William H. Palla: Candidate Profile

Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: Rolling MeadowsWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Rolling Meadows parksAge: 59Family: Married to Barbara have two sons Brian and BradOccupation: Retired after 38yrs. at ATT Now work part time at Northwest Special Recreation Association.Education: Class of 1970 Forest View High SchoolCivic involvement: Candidate did not respond.Elected offices held: Park District Commissioner at Rolling Meadows Park District 2002 - PresentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 No campaign issues,but continue to make the Park District fiscaly responsible and continue to meet the criteria to be it a distinguished park and recreation agency.Key Issue 2 Candidate did not respond.Key Issue 3 Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers What programs aren#146;t paying for themselves? Would you keep, eliminate or change them? How and why?The pools and the senior center both do not pay for themselves, but it has always been the boards policy to subsidize them as they are a vital service to the community.Is there any additional open space the park district needs to acquire? Please describe.No,unfortunately we are landlocked with no open spaces.Are there any unmet recreational needs? If yes, what are they and how would you propose paying for them? Or, should they wait until the economy improves?No, but we have many wants. We serve a wide age group and diverse population in town,would like to have a full size gym,larger fitness center,in late 2010 we sent out a community survey to the residents of Rolling Meadows as of this time we have yet to get the results back.Would you support sharing/pooling resources (i.e. printing, vehicles) with other local governments (school districts, village, etc.)? If so, what areas would you consider combining or merging to save money or improve efficiency?The Park Board has entered into many intergovrenmental and reciprocal agreements. We have agreements with CCSD 21415 for facility use and sports fields. Reciprocals with Arlington Heights and Salt Creek for their golf courses,AHPD and Elk Grove for their indoor pools,with the City of Rolling Meadows including ownership and opertion of the Joint Maintenance Garage. The Park Board has worked to develop these agreements for the benefit of our residents.If you are a newcomer, what prompted you to run for the park board? If you're an incumbent, list your accomplishments or key initiatives in which you played a leadership role.In the past nine years we have secured over 1.2 million in grants. Improved with a grant from Department of Natural Resources Cardinal Drive Park,Florey Park,added a skate park to Plum Grove Park,from Cook County Development Block Grant replaced all 290 windows at the Community Center,replaced playground equipment at South Salk Park,from Childern's MemorialKhol's replaced playground equipment at the Community Center. Sent out a community wide survey(last done in 2001). Completed an ADA audit and put together a transition plan.Participated in a five year capital improvement plan.