'Sticking Neck Out': 5 La Grange Residents Make Case For Trustee Post

LA GRANGE, IL – Five La Grange residents made the case Wednesday to fill a village trustee vacancy through next April's election.

They are Jonathan Robinson, Steve Palmer, Al Foreman, Justin Hanson and Madonna Walsh.

They are vying to fill the seat left vacant by Trustee Glenn Thompson, who is moving for a job in Florida.

Recently, Robinson announced he was running for the Village Board. At Wednesday's meeting, Palmer and Foreman said they, too, planned to run. Walsh said she was seriously considering it.

Besides Thompson's old position, the seats held by Beth Augustine, Tim O'Brien and Shawana McGee are up in the election.

Augustine announced months ago that she would not seek a third term. On Thursday, O'Brien confirmed he was seeking another term. Patch left a message with McGee.

Village President Mark Kuchler can appoint Thompson's replacement, with the board's consent.

By allowing the public speeches, Kuchler departed from the tradition of La Grange and most government bodies, including the Lyons Township High School board. Typically, public entities shroud the selection process.

After the candidates' speeches, Kuchler said everyone could agree they were dedicated and qualified.

"I appreciate everybody coming out and you five sticking your neck out and taking a step forward in this process," he said.

Kuchler said he would speak to trustees individually about the candidates and decide on one between Friday and Monday.

Here is information from the candidates' speeches (in order of their appearance):

Jonathan Robinson

Robinson, a structural engineer, has lived in La Grange for five years and another five in neighboring La Grange Park.

"We especially chose this area to raise our family because we saw it as a great suburban community with a strong sense of character, history and place," Robinson said.

About a year ago, Robinson started speaking at board meetings after a developer proposed a condo complex next to his house. The village's records said the proposal violated Robinson's setbacks; the board approved the project in January.

Over the last year, Robinson has spoken about a range of issues. He also started filming local public meetings, posting the videos on YouTube. (Patch based this story on the footage he posted of Wednesday's meeting.)

As an engineer, Robinson said he must explain technical issues using layman's terms.

"I believe that skill is applicable to being a trustee because many of the issues that come before the board are technical, complicated and have real implications on residents," he said.

He said questioning local government is important for democracy.

"I'm not afraid to ask the question, even if I may ultimately be wrong because if something is unclear to me, it may also be unclear to someone else," Robinson said.

Steve Palmer

Palmer, the former owner of La Grange's Palmer Place restaurant, ticked off his roles over the years. Among them are serving as a Metra board member, president of the La Grange Business Association and chairman of the Community and Economic Development Commission.

He has also served in the Illinois Army National Guard and as a paid-on-call La Grange firefighter and medic.

He said he got his start in community involvement in fifth grade, volunteering downtown.

In his roles, Palmer said he has worked with all levels of government to get things done.

He said he was involved in controversies such as building a parking garage downtown.

"Today, I sometimes hear people ask, 'Why didn't they build the garage bigger?'" he said. "My answer is simple. The loudest voices, rather than the voices representing the larger community, won that battle."

"That experience taught me an important lesson about local government. We need to listen to everyone, not just the loudest voices," Palmer said.

As for the future, he said, "We cannot simply sit back and rely on being a vibrant community. We need to ask ourselves, how do we sustain vibrancy? And better yet, how do we grow?"

Al Foreman

Foreman, a certified public accountant and IBM retiree, has questioned the village about its finances over the last three years. He has also spoken about high-rise development, among other issues.

He has lived in town for nearly four decades.

"I'm here tonight because of a passion for La Grange, its cherished past and, most importantly, its future," Foreman said. "Both business and residential development are vital to the economic health of La Grange. In addition, resident concerns and the charm of La Grange as a front-porch community also demand attention."

As a trustee, Foreman said he would emphasize pursuing all available options for infrastructure improvements and ensuring all such plans are analyzed and carried out in a "transparent and respectful manner."

He praised the village's recent decision to outsource its finance functions. That comes along with strict oversight, he said.

Justin Hanson

Hanson, who has lived in La Grange for more than a decade, has worked as a policy analyst for Republican congressional leadership. He has described himself previously as a "pure moderate."

He has been a lawyer for the last 15 years, including serving as a Cook County prosecutor.

These days, he works in downtown La Grange as a lawyer and specializes in conflict resolution.

"I'm asked to help people in businesses who are on very opposite sides of an issue find a path to resolution," Hanson said. "This involves listening carefully to the parties' needs and interests and studying the issues and building or rebuilding a constructive dialogue between stakeholders."

Such tensions, he said, can be leveraged to create "amazing" opportunities for creative solutions to complex problems.

"I humbly suggest that it would not be a bad idea to have a professional mediator with a law degree and a public policy background serving on the board," Hanson said.

He serves on the village's Community and Economic Development Commission.

Madonna Walsh

Walsh has lived in La Grange for more than 10 years. She said she has lived in places around the world.

Walsh, who serves on the village's Environmental Quality Commission, has specialized in crisis and risk communications.

"My work has always centered on people, listening to them, understanding what they need and making sure they get the information and support to move through complicated situations with confidence," Walsh said.

"I offer the board crisis and risk experience," she said. "I've spent years helping organizations communicate during emergencies, cybersecurity incidents and reputational challenges. I know how to stay calm, how to coordinate across teams and how to keep people informed with clarity and honesty."