and scored a 33 on the ACT exam, will become the second consecutive Fenwick player to participate in the Navy All-American Bowl this winter; Marshall played in last year’s g ame

Fenwick boys soccer coach position open yet gain

School rescinds o er to Or tiz

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

On July 11, Fenwick High School introduced Giovannie Ortiz as its new boys soccer varsity head coach in a press release. But in a

stunning turn of events, the position is open again.

Fenwick director of marketing communications Scott Hardesty infor med Wednesday Journal in an email, July 15, that the school’s human resource department rescinded its offer to Ortiz and that the search for a new coach would resume. As of press time, no reason has been given as to why the offer was

pulled back.

Ortiz was tabbed as a re placement for Adrian Remeniuk, who had been hired in June to re place Craig Blazer. Remeniuk resigned not long after, taking the job for a counseling position at another school.

Fenwick hopes to find a new coach before the beginning of the season. Practice starts Aug. 11.

STEVE JOHNSTON

GIOVANNIE ORTIZ

Ken Trainor’s “Our Town Oak Park – Walk with Me, in Search of True Community”…

Our Town Oak Park – Walk with Me, in Search of True Community is for anyone who lives in Oak Park, formerly lived in Oak Park, is about to move to Oak Park, is curious about Oak Park, or might live in Oak Park in the future. In other words, pretty much everyone.

“… is like nding love letters at the bottom of a sock drawer. They are familiar but new, old yet young. They cover life’s spectrum: the grand, the small, the joyful, the sad. He has put into words the collective thoughts of our better selves. This is a book you will read many times.”

(McLouis Robinet)

“… takes us into the lives of its residents, to the benches and pathways of its parks, and the challenges and inspiration of a town working overtime to create COMMUNITY – not community as in a geographically de ned set of coordinates, but a sense of place that nurtures and sustains its residents.” (Rebekah Levin)

“… invites readers to celebrate a simple, low-tech stroll around his hometown, discovering the fascinating villagers who make this community the eccentric, unique, cantankerous, and inspirational place it is for so many of us.” (Frank Lipo)

Join this “pedestrian friendly” journey of discovery (and rediscovery) through a community like no other yet, in essential ways, like all others.

“Our Town Oak Park” is available at Oak Park’s Dandelion Bookshop, Berwyn’s The Pile Bookstore, the Oak Park River Forest History Museum, the Oak Park Public Library, and online sites such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

PUBLIC NOTICE OF ANNUAL BUDGET

Notice is hereby given by the Board of Education of Riverside School District No. 96 in the Cook County, State of Illinois, that a budget for said school district for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, will be on file and available for public inspection by appointment Monday through Friday from 9 am to 3 pm starting the 17th day of July 2025, at the district’s administrative offices on 3340 South Harlem Avenue in Riverside Illinois. To schedule an appointment please email fittonj@district96.org.

Notice is further given that a public hearing on said budget will be held at 7:00 o’clock p.m. on the 20th day of August 2025 followed immediately by the scheduled regular board meeting.

Board of Education

Riverside School District No. 96 Cook County, Illinois

Published in RB Landmark July 23, 2025

PUBLIC NOTICE STATE OF ILLINOIS VILLAGE OF OAK PARK

Per the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance, notice is hereby given of a Neighborhood Meeting with Fenwick High School. The meeting will take place at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, and will be held in the Gearen Library at Fenwick High School. The meeting is open to the adjacent property owners, and comments on the proposal are invited. The Applicant, Fenwick High School, seeks approval of a Planned Development for an addition to the existing building on the south side of the school, located at 505 Washington Blvd. Entrance to the school is off the parking lot on East Ave. If you have any questions regarding this proposal prior to the neighborhood meeting, please contact the applicant, Fenwick High School, at 708-386-0127 or communications@fenwickfriars. com.

Published in Wednesday Journal July 23, 2025

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by the Board of Education of School District No. 91, in the County of Cook, State of Illinois, the tentative budget for said School District for the Fiscal Year 2026 will be available for public inspection at the District Office, 424 DesPlaines Avenue, Forest Park, Illinois, after 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August 6, 2025.

Notice is hereby given that a public hearing on said budget will be held at 6:30 p.m. on the 11th day of September, 2025, at Grant-White School, 147 Circle Avenue, Forest Park, in this School District No. 91.

Dated this 30th day of July, 2025

Board of Education School District No. 91

County of Cook State of Illinois

Monica Angelo Secretary

Published in Forest Park Review July 23, 2025

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

You are hereby notified that a Public Hearing has been called by the Housing Authority of the Village of Oak Park, Oak Park, Illinois to be held at the Village Hall of Oak Park at 123 Madison Street, (Lombard and Madison), Oak Park, Illinois in Village Hall Council Chambers at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, for the purpose of considering the following item of business:

To hear comments from the Public on the Public Housing Agency Plan.

The draft of the PHA Annual Plan for 2025 along with the public’s comments will be considered by the Authority before adoption of the Annual Plan to be submitted by Wednesday, October 15, 2025, to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The draft plan is available for inspection at the following locations during normal hours of operation, Monday through Friday, 8:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.:

Oak Park Housing Authority, 21 South Boulevard Oak Park, IL 60302

Mills Park Tower, 1025 Pleasant Place Oak Park, IL 60302

Written comments will also be accepted prior to the hearing for inclusion in the public record. Address all comments or inquiries to:

Oak Park Housing Authority

Executive Director Re: PHA Annual Plan 2025 21 South Boulevard, Oak Park, IL 60302

Published in Wednesday Journal July 23, 2025

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION

DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE FOR SOUNDVIEW HOME LOAN TRUST 2005-OPT4, ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2005-OPT4

Plaintiff, -v.-

CHARLES E. SILMON, CASSANDRA SILMON, DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE OF HSI ASSET SECURITIZATION CORPORATION TRUST 2006-OPT2, MORTGAGE PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2006-OPT2, STATE OF ILLINOIS - DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS

Defendants

2020CH05803 529 49TH AVE BELLWOOD, IL 60104

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on April 16, 2024, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on August 20, 2025, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at public in-person sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 529 49TH AVE, BELLWOOD, IL 60104

Property Index No. 15-08-408-0510000

The real estate is improved with a single family residence.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in ‘’AS IS’’ condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.

The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Con-

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

dominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 151701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW.

You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information, examine the court file, CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL, 60527 (630) 794-9876

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION

One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE

You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE IL, 60527

630-794-5300

E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com

Attorney File No. 14-20-05247

Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762

Case Number: 2020CH05803

TJSC#: 45-1755

NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 2020CH05803

I3270109

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC., Plaintiff, -v.-

AMALEK V. SMITH; FELICIA SMITH; ADMINISTRATOR OF THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, AN AGENCY OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; Defendants. 2024CH00915 915 Ferdinand Ave., Forest Park, IL 60130

NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on 2/4/2025, an agent of Auction.com, LLC will conduct the auction in person at 12:00 PM on August 20, 2025 located at 100 N LaSalle St., Suite 1400, Chicago, IL 60602, and will sell at public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate. Commonly known as 915 Ferdinand Ave., Forest Park, IL 60130 Property Index No. 15-13-408-0240000

The real estate is improved with a Single Family Residence. The judgment amount was $236,725.20 Sale Terms: 20% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to Auction.com, LLC, No third party checks will be accepted. All registered bidders need to provide a photo ID in order to bid. The balance, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. (relief fee not required) The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a certificate of sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property, prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by the Condominium property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9 (g)(l) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by the Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701 (C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW.

For information, contact Plaintiffs attorney: Diaz Anselmo & Associates, LLC (630) 453-6960 please refer to file number 6706-196067. Auction.com, LLC 100 N LaSalle St., Suite 1400 Chicago, IL 60602 - 872225-4985 You can also visit www. auction.com.

Attorney File No. 6706-196067 Case Number: 2024CH00915

NOTE: PURSUANT TO THE FAIR DEBT COLLECTION PRACTICES ACT, YOU ARE ADVISED THAT PLAINTIFF’S ATTORNEY IS DEEMED TO BE A DEBT COLLECTOR ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE.

I3269944

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION HSBC BANK USA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS TRUSTEE FOR RENAISSANCE HOME EQUITY LOAN ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-3

Plaintiff, -v.UNKNOWN HEIRS AND/OR LEGATEES OF HENRY C. FLOWERS A/K/A HENRY FLOWERS A/K/A HENRY CALVIN FLOWERS, DECEASED, UNKNOWN HEIRS AND/OR LEGATEES OF HENRY J. FLOWERS, JR., RITA ROBINSON, FRANCES PERRY, GLADYS MANCE, ANNA TOLBERT, ANNA WHITE, CAREL ROBINSON, LENNEL ROBINSON, JOHN LYDON, AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF HENRY C. FLOWERS A/K/A HENRY FLOWERS A/K/A HENRY CALVIN FLOWERS, DECEASED, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS

Defendants 24 CH 10945 833 SOUTH 21ST AVENUE

MAYWOOD, IL 60153

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on June 18, 2025, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on August 12, 2025, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at public in-person sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate:

Commonly known as 833 SOUTH 21ST AVENUE, MAYWOOD, IL 60153 Property Index No. 15-10-328-0110000

The real estate is improved with a single family residence. The judgment amount was $130,452.34.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in ‘’AS IS’’ condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW.

You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information, contact The sales clerk, LOGS Legal Group LLP Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 2801 LAKESIDE DRIVE, SUITE 207, Bannockburn, IL, 60015 (847) 291-1717 For information call between the hours of 1pm - 3pm.. Please refer to file number 24-101013. THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION

One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236SALE

You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

LOGS Legal Group LLP 2801 LAKESIDE DRIVE, SUITE 207 Bannockburn IL, 60015

847-291-1717

E-Mail: ILNotices@logs.com

Attorney File No. 24-101013

Attorney Code. 42168

Case Number: 24 CH 10945

TJSC#: 45-1681

NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 24 CH 10945

I3269405

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