Longtime trustee runs in three-way race
By Chris Fox
Lombardian-Villa Park Review Staff Reporter
Villa Park Village Trustee Albert Bulthuis has spent the last decade on the village board. After 10 years as a trustee, he’s hoping to win this year’s election for village president.
Bulthuis is running in the three-way race for village president in the upcoming April 4 election. He’s facing Villa Park Trustee Robert Taglia and longtime village resident Chuck Pickerill. The winner, who will replace outgoing Village President Deborah Bullwinkel, will serve a four-year term. Bullwinkel’s successor will be sworn in to office in May.
Bullwinkel announced at the end of 2016 that she would not seek a second term as village president. After serving as a trustee, Bullwinkel was elected village president in 2013. She succeeded Tom Cullerton, who was elected to the position in 2009. In November 2012, shortly before finishing his term as village president, Cullerton was elected to the Illinois State Senate.
“I knew that Deborah Bullwinkel wasn’t running, and I think consistency is important in government,” said Bulthuis in explaining his position tor run for village president. “We have a number of things going, and I have some of my own ideas I want to work on. Consistency is a big thing. We’ve made a lot of progress.”
A 30-year resident of Villa Park, Bulthuis was first elected to the village board in 2007. He won re-election to four-year terms in 2011 and 2015. If he does not prevail in next month’s election, he will continue to serve as a trustee. His current term expires in 2019. Taglia’s four-year term on the village board expires this year.
Bulthuis is making his second run for village president. He joined Cullerton and Villa Park Village President Joyce Stupegia in the 2009 race. Cullerton won that election, with Bulthuis finishing second and Stupegia placing third.
Making his case in this year’s election, Bulthuis said he has worked in the last 10 years to make Villa Park safer, and to improve the village’s economic climate.
“I’m the guy who introduced Crime-Free Housing,” said Bulthuis, referring to a program that’s been implemented in the village. The Crime-Free Housing program helps to educated landlords of their legal rights related to the eviction of tenants.
“It’s in place as strongly as the state allows as a non-home-rule community,” said Bulthuis of the program.
Bulthuis also noted that he instituted the village’s vacant-building ordinance, which requires the owner of a vacant house to register with the village. He said that before the ordinance was implemented, the village wasn’t always aware of who owned the property. The current law, he said, has helped maintain a higher standard of upkeep of vacant properties.
Bulthuis also mentioned his involvement in updating the village’s comprehensive plan-a sort of road map of a vision for Villa Park.
“It’s ongoing-we can change and tweak it,” he said of the comprehensive plan.
In discussing important issues facing the village, Bulthuis referred to infrastructure projects, including road work and storm water management.
“People still have sewage backups in their basements; that’s not acceptable to me,” he said. “Nobody should have to put up with that.” It may be time for Bulthuis and his team to look into such things as ‘septic service near me‘ or something similar so they are able to deal with issues like this if his plan is accepted.
Bulthuis said another pressing issue in the village is what to do about Villa Park’s two public pools. Jefferson and Lufkin pools are both in need of substantial repairs.
“The pools are failing; something needs to be done almost immediately,” he said.
Bulthuis said he looks forward to meeting residents and campaigning for their votes during the next month.
“The biggest thing in Villa Park is that you have to knock on doors,” said Bulthuis. “People really want to meet the candidates. It’s enjoyable to meet everybody. They’re willing to listen and very accommodating.”
Bulthuis, Pickerill and Taglia all conducted recent interviews with the Villa Park Cable Commission. Those interviews can be seen on the commission’s TV Villa Park Style page at youtube.com. Enter TV VP Style in the YouTube search section.
