Three Oak Park village trustee candidates have aligned with Trustee Simone Boutet in the April 2021 election by joining a slate with the village presidential hopeful. Called Unite Oak Park, the coalition was “formed to work together to eliminate board dysfunction and to respect diverse viewpoints around the community’s most needs,” according to an Oct. 18 press release.

The slate includes Energy and Environment commissioners Ravi Parakkat and Stephen Morales, who is also chair of the Community Development Citizen Advisory Committee. Attorney Lucia Robinson is also on the slate. 

“With many businesses in Oak Park struggling and many Oak Parkers recognizing divisiveness during board meetings, the coalition hopes to lay out its key pillars that will make an impact on the Oak Park community,” the press release reads. 

 Those pillars include fostering economic recovery in our village, building trust in government, and creating equity for all villagers.

Unite Oak Park is hosting a launch event at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17 in Scoville Park, where the group will discuss their platform issues, as well as their views on Oak Park’s challenges and opportunities. 

In accordance with local and state guidelines to prevent spread of COVID-19, no more than 50 people can attend the event. However, it will be streamed on Facebook Live.