Marc Goldstein: 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: 39Family: Married with three children, ages 8, 6, and 3.Occupation: TeacherEducation: B.A. in Communications, University of Kansas, 1993M.A. in Education, National-Louis University, 1998M.S. in Education, Northern Illinois University, 2008Civic involvement: Rolling Meadows Youth Baseball CoachElected offices held: NoneHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: No.Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Fiscal ResponsibilityKey Issue 2 Continuing to provide quality recreational programs and facilities for residents of all agesKey Issue 3 Support new programs for evolving interests of the communityQuestions Answers What programs aren#146;t paying for themselves? Would you keep, eliminate or change them? How and why?The Rolling Meadows Park District currently does a nice job of monitoring the economic viability of its programs, but when a program does become a monetary strain on the budget at-large, there are steps that I would support to remedy the problem before considering elimination of the program. These steps include looking into possible grants or donations, speaking with users of the program for ideas of how to change the program in a way that would make it more economically viable without affecting the quality of the program, and as a final option, increasing program fees to a level that would still provide a value for the participant but would ease the financial burden. Elimination of the program would be a last resort if all other solutions have been deemed unworkable.Is there any additional open space the park district needs to acquire? Please describe.I do not believe there is any open space that ""needs"" to be acquired, especially since there is some park space that could be transformed for a more specific use. One example would be Countryside Park on the north end of the City. If needed, there is a good amount of open space that could be used for a specific purpose if the need arose.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?Currently, the Rolling Meadows Park District offers a tremendous menu of programs, but I believe it is the continuous job of the Park District to be receptive to the evolving recreational and leisure needs of its residents and to assess and respond to new needs in a timely and responsible manner. When new needs or ideas arise, grants, donations, and setting appropriate program fees are ways to create new programs within current budgetary means.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?I would be open to consider any sharing and pooling of resources that would save money on the operations end in order to put that saved money directly into the programs where residents will see and benefit firsthand.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.I am running for the park board because I want to help ensure that our Park District continues to be an excellent provider of diverse, high-quality, and affordable recreation and leisure activities. I am an active collaborator and creative problem solver who will advocate for all residents of Rolling Meadows.