Three Countryside residents have had enough of the status quo on the city council.
They think it is long overdue for new voices to be heard on the council, and they are running for election on April 1 against three sitting aldermen.
Rosemary Dostal, John Harris and Larry Howard represent the People for Change Political Party.
You can meet the trio from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 8, at Ledo’s Pizza, 5525 S. La Grange Road. Free food and refreshments will be available.
The trio recently sat down at Dostal’s home to discuss why they want to be on the city council.
Rosemary Dostal
Dostal, 57, is running against John Finn in the 1st Ward.
She is a frequent visitor at city council meetings, keeping tabs on the often-delayed redevelopment of the former Countryside City Hall property across the street from her home.
Dostal said she’s heard from residents who are frustrated with leadership.
“You fill up a room with residents opposing a project they’re promoting and it still goes through. Even the zoning board, the advisory board for the city council, the city council ignores their votes,” Dostal said.
If elected, Dostal will be the only woman on the city council.
Finn has been on the council since he was appointed by Mayor Sean McDermott in 2016.
“Nothing against Mr. Finn, but I want to keep an eye on what’s going to happen on the corner. That’s the biggest thing,” Dostal said of a long-delayed development of the former city hall site.
“I want to bring back honesty, sincerity and compassion to Ward One,” she said.
She declined to discuss a long-standing dispute with the city regarding property she and her husband own in Countryside: “That’s not why I’m running.”
John Harris
Harris, 52, is running against John Von Drasek in the 2nd Ward.
Currently, the unpaid president of the Forest Villa Condominium Association. The condos are located on Brainard Avenue, south of Joliet Road, beside the forest preserve.
“I want to do something more than I’m doing right now,” he said. “It’s a sense of self-worth and taking care of people. I want to go to the city and see what I can do to improve our relationship with people in my ward.”
Von Drasek is seeking his sixth four-year term. That’s too many terms, Harris said, adding, “There may be a lot of complacency in the city.”
“I think it’s time,” said Harris, who works for Guaranteed Rate as a collection specialist.
He’s been dismayed by the city’s adjudication hearings, saying residents are often dealt with harshly.
City council meetings are “a rubber stamp” as we rarely see non-unanimous votes, he said.
And when we do see that, those voting “no,” like the two 1st Ward aldermen who voted against a plan for the former city hall site, they know it will still pass by a 4-2 vote, he said.
Larry Howard
Howard, 52, is running against Mark Benson in the 3rd Ward.
“I firmly believe in term limits in all forms of government,” Howard said.
“All three of us are about the same thing. I want more voices, more choices. I didn’t come up with that,” he said of the catchy slogan.
Howard called Benson “a rubber stamp, that’s the bottom line.” Benson was appointed to the city council in 2015.
Howard, who works in construction, has lived in Countryside “since birth.”
Even if the three challengers win election, they face an uphill battle, Howard said.
“It will still be very difficult to make changes because the mayor has the right to veto anything, but it is a start,” he said.
“One party is non-healthy government,” he added.
His to-do list includes “listening to the public, reviewing buildings codes and the permit process” and making the city “business friendly again.”
He’d like to see the city build a recreation center in Countryside.
The permits and codes have become a costly problem, he said.
“I’ve heard from neighbors time and time again about violations of building codes,” he said.
He noted that installing a fence requires permits and inspections before work can be done, “even for a three-foot fence. … That’s nuts.”
To register for the meet and greet on Saturday, call 708-415-1210.