Thank you for reading about our candidates and our clear plan to address Franklin Park's growing challenges. We've listened to residents throughout this campaign, and we're always ready to work together to find real solutions.

While we encourage you to read the full article, we want to directly address questionable claims made by our opponents.

On Borough Finances: A Dangerous Definition of "Healthy"

We strongly disagree with Mayor O'Keefe's assertion: "The borough finances are healthy."

Our analysis shows that Franklin Park's finances are not in a position of strength. A "healthy" borough does not:

  • Lack a strong capital reserve fund for future needs.

  • Require utilizing our reserves to fund budget deficits for five of the last seven years (external link).

While we understand that costs have risen, the practice of consistently depleting our reserves leaves the borough with fewer and fewer options to address future budget situations. Our definition of healthy includes being fiscally disciplined and prepared, not just getting by.

On Home Rule and VOTER Information

We take issue with candidate Barnes' comment that "many are still ill-informed..."

To suggest a lack of information is simply inaccurate.

  • Multiple open forums and extensive communication have already occurred.

  • This initiative was deferred from 2024 specifically to ensure residents had ample time to be informed.

  • The upcoming ballot question is only to study the forming of a volunteer commission to explore the pros and cons of Home Rule. It is not a vote to adopt Home Rule.

We also reject the partisan framing of this issue. We applaud Councilpersons Czekaj and Schwartzmier for their bipartisan effort in hosting community forums. This is not a radical or partisan concept; it has been adopted by Republican-led councils in our neighboring communities of Pine Township (1992) and McCandless Township (1972).

Council must authorize all citizen-led ballot initiatives, but this effort is about empowering the community. Home Rule has been an important topic in Franklin Park for years, and now it is up to the citizens to decide if they want more options and more input or fewer when determining the future of our borough.

Link to Q&A (external link):

— Trib Live Q&A with Franklin Park Council & Mayor Candidates (2025)