Oak Park, River Forest 2019 Election: Candidates' Profiles

OAK PARK, IL — Oak Park and River Forest voters will be marking their ballots April 2 in the consolidated election. All 11 candidates are seeking three open trustee seats on the village board.

Those running for Oak Park trustee are Bridgett Baron, Graham Brisben, Susan Buchanan, Thomas Gary, Christian Harris, Joshua Klayman, Arti Walker Peddakotla, James "Jim" Taglia, James Thompson, Tim Thomas and Cory J. Wesley.

Residents who are not registered on Election Day can register and vote only at their home precinct. Any voter who is not registered and needs to know where to go to register and vote on April 2 can find their proper polling place by address or birthday through the Cook County Clerk’s Office online voter information tool.

Voters planning on registering to vote or updating their address on Election Day must bring two pieces of identification to register, one with a current address.

Profiles of Oak Park village trustee candidates that will appear on the ballot April 2:

Bridgett Baron has lived in Oak Park since 1994. Baron has spent more than two decades working as an accountant in the movie and television industry. If elected, she will bring an "independent, balanced and informed approach to issues," she said.

Graham Brisben has lived in Oak Park for more than 13 years. From 2013-2017 he was a board member of Oak Park Elementary School District 97, and helped improve district finances, leadership and equity-focused efforts within the schools. One of his central goals is maintaining Oak Park values while mitigating residents' tax burden.

Susan Buchanan is a commissioner on the Oak Park Board of Health. After spending nearly a decade working as a family doctor, she spent the next 15 years researching the health effects of environmental pollutants and working to improve workers' health and safety. Some of her top priorities include affordable housing, racial equality and the environment.

Thomas Gary has spent nearly three decades in public service as an elected official, community leader and military officer. He has experience in economic development, taxation and higher education policy. He currently works in the Office of the State Treasurer as a Community Engagement specialist.

Christian Harris grew up in Oak Park, and co-owns the local cleaning service MaidPro with his mother. The business has been very successful, and has grown rapidly. Harris is on the Executive Board of the OPRF Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and has served on the Oak Park Library Board.

Joshua Klayman has lived in Oak Park for nearly three decades. He's a teacher and researcher at the University of Chicago's business school and also works as a management consultant. Klayman co-founded the community-action group Oak Park Coalition for Appropriate Development, which is dedicated to enhancing and preserving the environment. He also co-founded VOICE, which works to give Oak Park residents a greater voice in local decision-making.

Arti Walker Peddakotla is a technologist, scientist, army veteran and domestic and sexual violence survivor. Peddakotla has fought for equal representation in STEM and human rights in Congress. She currently works in the tech sector as a senior product manager at a nonprofit tech company. One of her top priorities is fighting for racial equity in Oak Park.

James "Jim" Taglia, a lifelong Oak Park resident, has served on the village board since 2017. Prior to that, he worked as an Oak Park Township trustee for six years, and served on the Intergovernmental and Senior Services Committees, as well as the Community Mental Health Board. Taglia is a Certified Public Accountant and has co-owned Pro-Chem-Co, a specialty chemical manufacturer supplying the steel industry, for more than three decades.

James Thompson is a professor of public administration at the University of Illinois. Thompson has done extensive research on government reorganization and reform. He's also been a member of Oak Park's Transportation Commission for the past several years. Prior to moving to Oak Park in 1996, he spent 15 years working in local government in Upstate New York.

Tim Thomas has served in several elected and appointed positions with local chapters of the Service Employees International Union and the United Auto Workers. He's also a member of Chicago’s Westside NAACP, an executive board member and policy chair of Americans for Democratic Action. Thomas currently works at Ford Motor Company as a Global Ford Production Systems Coordinator.

Cory J. Wesley was born and raised in Chicago's Lawndale neighborhood, and has been an Oak Park resident for seven years. Wesley launched his own tech business, Tek Voyant, four years ago. He has served on the village's Technology Commission, and is passionate about using technology to improve local government. Some of his top priorities include affordability, transparency and inclusion.