Skokie Vision 17
Skokie Vision #17: As someone who has spent decades organizing north suburban residents, congregations, and community groups to achieve fully inclusive and diverse northern suburbs, I know that perception is reality. Our political leaders may say that they check off the policy boxes that promote "welcoming," but if people neither experience nor feel it -- in particular, people of color who still get pulled over more than most or whose neighborhoods have more potholes than predominantly white or affluent areas -- then it's time for our elected officials to stop being defensive and face up to their constituents' truths. In Skokie, a persistent lack of openness about major upsacle developments (which is virtually all of them), like the downtown TIF symbolized by the abandoned multi-story Homewood Suites scaffolding, leads residents to believe that there's at best, a shortage of common sense, or at worst, corruption.
Should I be elected as At-Large Skokie Trustee next April 1st, I will make a point of acknowledging the pervasive pain and anger among residents, and work with other elected officials of *all* local government bodies — school, park, library, Township — to address this as a top priority. I would solicit residents’ experiences with *affirmative* outreach — which means taking into account language, mobility, timing, and work schedules — as a necessary precursor to a new Comprehensive Plan, along with amassing factual data about investments, housing patterns, delivery of public services, etc.
I would make sure that the Villlage Board doesn’t just say it is “responsive” but in fact institutes new avenues for input and active resident involvement in government decisions. Indeed, I created and taught a course on this very topic at Northwestern U., “Citizen Participation in the Policy-Making Process” for the Masters in Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) program of its School of Professional Studies (and by demand, customized for a visiting parliamentary delegation for what became South Sudan). I have extensive hands-on experience in promoting, leading, and implementing racially and economically equitable, participatory programs and groups. It’s time to change both the reality and perception of an unfair Skokie such that everyone indeed matters, regardless of what they earn, where they live, or what race, ethnicity, or religion they belong to.