Joseph Skibinski, Candidate For Oak Lawn Public Library Board

OAK LAWN, IL —Joseph Skibinski is an incumbent running for reelection as a trustee for the Oak Lawn Public Library Board of Trustees running. There are four candidates running for three open seats. Terms are for six years.

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Early voting is underway. The consolidated election is April 4.

Read Skibinski's answers to the Patch candidate survey.

Name: Joseph Skibinski

Age (as of Election Day): 65

Town/City of Residence: Oak Lawn

Office Sought: OLPL Trustee

Family: Wife - Marla

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No

Occupation: CPA -Practice focused on tax and audit

Campaign website or Facebook or other social media: N/A

Previous or current elected or appointed office: Oak Lawn Treasurer

The most pressing issues facing the library are _______, and this is what I intend to do about them.

The most pressing issues facing the library are keeping budget growth below the rate of inflation, maintaining a balanced collection and programming schedule that meets our community’s needs and serves its interests, expanding services and resources for our seniors and local business community, continuing the library’s tradition of remaining neutral in state and local politics. The struggle is in maintaining focus and momentum. Although it may not be readily apparent to many, we are on track to meeting these and the many additional goals of our strategic plan.

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

I am not familiar with my challengers. My focus is what can I do best for my community and our Library. I prefer to build reputations rather than tear them down.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community or district? N/A

How would you help raise awareness about library services, collections and programs?

The issue is less about raising awareness, we already have extensive marketing and outreach programs focused on our residents, schools and businesses. The challenge is to get those in our community who have not set foot in the Library for 20 years to make the effort to stop in and/or visit our website to see how much this institution has expanded its offerings in programming, collections and services.

We replace our public computers regularly and make sure that they have current software, our database offerings on our computers and website are extensive including genealogy, auto repair, business, economics and literature. Our print and e-books collections are among the most extensive and varied in Chicagoland. Our programming, especially for children and seniors, continues to grow.

Check out our beyond books collection. We have everything from auto code readers to musical instruments and bakeware. You don’t need to spend big bucks on those things you may need but rarely use.

What areas of the library collection would you like to see expanded?

Our staff generally follows professional guidelines when building our collections favoring the most current and popular materials. I personally would like to see us place greater emphasis on building our reference collections and expanding resident input by seeking more suggestions for what they would like to see.

Are there any specific areas of the library collection that you like to use? What are they?

Business and economics mostly. It’s an occupational hazard.

Do you think the current board has done enough to support inclusivity for all community members, and if not, what specifically should be done to do so?

I believe our staff does an admirable job in serving all of our residents. We place strong emphasis on our ESL programs and try to include items in our collection that appeal to a wide range of interests.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform? What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Budget growth below the average inflation rate while continuing to enhance our services and modernize our facilities and technologies. For a large institution following Covid, we did what was necessary to resume services to the public as quickly and responsibly as possible. We were one of the first libraries to adopt curb-side pick-up. We added building-wide ultraviolet air purifiers to our ventilation systems. We purchased ultraviolet sanitizers that we used for our books upon their return.

I made it a point to return what had been administrative workspaces closed to the public back to public use in our children’s department. This progress will continue as we add a drive-up window along our driveway so patrons can pick up and drop off materials without leaving their cars. We are expanding our programming and first floor space for our senior patrons. We have cutting-edge high speed wi-fi service that extends far beyond our walls to the Village Green to the north and the Metra Station to the south. You can access our wi-fi while sitting in restaurants on 95th street!

Why should voters trust you? I grew up in this town. I care about its future.

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

A continued expansion of senior programming would help them to address their health, financial and social well-being. Additional services and resources that would allow our local business to more effectively compete and prosper. This not only creates economic stability in our community, it also creates solid jobs and helps to reduce the property tax burden on our residents.

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

Government IS a business. You tax for what you need to reasonably meet the community’s needs. You do not levy as much as you can and then try to find a way to spend it. Budgeting far more than just taking last year’s financials and adding x% for next year. Every dollar spent has to come from our residents. We should be able to show our taxpayers a benefit derived from every dollar spent. This concept can be a difficult one for many in public service. It’s not about defunding anything. It is about being a responsible steward of the public purse. A public purse that holds your hard-earned dollars and not a public trough!

In what ways can intergovernmental relationships with state, county and other local governmental agencies be strengthened or improved?

We have always encouraged our staff to find a way to better meet the needs of our local schools. They have and continue to do an excellent job. We work with local social service agencies to help those who are homeless or in need of help from our community. We make an effort to work with the Village in an effort to ensure that we all work together in better serving our community in an effective and cost-efficient manner that makes the most of what we do best without duplicating services.

Is there any reason you would not serve your full term of office, other than those of health or family? Nope. This is actually quite fulfilling work. It’s community service without the politics!

The best advice ever shared with me was: When you wake up and look in the mirror in the morning, make sure you always like and respect the person you see.