Message from the Manager

Oak Park Governance is a Collaborative Effort

The essence of local government is the support and cooperation of many people working together for the common goal of the well-being of the community.

As Oak Park’s Village Manager, virtually everything I have done has been with the support and collaboration of many others.

Village Trustees, as the elected representatives of the residents, set goals and objectives, and allocate the financial resources of the community to achieve them. It is their leadership that gives form to the collective vision of the residents whose day-to-day lives are directly affected by what Village government does or doesn’t do.

To implement the Board’s directions I turn to the Village’s well trained and experienced staff to work out the strategies and methods to implement the programs and services the Village Board has set out. From emergency medical assistance and law enforcement to the engineering intricacies of road building and the science of arboriculture, the complexities of so many of today’s municipal services require skills and knowledge that only individuals with specialized training can effectively and efficiently deliver.

But it doesn’t stop there. Strong cooperative relationships with Oak Park citizens, community organizations and other governments are essential, too.

The Village Board’s nearly 30 citizen advisory bodies, school districts 97 and 200, our special purpose governments of the Township, Library and the Park District, and a host of business and community organizations are all involved in how we deliver services.

Our partner agencies like the Arts Council, Housing Center, Residence Corporation, Development Corporation and Convention & Visitors Bureau also have important roles in our community.

Beyond the 4.5 square miles that is Oak Park proper, is the larger region of which we also are a part. What happens in adjacent communities affects us, too. So maintaining strong relationships and partnerships with our neighbors also is an essential part of my role as Village manager as well.

Working together with all of these other governments, organizations and communities — and weighing their interests and perspectives — is essential to the economic well being, spirit and ultimate success of our community.

So as I prepare to leave Oak Park in April for a new post in Arizona and I look back over the past decade at my many experiences in a community that I dare say is unlike any other in the country, the theme of “many people working together toward the common goal of making the community the best it can be” runs through every experience I have had as Village manager in Oak Park.

I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with many dedicated, caring people during my 10 years in Oak Park. During this time, I have worked for 21 Village Trustees and four Village Presidents, and worked alongside one Village Clerk. While these leaders had different styles and approaches, and at times decidedly varying priorities, they have been to a person committed to doing what they believed was in the best interest of the community and citizens of Oak Park.

I also have been very fortunate to have been given the resources by all of the trustees and presidents I served to retain and recruit the staff professionals who have elevated municipal services Oak Parkers enjoy to some of their highest levels in the history of the Village. The expertise and professional qualifications of Village staff are second to none, and it shows in the quality of programs and services they deliver.

Oak Park also has provided an opportunity for my family and me to become part of a dynamic community that truly respects and values human diversity. I believe that the experiences my daughter has gained in Oak Park will have lasting benefits throughout her life, and the wonderful friendships we have made here as a family will reach across the years and the miles.

As I assume my new post this spring, I will do so with the benefit of experiences and knowledge gained from working with so many truly remarkable people in Oak Park.

I can’t imagine a more stimulating experience than I have enjoyed here. As I have often said there literally is “never a dull moment” in Oak Park. I have enjoyed that dynamism, I have loved the spirit of the Village and I am honored to have served as your manager.

Best wishes for 2006 and beyond!

Carl Swenson

Village Manager

The theme of many people working together toward

the common goal of making the community the best it can be

runs through every experience I have had as Village manager

in Oak Park.

Message from the Manager

Oak Park Governance is a Collaborative Effort

The essence of local government is the support and cooperation of many people working together for the common goal of the well-being of the community.

As Oak Park’s Village Manager, virtually everything I have done has been with the support and collaboration of many others.

Village Trustees, as the elected representatives of the residents, set goals and objectives, and allocate the financial resources of the community to achieve them. It is their leadership that gives form to the collective vision of the residents whose day-to-day lives are directly affected by what Village government does or doesn’t do.

To implement the Board’s directions I turn to the Village’s well trained and experienced staff to work out the strategies and methods to implement the programs and services the Village Board has set out. From emergency medical assistance and law enforcement to the engineering intricacies of road building and the science of arboriculture, the complexities of so many of today’s municipal services require skills and knowledge that only individuals with specialized training can effectively and efficiently deliver.

But it doesn’t stop there. Strong cooperative relationships with Oak Park citizens, community organizations and other governments are essential, too.

The Village Board’s nearly 30 citizen advisory bodies, school districts 97 and 200, our special purpose governments of the Township, Library and the Park District, and a host of business and community organizations are all involved in how we deliver services.

Our partner agencies like the Arts Council, Housing Center, Residence Corporation, Development Corporation and Convention & Visitors Bureau also have important roles in our community.

Beyond the 4.5 square miles that is Oak Park proper, is the larger region of which we also are a part. What happens in adjacent communities affects us, too. So maintaining strong relationships and partnerships with our neighbors also is an essential part of my role as Village manager as well.

Working together with all of these other governments, organizations and communities — and weighing their interests and perspectives — is essential to the economic well being, spirit and ultimate success of our community.

So as I prepare to leave Oak Park in April for a new post in Arizona and I look back over the past decade at my many experiences in a community that I dare say is unlike any other in the country, the theme of “many people working together toward the common goal of making the community the best it can be” runs through every experience I have had as Village manager in Oak Park.

I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with many dedicated, caring people during my 10 years in Oak Park. During this time, I have worked for 21 Village Trustees and four Village Presidents, and worked alongside one Village Clerk. While these leaders had different styles and approaches, and at times decidedly varying priorities, they have been to a person committed to doing what they believed was in the best interest of the community and citizens of Oak Park.

I also have been very fortunate to have been given the resources by all of the trustees and presidents I served to retain and recruit the staff professionals who have elevated municipal services Oak Parkers enjoy to some of their highest levels in the history of the Village. The expertise and professional qualifications of Village staff are second to none, and it shows in the quality of programs and services they deliver.

Oak Park also has provided an opportunity for my family and me to become part of a dynamic community that truly respects and values human diversity. I believe that the experiences my daughter has gained in Oak Park will have lasting benefits throughout her life, and the wonderful friendships we have made here as a family will reach across the years and the miles.

As I assume my new post this spring, I will do so with the benefit of experiences and knowledge gained from working with so many truly remarkable people in Oak Park.

I can’t imagine a more stimulating experience than I have enjoyed here. As I have often said there literally is “never a dull moment” in Oak Park. I have enjoyed that dynamism, I have loved the spirit of the Village and I am honored to have served as your manager.

Best wishes for 2006 and beyond!

Carl Swenson

Village Manager

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