Meet Oak Lawn Library Board Candidate Vernon Zumhagen

Vernon Zumhagen is seeking reelection to the Oak Lawn Public Library Board of Trustees. Five candidates are vying for two seats on the library board. Trustees serve six-year terms. The library board is responsible for governance and overseeing the provision of library services to meet the needs of the Oak Lawn community. Local elections are April 2. Early voting is underway now.

Name: Vernon Zumhagen
Age: 35
Occupation/employment: Financial Analyst. D123 Ed Foundation
Board Member, Member of the Oak Lawn Planning Commission, Member of the Oak
Lawn Chamber of Commerce.

1) Why do you want to serve on Oak Lawn Public Library Board of Trustees?

The Oak Lawn Library is beyond a doubt one of the best public resources in the Chicago Southland area. The Library is uniquely positioned to serve every demographic in our community and the surrounding communities. Currently I serve as the only Trustee who is a member of the young family demographic with three of my six children enrolled in Oak Lawn schools. I bring a unique and relevant perspective to the board as the only candidate raising the first generation of children where the internet is a ubiquitous commodity rather than a luxury, phones are used for entertainment rather than calling people, books and movies get beamed to devices from the comfort of our living rooms. These issues are all going to have tremendous impact on our communities and present both challenges and opportunities as libraries evolve to stay relevant in our society.

2) What makes the library’s mission meaningful to you?

The Oak Lawn Library was one of the main draws for my family when we moved to Oak Lawn 6 years ago. Since then every one of my 6 children has gotten a library card, spent countless hours in the library and, often with the help of the library’s outstanding staff, learned how to learn anything they wanted or needed to. Many of our family’s best friendships were made at the library. OLPL is one of the finest assets in our village and needs leadership which recognizes its value to our community.

3) What skills, resources, and expertise do you bring to the OLPL board? What do you have to offer the library board?

In my time as a Trustee I’ve been able to use my Accounting/Finance background in budget meetings and have also been able to use my relationships with other community organizations to partner OLPL with those organizations for their mutual benefit. I feel there is a lot more opportunity to take this progress even further in the future.

4) As a board member, what would you like to improve at the library?

I would specifically like to continue to enhance the relationships with other community organizations. Find more ways to partner with the Chamber of Commerce to be a resource for local business. I would also like to expand awareness of the OLPL’s beyond books collection which is a very forward thinking concept which, as the name implies, expands the library’s circulation materials beyond what is commonly expected from a library and includes musical instruments, audio/visual equipment, and even sewing machines and fishing poles.

5) How can the OLPL board work with the Oak Lawn Board of Trustees on the library’s annual budget?

The Oak Lawn Library is an independent government entity and should be operated as such. I believe there would be value in every Government entity in Oak Lawn selecting liaisons from their respective boards to meet on a regular basis to find ways to reduce the tax burden on Oak Lawn residents. OLPL has already reduced costs by engaging in Co-ops with other libraries. There could be a lot of potential savings to residents by having this dialogue which would include discussions of potential future TIF impacts on taxing bodies, negotiating better rates with vendors, coordinating events, and evaluating the individual value of any services which seem to be duplicative.

6) For the past several years the board has raised the library’s property tax levy? What can the library board do to trim operating expenses?

This question isn’t exactly true. The 2017 budget had NO increase in the tax levy. The most recent budget had initially a proposed increase of 1.2%. I felt we could do better and working with the rest of the board and with the library staff was able to bring the levy increase to one half of one percent which I feel was a very responsible increase which addressed riding healthcare costs and the looming minimum wage increase to $15/hr. The current Board has set a goal to have a flat budget for 2020 and once the Library’s bond re-payment is completed in 2022 the library will be in a position to actually reduce their levy.

7) How would you improve transparency on the library board?

The Oak Lawn Library is one of the most transparent government entities in Oak Lawn. I’m
very open to addressing any shortcomings in transparency that the residents of Oak Lawn feel could improve the library.

8) How would you approach budget constraints and/or live within the library's means? Why would you be a good steward of taxpayers’ money?

The Oak Lawn Library has an excellent history of living within its budget. The Board passes balanced budgets and the staff executes on those budgets with efficiency and a commitment to bring the best value to the taxpayers of Oak Lawn while providing a level of service unparalleled in the Southland area. The library has automated checkout, engaged in capital projects, which allowed a more efficient distribution of staff and increase the safety of children and comfort of its patrons, and is always looking to enhance their value proposition to our community. One of the great examples of this is the Library’s recent receipt of several grants to fund the expansion of STEM materials to further enhance the resources available to youth interested in Science Technology Engineering, and Math. It’s my goal to champion in any way I can the growth of library resources through the receipt of grants.