Oak Lawn Dist. 2 Trustee: Alex Olejniczak

Name: Alex G. Olejniczak

Position sought: 2nd District Trustee

Campaign information:

Campaign contact information:

• Campaign office address:4905  W. 95th Street

• Website: http://oaklawnfirst.wordpress.com/

• Email address: alexole@aol.com
• Campaign phone: 708-774-7355

Personal Information:

• Age: 47

• Family: Wife – Theresa, Sons – Vince, Matt, Zach, and John
• Time living in Oak Lawn: 40 years
• Education: St. Gerald, Oak Lawn Community High School, Illinois State
• Occupation: Vice President of Operations
• Political party affiliation, if any: Independent
• Previous elected offices (if applicable):N/A
• Applicable experience qualifying you for the position: 2nd District Trustee for 8 years.

Candidate Questions:

1.    What is the primary reason you are running for this office?

To ensure that Oak Lawn residents continue to receive the services they rely upon and need, and receive them in as a cost-effective manner as possible.

2.    Why do you deserve to be reelected? What sets you apart from the other candidate(s)?

I have an extensive and proven 8-year track record of advocating for the people of Oak Lawn and of standing up to and rooting out the hypocrisy, dishonesty and fraud that is pervasive in politics today.

3. What are the three issues in the village that you feel need to be addressed right away? Why are these issues important?

1. Public Safety – We need to put the Safety of Oak Lawn residents ahead of all other issues and listen to what our law enforcement leaders are advising.  Communities suffer when residents don’t feel safe, especially the safety of our children.
2. Financial Stability – We need to make sure that all businesses pay their fair share, including great institutions like Advocate Christ Hospital.  I also don’t think the Village should be spending $1 million putting an ice rink on the Village Green or balancing our 2013 budget (and $2 million deficit) by selling our Senior Center, both of which I opposed.   Those aren’t the kind of financial decisions we were making when I was first elected in 2005 when we were routinely balancing our budgets without tax increases. 
3. Transparency – Our Village government and Board has turned into an organization shrouded in secrecy and denial.  Citizens are repeatedly rejected when requesting information or asking questions.  The Oak Lawn residents own our government and we should be always open and accountable to them.  When people have faith and trust in their government officials it makes for a more healthy and prosperous community.

 4. Give one example of how you would work with an adversarial village board?

The Central and Southwest Highway turning-lane is the latest example of how I have worked with an adversarial Village board.  The project was almost scuttled by Mayor Heilmann and Trustees Trautsch, Quinlan, and Streit, allegedly because we could not afford it.  I worked with our Cook County Commissioner and with Trustees Duhig and Phelan to find the money to complete this extremely important project.

  5.  Should Advocate Christ Medical Center be required to pay impact fees and permit fees for future expansion? Why or why not?

They should pay their fair share for the services they use and require.  The citizens of Oak Lawn should not have to pay the financial burden attributable to the hospital, not when health care and medicine are two of the fastest growing sectors in our economy and Oak Lawn’s Christ Hospital brings in more than $1 BILLION each year to the Advocate Medical Group.

6.  Should there be a cap on video gaming licenses granted to new businesses coming to Oak Lawn? Why or why not?

Yes. The long established businesses in the Village asked the Board to help them by allowing video gaming so they could compete with neighboring communities and keep and attract new customers.  Now we have businesses coming to Oak Lawn specifically to start businesses that rely solely upon video gaming.  That was never the intent of the Board when we approved the measure, and I frankly don’t understand why it is now.

7.  What do you like best about Oak Lawn?

The people and the neighborhoods. – There are none better.