Politics & Government

Skokie Mom Spearheads Grass-roots Event

Coming off successes, group plans meeting to define its future role in community.

Some may call Lisa Lipin a consumer advocate; others would simply call her a mother of two.

In the end, Lipin wears many hats in Skokie. One of the original 12 members of Skokie Voice–a grass-roots organization aimed at making Skokie a better place to live–will hold a meeting Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. to define the group's future. Anyone can attend the event at the Devonshire Cultural Center, 4400 Greenwood Ave.

"The No. 1 goal, and the most important thing, is to have better communication with people in office," she said.

Find out what's happening in Skokiewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The group was instrumental in organizing a town hall meeting on June 24. More than 500 people showed up, and elected officials were among those who  addressed several key issues regarding Skokie that night.

"What I walked away from that meeting [knowing] was that residents want to be heard," Lipin said. "We want to continue to open up dialogue between village officials and Skokie residents."

Find out what's happening in Skokiewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

While the town hall meeting took place about three months ago, one of the more immediate changes was four troubled parks–Lee Wright, Gross Point, Winnebago and Tecumseh–now close at dusk rather than 9 p.m. Police have ramped up their patrols at the parks as well.

"We need residents to participate," Lipin said. "[Residents] showed up [to the June 24 town hall meeting] because they care about the community they live in."

Lipin said she hopes to see a "couple hundred" people turn out for the event.

"[Skokie Voice] reached out to schools, park districts and friends to promote the event," she said. "We also went to different businesses on Oakton Street, churches and synagogues to spread the word."

While the goal of the meeting next week is to define the future of Skokie Voice, Lipin said she hopes the grass-roots organization touches on three major issues: community safety, economic development and quality of education.

Yet Lipin said she wanted to clarify one major point: There is currently no political agenda for Skokie Voice.

"The only political agenda for Skokie Voice at this time is to have better communication with and response from the people who are already in office," Lipin said.

For more information about Skokie Voice and its Sept. 21 meeting, visit www.skokievoice.org.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Skokie