Below are candidate-submitted answers to a biographical survey Wednesday Journal sent out to all candidates running in this year’s elections.
For River Forest Park District Board
Age: 48
Previous political experience: none
Previous community experience:
School District 90:
Caucus 2013
Caucus 2015
Caucus chair 2017
Calendar committee
5 year plan committee
5yr plan workforce enhancement committee
Principal selection committee
Lincoln school Pan-k/5k race co-chair
IAB (inclusive advisory board)
Cub Scout Assistant Den Leader
Cub Scout Den leader
River Forest Park District Rec Basketball Coach
River Forest Township Youth Services Committee
Block party organizer
Occupation: Broker
Education: B. S. De Paul University
Why did you decide to run for a seat the park board? If you’re running for re-election, what do you see as unfinished business?
As a RF resident for almost 20 years, I have been involved as a consumer of the RFPD for almost 10 years since my son was a toddler. Throughout this time, I’ve had three key concerns:
(1) How can we promote programs for all River Forest residents – not just one or two segments of our population?
(2) How can we leverage our partnerships with other communities to offer specialized programs?
(3) How can we properly represent our diverse community without representation of that diversity on the RFPD Board?
I want to be able to reach across all segments of our residents, offer specialized programs as a result of our cross-community partnerships, and serve as the voice of our underrepresented community on the RFPD Board.
What will be the top issues facing the River Forest Park Board in the next four years and how would you like to see those issues addressed?
Programming for all River Forest residents and Collaboration with our sister agencies are the main issues facing us. Longer programs for the youth as well as programming for adults and seniors. The Goal is to create full funded activities. In working with our sister agencies, we will create a more streamline of programming using all of the towns more efficiently
The park district is expanding its platform tennis program, which has become popular. Are there any other programs that you can see following the same model? Do you have any issues with the park district investing money in programs that are then restricted to people who opt to pay a membership fee? How is that not essentially turning a public asset into a private club?
Baseball follows the same self-managed full funded philosophy. No I do not, everything is fee based, and everything has a cost. The difference is a private club is private. Membership is exclusive. Park District fee based programs are fee based, anyone can participate and they are connected to the one program they signed up, not a full or partial membership to an organization
In the past residents identified an indoor recreation facility as important, but the matter has been on the backburner. Is there a need to reopen that discussion? If not, why? If so, how might that happen?
Always a need to keep discussions on projects like this. If we can find the land and resources to build, develop a plan of full funded programs and have it self-managed, it would be a win situation’