Newfangled Dad

We're very lucky in Oak Park to have a deep bench. Our community is involved, smart, and progressive. In many instances, with multiple candidates vying for a handful of seats, you can't go wrong in who you select in the voting booth. These are simply my selections and a few were difficult choices. I've even been swapping a few names in my last edit as I have one-on-one conversations and rethink some candidate positions. Consider these suggestions. But they've risen to the top in my mind for their views on everything from Oak Park transportation issues to their vision for keeping student needs first in long-term school planning. I hope they reflect our diversity and commitment to good governance. (Candidates, if you feel like you'd like a chance to make me reconsider I'm happy to have a conversation about why I'm voting the way I am for a given position. Feel free to reach out.)  Oak Park Village Board: Peter Barber (incumbent) Glenn Brewer (in...

I understand the frustration of Oak Park taxpayers who are being asked to again raise their own taxes for the benefit of our schools. We have to do something about Oak Park's affordability. But there are right and wrong ways to tackle our high taxes. I wanted to share our family's story of why you should vote Yes on April 4 for District 97's referenda. I moved to Oak Park 10 years ago for the exact same reasons everyone else does. The values, the diversity, the quality of life were all desirable. I've gotten involved and am a volunteer member of the Transportation Commission. We regularly socialize with neighbors. When my son was born in 2010, the excellent schools looked appealing as well. We wanted to stay here to raise a family. When he was younger and had a speech delay, he aged into the school district's Early Childhood program (at the time it was at Holmes) and we started meeting some of the families and teachers we're friends with to this day. He also s...