Communication is the Key for the MAC

By "Tony" Fote

The Oak Park MAC must be more interactive, transparent and available to it's community in order to stay relevant to the serving of them.

At the most recent meeting of the MAC it was pointed out that in the past decade or so this type of problem has occured four times. The property owner went to the County and got all of his permits and erected the large signs fully legally, but without consulting the MAC on any issues, be they on the subject of aethetics or more importantly, safety.

Now the rather large signs are a problem for both the business owner who paid to build them (who is being VERY cooperative with the MAC in finding a solution to the community problem the signs have caused by the way) and for the MAC who must listen to the public complaints without any recourse to remedy the problem.

There simply MUST be a way to have checks and balances created so that when a business owner pulls a permit to make improvements to a business (which will eventually have a direct and positive impact on the community by bringing in additional tax revenue) an early warning is given that before breaking ground the MAC must be consulted. It is in the best interest of both the community AND the business owner.

If this type of system had been in place, the business people would have better understood what the property stands for in Oak Park (that parcel was the only commercial real estate parcel in memory where the people and MAC actually voted down a proposed gas station and mini martfor the site) and the sensitivity residents have about the look of the signs and the naming of the property.

The property owner and business tenents also would have understood the safety issue because a person who doesn't know the lay of the land might think everything that looks good in planning stages will turn out fine. In this case it is not...and the safety issues far outweigh the importance of the name of the property or the aesthetic issues in my opinion.

We are lucky to have such a great merchant on the property who is so willing to make adjustments to the sign to try to appease the community, because he has no legal need to do so. Obviously it would not serve his business well to infuriate the neighborhood with the signs, but better communication between the MAC and the County agency that allows building permits could have avoided this embarrassing problem for both sides.

So it is easy to see how vital communications between County Departments are as we make every effort to improve things here in Oak Park.

Indeed, the effectiveness of our MAC can be measured by how well our citizens understand the way they are represented and the mechanism by which they can have a voice in determining how this area is governed. For this reason I believe the MAC should make every effort imaginable to get the word out on when meetings are scheduled and what the hot button issues of the times are.

It is great that we have the small memo signs posted on Lindero and Kanan that let us know when and where the meetings take place. It is also nice that a Google search will turn up an informative internet site that reports on what has been covered at past MAC meetings. ButI feel it would improve the MAC to be more proactive rather than reactive by promoting interaction with and interest in the activities of the MAC. This might be accomplished by actively soliciting ideas on issues through conferences and regular forums with various home owners associations, utility providers, the Chamber of Commerce and any other concerned organizations with a stake in improving this wonderful place we live in.

It would be great to see the MAC make an effort to create a less formal type of consortium of different representatives from home owners associations, surrounding communities, rental properties as well as shop owners and members of the Chamber of Commerce, youth groups and all other concerned citizens also, who could come together from time to time throughout the year to discuss the issues of the day..."town meeting style" if you will.

This type of interaction could only benefit the MAC, making for a better understanding of a greater group within the community and broadening the spectrum of relevance and ideas to be exchanged with the County through our County Supevisor, Linda Parks.

While it is great that the MAC has it's place on the internet, every measure should be taken to assure that citizens can interact with MAC members online as well. By making sure the MAC is in touch with the people, understanding not only what is wrong...but also what is going right in Oak Park...the Council can bring ideas on ways of improving our lifestyle forward and act on them.

At the recent Candidate's forum the MAC Chairperson made a reference to the fact that the MAC is available to it's constituents via the internet. I would challenge anyone today to do a "Google" or "Yahoo" search and actually figure out a way to have any dialogue with your representative. The MAC Chairperson claims there is a way...I have yet to find it. Even if there is some way to communicate with the MAC currently, it is cloaked and definately not a simple and transparent process. This needs to change immediately.

It is my belief that now that buildout of Oak Park is virtually complete, it should be our mission not only to maintain our beautiful and well planned surroundings...but to anticipate the best ways to implement positive changes for improving things in the future.

We have a lot of residents who have a great deal of experience in successful businesses and other projects. It would be very exciting to see it rub off on our community, and the best way for this to happen is for the MAC to have community outreach to our most valuable assets, our citizens.

(to be continued)