Cathy Wilson: Candidate For Glenview Trustee

GLENVIEW, IL — Ahead of the April 6 consolidated municipal elections, Glenview Patch provided questionnaires to all candidates on the ballot.

Six candidates are vying for four four-year trustee seats on the Glenview Village Board on Election Day. They are Paul Brancky, Gina DeBoni, Tim Doron, Sheri Latash, Adam Sidoti and Cathy Wilson. Current trustees John Hinkamp, Karim Khoja, Mike Jenny and Deborah Karton are not running for reelection. Jenny is running unopposed for Village President with current President Jim Patterson also choosing not to run for reelection.

DeBoni, Doron and Sidoti are running on behalf of the Unite Glenview party. Brancky, Latash and Wilson are running on behalf of the Glenview Next party.

Glenview Patch is publishing all responses submitted by candidates verbatim.

Cathy Wilson

Age (as of Election Day)

68

Town/City of Residence

Glenview

Office Sought

Village board or city council

Party Affiliation (if a partisan race)

Glenview Next (non partisan)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

BA: College of William and Mary; MA: Georgia State University

Occupation

Education, Marketing, Technology 30+ years

Campaign website

https://glenviewnext.org

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

None

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Transparency. Transparency is a combination of information and accessibility.
The Village Board needs to do a better job providing timely, accurate, and understandable information to residents and other stakeholders. I'd ask the Village to post documents that will be discussed during Board meetings earlier than 48 hours for review (as required in the Open Meetings Act). 48 hours simply isn't enough time to download, read, and process important documents for the Village Board Meeting. The exact amount of time can be determined by a discussion with the Board and Village Staff
I'd require the same with all Commissions. For documents that explain large development projects, I'd require a minimum of one week (ideally two) for documents to be available for review prior to a Commission or Board meeting. In addition, I'd require the developers (or Village) to make available at the Library (if this can be agreed upon) complete sets of all plans, maps, and document in full size and color. This will make it easier for anyone interested in reviewing the project to study them at the Library. I'd have have a log available where visitors can write their thoughts about the project. The more input residents and other stakeholders can, the better for everyone.
I'd ask the Village staff to have a meeting with meeting with residents, businesses, and other stakeholders after a development project has been presented to the Village staff but before it goes to the Plan Commission. Residents must be able to understand the project, make suggestions, and seek compromise before the project moves on to the Commission.
I'd make it a point of reading all documents prior to Village meetings and come prepared to ask questions. Lots of questions if necessary. I find the Board engages in very few open and spirited discussions in public.
I'd work to implement more meetings with residents/businesses/stakeholders and the Village Board that allow for an open exchange of ideas in dialogue format. Currently, the structure of Village Board meetings does not allow for that. There is no opportunity for a member of the public to engage in a back-and-forth with a Board member. Either we need to change the structure of Board meetings to allow for that or we need to find other formats for this public exchange. I'm all for more "Coffee with the Council" and other meet and greets, but there also need to be more "on the record" exchanges.
I'd make sure that the Board clearly communicates the process and rationale for any key decision. I'd avoid conducting business in Executive Session as much as possible.
If elected as a trustee, I'll be out and about in the Village, visiting neighborhoods and businesses. Anyone on the Board needs to be talking with people across the Village to understand concerns and issues. We need to ask questions and listen.

Do you support Black Lives Matter and what are your thoughts on the demonstrations held since the death of George Floyd and the shooting of Jacob Blake?

Yes, I support Black Lives Matter. Our country has a dark and painful history related to our treatment of Black Americans. There are many excellent books available that tell the true story about our past. I recommend Just Mercy by Bryan Stephenson and Caste: The Origins of our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson to start. As a society, we can no longer accept our entrenched patterns of systemic racism. The Black Lives Matter movement was a cry to address this history. We all must begin by understanding how systemic racism came into being. And from awareness and understanding, we can begin the change needed in our country.
I marched in the demonstrations in Glenview but am not a supporter of defunding the police. I believe in re-funding the police. I think we need to make sure money is being allocated to provide the first responder services that best meet the needs of our community. For example, we should send a mental health worker to assist with all emergency calls related to domestic violence or drug abuse. Do we have these people on staff? This would result in a shifting (refunding) of resources, not an elimination (defunding) of resources.

Do you think the current board has done enough to support racial equality, and if not, what specifically should be done to do so?

No. The Board has not made this a priority.
The Village of Glenview should review its ordinances, processes, and practices to find any examples of any systemic inequality. We need to review whether we have the appropriate diversity training. We need to review hiring practices. In particular, the Police Department needs to review its policies for detaining and arresting suspects.

What are your thoughts on the national and local coronavirus response? Do you favor measures such as limiting operation of non-essential businesses and restricting indoor/outdoor dining? And do you favor a local mask mandate?

I am pleased to see a more science-based and coordinated response to the COVID-19 pandemic at the federal level. This ultimately will improve our local response. Locally, we need to step up testing so we can track the impact of the coronavirus and the variant strains on Glenview and local communities. We need to keep updating residents about the cases in our area, where they are located, and what the causes of the number of cases going up or down. Understanding the “what” and “why” are key.
We need to follow science-based guidelines as we consider enabling our non-essential businesses to operate. We must keep the workers and customers safe. It seems that most businesses have adapted based upon state guidelines. We all want our businesses to return to pre-COVID levels of operation, but we need to keep the public safe in the meanwhile.
Restaurants and bars are some of the most impacted businesses. As difficult as may be, we must continue to follow science-based guidelines in terms of opening restaurants. The more we can do to control the coronavirus, the sooner restaurants and bars can open up.
I do support the wearing of masks. The scientific evidence that shows the benefits of wearing masks – and preferably two masks – is overwhelming. It’s all about protecting your family, friends, neighbors, and other people with whom you come in contact. This is an example of a behavior that indeed does "take a Village". Mask up, Glenview!

What are your thoughts on the state and local coronavirus vaccine distribution, and how do you think local governments should work together to handle vaccine rollout?

We are all grateful to see improvements in the vaccine distribution and dissemination of information. The vaccine distribution is dependent upon a tightly coordinated chain: federal government > state government > county government. We need to be in touch with Cook County Commissioner Scott Britton and others in the county who deal with the vaccine distribution plan. We also need to continue coordinating with local resources through the COVID-19 Task Force. Returning to our "new normal" is a regional effort which means we need to collaborate as much as possible.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I bring a diverse skill set to the position of trustee based upon my extensive work in education (Spanish teacher and coach), educational publishing and sales/marketing (at ScottForesman/Pearson), and launching a social network for language learning as a tech start up. These different experiences have taught me how to think and plan strategically. What are the plan and outcomes? Is the plan communicated to stakeholders? Is there buy-in to the plan? How do we measure success? Is there a plan to measure success? How do we implement the plan? These skills transfer to the work on the Board.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

The current Board has not done enough to provide adequate, timely, and complete information to the public regarding issues at hand. For example, when the Board recommended the closure of Station #13, the finances for Option E (which the Board recommended) showed a saving of $1.25 million. However, the Village staff didn’t explain where that savings was coming from and the Board never questioned the number. This is falling short of being fully transparent. We still haven't been told what the true savings will be despite several members of the public asking for clarification. In addition, the Board did not clearly indicate in the Agenda that a recommendation would be made regarding Station #13. Because of this, the interested public was not able to show up to express their concerns at the Board meeting. The Village Board must to better.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

There are several other issues that define my campaign.
ENGAGEMENT -- Unfortunately, very few Glenview residents are engaged with Village government or understand how it operates. This is completely understandable as we're all busy 24/7. That means the Village needs to be very creative in finding ways to interact with residents as well as get more people to participate. I've got lots of ideas for how this can happen.
DEVELOPMENT -- We must do better with involving residents, businesses, and other stakeholders very early in the development process. There are simple changes that can make this happen; here are a few. Hold a meeting with the Village staff, residents, business, and other stakeholders prior to moving a project to the Plan Commission. Let's look for compromises early on the process. Let's make the plans, maps, and documents available in the Library for public review at least one week prior to a review meeting. The more we can listen and solve issues early in the process, the better the result for all concerned.
I support the spirit of the Glenview Connect project and have attended all the meetings. I view it as the beginning of a process to envision new options for Glenview's future. Some of the ideas have been exciting and seem do-able. We need to execute based upon an open and honest conversation with Village residents and businesses. We must consider everything -- residential, retail, commercial, business/office, density, traffic, and the environment as we move ahead.
FISCAL STABILITY -- I understand and support the need to not raise property taxes, to deliver the high quality services we all expect, and to keep our AAA bond rating.
BUSINESS COMMUNITY -- I believe the business community is the foundation of Glenview's financial stability and we must do everything possible to help our businesses prosper and grow. We need to work in partnership with businesses and the Chamber of Commerce. However, I believe the Village can take a bigger role in engaging with and promoting businesses. I'd like to explore an Economic Development Commission as a vehicle to bring innovation to how the Village thinks about economic development.
ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY -- Glenview has not kept up with other communities in terms of "green" initiatives. We need to be more proactive as we build houses, plan developments, and spend Village money. We need to think solar and electric power. We need to protect and promote our abundant natural resources, work to expand our green spaces, and make "Green Glenview" the pride of the North Shore.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

When I was working at ScottForesman/Pearson, I was the Product Line Director for our new middle school and high school Spanish program. We were moving into the buying cycle for key states like Texas, California, and Florida and the success of this program was pivotal to the success of my product line. I was responsible for leading the efforts of a very talented team to envision, create, design, and manufacture this important series of Spanish print and digital projects. I handled all the branding, marketing, and coordinating the training of our sales force. In addition, I worked with sales to establish sales goals and then created the training materials. It was a challenging and exciting project. Bottom line, we produced the project on time, on budget, exceeded our sales goals, and delivered the top-selling Spanish program on the market. The program also was chosen as the (then) Prentice Hall "Product of the Year".
There are numerous skills that transfer from my years in educational publishing to being a Village trustee. Working collaboratively. Strategic thinking. Defining goals and outcomes. Asking the right questions. Managing budgets and timelines. Juggling multiple plates at once. Being creative. Training and motivating others.

If you win this position, what accomplishment would make your term in office as a success?

I would measure success by increasing the number of residents who interact with and participate in Village government. I talked earlier about measuring success. This would be measured by increasing the number of resident interactions at meetings (live and virtual), on social media, and in face-to-face conversations. A second metric would be more residents participating in Village government. I would increase the number of commissions to include Arts and Culture, Community Relations, and Economic Development. I would broaden the scope of the Natural Resources Commission to focus on the environment and sustainability. Currently we have 50 Village Board members and commissioners of which 75% are men. By expanding the variety of commissions, more residents with different interests would find more ways to participate. I would also work for ways to educate residents about Village government. When they understand how government works, they may be more willing to get involved.

Why should voters trust you?

Anyone who knows me will say that I'm honest and direct. I do what I say and I say what I think. I will always listen to what you have to say and we’ll engage in a discussion that will lead to a better understanding of the issue. I have no political ambitions beyond being a Village trustee and am doing this to make Glenview an even better place to live.

What are your views on fiscal policy, government spending and the use of taxpayer dollars in the office you are seeking?

Due to good fiscal management, Glenview has a low property taxes, a strong and diverse base for sales taxes, and an envied AAA bond rating. The Village Board and Staff should be commended for bringing forth balanced budgets. However, I want to “look under the hood” to determine if there are ways we can save or reallocate money. For example, I would question whether the Village needs to spend $400,000 on new signage as we are cutting budgets in response to the pandemic and closing a fire station.

Is there any reason you would not serve your full term of office, other than those of health or family?

No

The best advice ever shared with me was:

My father once gave me a plaque that said, "Even a fish wouldn't get in trouble if it kept its mouth shut." Hmmm.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I care about making Glenview the best place to live, work, and play. I have ideas for making this happen and look forward to working the other members of the Board to move them forward. I also have opinions about issues related to Glenview but always am willing to listen to others around me. When I hear new information that can inform my thinking, I am flexible enough to adjust my position. As a trustee, you can never stop listening and learning.