Personalities set apart agreeable candidates to lead Villa Park
The race to lead Villa Park is shaping up to be an amicable contest among three longtime residents who want to be village president.
Candidates Albert Bulthuis, Chuck Pickerill and Robert Taglia agree on much about the state of the village, as they compete in the April 4 election for the seat being vacated by current President Deborah Bullwinkel.
The village board and staff are operating more efficiently and professionally than they used to be, all three candidates say.
Among the top priorities are completing road improvements funded by a tax increase won in a 2014 referendum and beginning to separate aging storm and sanitary sewers. Redeveloping Villa Avenue and bringing more economic vitality is of high importance, too, the candidates agree.
Past that general consensus, Bulthuis, Pickerill and Taglia set themselves apart by their personalities and the priorities they hold because of their backgrounds.
Bulthuis, a 30-year Villa Park resident with 10 years' experience as a trustee on the village board, says his determination as a local elected leader differentiates him and his campaign for continuity in village governance.
"I've demonstrated in my past that I'm not afraid to bring up some issues and push them through," said Bulthuis, a 67-year-old semiretired businessman. "I know how a president has to act and what the responsibilities are."
In the past, Bulthuis says he's pushed for a crime-free housing ordinance, a vacant housing ordinance and updates to the village's zoning ordinance. Now he says he wants to advance government consolidation, especially among small units such as nearby fire protection districts in Oakbrook Terrace and York Center.
Pickerill, a lifelong Villa Park resident who runs small businesses in the auto service and construction industries, says he's in the race to protect and strengthen the town he loves.
"I'm concerned about the future," said Pickerill, 62. "I want to see Villa Park be everything it can be for my kids."
Pickerill says the "hometown spirit" of Villa Park may be faltering because people aren't getting involved with clubs, civic organizations and even the committees that advise the village board. But with his business connections and the "new vigor" he says he would bring, he looks forward to re-energizing the town.
"I would like to bring that spirit back to Villa Park and get the town behind a lot of these organizations that are failing because people aren't participating," he said. "I want to bring a sense of community back."
Meanwhile, Taglia says he returned to Villa Park 15 years ago to raise his family because of the spirit he's always felt in his hometown. Living near a part of town he calls "crime-challenged" was part of the motivation the educator and small-business owner needed to get involved with the village by joining the environmental concerns commission and then the village board in 2009.
As village president, Taglia, 45, says he would be willing and able to advocate for Villa Park among lawmakers in Springfield and he would look to join forces with neighboring towns for partnerships that benefit all.
"I work hard. I listen to people. I've always been respectful and polite to everybody in town," Taglia said. "Even though we might disagree, I try to be respectful and kind and thoughtful to everybody."
The winning candidate will earn a 4-year term leading the village of roughly 22,000.