Oak Park’s Upcoming Village Election
Spring is election season in the Village of Oak Park, and the next village-wide election is on April 17. OPALGA has a tradition of participating in Oak Park village elections through educating our members on the stances that candidates take on a variety of local issues. In the past, we have sponsored candidate forums and sent out candidate questionnaires. This year, we are asking candidates for Village Trustee positions, through a seven-point survey, to voice their positions on topics including:
• Adding a nondiscriminatory requirement and providing domestic partnership benefits for businesses that contract for work within the village
• Adding protection in the village’s Human Rights Ordinance for transgender residents
• Considering hypothetically how they, as trustees, would juggle the needs of neighbors and the needs of the community as a whole
The survey is being sent to the candidates in early March. Once we have received responses from the candidates, we will compile a report that details their responses, and we will send it to our Oak Park members.
Three slates of four candidates each and one independent candidate have stepped forward for consideration. Voters will elect three four-year trustee terms and one two-year term. Announced candidates are:
Citizens for Progressive Action (Slated by the Village Manager Association)
Ray Johnson—Incumbent
Jan Pate
Jon Hale
John Hedges—Two-year term
Vision Community Action (Slated by the Village Citizens’ Alliance)
Jim Balanoff
Robert Milstein—Incumbent
Gary Schwab
Anabel Abraham—Two-year term
New Leadership ‘07 (Slated by the New Leadership Coalition)
Barbara Dolan
Harvey Lyon
Mary Shiffer
Rose Meyer—Two-year term
Independent
Dan Fore—Two-year term
