Issues

Rising costs are a serious concern for Oak Park residents.  Food, energy, housing, property taxes, insurance, they've all gone up significantly. There are no simple solutions, but village government has many policy levers it can use to curb rising costs.

To deepen our sources of non-property tax revenue, I will focus on business development, promoting new business and supporting our existing business community. This generates revenue without directly impacting tax payers.

Property taxes over the last 20 years have risen about 50% faster than wages. This prices people out of Oak Park, decreasing our economic and racial diversity. As a Trustee I will work hard to ensure that property tax growth rates level off and return to sustainable levels.

Coming from a tech background, and based on my service on the Computer Information Systems Commission (CISC), I see significant opportunities to use technology to decrease costs while enhancing services. The next generation doesn’t want to call a phone number to ask about their water bill.

Oak Park has the best police force in Chicagoland, and that’s because of community trust and Village Board collaboration. As a member of the Civic Information Systems Commission, I’ve had the privilege to work with Chief Shatonya Johnson and her staff on the ACLU CCOPS ordinance, empowering community oversight of new surveillance technology.

Public safety is an area where data can really help us make better decisions. At the board table, I’ll work to make sure we’re considering safety issues in detail, not just as abstractions: where are incidents happening? How are we allocating our resources? What’s working, and what isn’t? As a longtime resident, I’m excited for the pilot ‘alternative response’ program, which will free up sworn officers to do police work. This is simply common sense: we don’t need an armed officer to take a report for a stolen bike.

Climate change is a pressing reality, and we must take meaningful action. Oak Parkers use the most energy in transportation and home heating. Research shows urban density to be more efficient in both areas. Two families in a new duplex use less energy than two families in hundred year old standalone homes.

Denser neighborhoods are more walkable and bikeable, reduce car trips, and offer more viable transit options. I have long advocated for responsibly increasing density and promoting non-car alternatives.

Beyond density, I support many aspects of our sustainability plan, but it is unrealistically expansive, and will dramatically impact the affordability of Oak Park. As a Trustee I will work to find state and federal funding support for these initiatives.

As an avid bicyclist, I understand the benefits of active transportation. I used to commute over 10 miles daily to work in the city, and now, as an e-bike rider, I've replaced most of my single-person car trips. As a Trustee, I will champion Vision Zero and support building a protected bike lane network.

Oak Park's density makes it ideal for enhancing transit options, and I am enthusiastic about improving bus service and experimenting with options like the app-dispatched electric trolley currently under consideration.

Our transportation policies should make non-car alternatives viable, making Oak Park more affordable by allowing residents to reduce or even eliminate car ownership.

Our Village Hall is aging and suffers from a design that never truly met the needs of our community. Our police department is crammed into the basement below Village Hall. Replacing these facilities is a pressing need. We owe it to our staff and to the community.

But we can't break the bank building lavish facilities whose designs are stuck in the past. These new facilities should meet the needs of the future, with a focus on hybrid work and the shift to online services. Many employees work from home, and citizens increasingly prefer digital services, meaning we need less office space, and that space needs to be more flexible.

Oak Park’s infrastructure encompasses hundreds of miles of streets, sewers, water mains, and alleys, much of which is aging or outdated. My top budgeting priority will always be to maintain and upgrade this infrastructure, as it is the literal foundation upon which our Village is built.

I will advocate for accelerating sewer upgrades to improve drainage and prevent basement flooding, ensure street resurfacing keeps pace with our challenging climate, and work to fast-track the alley rebuilding program.

I support Ranked Choice Voting for some positions in Village government. I believe that the Village Board should move forward with a voter referendum to approve the change when the state and county are ready to support this new form of voting.