Oak Park Village Trustee Cory Wesley declared he will run for reelection, ending weeks of public uncertainty about whether he would seek another term on the board.

Wesley is the seventh candidate to enter the April 6, 2027, race for three open Village Board seats, the Wednesday Journal reported Nov. 10. All three incumbents whose seats are on the ballot — Wesley, Trustee Derek Eder and Trustee Brian Straw — are now running for reelection.

Wesley said family concerns and what he described as a "lack of empathy" in the community drove his hesitation. He wanted to weigh whether another campaign and a possible four more years on the board would cut into time with his high school-age children still at home, the Wednesday Journal reported.

"I'm a natural optimist, but for a little while, I found myself short on optimism in terms of people and what the future of this place might look like based on some of the vocal things that I was hearing from people or reading from people," Wesley said.

Wesley has been a leading supporter of proposed zoning changes outlined by Shape Oak Park, a topic that has generated heated debate at board meetings. He said he welcomes differing opinions but that the line from disagreement to "naked racism and classism" has been crossed by some residents.

The Oak Park Village Board reached consensus at its July 28 meeting to send draft zoning recommendations from consultant Opticos Design to the Plan Commission for public hearing. Those recommendations included renaming single-family districts, allowing duplexes through fourplexes on qualifying lots, modest height increases in residential districts and removal of parking minimums village-wide.

At that same meeting, Wesley identified internal inconsistencies in the draft report and spoke about the history of single-family zoning.

Platform priorities

Wesley said Oak Park needs to be "more intentional" in addressing issues beyond zoning. He proposed creating a renters commission to give the roughly 40% of Oak Park residents who rent a formal channel to share their concerns with the board.

He also said he wants residents doing "field work" in specific policy areas to play a larger role in advising the village, pointing to the Ad Hoc Housing Task Force as a model. Traffic and bike safety round out his stated priorities.

At the board's June 16 meeting, Wesley cautioned that any updates to the village's Inclusionary Housing Ordinance (IHO) must account for high interest rates. He cited nearly $5 million collected and more than 10,000 months of affordable rent funded under the existing ordinance, according to board minutes.

A crowded field

Four challengers have also announced campaigns. Jim Farrell, a retired management consulting firm president, announced at the Sept. 1 board meeting with a focus on opposing the proposed zoning changes. Joseph Beer, a local attorney, entered the race citing dissatisfaction with how single-family zoning proposals were handled. Kimberlee Smith, an architect who serves on the zoning board of appeals, announced in October. Sarah Abboreno Corbin has also announced a campaign, according to the Wednesday Journal.

Straw, first elected in 2023, announced his reelection bid in September. Eder, appointed to the board in 2025 after Susan Buchanan resigned, is running on a climate-focused platform and has called for expanding the IHO to cover buildings with seven or more units throughout the village.

The election is scheduled for April 6, 2027, with three Village Board seats on the ballot.