February 2025 Online Candidate Forum
RESPONSE
[Disclaimer: The Berwyn Tree Canopy Initiative (BTCI) is a non-political community group. We do not support or endorse and political candidates. Any views expressed on this website by candidates are not necessarily the views of BTCI, and should not be attributed to BTCI.]
Also see video responseQ1: What is your vision for a healthy Berwyn? What are the key components of your vision and how would you support them? You may want to address people, neighborhoods, and the environment, as well as the role of equity, communication, and education and how you plan to respond to input from residents.
My vision for a healthy Berwyn would be a welcoming community for everyone, where our social services match our tax paying dollars and community input is what governs our local governments decisions. Let me elaborate.
I want a Berwyn that is safe, where we feel our voices and input are being heard and addressed. Where we prioritize projects in an ethical and transparent way. I want green spaces, and parks to be maintained and for us to have continued conversations on improvements on the beautification of our shared public areas such as parks, the rec., library, streets, alleys and infrastructure. I want an education system for our children that is competitive to our surrounding areas and Berwyn Township Health Services that match our community needs. I want financial responsible spending and project prioritization.
With the right local elected officials in place, we can hold them accountable to these and our community needs and one project at a time we can tackle them.
Community engagement is a top priority for getting us organized and empowering our community. I want to host and collaborate with different wards, alderpeople, organizations, neighbors and social groups to get input from our community and bring those voices back to city hall. I plan to connect with folks through different platforms from community meetings, social media, emails and networking.
I love Berwyn, this is my home, I’m creating beautiful memories with my children, husband, family and friends here. I attend library events, story time in the park, long walks around Proksa, block parties, front yard meet up’s, book clubs and I want other neighbors to know how much Berwyn has to offer if we just work together.
Q2: The City of Berwyn’s Urban Forestry Management Plan sets a goal of increasing tree canopy coverage from 20.91% (as of 2022) to 23% by 2032. If elected, what would you do to ensure this and other goals of the Plan are met?
Staying informed, engaged and holding people and organizations accountable is something that can be done by continuing to show interest throughout the projects. I would work with community members and officials who support these initiatives and ask them to support each other through these engagements. I would follow up on meetings, emails, calls, meet up’s, informationals, grants, and services. I would inquire about a board and public statements and updated letters of their progress to make sure timelines and goals are being met. I will applaud their continued achievements publicly to let people know the importance of their work which would also inform the residents and might even gain new interest from the community.
I would also be a resource of any incoming grants and programs that might be available to the project. If there is an eco-friendly project near our surrounding area, I would inquire if it’s something beneficial and feasible for our community as well.
Q3: Flooding is a big concern for many residents and with a warming climate we know to expect more extreme weather events. If elected, what would you do to decrease flooding and ensure our community is ready for a changing climate?
My beautiful Berwyn bungalow basement has flooded 3 times. I personally share the frustrations with neighbors and homeowners who have also been affected by flooding. Disseminating information on Berwyn’s flood mitigation grant program and getting more residents to qualify for this program would be my first step. Finding resources to cover the homeowner costs and working with the city to expand the list of qualified plumber companies (to make pricing and services competitive) would be my next step in the current flood mitigation program they have in place.
I would also like to encourage the city to explore further options for our homeowners. Providing rain barrels to people who are interested and holding informationals on the positive impact of using them. We could also explore the options of green alleys in high prone flooding areas and provide grants for the disconnection of gutters from sewer lines.
Lastly, we should hold informational seminars with other rapid response teams and even insurance companies to inform our residents of our options to keep ourselves and our homes protected should an unpredictable disaster arise. We can never be too prepared for the unexpected.
Berwyn Tree Canopy Initiative | Berwyn, Illinois 