Keith J. Evans: 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: Hoffman EstatesWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Hoffman Estates parksAge: 55Family: Married, 4 childrenOccupation: Owner - Key Financial Insurance Agency, Inc. an independent insurance agencyEducation: BS - University of Illinois C-UCLU/ChFC (Chartered Life Underwriter Chartered Financial ConsultantCivic involvement: Board Member - Hoffman Estates Chamber of Commerce (2010, 2011)Board Member - Schaumburg Business Association (2011)Committee Member - Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (HE Village)(2009-present)President - Hoffman United Soccer Club (2006-present)Community Representative - Hoffman Estates Park District (2005-2007)Elected offices held: Commissioner - Hoffman Estates Park District (2007- present) currently serving as vice-presidentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 We are a gold medal award winning park district, nationally recognized with a staff performing at best in class standards. As a commissioner, it is my job (our jobs) to enable staff to continue their excellent work, set priorities that need to be accomplished during the year, review progress, make sure corrections are made as needed, and look forward to make longer range plans to meet future needs of the community.Key Issue 2 Focus on the re-opening of the golf course this spring, making sure the investments made in the course and country club are successful and deliver the return expected to the district.Key Issue 3 Work with staff to improve the waning numbers in youth sports such as soccer, baseball, basketball and softball. Note - Youth hockey is growing and is a huge success story at the district.Questions Answers What programs aren#146;t paying for themselves? Would you keep, eliminate or change them? How and why?Programs are continuously evaluated for their viability, and actions are taken to improve, fund or close the programs. Not all programs pay for themselves in a park district. We don't collect tolls for people using our parks, yet the parks and playgrounds are expensive to maintain. As commissioner, I (we) understand there is a balance to be struck and that some programs must be funded for the benefit of the community.Is there any additional open space the park district needs to acquire? Please describe.Yes, there is some new development happening in HE, HEPD will be at the forefront of making sure there are viable areas reserved for park district use. An innovative use of space recently was the playground built on leased property at the Salem Bode Apartments, in cooperation with Rep. Fred Crespo. This was a case where no open space was available to buy, but through some excellent work by the Representative, the apartment building owners and the park district, we were able to provide a safe and convenient play area for an underserved section of our community.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?We are looking forward to opening a new cricket field soon to provide access to that sport to our community. I would also like to see more non-sports activity rec programs to get less active youth out of the house. For example, there are GPS based programs that marry technology and activity. These programs would be fee based and/or sponsored.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?Yes - the district is already working closely with the village and area school districts to leverage use of our collective facilities and pool maintenance activities where appropriate.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.Candidate did not respond.