Skokie Vision 18

Skokie Vision #18: L'chaim! How appropriate that on this New Year's Day, I am posting Skokie resident vision 18, a number that in Judaism represents "chai": life and good luck. How appropriate that this particular vision is self-reflective. It's an inside-out perspective, like a hub or the heart. At bottom, sense of community and sense of place are about our own personsal identity with a shared meaning.

If you were to say, "I am a Skokian" as opposed to "I am a Skokie resident," what would you want that to mean to your listener?

The Village of Skokie held two very insightful and well-attended Skokie Community Forums in 2014 and 2019 -- I participated in both -- and I invite you to read the 2019 summary. You will see a consensus here in the responses to, "Why did you choose to live in Skokie and why do you stay?," regarding diversity, schools, services, safety, and convenient location. This is all to be celebrated.

If I were to write the question that this vision writer infers, however, it would go beyond the checklist and be something like, "How do you experience Skokie?" It's in essence about a feeling of connection to one another and to the land on which we live.

I think that all of us who were part of the Skokie Alliance fo Electoral Reform movement experienced the exhilaration of a Skokie in which people cared about and supported one another. The underlying principle of the tag line, "Make every vote matter," was that we each matter, and that was how the campaign operated.

At the Community Forums, the word "destination" cropped up often, with an aspiration to see Skokie as a "destination and not a way-station." If I were to be honored by Skokie voters with a victory as At-Large Trustee on April 1st, I would view every issue that comes up as a chance to activate the people and use celebrations and problem-solving as a way to build a community of people, not just a place with "units" of housing with "inhabitants."

I wish each of you a joyful and healthy new year. Thank you!