Activist Toolkit

1. What motivates you to seek this office? What skills, experiences, and perspectives would you bring, and why would those contributions be valuable in the office you are seeking?

2. When in the past have you had to balance competing interests? What process did you use? What did you learn?  

3. What does transparency in government mean to you? How would you put it into practice? Do you feel the Village’s online resources and communication are sufficient? As Clerk, what specific changes would you propose to increase transparency and citizen engagement?  

4. As more of our local discourse happens in social media, what is your view on how local elected officials should communicate with and respond to constituents? How will you engage with the breadth of the community, and not only those on social media?

5. What barriers do you see for community members who wish to engage with Bellwood’s village government? How would you work to reduce or eliminate those barriers?  

6. What do you feel are the three biggest issues facing Bellwood, and how do you intend to address them as Clerk? 

7. How do you define equity? Have recent events and discussions in the larger community informed or changed your thinking? 

8. How do you plan to solicit feedback from people who may be experiencing this community in a different way than you? What barriers do you believe may exist in this process?

9. Name an influential Bellwood community member. How did this person’s influence change Bellwood? As an elected official, what do you imagine your influence will be on the community?

10. What do you feel is the most important function of the Clerk? What steps will you take to improve or expand community engagement with the office of the Clerk? 

11. What is your position on the extent to which the Village includes or should include accessibility features? Please address both physical structures and virtual/information processes.