Candidates from the Riverside Community Alliance released their platform for the 2009 campaign, calling for an end to local government dominated by the Riverside Community Caucus and promising fiscal responsibility, a viable business district and a more transparent government.
"We see the role of trustees as people elected to do responsible things," said Mark Shevitz, who is running for trustee along with Lonnie Sacchi and James Reynolds. Michael Gorman is the RCA's candidate for village president.
"It's up to trustees to set the proper priorities and be watchdogs."
Playing up the idea of the Riverside Community Caucus as having a stranglehold on "one-party rule" in Riverside, the RCA platform states that village spending increased 47 percent from 2001-07, a trend that can only be limited by "a top-down, line-by-line budget audit to identify areas of cost savings and better efficiency."
That analysis would include a review of village management and department staffing and would result in, according to the platform document released by the group last week, "providing a better level of services to residents without having to spend more of the village budget."
Asked if Village Manager Kathleen Rush's job was on the chopping block, Shevitz responded simply that "we're looking at everything."
He did make it clear that the RCA would not be opposed to attracting less expensive village staff who may not have as much as experience, giving the former Public Works Director Michael Hullihan as an example. Hullihan, a licensed engineer, was public works director until August when he left to become public works chief in Oakbrook.
Among other things, Hullihan oversaw the transformation of the village's water delivery system from gravity to a pump-based operation. He also guided the construction of a new public works building in Riverside Lawn.
"Maybe his level of expertise was needed at one time," Shevitz said. "It's a question of would residents rather have the same level of services provided by someone less experienced and save money?"
The platform also calls for village-wide referendums on major expenditures, "any time we will be spending a significant portion of taxpayer dollars," said Shevitz.
The restoration of the water tower and the construction of the public works building could be examples of such spending, Shevitz said. Neither project required the village board to ask voters for a referendum to move ahead.
"If it's a good idea, taxpayers should have a say in that," Shevitz said.
The platform also suggests that the village could cut down on the use of consultants by seeking resident volunteers to take on some tasks. The group, however, does believe that the village could hire a consultant to work on economic development for the downtown business district.
"We feel that whatever we've been doing has not been working in terms of the downtown," Shevitz said. "As the budget allows we can work on finding an expert in bringing businesses to national historic communities like ours.
"Maybe he would work with a panel of residents, but we need to do something to get the ball rolling."
While the RCA would like to capitalize on the historic nature of Riverside, the group is looking to attract businesses "which our residents will support."
"We can't rely on people from Downers Grove to get off the train," Shevitz said. "We have to be the ones."
In order to promote transparency, the RCA also wants to videotape all village board and commission meetings and require two opportunities for public comment before an ordinance is voted on. They also would contemplate eliminating committee of the whole meetings, which are held for trustees to hash out issues without fielding questions from residents present.
"I'd rather have them as part of the regular meeting with open comment," Shevitz said. "We have a problem with lack of participation by residents. Putting more restrictions on comment is not the way to deal with that."
