Harley Schinker has spent most of his life as a police officer. He spent 33 years on the Chicago police force. Then he was chief of police in Lyons and then again down in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.
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Now, retired, Schinker said he’s wanting to do something new.
“If I were still in Ocean Springs, I’d probably be running for mayor there. It’s just something I’ve always wanted to do,” he said.
But he’s not in Ocean Springs, he’s in Mokena. So Schinker is running for mayor against incumbent Mayor Frank Fleischer.
Schinker has lived in Mokena for nearly 11 years said he was inspired to run recently.
“Number one, our current mayor has been in office eight years and never had anyone run against him,” Schinker said. “Second the crime went up over the summer and that concerned me. Third, the state of the village concerned me.”
He said he felt the police needs weren’t being met and contracts weren’t being filled. But mostly it was an increase in crime. He said residents are reporting burglaries and robberies in their neighborhood.
“Then I saw the Police Department, looking at the federal recommendations, is understaffed. Things needed to get done that weren’t getting done,” he said.
Schinker said he’s not the only one who’s noticed.
“What I hear from the residents is crime related, of course. They all have a reasonable fear of crime because it’s never been here,” he said.
Schinker said he believes he can beef up the Police Department, lower crime and provide a better quality of life for residents without raising taxes.
“Our budget here is in very good shape,” he said. “We have quite a few reserves, in fact they just appropriated $10 million in federal grants and other money to repair the waste management treatment facility.”
He said that a city committee organized by the mayor also identified $7 million in the existing budget to improve the police station, though Schinker said repairs would likely cost more, and the village could borrow the money if necessary.
“Mokena enjoys a highest possible bond rating for a town this size,” Schinker said.
Schinker said residents have said they also want more transparency.
“The government here does not reach out to people, OK? It’s like the mayor is concerned only with his supporters,” Schinker said. “Outside the monthly board meetings more things could be televised and it’s not done. People are just not informed.”
Schinker said running against an incumbent mayor who has name recognition and a scandal-free eight years in office, all during a pandemic, has made it difficult to rally would-be supporters.
“It’s been tough because it’s tough getting people, especially with the COVID,” he said. “Going door to door, people don’t want to open doors necessarily. But we’ve gotten some local press here and there and it’s been helpful with me getting the word out.”
He and his wife moved to Mokena to care for his mother-in-law. In 11 years, Schinker said he’s fallen in love with the community.
“It’s a very nice community. It’s a very peaceful community, it’s a great place to raise a family and have my grandkids come visit me,” he said.
Fleischer, a former trustee and planning and zoning commission member, has not been available to comment. In a news release Thursday, he said he is proud of two particular accomplishments, including citing an FBI study he said rated Mokena as one of the safest communities in Illinois.
He also said his team has not raised the property tax rate during his term while making improvements to the water treatment plant, street lighting, downtown aesthetics and funding of the police retirement system.
Jesse Wright is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
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