Trustee Candidate Bud Stalker Hopes to Bring Business Practices to District 5

Photo courtesy of Bud Stalker.

A political rookie and long-time Oak Lawn resident has declared his candidacy for the 5th District seat on the Oak Lawn Village Board.

Bud Stalker is a business-minded man who intends to use best practices to bring the best products at the best prices to Oak Lawn.

If elected in the April 7, 2015 race as the District 5 trustee, he wants to develop a business atmosphere in the village, create a long term village budget and establish mutual respect among the trustees.

This campaign is Stalker’s first foray into politics. He developed interest in the position about four months ago, when current 5th District Trustee Carol Quinlan asked him to run for office. Quinlan will not run in the 2015 election.

Stalker and Quinlan’s husband previously had a business relationship, and Stalker said he met Carol and became friends with the family.

“She surprised me one night at a party,” Stalker said. “Before, I had no interest in running. I thought the village board was standoffish and difficult to deal with, and I had a hard time listening to the way they conducted business.”

But after attending meetings and watching the broadcasts, Stalker said “it appeared to me we in Oak Lawn weren’t putting our best foot forward.” He talked to Quinlan and decided to run. Quinlan has endorsed Stalker for the 5th District seat.

Stalker said he actually did streetwalking in 2007 for Quinlan’s opponent, Marge Joy, who Stalker said he’s known all his life. Quinlan won that election to serve the first of two four-year terms, and Stalker hadn’t been involved in politics much since, until lately.

“I don’t want you to think there’s a quid pro quo,” Stalker said. “I look at this as a fresh start, to move forward with Oak Lawn politics.”

One issue Stalker said he’d like to move forward with is flooding in the community, especially in District 5. He pointed to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District as the “key to the success of Oak Lawn.” He’d like to convince the MWRD that solving Oak Lawn’s water woes is in the water reclamation district’s best interests.

He also said he’d push for long-term emergency flood planning. He wants to see the Oak Lawn budget fund more flood solutions, while reaching greater financial sustainability.

“The Oak Lawn budget shortfall is significant, but it is reparable,” Stalker said. “I think the best thing we can do is to make sure we bring a business atmosphere to the village, so businesses are producing greater tax revenues, selling more product, and raising property values.”

Stalker praised the Stony Creek Promenade project at 111th Street and Cicero, and he’d like to see “higher class stores” populate the area.

The village budget could also benefit from long-term planning, according to Stalker, with projections reaching further than Oak Lawn’s current 5-year budget.

As for the village board and its members, Stalker said the first thing he’d do is establish a professional rapport. He would “give them the respect they deserve and get respect from them.”

“I don’t know how to do it, but I think in time they’ll get a lot more done if there’s respect,” he said. “At the very least, we can try to find a new direction. This election will be a seat change for the Village of Oak Lawn, and hopefully it will bring professional people in to act responsibly and move forward to represent the best interest of Oak Lawn.”

Stalker faces two other declared candidates in the crowded 5th district trustee race: Oak Lawn Planning and Development Commissioner Paul Vail, and Army Capt. Dan Johnson, a three-tour Iraq-Afghanistan war veteran and Bronze Star recipient.

More about Bud...

Name: William (Bud) Stalker
Position sought: Trustee, 5th District, Village of Oak Lawn

Contact information:

• E-mail address: bud.stalker@yahoo.com
• Home phone: 708-423-4793
• Cell phone: 708-860-4790

Personal Information

• Family: Married for 44 years to Mary Ellen with five children and seven grandchildren.
• Time living in Oak Lawn: More than 25 years
• Education: Graduate of Brother Rice High School;Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Bradley University in Peoria, IL
• Political party affiliation, if any: None
• Previous elected offices (if applicable): N/A
• Applicable experience qualifying you for the position: Worked for ComEd for 30 years in various positions including key roles in their real estate management and development departments responsible for more than a million square feet of ComEd’s office, warehouse and production facilities. After retiring from ComEd, worked with some of the largest electrical contractors in the Chicago metropolitan area managing over 400 million dollars in construction projects before retiring again in 2009.