After more than 60 years of existence, the Oak Park Village Manager Association has announced it is disbanding, effective immediately.
The political organization was formed in 1952, when its members battled to move the village from a two-party system to the current village manager form of government. Members of the VMA said changing times made it harder to recruit volunteers and to maintain the energy needed to continue the mission of the organization.
“Despite the organization dissolving, residents of Oak Park will continue to benefit every day from the work that the VMA has done to make Oak Park what it is today,” said VMA President Lynn Kamenitsa. “From its roots in fighting for a village manager form of government, to its legacy in promoting fair housing, to its many years of ensuring Oak Parkers had well-qualified candidates on the ballot, the members and supporters of the VMA have helped shape the village.”
By being in existence for more than six decades, VMA officials said the organization was often assumed to be the “status quo” in village government, which led to some contention between residents.
“Because of its longevity, I think the organization has become an easy target for anyone critical of the village board,” Kamenitsa said.
Kamenitsa cited the 2017 election as an example of such “misinformation” being circulated. That year, the VMA slated incumbent village trustees Peter Barber and Glenn Brewer for re-election, and slated newcomer Lori Malinski as its village clerk candidate.
That VMA slate faced several court challenges to their nominating petitions, but the candidates were ultimately allowed to remain on the ballot. Despite the legal victory, the three were defeated in the April 2017 election by independent trustee candidates Dan Moroney, Deno Andrews and Simone Boutet, and current village clerk Vicki Scaman.
“Misinformation about and animosity toward the VMA became baggage that some candidates were hesitant to carry,” Kamenitsa said. “In the 2017 election, we saw this clearly when a specious lawsuit hampered the campaign of VMA-endorsed candidates, even though the courts consistently ruled in the candidates’ favor.”
Oak Park Mayor Anan Abu-Taleb, who was never slated by the VMA, is now on his second term as mayor. In 2013, Abu-Taleb beat out VMA-endorsed candidate John Hedges, while in 2017 the VMA chose not to endorse a village president candidate when Abu-Taleb ran unopposed.
“I truly believe they have been a force of good in the community for a long time,” Abu-Taleb said. “In the past, they have slated some exceptional elected officials who have served the village in an honest and meaningful way. In their statement they appear to feel time has passed them by, and I would have to respect [their decision].”
From its founding, the organization grew with a commitment to racial integration in the early 1960s, which was highlighted by Oak Park’s passage of the fair housing ordinance in 1968.
In addition to pursuing social issues, the VMA would recruit, interview and slate candidates for public office, and supported the election of those candidates. Once elected, however, endorsed candidates were considered independent and not bound by any VMA agenda or positions, officials said.
“At the time, the two big political parties dominated politics in and around Oak Park,” former VMA president Ann Armstrong said. “That opened the door to corruption and patronage in the village. By its nature, the village manager form of government is more representative of the population and less susceptible to cronyism. That’s a lesson we can’t forget.”
Among those endorsed by the VMA included John Donaker Sr., who helped pass the fair housing ordinance, James McClure Jr., who led the effort to stabilize the eastern part of Oak Park in the 1970s, Isadore Fixman, the first Jewish candidate elected to the village board in 1965, and Ginny Cassin, the first woman to hold the office of village clerk from 1973 to 1993.
Other VMA candidates include Sara Bode, the first woman to serve as village president in 1981, Percy Slaughter, the first African-American candidate to serve on the village board in 1981 and Joanne Trapani, the first open lesbian elected to public office in Illinois in 1997.
Changing campaign and election dynamics proved to be challenging for the VMA in recent years, which impacted the organization and the campaigns it endorsed.
“Connecting with voters though door-knocking and educating voters on village issues remain vital components to a successful campaign,” former VMA president Brad Bartels said. “That’s how I and many others got involved, and many remained involved in the process. Over the last three election cycles, fewer folks have remained as actively involved. I think a growing reliance on mobilization through social media explains part of this. Social media has also made it easier for self-selection by candidates and building support without a slate organization.”
Since the 2016 presidential election, however, VMA officials said a rise in grassroots organizations could help keep the VMA’s mission alive in Oak Park.
“That’s a healthy development and one we support,” VMA member Michelle Mbekeani-Wiley said. “While it’s disappointing that we couldn’t maintain the enthusiasm we once had as an organization, the members of the VMA are by nature very engaged citizens and will continue to be actively involved in village life long after the VMA is dissolved.”
