In the April election, residents will have a chance to select four (4) new board members for the Glen Ellyn Park District Board.
Glen Ellyn Park District Mission Statement:
The Park District is driven to foster diverse, community based leisure opportunities, through a harmonious blend of quality recreation programs, facilities and open space which will enhance the quality of life into the future. The Park District is celebrating 85 years of meeting that mission and will continue to provide excellence in our programs and our parks for future generations.
The Glen Ellyn Park District Board meets for a workshop meeting on the first Tuesday of each month and a regular board meeting on the third Tuesday of each month. All meetings are held at the Spring Recreation Center starting at 7:00pm.
Candidates for the Glen Ellyn Park District Board are:
Incumbents: Ron Aubrey, Jeffery Jourdan, Keith Schoen, Bill Taylor
Non-incumbents:
Jeffrey Dickson (link to Jeffrey Dickson's website)
Melissa Creech, Gordon Kinzler, Julia Nephew (link to votefor3 website)
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To help voters get to know the candidates, questions were solicited from a random mix of residents. These residents represented families from all over Glen Ellyn with different levels of experience with the park district.
Below is a list of 12 questions submitted and each of the candidate’s responses. All answers are shown as submitted. Candidates Melissa Creech, Jay Kinzler and Julia Nephew all answered together, therefore their names are grouped for each answer submitted.
1) What motivated you to seek a seat on the Park District Board?
2) How do you view the role of a Park District Board member?
3) What’s been your prior involvement in Park District activities?
4) What steps would you take as a park district board member to improve the Park District Board image in the community?
5) What are the 3-5 top issues you’d want to address as a park district board member?
6) Why are these issues important to the community?
7) What experience(s) do you have that demonstrate particular skills or insights to being a qualified park district board member?
8) What experience do you have in the areas of budgeting, business and finance?
9) What ideas do you have for making the work of the Park District Board more accessible/visible to the community?
10) What are your thoughts on registering for summer camps in the winter?
11) How well do you think the Park District has been maintaining their parks? Do you have any suggestions or comments on park maintenance?
12) Where do you rank the Glen Ellyn Boat House in priorities? What do you think of the Boat House?
Question for the Incombents:
How did you vote for the new Ackerman Sports Complex that is currently under construction at Ackerman Woods?
Questions submitted by Diane McGinley
GEL Open Letter to the GEPD
In light of questions regarding the Ackerman Park Fieldhouse project and the 2005 resident survey, GEL posted an open letter to the GEPD to clarify some facts about this project and resident priorities.
The article drew an immediate response from GEPD board candidate Melissa Creech which was posted.
http://glenellynlife.com/index.php?q=node/891
GLEN ELLYN PARK DISTRICT BOARD EXPERIENCE THAT REALLY COUNTS
I am concerned about the lack of vision, leadership & fiscal responsibility of the challengers in the Glen Ellyn Park District Board race. At the League of Women’s Voters Candidates Forum last Sunday Melissa Creech supported turning all of the Park District soccer fields to sand based athletic turf instead of native soil. This is IN SPITE of the fact that according to a University of Michigan study stating that this would cost approx. $600,000 a field to renovate. The Park District has over 20 fields! I don't know about you but I don't think we can afford Creech's kind of thinking.
According to the Glen Ellyn Life Election Profile:
“How do you view the role of a Park District Board member?”
Melissa Creech, Jay Kinzler and Julia Nephew: “Fiscal Responsibility- We are concerned that the Park District is unprepared to deal with falling housing values and the impact this will have on Park District revenues. The Park District must control its spending on capital projects and trim down its own budgets before even considering an increase in our taxes.” How is spending $600,000.00 X 20 soccer fields fiscally responsible?!?!
Julia Nephew NEVER would answer the question: “What is your vision for the Glen Ellyn Park District & what do you want to accomplish as a Commissioner in the next five years under Capital Expenditures? What is she hiding? Does she want to raise your taxes to pay for Creech’s $600,000 per soccer field debacle?
Jay Kinzler misrepresented himself to the public about how he organized a weekend event at Village Green with the Park District and the Baseball Dads. He was there but was not the organizer!
Creech & Co have shown from their websites and campaign literature that she only cares about one thing & that is the park across the street from her house. All Ackerman All the Time should be their campaign slogan.
It is a brave new world out there. I love the diversity of the parks, facilities and programs offered by the Glen Ellyn Park District. I am saddened & disgusted that Creech & Co brought their single issue Chicago style negative campaigning out here to my lovely village.
Melissa Creech also likened the new Sports Complex at the park across the street from her home as: “Costco like”. Given the current Commissioners vision & foresight in planning this Complex, I would like to hear her opinion as her children are a little older & are more involved in Park District activities. That is, unless she will allow them to do anything other than hug trees…
Please join me in supporting and voting for the Experience that Counts on April 7th for the Glen Ellyn Park District Board: Aubrey, Taylor, Schoen & Jourdan!
Catherine Galvin
Glen Ellyn