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VMA Endorsed Elected Officials
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David Pope was first elected Village President in April 2005 and is now
in his second term. Formerly a Principal with Price Waterhouse's Strategy
Consulting Practice, he is now a management consultant. His leadership
exemplifies a thoughtful, fiscally responsible approach to village
governance, emphasizing intergovernmental coordination, and improved
results-based accountability. He serves on the U.S. Conference of Mayors
leadership group and as Co-Chair of its Sustainability Task Force. He has
served as a Village Trustee, an Oak Park Plan Commissioner and a founding
Board Member of RAINN (national rape crisis hotline). David has an MBA from
Northwestern and is married with two young children.
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Ray Johnson was elected as a Village Trustee in April 2003 and came in
first out of a field of ten candidates. Re-elected in 2007, he again
garnered the most votes of any candidate for Village Trustee.
An Austin Boulevard resident, Mr. Johnson was the only candidate to be
endorsed by both the Oak Leaves and the Wednesday Journal in 2003.
Trustee Johnson has had a very positive impact on Village Board goals,
objectives and dynamics. His Board assignments have included Citizen Police
Oversight, Zoning Board of Appeals, Public Works, Public Safety, and the
Retail Rehabilitation Grant Committee.
Mr. Johnson also successfully worked with Senator Dick Durbin and advocated
on behalf of the Village to restore proposed Community Development Block
Grant funds.
He has also worked collaboratively with members of the District 97
Elementary School District and PTOs to support their legislative advocacy
work on education funding reform.
A Trustee who does his homework, Mr. Johnson also keeps his career at the
Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) on track. HSBC, the
world’s third largest bank, keeps Mr. Johnson busy during the day as
he enters his 23rd year of employment and the completion of his 2nd year in
the Consumer Lending Marketing Department.
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Jan Pate is currently the Development Director at the West Cook YMCA in Oak
Park. An Oak Park resident since 2000, her career background includes
broadcast journalism, local government administration, national and
international not-for-profit consulting, and humanitarian work in Kosovo.
She has served on the Oak Park Community Relations Commission. She has two
grown sons, Clifford and Blakeney, who make their homes in South Carolina.
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Jon Hale has been heavily involved in community affairs for most of the
eleven years he has lived in Oak Park, with his wife Lynn Kamenitsa, who is
a professor at NIU, son Vade (7) and daughter Nellie (5), who attend Beye
Elementary School. Hale was a co-founder of Forum Oak Park, a grass-roots
citizen group that follows key issues facing the community and strives to
advocate for policy choices that are in the best interests of the entire
village. Prior to that, he served on the Plan Commission for six years, and
has been active in several other local organizations. Hale has a PhD in
political science and has taught graduate-level courses in public policy
analysis. He works as a portfolio manager for Morningstar Associates in
downtown Chicago.
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John Hedges has a wealth of experience in local governance and civic
volunteerism. A 28-year resident of Oak Park, John served many years as the
Executive Director of the Oak Park Park District and the Park District’s
administrative office building on Madison Street bears his name. He also
worked on staff for the Village of Oak Park and served as interim Village
Manager. He is a former chairperson of the local chapter of Community
Chest/United Way, and past president of the boards of the Oak Park Convention
and Visitors Bureau, the Pleasant Home Foundation, and the Oak Park River
Forest Rotary Club. He has served the local business community as Vice
President of the Madison Street Business Association. John is currently
retired.
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Glenn Brewer is a Community Affairs Specialist with the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation, focusing on fair lending regulations, community
development and reinvestment opportunities, and fair housing law. He has
prior experience in real estate and family law. His extensive community
service includes his current roles as President of the Board of the Oak
Park Regional Housing Center and Treasurer for the Board of Trustees of
Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation. Before moving to Oak
Park, he served on the Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Commission
in Bellwood. Glenn and his wife have three children, one in college and
two in Oak Park public schools.
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Colette Lueck was first appointed to the Village Board in 2008 before
standing for election in April 2009. She is Managing Director for the
Illinois Children's Mental Health Partnership, coordinating statewide
efforts to improve mental health services for children and families.
Her 20 year career in community health provides skills in project and
organizational management, interagency coalition building, and community
leadership. She was named Oak Park's "Volunteer of the Year" in 2006
for her outstanding community service, including Chair of the Oak Park
Plan Commission, Chair of the OPRF High School PTO Liason Program, and
member of the District 97 Finance Work Group. Colette and her partner
have one son, a 2008 graduate of OPRF.
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Theresa Powell has strong mangement and leadership skills honed in community
and professional work. During 13 years in the health insurance industry, she
revolutionized her department's customer service by introducing new
technology to streamline processes, make services accessible, and improve
efficiency. As an aide U.S. Rep. Abner Mikva, she helped citizens resolve
issues with the federal government. Her work with non-profit groups includes
Alcuin Montessori, Dominican University, and the Arts and Business Council
of Chicago. In Oak Park, she served on the Community Relations Commission
and the Board of Health AIDS Committee. A 32-year resident of Oak Park, she
was formerly Theresa Wedoff.
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