The continuing rancor that has descended on the normally staid River Forest Village Board of Trustees since the April elections has unsettled the status quo. Some, impatient with Frank Paris’ years of dominating the board, are happy to see three trustees standing up to him. Others are upset by what they see as a power play by upstarts.
But blaming the minority is too easy. And challenging the status quo is not always bad. It’s too early to tell how this will all settle out, but we can hazard a few observations:
The “opposition” has raised some valid concerns about “the way things have always been done.” There may well be valid reasons for business as usual in River Forest, but we haven’t heard them yet. Instead, President Paris and his loyal trustees have simply dismissed the opposition’s concerns without adequate explanation. That just won’t fly.
It also makes the board majority look defensive, as if they had something to hide. And that makes them less credible.
The new board minority consists of two members who were elected in uncontested elections. One of those new trustees we were sharply critical of during his tenure on the park board. So the jury is still out on this group. But we also note that one of the three is an incumbent trustee and the efforts of the minority are supported by former trustee Michael O’Connell, whose One View appears later in this section.
This board minority cannot and should not be dismissed. Instead, the board majority needs to enter into reasonable and civil dialogue about the way this body of government functions. A significant portion of the board insists that rules be followed instead of leaving things up to a longtime president. That seems legitimate to us.
We aren’t taking sides in this dispute, but we are advocating dialogue. Three trustees have raised valid concerns. We’d like to hear either an adequate explanation from the other four trustees – or we’d like to hear an admission that procedural change is needed.
A strategic plan for D97
Strategic plans always raise expectations and generate a mild buzz, and that’s certainly the case with District 97’s first strategic plan in 20 years. Plenty of specific goals mentioned, too. Some of them – a referendum sooner than later – is, of course, no surprise to anyone who has been paying attention. All-day kindergarten across the district is clearly an idea whose time has come. But our strongest endorsement comes for “improving communication between school and home.” That will take more than good intentions. Technology makes this more doable than in the past, but it will take, first and foremost, a willingness on the part of educators to see true partnership with parents as an important tool in the education of children. We think it’s key, and hope they buy into it.
The mystery of the mites
The mites are a mystery. Experts at Morton Arboretum and the Field Museum don’t exactly know what to make of the itchy bites people are reporting (and suffering from). This is the second insect “event” this summer, following the 17-year cicada emergence. Mysteries like the mighty mites remind us that nature isn’t tamed by a long shot, and that human beings don’t know everything.
That’s humbling, which is good. The bites are not.
Fortunately, Oak Park didn’t get many cicadas back in June and thus far we haven’t gotten many mite bites (knock on wood). We also don’t have to put up with Des Plaines River flooding thanks to our high ground. The real estate people evidently aren’t kidding when they talk about “location, location, location.”