Meet Gail Schechter: Candidate For Skokie At-Large Trustee

SKOKIE, IL — Gail Schechter is a local housing professional who is running for At-Large Trustee in Skokie.

Schechter has experience being a leader in housing and community development, discrimination investigation, and public policy research and development for diverse and inclusive municipalities for over 40 years. Since 2018, she has served as the Executive Director of Housing Opportunities and Maintenance for the Elderly (H.O.M.E.), providing a unique model of intergenerational housing, community-based housing support services, advocacy and neighborhood engagement with and for low-income seniors throughout the City of Chicago.

She is running against Joseph Nowik, Keith A. Robinson and Khemarey "Khem" Khoeun for Skokie At-Large Trustee.

Learn more about Schechter and her goals for Skokie:

Age (as of Election day)

62

Campaign website

https://www.gailforskokie.com/

Education

I hold a B.A. with Honors in History from Oberlin College and an M.A. in Urban and Environmental Policy from Tufts University.

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

The most pressing issue facing the Skokie Village Board is its frayed relationship with its own constituents. Of my many proud achievements, the apex was cofounding and chairing the Skokie Alliance for Electoral Reform to a resounding victory at the polls in 2022, with three referendums that have successfully thrown open the doors to an expanded, inclusive political process. Now, residents of Skokie – in all our diversity – may run for office. Now, with the promise of contested elections breaking a lifetime of single-party rule, our votes will matter.

The referendum victory reflects a desire among Skokie voters for political leaders who treat us – you and me – with respect rather than disdain; who deeply care about us regardless of how much we earn or what part of town we live in, and who express an abiding vision of a mutually supportive society. I aim to open up boards and commissions to usher in diverse ideas and experiences, and hold forums of all sizes throughout the Village to forge a coherent vision instead of being reactive. Skokie needs to get in front of and shape development for the Village.

My top goals as a Trustee all relate to building on Skokie’s assets as a vibrant, diverse community: (1) to actively engage the public in a new Comprehensive Plan; (2) to preserve and promote mixed-income housing, prioritizing at all times residents and workers who have the fewest housing options; and (3) to promote development in conformity with the Sustainability Plan, which prioritizes safety, sidewalks and green space over paved lots and drive-throughs, along with “human impact” and “environmental impact” criteria as the basis for evaluating housing and economic development proposals.

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

I am the only candidate with a coherent, positive vision of Skokie. I am also the only candidate with relevant experience: as executive director of mission-driven community organizations, and equipped with planning experience and a master’s degree in Urban and Environmental Policy. As a community organizer and instructor who created and taught a course at Northwestern University’s School of Professional Studies, “Citizen Participation in the Policy-Making Process,” I know how to facilitate consensus-building processes. I recognize that when we bring multiple perspectives together with supporting research, this can lead to the best solutions to complex issues. I am a highly collaborative leader who knows how to ask the right questions. I am also an established policy expert in all aspects of housing. For decades, elected officials throughout the northern suburbs have sought me out as the go-to expert in effective fair and affordable housing policies and programs.

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

The current Village Board, with the exception of the sole Independent Trustee, consists of members of what had been called the Skokie Caucus Party until it changed its charter following the 2022 electoral reform referendums. The SCP has ruled Skokie through virtually uncontested, hand-picked slates since the mid-1960s, even as Skokie has grown demographically diverse. Largely due to this party monopoly, voter engagement in municipal elections has been abysmally low, in the single digits. Because of this, the Village Board is under no pressure to listen to most residents. Nothing encapsulates the disconnect between the party and the people better than the Carvana debacle three years ago, when residents and environmental groups unanimously said No to a proposed glass car-vending machine in the path of migrating birds, while all the Trustees from the party in power voted Yes.

Two challengers for At-Large Trustee in the current election are incumbents who have voted over 99 percent of the time with the Mayor. I believe that the current Skokie Village Board has failed in its duty of care, discernment, independent judgment and accountability to the majority of its people. As Trustee, I would listen to all Skokie stakeholders, not just a few, draw on my own public policy and administrative expertise, do my homework and solicit experts in the relevant policy fields before making a decision.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

My vision of Skokie is a village whose high quality of life is built on centering its people and its natural environment. This is supported by non-negotiable values of mutual respect and inclusion. I am guided by three main principles in my platform: (1) Build on Skokie's strengths, attributes and assets; (2) Engage community aspirations to build a shared vision for Skokie; and (3) Prioritize people first to enhance Skokie’s quality of life for all residents. In addition to improving residents’ and small businesses’ access to Skokie government and working on a new Comprehensive Plan, my platform includes preserving and expanding mixed-income housing; supporting aging in the community; implementing Skokie’s environmental sustainability plan; facilitating multiple modes of safe and accessible transit; making our blocks safer with community-building initiatives; adopting an equitable Village budget; and ensuring that integrity and ethics pervade all aspects of Village government and operations.

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

My entire professional and avocational life has been devoted to civic leadership. I have been a watchdog, advocate and subject-matter expert in equitable community development and open housing in Skokie for over 30 years. I helped to ensure that the Village upheld the fair housing rights of resident taxicab drivers in 2007, most of whom were Muslims and foreign-born; people with disabilities, when the Village tried to institute a moratorium on congregate living homes; and renters of all protected classes when the Village instituted a “crime-free” ordinance that would have especially impacted victims of domestic violence.

I am proud to have co-authored a guidebook for mixed-use, mixed-income and environmentally sound north suburban development, together with the Center for Neighborhood Technology, called Quality of Life, (e)Quality of Place (2014). I am eager to help implement these best practices in Skokie. I have also shared resources and educated the community about the elements of an effective, inclusive zoning ordinance.

I helped to develop a curriculum for Open Communities called ILEAD “Immigrant Leadership School,” together with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and the UIC Voorhees Center, to encourage immigrants to join local commissions or run for office. In addition, I taught graduate courses in public policy and civic engagement at Northwestern University’s School of Professional Studies in their Master’s in Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) programs for seven years.

In 2015, as the Executive Director of Open Communities, the north suburban Chicago housing, economic, and social justice regional organization, I launched a broad-based campaign, “The Justice Project: The March Continues,” on the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speaking out on the North Shore. I facilitated three dozen Justice Project leaders from nine suburbs in developing “Principles of the Welcoming Community” as a framework with specific, measurable action steps for all municipalities to become more inclusive, just and environmentally sustainable. At Open Communities I led anti-discrimination enforcement actions and, at the height of the mortgage meltdown in 2008, helped save the housing of hundreds of homeowners.

Finally, I would bring to bear my current experience in running a highly effective, award-winning nonprofit organization, Housing Opportunities and Maintenance for the Elderly (H.O.M.E.) in Chicago, to create and sustain intergenerational housing and provide small interior home repairs for very low-income older people to age safely and comfortably in their own homes.

Why should voters trust you?

I am consistent in my values and have not wavered from my steadfast belief, held since my youth, that in an interconnected world, our primary responsibility individually and collectively is to one another and to the environment. This derives from my upbringing as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor and personal experience of prejudice. I am a firm believer that we have a moral obligation to care for and protect one another. Skokie voters can trust me based on my track record of championing all residents across race, religion, income and geography.

I also believe that process – how we act – is as critical as what we do. When people know and feel they are part of formulating a plan of any kind, be it a program, policy, design or process, they take ownership of it. My style of governing, based on positivity, kindness and shared leadership, has led to my being a successful executive director and community organizer.

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

I would consider my term in office a success if the Village government establishes that success means that all policies, programs, projects and processes must be guided by values of mutual respect, dignity and a high quality of life for all. I would work to gain the support of the Village Board and Village staff in forging new systems of communication at every level in the Village between residents and Village Hall. This means that residents, regardless of language spoken, will have a direct pipeline to the appropriate department to get everything from the stop sign to the residential permit addressed expeditiously. This also means that Skokie will make it easier for its diverse residents to join boards and commissions. With all these systems in place, we can co-create a new Comprehensive Plan as a framework for Village action.

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

Budgets, first and foremost, are moral documents. They speak volumes about a government’s or agency’s priorities. At H.O.M.E., I present my board of directors with an annual budget that's balanced mathematically. But for the dollars to make sense, the budget I present reflects the needs, values and ideas of the people served, which is especially important for mission-driven organizations. I would take a fresh look at the Village budget and the extent to which spending is constrained by tax levies on every Skokie property owner’s bill from other taxing bodies, which narrows Skokie’s options for planning and financing.

Despite the Village of Skokie’s use of the word “diversify” in describing its revenue sources, I am concerned that 70 percent of Skokie’s revenues derive from sales taxes and hotel fees. This makes Skokie particularly overly dependent on, and beholden to, Westfield Old Orchard Mall, the Village’s largest source of sales taxes. My plan is to take a hard look first at Skokie’s expenses to make sure they are right-sized for the Village’s priorities. Then, I would look at the revenue side. From an equity perspective, are the revenue sources fair to those with the fewest resources? Should we be negotiating more firmly with developers and investors who want waivers and tax breaks so that they also include some community-wide benefits in their plans? Who is carrying the burden when the Village decides to subsidize Old Orchard’s renovation with an additional 1 percent sales tax? Fees and flat sales taxes are the most regressive, meaning they hit limited-income people, small businesses and “mom-and-pop” landlords the hardest.

Skokie would do better for its people, neighborhoods and economic stability by investing back into the community first. This means reducing our reliance on outside revenue sources that we cannot control and investing in healthy returns from our own locally owned and operated businesses.

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?

Fortunately, the crime rate in Skokie is relatively low. Nonetheless, no Skokie resident or business should experience crime or live in fear. I know from first-hand experience as a community organizer and block captain in city and suburban areas that the best way to prevent and address crime is by forging a local culture and practice where people watch out for one another.

In our residential areas, this includes elected officials acting as “beat cops” and presenting themselves to their own constituents. It is essential for Skokie to address fear of the “Other” – often manifested as prejudice against people of color, recent immigrants, people with disabilities and renters – so that we can establish ties of trust and respect.

Back when I was an organizer in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, during the height of the crack epidemic, I pulled together an effective neighborhood “Crime watch” nightly patrol, using a donated and marked car, of resident multi-ethnic volunteers in cooperation with the local police precinct. On my own Skokie block, populated mostly by multicultural renters in four flats, I have held block parties and served as the block captain.

In the last six months, there have been two shootings on my block, including one of a teen who had to be hospitalized. I spoke with Skokie’s Neighborhood Integrity Officer as well as the officer who is the liaison to my block and learned that both the victim and the perpetrator have been involved in gang activity. Gang prevention is a complex issue that cuts across renters and homeowners, and must involve a cross-sector collaborative approach that incorporates schools, social workers, nonviolence trainers, faith leaders, landlords and residents.

As Trustee, I will encourage and enhance community outreach and communication between police, residents and businesses to creatively address security concerns and weave a fabric of mutual reinforcement. Specifically, I will seek to add mental-health professionals and domestic violence social workers to the Village staff, given that these are the main drivers of police calls. I will expand a youth outreach infrastructure, and support and advocate for community policing practices, to build trusting relationships between residents, elected officials and Village staff. I will also work with storefront businesses to make sure the Village is appropriately protecting them too.

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

Effective public policies are those that emanate from an overall mission, vision and culture of community. Anything else is a hodgepodge of reactivity or catering to special interests, which is evident in Skokie today: commercial strips of ugly and unsafe drive-throughs, the unfinished Hilton eyesore downtown, and new housing developments marketed by developers to wealthier people who prioritize Skokie’s regional location and not Skokie itself.

Instead, we need to prioritize People First to enhance Skokie’s quality of life. The Meetup on Maininitiative is one such example. It was led by Main Street residents who took the initiative to partner with the Village and Main Street businesses to come up with ways to bring “energy, commerce, and community back into the blighted stretches of empty storefronts.” Meetup on Main works because it improves an underperforming commercial strip by creating a place where shopping becomes a social outing too.

As Trustee, I will ensure that Skokie creates and implements housing policies centered on the people who live, work and study here. We have a duty to help alleviate the Village's serious shortage of housing for those with the fewest options and to ensure that fair housing laws are enforced so everyone has an equal chance to access the housing of their choice.

Right now, over a third of our households – 8,000 – are paying more than 30 percent of their income on housing, which means they are living in crisis. Within this group, more than half of Skokie renters are paying more than they can afford in rent, according to the Village of Skokie's own 2023 Skokie Community Health Assessment.

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 Village needs more than the lip service it has devoted to date to sustain mixed-income housing. The Village should be providing incentives and subsidies not for luxury development where it is least needed, but to accommodate the lower- and modest-income people whom the private market is leaving behind.

I helped to organize the grassroots campaign Skokie Neighbors for Housing Justice in 2022 to push the Village in this direction. The centerpiece of our platform is our Skokie Housing Needs and Recommended Solutions. As Trustee, I will push for:

• A comprehensive study of housing needs, trends and opportunities in Skokie that is updated at least annually by a bona fide Housing Commission.
• An effective, inclusive housing policy that mandates that all new development serves people at the full gamut of income levels and abilities. The Village should also make it easier for developers to include or preserve below-market-rate units.
• An affordable housing trust fund similar to Chicago’s that provides landlord subsidies for renting to low-income individuals or families.
• Rigorous landlord education and enforcement of fair housing laws.
• An equity audit and an analysis of all Skokie codes and policies and how they are implemented (“customer service”) with an eye to disparate impacts, intended or not, against legally protected classes of people.
• A robust rental inspection department that ensures that no tenant is living in substandard housing.
• The removal of barriers to home improvements and accessibility modifications.
• A Community Land Trust to own and control in perpetuity a supply of housing for low- and moderate-income people throughout the Village.
• Diverse housing options that include creative and adaptive living arrangements such as intergenerational and co-housing.
• Housing that is designed to incorporate public spaces that seamlessly integrate with the neighborhood rather than serve as a gated bubble.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

To recognize that perception is reality. Whether we are talking about relationships between constituents and government or in marketing a municipality such as Skokie to the outside world, how we are perceived matters. This means we need to pay attention to local culture as much as to checklists of policies.

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

We have opened the door to democracy in Skokie, thanks to the success of the grassroots ballot initiatives of the Skokie Alliance for Electoral Reform, which I chaired. And here we are, the people, the voters, with a choice on our upcoming ballots for the first time in decades, and with the opportunity to have an equal chance to compete for office.

I believe I would be good for Skokie as your elected Trustee because I have a lifetime of unwavering commitment to people who struggle to meet their basic needs or to have their rights respected – to have a seat at what should be a communal table. I am successful as a consensus builder because I know that at the bottom, we all desire to live in a place where we can build a safe and convivial community. This comes from a deep place for me based on my upbringing and family experience of survival against a backdrop of antisemitism and prejudice against working-class people.

I direct an organization that literally sets communal tables every day. H.O.M.E.’s credo, Flowers before Bread, means that human beings need more than food, clothing and shelter. We need love to thrive. We need to be seen and heard and respected. We need beauty. We need to matter and to know and feel that we matter to others – that we see ourselves woven into the vision of the community in which we live. We need flowers first.