The Riverside Community Caucus on Monday night announced its slate for the April 2011 consolidated elections, naming two incumbent trustees and a former member of the village’s parks and recreation board as its candidates.
Trustees Jean Sussman and Ben Sells, whom the caucus slated in 2007, will run for their second terms in office. John Scully has chosen not to seek reelection after serving two terms on the board.
Meanwhile, Joseph Ballerine is the caucus’ third candidate. A longtime volunteer and co-founder with Sells of the Riverside Friends of the Fourth, Ballerine is a former chairman of the Riverside Parks and Recreation Board, which was dissolved by village trustees in September.
While the September vote “probably pushed me over the edge,” said Ballerine, he insisted he is “not an agenda candidate.”
“This is something I’ve been thinking about for the last few years,” Ballerine said. “I think the time is right. My goal is not to go in there and fight, but to foster an environment where we can have respectful and meaningful debate.”
Ballerine is not new to the village board. He served two years as a trustee, appointed by then-President Paul Stack. He’s been especially visible within recreation circles as a former president, board member and coach for Riverside Little League and his many years on the village’s recreation board.
Prior to being elected to the village board in 2007, Sussman was chairwoman of the Riverside Zoning Board of Appeals and served on the village’s Plan Commission. As a trustee she’s been an organizer of the Riverside Arts Fair and is the board’s liaison for zoning and planning.
Sussman has Ph.D. in agricultural and applied economics and is retired after serving as a director for Quaker Oats and Pepsi Co. Sussman was believed to be on the fence with respect to running for a second term. She said she wanted to run for re-election because “there’s unfinished work on planning, the budget, the future and making sure the village’s organization is strong for the future.”
“I look forward to open board communication about present issues and about planning for the future,” Sussman said.
As the board’s liaison to the park board, Sells advocated against dissolving the recreation board.
With Ballerine, he started the petition drive that put an advisory referendum on the November ballot regarding the rec board, and he worked with Ballerine and others to create the Riverside Friends of the Fourth after the village cut funding for its traditional July 4 celebration two years ago.
Sells has also worked to help organize a pair of downtown beautification efforts with the Landscape Advisory Commission.
