Former Trustee Seeks Return To Homewood Board: Election 2023

HOMEWOOD, IL — Three current trustees and a former one will contend for three spots on the Homewood Village Board when voters head to the polls Tuesday.

Incumbents Jay Heiferman, Chenise 'Cece' Belue, and Julie Elizabeth Willis hope to hold on to their seats. Former trustee Anne Colton seeks a return to the board after five years away.

In Patch's candidate questionnaire, Heiferman stressed that he would focus on traffic safety issues and corresponding necessary infrastructure for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians, along with continuing efforts to increase development and attract quality businesses to the town.

Heiferman lauded the Village's completion of the "largest public works project that Homewood has ever undertaken," with the completion of a "new, reliable source of water at a fixed contract rate." He also hopes to do the same with a new water tower. Heiferman touted his accessibility to residents in the 15 years he's served as trustee, saying he's been "accessible and responsive to residents."

Heiferman is running on the Greater Homewood Party slate with Belue and Willis; neither Belue nor Willis participated in the candidate questionnaire.

See Heiferman's candidate profile here.

In her questionnaire, former trustee Colton pointed to her previous nine-year run as a trustee as a distinguishing qualification. She stressed engagement with the residents and business owners as one of the biggest issues facing the board.

"We need to find ways to open dialog with residents before major issues are voted on, so residents feel like their voices are being heard and that their opinions are being considered," Colton wrote.

She wrote of a gap in engagement from the current board, noting that trustees "don't reach out proactively to get the community's pulse on issues — they tend to wait until people react negatively and then try to start the dialog from there. We need to bring people in from the beginning, so we can truly collaborate with our residents and stakeholders."

Colton said that if elected, she plans to be "fully available" to residents. She also plans to focus on small business retention. On voters' minds this election cycle, the departure of retail giant Walmart from the community, a topic about which Colton has been vocal.

"We spend a lot of resources on attracting businesses," she wrote in her questionnaire, "but I want to make sure that we are also putting the same effort into retaining existing businesses."

See Colton's candidate profile here.