Oak Park May Lose Its Share From County/ State Governments

By James Ebert

With budget shortfalls & demands on government, we see cut backs in park rangers and other staffing hours, showing how Oak Park can easily lose the elements that make it such a special community.

James, 55, and his wife, Jennifer Gealy, have lived in Oak Park for five years. Their two children, Michael and Gregory, both attend Red Oak Elementary School. "My chosen field gives me the opportunity to watch how different cities and towns solve some of the concerns and problems common to all communities. I feel my college studies in Urban Planning and Sociology have given me an appreciation for the great community we live in. I think, with our common focus, we can all enjoy Oak Park, and even make it better."

James is also a jazz drummer, and his group, Milestone, is largely composed of local dads, including Mike Martino and Steve Adams, whose children also attend Red Oak school. "We love to played for any civic or community event, and share our love of the art of music with the families and the kids. We helped at the opening of the Oak Park Library, as well as the new Oak Park Community Center. Also, we play for school functions and at local restaurants and clubs. Music is a wonderful common bond that all people can share and enjoy. I am truly blessed to be able to share this gift with friends and neighbors.'

"From my view, serving on the board of the Oak Park Municipal Advisory Council is a very important role in our community. These are some examples of some items that our community could start to take note of:

1. It might be easy for Oak Park to be overlooked and not get our fair share of regional services, funding, improvements, and attention. All governments are facing shrinking budgets and growing expenses. Working closely with our County Supervisor, Ms. Linda Parks, is my top priority. She has shown that she is brave, resourceful and very effective. Her recent stand regarding the polluted water tables on the Ahmanson Ranch, show her talent and ability, and commitment to protecting our resources for our children.

2. Its time to focus on protecting our roads, sidewalks, parks, greenbelts, and other long-term amenities in our neighborhoods. Sidewalks are getting dangerously uprooted by trees, and asphalt streets are getting toaster-sized chuck holes, which tear up our tires, and can cause accidents. Lets explore all county, state, and national options for these needed repairs.

3. I feel it is important to partner with the park service, for better ranger presence in our beautiful park system. Also, its important to be working with the county sheriff to develop better ways of controlling random vandalism, speeding, screeching young drivers, and other safety concerns, like bears.

4. The recent issue regarding the ReMax Plaza sign, shows how fragile we have been, with the present county arrangement. The owners of the property conformed to all county regulations, but over in Ventura, the staff had no idea what the effects would be. With a stronger presence in Ventura, this whole issue could have been peacefully and quickly solved. The sidewalk set-backs and an agreeable size could have been negotiated. We all know that the owners did not purposely try to upset all their new neighbors, with large cumbersome and hazardous signage. But our county government process failed us, locally, as they might be apt to do again.

5. And, with all the park space we have, can we explore the costs to set up a nice little dog park? This could be a win-win situation for all parties.

The Oak Park MAC has been doing a great job over the years, and they are very sensitive, sympathetic, and diplomatic in much that they do. It would be an honor and privilege to serve on the board.