Why am I running for village president? First, someone needed to do it, but the main reason is because I believe all important decisions that will shape the future of our village should be made with input from all the residents. Unfortunately, more than once, when the voters have spoken through questions on the ballot, the results have been ignored or dismissed out of hand. In 2021 over 70% said no to spending $11 million on a new village hall–before Tif2 was passed. In 2023 over 60% said no to spending $15 million on a new village hall and last November over 80% of more than 6,000 voters said they wanted approval BEFORE the village spends millions of dollars on village hall. Even with these decisive mandates, the administration has dismissed the results as if they didn’t matter, that we don’t matter — the very people they are supposed to represent.
Our intent is not to hinder progress, but to ensure that any progress is supported by the community. When major decisions are made with the involvement of the people they affect, it will restore some much needed trust on many levels. Nor are we intending to micromanage. Not everyone should or would want to engage on every single issue, but when the village is looking to make major commitments, like large scale development projects or spending millions of our dollars, those decisions need to be weighed carefully with meaningful direction from the community. Not everyone may be happy with this approach, but we feel, unilateral decisions are far worse.
I am running with 3 trustee candidates who share these commitments to you as well as a determination that all information provided will be done in a clear, concise manner and to provide ample opportunity for residents to voice their opinions before anything is finalized. Those who have to live with and pay for those major decisions should have a real, meaningful say in what happens — because, at the end of the day, it is all of us who will have to live with the consequences of those decisions.
Thank you again for taking your valuable time to come — it is much appreciated. Thank you to Holly for her kind contribution of Cubs baskets and tickets. A big thank you to Vicki who generously allowed us to host this event here at the deli.
