Below are candidate-submitted answers to a biographical survey Wednesday Journal sent out to all candidates running in this year’s elections.
Age: 55
Previous political experience: I have been a River Forest Village Trustee from 2013 to the present. Prior to that, I was a River Forest Park District Commissioner from 2007 to 2013.
Previous community experience: Over the course of my two kids youth sports careers, I coached 27 different teams in either baseball, softball, basketball or soccer.
Occupation: Attorney
Education: B.S with Honors in History and Economics from Illinois State University, 1986. J.D. Magna cum Laude from Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Economic development has been a major focus for the village board in recent years, but some projects have stalled and the review process for some have been complicated. How can the village board make the review process more efficient while also looking out for concerns residents?
I firmly believe that we must always give residents as much opportunity as possible to express their opinions or concerns with regard to any major initiative that the Village undertakes. Our current process ensures that there are many natural points at which interested residents can weigh in on the topic at hand. While the village board is ultimately accountable for the decisions it makes, I would be loath to make a decision on matter of great interest to the village without making sure that I have heard from everyone who has a perspective and have a complete command of all of the facts involved. Thus, while our current process on economic development may not be the most expedient, I believe that it affords our residents the process to which they are due.
The village board has granted numerous extensions for proposed developments at Lake and Park and Lake and Lathrop. At what point, if ever, should the village board seek other alternatives?
With regard to Lake and Park, the Village Board has already determined to issue a new RFP for that property and gave our village staff instructions to that effect. Regarding Lake and Lathrop, that development has been the subject of some unfortunate realities over the years. First and foremost, the property may be contaminated. Moreover, we entered into an arrangement with Keystone Ventures to develop that property in the midst of one of the worst financial crises in the history of our nation, a crisis that was felt most acutely in real estate. Then, even after the crisis had abated, an owner of a key parcel made unreasonable demands to sell. Finally, in the midst of acquiring the needed parcels, one of Keystone’s partners in the deal unexpectedly walked away.
I am certainly as anxious as everyone else to see the development at Lake and Lathrop come to fruition. Admittedly, the promise of the development has been in the air for an overly long time. However, after the recent assurances that we have received from Tim Hague and his new partner Sedgwick Development, which is headed by another River Forest resident, Marty Paris, I am confident that they will achieve the goal of remediating the property at Lake and Lathrop and building a quality commercial and residential development that will benefit us all.
Another important consideration in not immediately terminating the development agreement with Keystone Ventures is that any other option will just further delay completion. We just don’t have another developer in the bullpen warming up to take over. Thus, we would have to issue another RFP or somehow otherwise attract the attention of a new developer willing to take on the project. That will not happen over night. At present, our best option on Lake and Lathrop is to stick with Tim and Marty and trust that they will live up to their promises.
The village board has identified TIF districts as a tool for promoting development on Madison Street and may seek to do the same on North Avenue. What do you think about TIF districts as tools for redevelopment in River Forest? Are you in favor of sharing incremental revenue with other taxing bodies, such as school districts? Why or why not?
For a mature community like River Forest, TIF districts are pretty much the only effective tool that we have in the box to entice developers to make wholesale improvements to our town. I have repeatedly said over the past four years that all of the taxing bodies in River Forest are much too dependent on residential real estate taxes and that we need to add commercial realty into the mix to lessen the tax burden on our residents. Over the past couple of years, I have seen a number of friends whose kids are grown or in college sell there homes and move to Forest Park or Elmwood Park simply because they can no longer justify living here and paying the taxes. We must change that so that no one is chased out of their homes by taxes. The TIF districts are the only way that we can.
As for sharing incremental revenue with other taxing bodies, I favor the same approach that the village used in connection with the Lake Street TIF. In fact, the village made that exact offer to District 90 and 200 recently but was turned down. The only change that I would like to see in that arrangement would be that for every distribution from the TIF District to the other taxing bodies, those bodies would agree that they would lower their next year’s tax levy by the amount received from the TIF funds. That way, it will be the taxpayers who realize as soon as possible the benefits from the success of the TIF district.
How important is it to ensure preservation of River Forest’s historic homes? What can the village do to safeguard those homes from demolition? How does the question of property rights play into the equation?
Along with its proximity to downtown Chicago, readily accessible transportation options and its exemplary schools, the thing that draws homebuyers to River Forest is its character. A significant part of the village’s charm is its housing stock, which includes many historically significant homes. Thus, I agreed with the members of the Historic Preservation Commission (“HPC”) that we needed to put some teeth into our Historic Preservation Ordinance to make sure that architectural treasures in our village were not just torn down as an expedient. The one concern that I had with a plan to control demolition of historic homes was what to do with the individual or couple whose home was their principal asset and who needed for whatever reason to sell the home.
I think that the HPC, whose work on this issue was both comprehensive and invaluable, achieved the proper balance between recognizing the importance that historic homes have to the village while not trampling on the property rights of villagers. All that the ordinance calls for is a pause in the demolition of a historic home. That way, the HPC might be able to offer alternatives to demolition that results in a win-win for everyone.
Do you support red light cameras? If so, why? If not, how can the revenue generated by the cameras, which is set aside for capital improvements, be replaced?
Last summer, the Village Board extended the contract with our red light camera vendor for another four years. Thus, until the summer of 2020, the issue of red light cameras is somewhat unripe. Moreover, the experience of other municipalities shows that the need for red light cameras does subside over time as drivers adapt. Our budget projections anticipate a decline in revenue over time. Thus, by the time the contract comes up for renewal again, it may well be that the cameras have outlived their usefulness.
However, it is important to recall that drivers who make right turns on red without coming to a complete stop are violating the law. It is just not that hard to come to a complete stop and it seems to follow that somebody who does run through the light without stopping completely is more likely not to see a pedestrian in the intersection than a driver who does come to a complete stop.
Lastly, as the question anticipates, the red light camera revenue is an important source to pay for the replacement of the village’s capital equipment. In the absence of the red light camera revenue, there would really be only one place to turn to pay for those needed capital improvements, which would be residential real estate taxes.
What other issues involving village government are important to you, and how do you plan to advocate for them?
Two other areas that are most important to me are improving the village’s communications with our residents and better incorporating the input of our village committees and commissions into our decision making process. With regard to communication, the village has been working throughout the last four years to improve our communication with our residence but the experience with the Madison Avenue TIF last summer confirmed to me that we have more work to do. In addition, I serve as the Village’s representative to the Collaborative Committee. This is a group of representatives from all of the taxing bodies that serve River Forest. Our most recent goal has been to devise a website that will provide all River Forest residents with the essential information that they need regarding each agency in a single website. This is an exciting initiative that I would really like to see come into being.
I would also like to improve the way in which the village board incorporates input from its various committees and commissions into its decision making process. To do their best, Village Board members should be generalists, knowing a little about a lot of the village’s activities. However, certain decisions that we are called upon to make require subject matter expertise. Our village is fortunate in that we have a lot of very smart people who are willing to volunteer their time and experience to the village. One obvious example is the recently created Sustainability Committee. The current members of that committee are some of the hardest working volunteers I have ever seen and I genuinely look forward to working with them in the next four years to make River Forest one of the most ecologically-conscious communities in Illinois.
Another underused but vitally important commission is our Economic Development Commission. As we begin to move forward with the TIF districts, we have to tap into their expertise to make sure that we are most effectively using that TIF money. For reasons I simply don’t understand, there is some reticence on our current board to using the EDC. To me, that is foolhardy. The EDC has the ability to provide us with expertise for which we would otherwise have to pay consultants thousands of dollars. I say let’s save those tax dollars and instead listen to the advice that our friends and neighbors will give us for free.