Issues before City Council include...

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Today, Park Ridge is very different from when I grew up.  Back in the 1990's, the town's loudest discussions centered on whether Bailey's Restaurant should be allowed to install three bar stools or if that would indeed invite "debauchery."  Thankfully, we're past that...and our Uptown provides sufficient dining and entertainment as well as supporting a robust circular local economy.  Even with these changes, Park Ridge remains a delightful place to raise families, enjoy quiet, work from home, or engage with the community.  We remain a small town, with all the benefits of a big city right next door.  

Our City has grown significantly over the past decade.  Estimates are that our residential population may have increased by over 2,500 since the 2010 census, proving that Park Ridge remains a desirable and achievable destination.    Moreover, it seems that almost every week our Chamber of Commerce coordinates the grand opening of yet another restaurant or business.  Park Ridge is doing well.  

Some think we can go further, with increased economic development (storefronts, multi-level office buildings) or for increased residential housing (multi-unit as well as single-family).  I believe that as these agendas are presented, City Council must be sagacious.  I am concerned that we have not yet fully felt the impact of all our new neighbors--whether on our streets, in our schools, with the demands on our public works, or upon our existing local government agencies.  Likewise, I am concerned that we have not yet fully felt the effect of the increased construction--whether residential or commercial.  There are concerns that increased development exacerbated by increased precipitation trends is affecting stormwater flooding in other areas of our City, including in 5th Ward.  Moreover, increased development results in additional traffic on our roadways.  

Last, I will make a plug for more open spaces, more areas for our community to gather and enjoy collective experiences.  We have many such events--Farmers' Market, Taste of Park Ridge, Craft Beer Fest, Concerts in the Park, Vine Street BBQ, etc.  However, we don't have enough venues or open spaces to do it right, especially as we grow our commercial center and our reputation as an entertainment destination.  I believe that open spaces are often overlooked as they seem to inhibit or constrain development; we must be wary of "over-development." 

While growth (population and/or commercial) can certainly be beneficial, it must be managed properly in order to protect our unique Park Ridge atmosphere.  

Flooding is a perennial danger to Park Ridge residents.  Recent years have seen increased rainfall across the Chicagoland area.  Moreover, storms tend to be of higher intensity, albeit for shorter periods of time.  High intensity storms coming more frequently presents significant challenge to our existing stormwater management system.  

Over the next few months, the Council will be reviewing our Stormwater Master Plan and reviewing various budget proposals that will continue our collective efforts to protect our residents from catastrophe.  We'd love to hear your thoughts.

Over the past couple months--and especially over the past few weeks--we have seen an impact of violent crime in our neighborhoods.  Armed robberies at Mariano's and Thorntons, gunshots fired at homeowners during a catalytic converter theft, a violent road-rage incident at the Talcott & Cumberland Shell gas station, and home invasions or burglaries: these types of crimes are not and should not be accepted as the norm in Park Ridge.  

We must recognize that as of the 2023 report delivered to City Council, most crime categories in Park Ridge are down from ten years ago, except in three areas: auto damage (catalytic converter thefts), home invasions, and burglaries. However, since that report was released, we have had at least three recent incidents of gunshots being fired, a spate of late-night garage break-ins here in 5th Ward, and armed robberies in the Mariano's parking lot.  So regardless as to whether the numbers suggest crime numbers are going up or down, there is a very real perception that Park Ridge is increasingly dangerous.  That's pretty sad.

We can discuss the causality for these crimes: the adoption of progressive criminal justice reforms in Springfield, the effects of the pandemic, the disenfranchisement of youth, or the proliferation of guns in society.  However, none of these discussion topics fall within the jurisdictional purview of City Council.  Public safety does.

We need to do more to protect our citizens.  Some of our neighbors (including my own mother, a lifelong 7th Ward resident) no longer feel safe going to Mariano's. Other neighbors have decided to purchase personal firearms for self-defense, only adding to the number of guns in society.  And a few of our neighbors have actually left Park Ridge because of pessimistic assessments of where crime figures are headed.  

Over my decades of experience as a leader, I learned the value of subject matter experts. I learned to trust them to do their jobs, but I also recognize that they must be held accountable to the goal. In Park Ridge, the Police Chief is the City’s subject matter expert for all things public safety-related. I have sat down with Chief Kampwirth on several occasions, and I am confident that he is aware of and working to resolve resident concerns. 

The City has already purchased several new camera systems to provide early warning if stolen vehicles enter Park Ridge.  The City is researching the purchase of public camera systems as well as grants or rebates to support private homeowners if they choose to install cameras on private property.  The police department is reviewing patrol patterns and visibility.  That all said, we need to do more.  

As a Public Defender, I know that crime can have many causes: mental health issues, drug addiction, poor decision-making, or a perception of limited options.  But City government has an obligation to our community to ensure that no victim suffers due to our failure to think and act.

I think our City is currently in good financial shape.  This is due to lower-than-expected expenditures over the course of the pandemic as well as larger-than-expected revenues over the past couple years.  However, I believe that financial uncertainty looms on the horizon.

We are currently confronting the most significant inflationary pressures in a half-century.  Labor costs and material costs are increasing at significant rates.  Property values--after several years of consistent growth--are now confronting greater instability.  Moreover, the past decade has seen almost 2,500 new Park Ridge residents move into our community.  While we welcome our new neighbors with open arms, we recognize that an increased number of residents will result in increased costs upon infrastructure and resources in our small town.  

While past and current leadership has resulted in significant commercial development and subsequent commercial tax generation, I believe that we need to better diversify our commercial tax base without losing our small-town and close-knit neighborhood community.  We need to be deliberate and cognizant in our efforts to sustainably grow our city...the Park Ridge we know and love.    

I was once a 15-year-old skateboarder who was often chased out of uptown for being loud, annoying, and disrespectful.  In fact, I claim partial credit for the sign that still exists prohibiting loitering and skateboarding in the Pickwick Plaza area behind the Prospect Ave storefront.

Teenagers are part of our community.  But so are merchants, restaurateurs, and pedestrians.  Teens acting in a disrespectful and/or illegal manner should not be condoned.  However, I don't know if the widespread prohibitions on teens accessing commercial or municipal premises is the answer.  

First of all, the rhetorical: why should all teens be punished for the acts of a few?  Then, the developmental: how will teens learn to act if not given the opportunity?  Last--and perhaps most poignantly--the pragmatic: where will teens go if not allowed in our town center?  

Our merchants and our pedestrians deserve a town center free of unruly teens.  But our teens deserve an opportunity to enjoy all the wonderful things our city has to offer as well as the opportunity to learn to be a responsible and respectful participant in society.  

I believe that the City can do more to draw community stakeholders together so we may better balance the expectations and obligations upon all involved parties as well as develop remedies.  

I truly believe that Park Ridge is a special place.  All of us have far more in common than we have as differences.  Thankfully, most of us recognize that truism.  However, some among us (sadly often the most vocal and vitriolic) seek to divide us up with visceral and toxic epithets or allegations.  With all that clamor, sometimes it can be hard to remember how awesome all of us really are.  

It saddens me when people try to affix labels to others.  Because of my unique experiences, I have seen what happens when we grow intolerant of those who live next door. The violence, the bloodshed.  Having worked on the Hill as well as having lived in disparate areas around the country—Oklahoma, California, North Carolina—I have also seen how polarized we are getting as a country.  And we are starting to see it in our own community, right here in Park Ridge. We are increasingly showing intolerance for people who don’t agree with us.  We’ve got to stop.

Over my life, I have found that empathy is the most important interpersonal trait one can possess.  The desire and ability to understand and value someone else's different perspective is a critical underpinning for civil society to prevail.  This is not to say we must agree with every different position, but we do have an obligation to listen, respect, and consider that everyone else is just as important as ourselves.

I learned this firsthand while deployed overseas, working alongside Danish soldiers, Tajik mercenaries, nongovernmental organizations, Pashtun tribesmen, Jordanian princes, and Bahraini sheikhs...and their collective cosmopolitan panoply of ideologies.  And later, as an undergraduate professor at Duke and UNC (Chapel Hill), I lectured on empathetic decision-making along with stakeholder analysis and management theory.  

Today, across our nation (and even in our City), we are being increasingly confronted with ideologically-minded agenda-based crusaders who seek to advance an agenda with little or no consideration to the idiosyncrasies of the time, place, or persons involved.  These crusaders can be found on all sides of the political or ideological spectrum.

City Council must be thoughtful and empathetic when considering policies that will affect our community.  We cannot bow to crusaders seeking to advance a partisan agenda, no matter how vocal or vitriolic.  We must make decisions that will be best for the Park Ridge of tomorrow.