Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Lesbian Oak Park trustee is focused on village's issues
by Tom Wray
2013-04-03

This article shared 4153 times since Wed Apr 3, 2013
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Even in 2013, it can still be unusual for an elected official to be openly gay—unless it's in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park.

Oak Park Village Trustee Colette Lueck, who is running for re-election this year, said that being an out lesbian has never been an issue. "Certainly I've been called to speak about the civil unions bill and marriage equality at various events and have worked actively on both of those measures," she said. "But Oak Park is a unique community and it isn't like other places. There really isn't any concern from the community or push back from the community about having an out elected official." She was actually the village's third openly gay official. In fact, she's had more issues as a woman in what is often still a male-dominated field.

Lueck said that there are stylistic differences between men and women. "Not being as aggressive at the board table yet wanting to be taken seriously and be heard," she explained. She's said politics can be an area that women need to grow into. But it was very good to see so many women entering Congress and government in the last round of national elections.

The issue that has most impacted her term has been the economy. While Oak Park weathered the recession better than many other locations in Illinois, the village was still hit hard and was forced to cut 20 percent of its workforce while still maintaining needed services. Programs such as a public health clinic, early childhood education and affordable house were maintained and helped give Oak Park a better footing to recover.

For her next term, the Eisenhower Expressway—which runs through the village's south side—is the most important issue facing Oak Park. "IDOT [the Illinois Department of Transportation] has been studying alternatives to the Ike [the Eisenhower], including expansion," Lueck said. "Our current commitment is to expansion not going beyond the ditch and we're very concerned with the on-ramps and off-ramps." The ramps in Oak Park are placed in the center of the expressway to decrease noise, congestion and pollution. Plus the bridges across the Eisenhower are in serious need of repair. New amenities could be included in any rebuild of the bridges to improve the quality of life for residents of the village. "It would have such a huge impact on our community."

Economic development is still a top issue as well. Even with coming through the Great Recession well and seeing strong growth in sales-tax revenues, there are still areas of Oak Park, most noticeably Madison Street, that are in need of serious redevelopment, Lueck said. There are different proposals including developing the larger vacant parcels and redesigning the streetscape to be more walkable. The village is looking at how it can help local businesses and has even been approached to help fund a theater for itinerant theater companies in Oak Park.

Lueck has worked for 20 years in children's mental health and is currently a managing director for the Illinois Children's Mental Health Partnership, coordinating statewide efforts to improve mental health services for children and families. That experience has made recent progress in early childhood education for Oak Park a particularly proud accomplishment. Oak Park is the first community in Illinois where local government bodies have agreed to jointly fund services for young children instead of remediation in high school. Studies have shown that every dollar invested in early childhood development have a seven fold return. "If you're going to put your money anywhere, early childhood is the place to put it," Lueck said. The grade school district, high school district and village have come together to fund the early childhood programs in Oak Park.

Oak Park has also joined with other nearby suburbs to work on rehabbing and working with developers on financing and making available affordable housing in the area.

She's also had a great vantage point to see what have been giant strides in marriage equality and civil rights, both nationally and in Illinois. "If anybody had asked me ten years ago would things would be where they are now, I would have said 'not a chance,'" Lueck stated. "The rate at which changes have occurred both nationally and in Illinois is phenomenal." She said it was the result of a lot of hard work by many people and generational changes. And, in some ways, everyone else is catching up with a village with a long history of being ahead of the curve on social issues.

"I think in a lot of ways, other places are catching up to Oak Park and we have to continue to say what's the next way forward, what's the next issue that we need to be on the cutting edge of," she continued. "Not that we have to be the leader in everything, but we always want to challenge ourselves and keep up with new issues."


This article shared 4153 times since Wed Apr 3, 2013
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Thailand parliament passes landmark marriage bill
2024-03-27
On March 27, Thailand's parliament approved a marriage-equality bill by an overwhelmingly large margin—a landmark step that moves one of Asia's most liberal countries closer to legalizing same-sex unions, media ...


Gay News

After 30 Under 30: MAP Executive Director Naomi Goldberg
2024-03-25
NOTE: In this series, Windy City Times will profile some of its past 30 Under 30 honorees. Windy City Times started its 30 Under 30 Awards in 2001, presenting them each year through 2019. This year, ...


Gay News

Kara Swisher talks truth, power in tech at Chicago Humanities event
2024-03-25
Lesbian author, award-winning journalist and podcast host Kara Swisher spoke about truth and power in the tech industry through the lens of her most recent book, Burn Book: A Tech Love Story, March 21 at First ...


Gay News

Wyoming is latest state to ban gender-affirming care for minors
2024-03-24
On March 22, Wyoming became the latest state to prohibit gender-affirming care for minors, The Hill noted. In doing so, it joined 23 other states that passed laws restricting or banning the treatment. Legislators in both ...


Gay News

Chicago alder proposes renaming street after Obama
2024-03-22
Openly gay Black Chicago Ald. Lamont Robinson has proposed renaming Columbus Drive after former U.S. President and city resident Barack Obama, media outlets noted. The street stretches through the Loop from East Grand Avenue to DuSable ...


Gay News

Congressional Equality Caucus on FY24 bills passing the house
2024-03-22
--From a press release - WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02), released the following statement after the House successfully passed the final funding bills for Fiscal Year ...


Gay News

WORLD Uganda items, HIV report, Mandela, Liechtenstein, foreign minister weds
2024-03-21
It turned out that U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Senior LGBTQI+ Coordinator Jay Gilliam traveled to Uganda on Feb. 19-27, per The Washington Blade. He visited the capital of Kampala and the nearby city of ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Va. marriage bill, AARP, online counseling, Idaho items, late activist
2024-03-21
Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed bills protecting same-sex marriages at a state level, surprising some, WRIC reported. The bills—passed out of both chambers along mostly party lines—will require clerks ...


Gay News

LGBTQ+ candidates Marcelino Garcia, Precious Brady Davis win primary elections to keep MWRD seats
2024-03-21
Marcelino Garcia and Precious Brady-Davis, the two openly LGBTQ+ incumbents in the race to keep their seats on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), won their primary elections and will move on to the general this ...


Gay News

Small LGBTQ+ candidate pool nevertheless scores some important victories March 19
2024-03-20
Relatively few openly LGBTQ+ candidates were running in the March 19 Illinois Primary Election. But there were some significant contests in play at the local, state and federal levels. Openly gay Ald. Ray Lopez (15th Ward) ...


Gay News

Gay Irish prime minister to step down
2024-03-20
In a surprise move, openly gay Irish Prime Minister (or Taoiseach) Leo Varadkar has announced his resignation, citing "personal and political, but mainly political reasons," according to CNN. Varadkar said he felt he was no longer ...


Gay News

Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council sets a new course
2024-03-18
Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council held its first meeting of the calendar year on Feb. 28 at City Hall in the Loop under the leadership of the recently appointed chair Jin-Soo Huh. The LGBTQ+ Advisory Council is ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Missouri measure, HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, judge, Texas schools
2024-03-15
In Missouri, a newly proposed law could charge teachers and counselors with a felony and require them to register as sex offenders if they're found guilty of supporting transgender students who are socially transitioning, CNN noted. ...


Gay News

PASSAGES: Former Chicago Commission on Human Relations chair Clarence Wood
2024-03-13
LGBTQ ally and former Chicago Commission on Human Relations (CCHR) Chair and Commissioner Clarence N. Wood died March 5. He was 83. Wood was born April 14, 1940, in Alabama. While primarily raised in Alabama, Wood ...


Gay News

Longtime LGBTQ+-rights activist David Mixner dies at 77
2024-03-12
On March 11, longtime LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS activist David Mixner—known for working on Bill Clinton's presidential campaign but then splitting from him over "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT)—died at age 77, The Advocate reported. ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.