Derek Eder, Oak Park Village Trustee. Photo by Paul Goyette

On June 17, 2025, I joined the Oak Park Village Board as a Trustee. Because this was my first time as a legislator of a municipality, the first few weeks felt like a whirlwind, of orienting myself to municipal government, meeting senior Village staff and my fellow Trustees, learning board protocols, and getting up to speed to vote on dozens of policies and initiatives already in progress.

Now, six months in, and with the start of a new year, it seems like a good time to pause and reflect on what I’ve learned, the major Board votes I made, and what I expect to see and do in 2026.

This is just my perspective. Issues that are a big deal to me may not seem that important to you, especially if you don’t live in Oak Park. On the flip side, actions by the Village board can have a profound influence on the lives, businesses, and homes of our residents. A seemingly small action, like denying a special use permit for a gas station, approving a grant for affordable housing, providing tax incentives to renovate a vacant building, or deciding on the prioritization of roads, sidewalks and bike lanes will impact many people I will never meet or hear from.

So far, I’ve found being a Trustee to be a truly fascinating job, and one that I am enjoying quite a bit. That said, let’s dive in!

My big Board votes in 2025

At a given Board meeting, which happens on most Tuesdays at 7pm, a wide range of topics are covered. Many initiatives and discussions are spread out over months, with Village staff researching and preparing materials, presenting them to the Board, getting our direction, and then revising for a final vote and passage.

Once the Board votes on something, it is in the Village Manager’s hands to direct staff to implement it in accordance with the Village Manager form of government we have. Trustees are free to inquire on progress and make follow-up requests of staff, but there are limitations to this. Village President Scaman and Village Manager Jackson are always looking for a majority consensus (4 votes) from the Board before directing staff to take action.

When I joined the Board in June, many initiatives had been brewing for months or even years. It was my job to get up to speed on these issues, read any relevant reports, watch any relevant past Board meetings, and be prepared to make an informed decision when the item was brought to the Board.

Here are the major votes I made as a Trustee:

Passed and Funded the Oak Park Bike Plan - July 22, 2025

Oak Park Bike Network - Short-Term Concepts - Passed on July 22

My first major vote as a Trustee was on the comprehensive Bike Plan for Oak Park. This plan was many years in the making, starting in 2008, and had a goal to create a safe Village-wide bike network for all ages and abilities, meaning that older residents, kids, and less-than-confident bicyclists would feel comfortable using it. The Bike Plan involves major infrastructure improvements and was produced alongside our Vision Zero plan, passed in February 2025, to eliminate deaths or serious injuries on our streets by 2035. Trustees Straw and Wesley, President Scaman, our Transportation Commission, Bike Walk Oak Park and many staff worked hard to bring this plan forward.

This vote was an easy yes for me, and it passed 6-1. More bike trips mean fewer car trips, which is a win for the environment, as 27% of our emissions come from cars and trucks. Also, as an avid cyclist, I can attest to the convenience and health benefits of biking. Safety and perceived danger from cars has always been the biggest obstacle for mass adoption of biking, and the Bike Plan puts in new protected, raised, striped and marked bike lanes, new crossing signals, and intersection upgrades.

Cancelled the Flock License Plate Reader Camera Contract - August 5, 2025

A Flock ALPR Camera in Oak Park, IL. Photo by Paul Goyette

I voted along with the 5-2 majority on the Village Board to cancel our contract with Flock Safety, Inc and deactivate the eight Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras that have been operating in our community since 2022. This motion was championed by Trustees Enyia and Leving Jacobson.

With the increased presence of immigration enforcement from Operation Midway Blitz in the greater Chicagoland region, Flock’s willingness to share and sell access to our residents’ data to the Trump Administration, ICE, Customs and Border Protection, and Texas police enforcing anti-abortion laws, made this technology too dangerous not only to our immigrant community, but to the entire nation.

I wrote a deep dive into my vote and why other communities should cancel their contracts with Flock as well.

Created ICE-Free Zones - November 4, 2025

Jersey Barrier and traffic cones block an entrance to the Oak Park Village Hall parking lot. Photo from Todd Bannor, Wednesday Journal

On September 9, 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began Operation Midway Blitz, ramping up immigration enforcement in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. A major staging area for this operation is located at an ICE Detention Center in Broadview, IL, a suburb about 10 minutes west of where I live and serve as a Village Trustee.

In the month since this operation started, unidentified, untrained and unaccountable Federal agents have killed an unarmed 38-year-old father, detained nearly every family at a 130-unit South Shore apartment in the middle of the night, violated consent decrees with warrantless arrests, deployed tear gas in neighborhoods, shot protesters in the head with rubber bullets, and detained elected officials without cause.

With ICE activity ramping up in Oak Park, we saw many of our neighbors stopped, abused and abducted just for having brown skin. Our community’s reaction, with hundreds of residents forming rapid response networks and whistle brigades in solidarity, was a bright spot in these dark times.

As legislators, it was a difficult reality to face that our own police were not allowed to do anything to prevent abuse by ICE. While our own Welcoming Village Ordinance and the IL TRUST Act prevented local law enforcement from helping ICE, they were also not allowed to interfere.

What we could do was restrict their use of Village property, similar to what Chicago did, by explicitly not allowing it to be used as a “staging area, processing location, or operations base for the purpose of civil immigration enforcement.” Together with Trustee Leving Jacobson, we presented a memo for staff to follow on Oct. 21, and the Board voted 7-0 to adopt the changes on Nov. 4. The Township and Library Board also passed similar ordinances, and my hope is that the school and park districts do the same soon.

Earlier in September, we also increased the fines for impersonating local, state or federal law enforcement officers to give ourselves more tools to push back against unidentified federal officers. We’ll need all these tools and more, when ICE officers ramp enforcement back up in the spring.

Passed the 2026 budget with funding for sustainability - December 9, 2025

The Oak Park Village Board: Trustee Brian Straw, Trustee Chibuike Enyia, Trustee Derek Eder, President Vicki Scaman, Trustee Jim Taglia, Trustee Jenna Leving Jacobson, Trustee Cory Wesley, Clerk Christina Waters.

The final vote that we took in 2025 was to pass the 2026 Oak Park Village Budget. We did so 7-0, though it took 11 Finance Committee Meetings (which I am on, along with President Scaman and Trustees Taglia and Straw) and five full Board meetings to work through all the details.

Among these details, we debated the items to prioritize in the 5-Year Capital Improvement Plan; how to fund a 3-year, $150k/year Living Room Pilot request by Thrive Counselling Center; how to address staffing and coverage concerns raised by our Firefighters Union Local 95; and how to maintain our sustainability budget.

With the help of Oak Park Climate Action Network (OPCAN), a local advocacy group I am a core member of, I was able to successfully advocate to keep the expanded funding for our Energy Efficiency Grants that were fought for in 2024 by my predecessor Dr. Susan Buchanan.

Other notable votes in 2025

Over the course of 18 Board and 11 Finance Committee meetings, we covered a lot of ground on a range of issues on sustainability, transit and infrastructure, economic development, public safety, and many others. Taken alone, many of these items up for vote may seem small, like revising or expanding a Village grant program, or adopting the latest and most efficient building codes, but added together, they are progressive steps towards creating a racially and environmentally just, safe, equitable, affordable and vibrant Oak Park.

Sustainability

Improved the Rehabilitation Loan Program - July 15, 2025
The Village Board approved staff recommendations to improve several housing rehabilitation programs. I advocated that HVAC, including air conditioning, be explicitly included in these changes.

Adopted the 2024 Building Codes - September 16, 2025
With the support from our Building Codes Advisory Commission, of which I was a member before joining the Village Board, Oak Park adopted the latest Building and Energy codes for our residential buildings. These changes require safer and more efficient materials to be used, which will lead to a reduction in building emissions. In 2026, I hope to see Oak Park pass the Energy Stretch Code, which will include additional energy efficiency requirements.

Denied the Quick Trip Gas Station permit - September 30, 2025
The Board voted 7-0 to deny a new gas station that was proposed to be built at the site of the former Mohr concrete plant in southwest Oak Park. Hundreds of residents organized in opposition to this development, and I voted against it on environmental grounds: gas stations are huge polluters and not part of the future I want for Oak Park.

Community Choice Aggregation with MC Squared - October 14, 2025
We renewed our contract with MC Squared to supply energy to our residents. This agreement would have been business as usual, except that MC Squared was acquired by IGS Energy in January 2025. IGS Energy has a spotty record, and has a business practice of sending people door-to-door to get residents to sign up for ‘clean energy,’ only to tack on additional fees to your bill. IGS had been doing this in Oak Park (they knocked on my door!), so I raised this conflict. In response to this, Trustee Straw suggested an addendum to the contract and Village staff were able to update it to prevent IGS from doing door-to-door solicitation during our contract with them.

Compromised on the Gas-Powered Leaf Blower Ordinance Enforcement - October 14, 2025
Oak Park’s gas-powered leaf blower ban, which had been in effect since June, included the enforcement of ticketing both the property owner and the landscaper if they were found to be using a gas leaf blower. Trustee Wesley raised the issue that Oak Park should not be ticketing or documenting landscapers due to the ICE raids in our area. As a compromise, we agreed to ticket just the property owners to keep the ordinance enforcement in place.

Expanded Business Assistance Grants - November 18, 2025
Led by Village staff, we created two new grant programs for businesses: the Climate Ready Business grants and the Fire Safety grants. The Climate Ready Business program grants up to $6,000 in matching funds for upgrades to efficient appliances and lighting, EV charging stations, solar panels, and waste reduction. These grants are available to all Oak Park businesses in our 12 business districts, along with the existing exterior and interior Facade Improvement Programs.

Transit and infrastructure

Approved the Percy Julian / Chicago Ave Streetscape - September 9, 2025
We approved and funded the Chicago Avenue Streetscape honoring Dr. Percy Julian, an Oak Park scientist who pioneered the chemical synthesis of medicinal drugs from plants that saved countless lives with their discovery and mass production. The streetscape will include repaved roads and sidewalks, new bike racks and safer infrastructure, and a narrative of Dr. Julian’s life and work.

Approved the Oak Park Avenue Streetscape - November 11, 2025
We also approved and funded the Oak Park Avenue Streetscape, which includes needed sewer and water line replacements (some of these segments are over 100 years old), and streetscape improvements for a large stretch of Oak Park Avenue, a main street that bisects Oak Park. After some delays, a contractor was selected, and the work will begin in 2026.

Public safety and accountability

Improved Police Oversight with Pivot - September 9, 2025
Before I joined, the Village Board had spent significant time on police oversight and accountability, starting with the BerryDunn Key Staffing and Operations Review report commissioned in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020. The most recent work was done by Pivot Consulting Group on Strengthening Civilian Oversight. Their recommendations were approved by the Board, which included additional staffing, data access, and formalized processes for complaint and technology reviews. This updated review process will be used for the first time to investigate the use of pepper ball usage by River Forest police on Halloween night.

Other wins

Update to our Human Rights Ordinance to include Gender Affirming Care - September 30, 2025
With the assault by the second Trump administration on trans rights, Oak Park has been seen by many as a sanctuary for trans individuals and their families. To help strengthen our existing protections, we added a new article to our Human Rights Ordinance explicitly protecting gender affirming care for our residents.

Approved the historic designation for 1144 Lake Street - November 18, 2025
The Village Board voted to designate 1144 Lake Street, a large and vacant commercial building on one of our busiest commercial areas as an historic building. This designation allows for the owner to seek tax relief to improve the building for lease to Barnes & Noble, its new tenant, to open a new location.

Big things are coming in 2026

Looking forward to 2026, there are already several big items on our docket. I am particularly interested in finding additional revenue sources for our Sustainability Fund, having continued discussions on the use of technology by Village police, and doing a comprehensive review of our zoning ordinance and missing middle housing, and strengthening our Inclusionary Housing Ordinance. We also anticipate that ICE will be back with more immigration raids, and I will strive to use all of our legislative tools available to continue to protect Oak Park.

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