Parking in Homewood’s downtown, or the apparent lack of it, is a concern of candidates running for mayor and trustee in the village leading up to Tuesday’s election.
Rich Hofeld, first elected mayor in 1997, faces a challenge from Brady Chalmers.
Hofeld said to help address the parking issue, the village is working on a jurisdictional transfer with the Illinois Department of Transportation for a section of Harwood Avenue, between Ridge Road and the railroad viaduct at Dixie Highway, just west of the downtown business district.
The plan is to make the section between the viaduct and Chestnut Road, where Village Hall is located, one-way southbound, with angled parking along the street, Hofeld said. Harwood south of Chestnut would remain a two-way street, he said.
Hofeld, who turns 88 in May, was on Homewood’s Plan Commission before being elected to the Village Board in 1977. He stepped down in 1985, and ran for mayor in 1997.
Chalmers, 39, said he volunteered for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign and worked on Gov. JB Pritzker’s inaugural run for mayor.
Chalmers worked under Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle for six years, serving in a variety of positions, then as chief of staff for Monica Gordon when she was Cook County commissioner for the south suburb’s 5th District. Gordon earlier this year was sworn in as Cook County clerk.
Chalmers is principal of a public affairs company, SNC Partners.
“We need a new generation of leadership,” Chalmers said. “Folks of Homewood feel they really don’t have a voice.”
He said downtown parking is a problem, and wants to increase that if elected, partly as a way of supporting Homewood’s small businesses.
“People want to support the small business community, but if there is no way to access the businesses how do they support it?” he said.
The Hofeld-led Greater Homewood Party is fielding four trustee candidates, Vivian Harris-Jones, Phillip Mason, Patrick Siemsen for four-year terms and Lauren Roman for a two-year term. Nakina Flores is running unopposed as Greater Homewood’s village clerk candidate, as incumbent Marilyn Thomas is not seeking reelection.
On the Greener Homewood ticket, Patrick McAneney, Tiffany Liggons-Cole and Elizabeth “Liz” Vermecky are seeking four-year terms for trustee, and Craig Frank is running for the two-year term.
Greener Homewood, as part of its platform, wants to see parking options for people with disabilities boosted downtown, and for the village to have a parking study done “that evaluates parking needs and stressors in downtown during peak times, like well-attended community events.”
Hofeld said the village remains financially secure, and the village’s budget for fiscal year 2026, which begins May 1, anticipates a surplus of about $150,000.
He said the village has $11 million in reserves which could be tapped for special projects, and minimal debt of about $1.5 million.
Homewood and East Hazel Crest have a revenue-sharing agreement for the Wind Creek Chicago Southland casino. The casino itself is in East Hazel Crest and parking garages are in Homewood.
Hofeld said Homewood is getting about $120,000 monthly, but an agreement with Wind Creek and East Hazel Crest has each setting aside money for a public benefit fund.
Homewood is taking $60,000 each month from its take of casino revenue for the fund, which is earmarked for improving education and health care in the south suburbs.
For education, community colleges could receive money to offer scholarships. A committee that includes representatives of Wind Creek, Homewood and East Hazel Crest will begin meeting to consider options for using the money, Hofeld said.
Chalmers acknowledged Homewood “is a healthy town, we’re in the black, financially.”
He said he would use some of the village’s share of casino money “to give some of that back to taxpayers, I want to give them some relief” from high property tax bills.
The Greener Homewood platform includes instituting term limits for village elected officials and making the village a model green community.
That would include planting more trees in public spaces and encouraging the planting of free trees by expanding and increasing funding for the tree share program, the party says.
It also wants a recycling program that will feature sorted bins in all public places where there are existing trash cans, and working with disposal companies to make commercial recycling available for businesses.
Greater Homewood party
Harris-Jones is finishing her first term as trustee and works as an executive legal assistant, according to Greater Homewood.
Trustee Mason was village treasurer, works as the planning and preparedness manager for the Cook County Department of Emergency Management and Regional Security, according to Greater Homewood.
Siemsen is retired from the Homewood Police Department after 27 years, leaving as a detective/sergeant and is now police chief in far south suburban Momence, Hofeld said.
Roman is a real estate agent and vice president of membership for the parent-teacher association in Homewood School District 153. She was first appointed to the Village Board in 2018, won election in 2021.
Flores has held roles such as business manager and human resources manager.
Greener Homewood ticket
McAneney spent 12 years with Homewood’s Public Works Department then was Glenwood’s public works director for more than 10 years, according to Greener Homewood. He then worked for nearly five years as assistant director of public works and is now superintendent of parks and planning for the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District.
Liggons-Cole, a 25-year Homewood resident, works as a professional in health care revenue cycle management, according to Greener Homewood.
Varmecky has lived in the village since 2018 and is a founding member and leader of South Suburbs for Greenspace, an organization created in response to plans to build warehouses on the Calumet Country Club, and has become involved in other environmental issues.
The golf course was previously part of Homewood but has since been deannexed from the village and is part of neighboring Hazel Crest.
Frank is the owner of The Rock Shop in downtown Homewood. It offers for sale rocks, crystals and gems, but also carries vinyl record albums and custom-made guitars.
Frank is also financial administrator for the Center for Performing Arts at Governors State University.
Since the start of the year, Greater Homewood has recorded campaign contributions of $15,000, and ended 2024 with just under $36,000 available to spend on the campaign, according to reports filed with the state elections board.
Chalmers ended 2024 with $400 in his election committee’s coffers, but since the start of this year has garnered $33,000 in contributions, including substantial amounts from organized labor.
