THE VILLAGE OF LYNWOOD UPDATES ITS RESIDENTS AFTER SIX MONTHS OF THE NEW ADMINISTRATION

Village of Lynwood President Jada Curry speaks to residents during State of Village Town Hall Meeting. During the meeting residents were provided with an update from Village officials about its progress.Photos provided by Natalie Oliver
Village of Lynwood President Jada Curry speaks to residents during State of Village Town Hall Meeting. During the meeting residents were provided with an update from Village officials about its progress.Photos provided by Natalie Oliver

The Village of Lynwood updates its residents after six months
of the new administration

BY TIA CAROL JONES

Mayor Jada D. Curry has been the President of the Village of Lynwood since May 2021. Since that time, her administration
has improved procedures for departments, as well as created efficiencies to ensure records are consistent.

On Wednesday, Nov. 3, the Village of Lynwood hosted a State of the Village Town Hall Meeting, where village officials updated residents on the progress since the administration took office.

Lynwood Fire Chief Keenan Newton wants to increase the manpower of the department so it can provide efficient 24/7services. Currently there are 11 members of the Lynwood Fire Department. The department is actively recruiting so that the department can grow, as the Village has.

“The Village has been growing. There have been more people moving into the Village. Especially now with this new administration, we have new commercial opportunities that are starting to pop up
around the Village, and the fire department needs to grow with it,” Newton said.

Newton wants to change the fire department to better meet the community’s needs. In six months, one person has been hired to the fire department and it is looking to hire four more people. Recruitment is happening at an ongoing basis and will continue until it has adequate staff numbers. The structural firefighting gear
needs to be replaced, it is currently expired by a year and a half.

Newton wants to develop a 24/7 staffing model, right now it is a paid, on call model, where staff is paid by call. The goal is to have staff where it only takes seconds to respond. Currently, there is an agreement with other communities to provide fire services to the Village of Lynwood.

When Police Chief Dan Dempsey and Assistant Chief Robin Bolde were sworn in, they created a 90-day plan and goals. They
also opened the lines of communication with the elected officials, to ensure the elected officials were aware of everything that happened with the police department. The old policy book was thrown out and
rewritten to reflect up to date mandates and policies. Dempsey and Bolde also plan to implement a new schedule on Jan. 1, 2022.

The number of police officers on the street has increased. A community policing program was created to build relationships, and to continue building relationships and communication with
surrounding municipalities. The goal, Dempsey said, is to create better police officers.

Five new officers have been hired since Dempsey and Bolde took over, making it 22 officers on the force. The position of patrol commander was created. There is now a four-officer tactical unit.

Kimberly Swiderek, the finance director for the Village of Lynwood, said there was a $5.4 million deficit in the general fund when she took office in May. The last time it had a surplus was in 1997. In six
months, the Village has paid off one of its Tax Anticipation Warrants, the FY2022 budget passed, they paid some vendors and are maintaining payment plans with the Homewood Disposal and the Illinois Municipal League.

Mayor Curry said moving Lynwood forward will take continued focus on getting financials in order, bringing in businesses that will enable the Village to be self-sustaining, and building on the sense of community the Village established over the summer.

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