Oak Park is proudly progressive, embracing what incumbent village President Vicki Scaman touts as a community that’s not only diverse but also integrated.
Voters there face a choice between two strong candidates for village president. Both are firmly committed to Oak Park.
Scaman is in her first term, and previously served as clerk of the village. She moved to Oak Park as a teenager and has a background in education and the arts. Her challenger, Trustee Ravi Parakkat, is originally from the state of Kerala, India, and moved to the U.S. in 2003 and to Oak Park in 2006. He became a U.S. citizen in 2016. Parakkat is an engineer and consultant with an MBA and has more than 20 years of U.S. business experience. Notably, he also launched the nonprofit Takeout 25 during the pandemic to support local restaurants.
The candidates agree on many values dear to the village, including a commitment to inclusion.
Scaman told us in our meeting that she is running on her record, while Parakkat said he is motivated by what he views as too much ineffective governance.
“Our talk and actions don’t match,” he told the editorial board. “We say we want to be affordable, inclusive and diverse. We can’t spend our way to affordability.”
Parakkat says the village needs to find a way to become self-reliant in the event outside funding from state or federal government dries up. He also said he would attract $500 million in new investment to the village as a way to diversify Oak Park’s tax base.
While Parakkat advocates for keeping taxes low as a way to promote affordability in the community, he told the board he would support adopting a local grocery tax when the state tax expires in 2026. We don’t love the idea of imposing a new local tax, but given the state’s decision to strip this revenue from municipalities, we understand that this loss will be a major hit to the village.
Scaman, on the other hand, told the board she “would certainly not do so with the current cost of everyday grocery items,” noting that neighboring food deserts are pushing residents from other towns and cities to shop in Oak Park with its enviable selection of retail options. Scaman also told the board that she has met with Gov. JB Pritzker to explore ways to mitigate potential revenue losses. We appreciate that Scaman would like to avoid adding a local grocery tax by considering other options first.
Scaman reported that Oak Park had two homicides in 2024. One was the killing of Oak Park Detective Allan Reddins, a father and five-year veteran of the department, who was killed November in the line of duty while responding to an armed offender in the village. Reddins’ murder had a profound impact on Oak Park, with Scaman and many others attending a vigil and funeral services honoring his memory. This tragedy was the first killing of a police officer in Oak Park since the 1930s.
Scaman said crime is down overall during her tenure, with the Police Department on track to be fully staffed by the end of the year, fending off one of Parakkat’s chief criticisms on public safety.
Parakkat wasn’t the only one offering criticism. Scaman also shared some unflattering views of her rival.
“My opponent has not learned the art of securing four votes over the last four years and genuine relationship building for common goals,” she told the board.
This endorsement was not an easy decision for us. That speaks well of both candidates.
Parakkat strikes us as smart, thoughtful and reasonably experienced as a village leader. We also like his focus on increasing economic growth and development as a way to grow revenues as opposed to leaning solely on tax hikes. We appreciate his commitment to an efficient government that works for the people, and believe his perspective is much needed on the Oak Park Board of Trustees.
But first and foremost, the village needs its president to be a positive advocate and champion residents’ interests. This person needs to be able to coordinate with everyone from local business owners to concerned citizens to state officials who make decisions about how funding is dispersed.
To these ends, we believe Scaman is better qualified and found her to be passionate about her hometown. We have no doubt about her ability to bring people together. She describes herself as “a unique mix of progressive and pragmatic,” which seems exactly like what Oak Park wants and needs.
Vicki Scaman is endorsed.
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