One in a series of profiles of candidates running for the Plainfield Village Board.
Plainfield resident and village board candidate Michael Lambert was not sure if he would enter the race for a trustee position in the April 7 election.
But Lambert, 53, owner of Arris Architects + Planners, said he wants to help solve residents’ concerns and move the town toward its full potential.
This is not the Plainfield native’s first experience with local politics. Lambert said he served on the village board from 1991 to 1996, but quit during his second term for a variety of reasons.
Lambert said part of the reason he quit was that, at that time, board meetings would last until the early hours of the morning, a time commitment that made it hard for him to get up early for his nascent business.
The board’s adversarial nature also played into his decision, he said.
“It was very much a bickering board that did not get along,” Lambert recalled.
He ran against Mayor Michael Collins in the 2013 election, but was kicked off the ballot by the village electoral board over the number and validity of signatures on his nominating petition.
Lambert called the ejection “disconcerting” in 2013 and went on to run unsuccessfully as a write-in candidate.
He said he is not running against anyone or any ideology this time around.
Despite differences he said he has with some current board members, he said he would not have an ax to grind if elected.
“That’s part of the thing about running for office,” he said. “You’re not always going to be with people who love you.”
Three seats will be up for grabs on the Plainfield board this April.
Trustee Paul Fay has chosen not to run again, and the seat formerly occupied by Dan Rippy has been vacant since he won a Will County judgeship in November.
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Lambert will join incumbent Bill Lamb, Mark Chmura, John Green, Edward O’Rourke and Brian Wojowski in the candidate pool, according to village records.
Lambert said he decided to run in this election after being asked to by “a lot of people.”
“It’s an honor to have people put that much confidence in my ability,” he said. “I think I can bring a different perspective.”
In addition to his stint as trustee, Lambert has also served on the Plainfield Area Chamber of Commerce and the Historical Preservation Commission.
Lambert said he has been a small businessman in town for the past 25 years, and his experience as an architect and planner will help push Plainfield forward.
He said he will be realistic about what the town needs.
“I don’t have rose-colored glasses on that make me think everything is perfect in Plainfield,” Lambert said.
Plainfield needs a better transportation and economic development plan, he said, but it also needs a grander vision to aspire to.
“Plainfield doesn’t dream big enough,” Lambert said. “We have a lot of potential within.”
Lambert said the village has discussed transportation issues in town since he was born.
Plainfield’s leadership hasn’t aggressively addressed the traffic bottleneck in downtown, an issue compounded by the fact that Lockport Street is one of the few places to cross the DuPage River.
He said the village should explore building more bridges across the DuPage. It would be an expensive endeavor, Lambert said, “but you have to spend some money to make some money.”
Lambert also said the village should hire a full-time economic development director.
“When you look at the towns around us who have full-time economic development directors, we’re always going to be behind the 8 ball,” he said. “You can’t compete on a part-time basis.”
Lambert currently works part-time for a nearby town which he would not name, saying he promised that town that he would not involve it in his race.
Lambert also said he will strive for more transparency out of Village Hall, and that numerous residents told him stories of having a hard time getting information from the village.
“There’s a lot of room for being more open to the public and being more receptive to the public,” he said.
Plainfield has “missed the boat” numerous times when it comes to promoting itself as a truly unique destination, he said.
Talking to residents while gathering the required signatures to run this year, Lambert said he was struck by the lack of a comprehensive Plainfield identity.
“They’re connected to their subdivision or their homeowner’s association, but they don’t feel connected to Plainfield,” he said, before adding that he is unsure how to solve that quandary.
“I don’t think we believe in ourselves as much as we can,” Lambert said. “Plainfield has a lot of great qualities.”
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