Election 2025: Manhattan Village Trustee Candidate Paula Gibbs

MANHATTAN, IL — The consolidated election is set for April 1, with Manhattan's mayor making a push for a second term and going up against a longtime trustee.

Mayor Mike Adrieansen heads up a slate with current trustee Justin Young and joined by newcomers Jennifer Bahena and Clint Boone for trustee, and Becky Bouck for clerk. Their slate is not named.

On slate "Manhattan First," current trustee Dave Beemsterboer tops the ticket in his bid for mayor, with new face Paula Gibbs, former trustees Mike Naughton and Tom Biscan seeking trustee spots.

The board will inevitably be shuffled a bit, with Trustee Ron Adamski not seeking re-election, and Beemsterboer forgoing his seat to for a shot at the mayoral one. Those elected will join trustees Tom Doyle, Lucinda Neighbors and Bob Dilling, whose terms expire in May 2027.

Patch provided candidate questionnaires, with answers now published in candidate profiles.

Early voting begins March 17.

Candidate:

Paula Gibbs

Campaign website:

Manhattan First

Office sought:

Village trustee

Town/City of Residence:

Manhattan

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? This includes any relatives who work in the government you're running for.

No.

Occupation. Please include years of experience.

Local 130 Plumber. 19 years in union; 24 years in construction industry.

Previous or current elected or appointed office.

N/A

The most pressing issues facing our (board, district, etc.) are _______, and this is what I intend to do about them.

Here’s the big picture: Manhattan is now on the leading edge of urban sprawl. “Civilization” spreads like a wave; each generation moves farther from home base where they can afford to plant roots. New Lenox & Frankfort are saturated; we’re the next place with space. Without question, cornfields will be gone. The only things that remain to be seen are how long it will take and what will replace them. Houses, windmills, warehouses? 2 years or 10? Make no mistake, something is coming and probably sooner than later. We need a real plan, and I'll push to get that done stat.

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

Since committing myself to this, I've spent countless hours learning how the systems involved work; who is responsible for what; and where changes can be realistically effected. Attending local meetings; doing research; publishing relevant results for my neighbors (See my Civics blog series)—all in an effort to prepare myself to hit the ground running if elected. I have not seen other first-time candidates at these meetings, forming their own opinions and preparing to serve. My running mates already have this background, and while we have differences on the best ways forward, they're healthy ones that provoke thought and will ultimately improve the final outcome should we be successful.

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

This could be Manhattan's most critical time for decades. Decisions made now, or lack of them, will hugely impact our town moving forward. The current administration has failed to take critical actions to protect it such as controlling property taxes, having annexing discussions for border control, and creating a realistic Comprehensive Plan for the township area.

The greatest strength of the current mayor and the trustee running for re-election is political messaging and fundraising. They have taken credit for things which were done, or all but, well before they took office, and done so successfully. From portable scales for truck enforcement, to school resource officers, to Dunkin' Donuts—these are things that took years of effort by previous officials, and were already in place or well underway by 2021. They have raised over $40K for election in a town of 10,547. Seriously? They finally lifted a finger to fight Northpoint with the election looming last fall, and turned that into an endorsement by the Northpoint group using our tax dollars as bait, despite doing absolutely nothing the 3 years prior. Trying and failing I can understand. I cannot fathom failing to try.

Yeah, they're terrific at leveraging other's accomplishments, PR campaigns and lining their pockets. It's a shame they haven't chosen to put so much energy into actually helping the town.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

My run for Trustee is spurred by the desire to help accomplish 3 things: deal with runaway property taxes; prevent further, and mitigate existing, damage to Manhattan by Northpoint & truck traffic; and lastly, provide sidewalks and mailboxes for all (yep, not letting that go.)

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

I have a track record of success whenever I give a challenge my full attention, and a skill set uniquely suited to Manhattan's most immediate needs. I’m a licensed Local 130 plumber with extensive construction management experience and currently work in the nuclear industry as a specialty contractor. With my husband Jeffrey (retired Local 434 Carpenter), I’ve successfully built Gibbs Custom Gunsmithing from an idea to a SpaceX Cerakote partner in 7 years. I’m intimately familiar with Manhattan’s strengths, weaknesses and needs as a 23-year homeowner, mother of 3, and 10-year local business owner. I’m a veteran of the IL Army National Guard (95B, Military Police.)

My diverse background, combined with my most reliable trait—dogged determination—will help me contribute greatly to village efforts to deal with the boundary agreements, NorthPoint looming and property taxes.

Why should voters trust you?

I'm WYSIWYG ("What You See Is What You Get" for those too young to recall the term.) I call it how I see it, and I'm passionate about this effort to help my neighbors. Agree or disagree, you'll know my thoughts & I'll work tirelessly to advance Manhattan into this millenium. That's all I have to say about that.

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

A realistic & workable plan to manage Manhattan's inevitable growth that keeps residential taxes down, quality of life up and provides an excellent framework for continued expansion for our grandchildren and beyond.

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

Property taxes are out of hand; it needs to be addressed. Dave Beemsterboer has put together a realistic plan to freeze, and possibly reduce, the village portion of our property taxes. Bravo! I’ve recently learned most tax increases don’t come from the village as it happens (more in my blog series, referenced earlier.) Win or lose, I’ll do everything in my power to educate residents on how to take control of this. It’s not as obvious as it appears, but it can be done.

What are your thoughts on the crime rate in your community, and what more can be done to combat crime — especially violent crime — in town?

The Manhattan Police Department does a great job, and happily all previous & current administrations have a strong track record of giving them what they need to do so.

We do need to plan for the uptick we'll likely see in local crime as traffic increases and those warehouses are built. I'm sure we can get lessons learned from our neighboring towns, and prepare to keep our streets safe as population increases. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

What is your view of the city's/village's approach to commercial and residential development?

I'd love to see more mixed use areas and more creative development planning for both commercial and residential areas. (The Gensler Design Forecast for 2025 has some great in-depth ideas for my fellow urban planning nerds.) I believe if we can get the basics under control, we can attract these types of developments and create a unique & vibrant sensibility in Manhattan that is all our own and will be an inspiration to others.

When it comes to development, what are some key areas for improvement or additions you feel are most wanted by residents? What will need to be done to make this happen?

The biggest development key at the moment is CREATING A REALISTIC AND WORKABLE OVERALL PLAN AND BEGINNING IMPLEMENTATION IMMEDIATELY. All the great ideas for downtown, for facilities, for neighborhoods—including my own—rely on an infrastructure that doesn't exist. We can't, in our enthusiasm, put the cart before the horse. It won't work.

Small example: The 2025 budget includes $138,275.00 for a Comprehensive Plan, which means an overall vision for the entire township area. (This is separate from the downtown plan also in progress, with a separate budget.) So far, $57,561.36 has been spent on this work in progress. I’ve seen it and it doesn’t make sense. For example, it proposes re-routing Rt. 52 EAST of it’s current position, while all the industry designations (and we know, warehousing coming our way) are WEST of it. The result would be trucks driving between residential neighborhoods, then crossing through town to get where they’re going. How does that help? I’ll work with the Mayor, the Board and the residents to create a Comprehensive Plan that is both sensible and workable, and we’ll get it started. We’re running out of time; this needs to happen. And I know I can be very useful on this front

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

No.

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

Thanks for reading if you still are, and whoever you vote for, go vote on April Fool’s Day 2025! (Still love saying that; how appropriate haha!)