Candidate Mohammed Jaber is running for Orland Park Library Board Trustee and he recently filled out the Patch Candidate Survey. His answers can be seen below.

If you are a candidate for the April election, and would like to answer our Patch candidate questionnaire, please email yasmeen.sheikah@patch.com.

Mohammed Jaber

Age (as of Election Day)

37

Town/City of Residence

Orland Park

Office Sought

Library board

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Masters

Occupation

Educator/Teacher

Campaign website

https://m.facebook.com/jaberfo…

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

N/A

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Over the years our library has done a good job so far, however the library space can be utilized much more efficiently. I would like more community input on how to use the space in the library and bring in more community programs such as tutoring for our elementary kids or a job fair for local businesses in Orland Park, in which residents would be the first to apply.

Do you support Black Lives Matter and what are your thoughts on the demonstrations held since the death of George Floyd and the shooting of Jacob Blake?

Black Lives Matter is very important. We have Blacks/African Americans in business, education, medicine, sports, etc that contribute greatly to our society. Orland Park Library does a good job during Black History Month and we can continue to build on this and make it stronger.

Do you think the current board has done enough to support racial equality, and if not, what specifically should be done to do so?

Our library has done a great job to support racial equality and promote an inclusive environment for library members. We need to continue to build on that as our community becomes more diverse.

What are your thoughts on the national and local coronavirus response? Do you favor measures such as limiting operation of non-essential businesses and restricting indoor/outdoor dining? And do you favor a local mask mandate?

The local mask mandate and social distancing has helped mitigate the covid numbers, which would eventually allow us to expand our library services in the coming months.

What are your thoughts on the state and local coronavirus vaccine distribution, and how do you think local governments should work together to handle vaccine rollout?

There could be more public facilities involved to offer vaccine distribution. We could work with the county and use our library as a site for vaccine distributions, especially for Orland Park residents such as seniors, first responders, essential workers, etc. Schools in nearby communities are being used for vaccine distribution and I believe we could use the library for these types of services as well.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I’m an educator, father of 2 young children, have lived in Orland for 13 years, and my wife and I own a small Physical Therapy practice in Orland Park. We are deeply committed to this community, and I am aware of the fact that Orland Park Library is one of the best buildings in the State of Illinois. I believe that we can use the library for more wide scale, community activities and programs. My goal is to have the library engage further with the community to include everyone: families, seniors, businesses, etc.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

Our library has been successful over the years, however there are certain things we can build on, such as setting up a tutoring program for Reading and Math, as well as directly connecting with our local schools. This will be a great program for Orland Park to have for our children, and is something we should look into. We do not want our students/children to fall behind academically, especially post-covid and its impact on education.

We have many great businesses in Orland Park and we could have a job fair for local residents and give them an opportunity to be the first to apply, especially when individuals will be looking for employment Post-Covid. Having an annual job fair at the library would most likely attract local residents.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

Stronger Community Connections with local residents.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I am an educator in Special Education and taught international students at a community college. My profession has allowed me to work with many individuals from all kinds of backgrounds to help them achieve their goals and attain success. I also served on a few boards in which we voted on balance budgets, participated in remodeling projects, worked on increasing reserves, and many other important matters over the course of 8 years. In these roles, we always welcomed community input from residents. This will be my first time running for public office however my academia, career, family and community connections are all accomplishments that will give me the ability to handle the library trustee position.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Listen before you speak.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I am confident that I will be a great trustee for the library to serve this community.

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