Bill J. Klicka: 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: Des PlainesWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Mount Prospect parksAge: 67Family: Married with five children and nine grandchildren.Occupation: Currently retired. Previous occupation includes being a small business owner for 31 years in the local community.Education: Degree from the Colorado School of Trade, 1966Civic involvement: Mount Prospect Park Foundation, Elk Foundation, Boy Scouts, Safari Club InternationalElected offices held: Mount Prospect Park District Commissioner, 4 terms from 1995-presentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 It is important to have an individual with high level of experience and successful record. My 16 years as Park District Commissioner speaks for itself. As Commissioner I have made sound decisions that have lead to significant improvements throughout the community resulting in Mt. Prospect Park District being presented with several prestigious park awards. I have worked with the board to maintain a balanced budget and as a result Mt. Prospect Park District has obtained AA Bond Rating (which means we are a financially sound organization). Some of the key projects I have had been involved with include the addition of Central Community Center and the Pop Shop/Studio, the developement of the Veteran's Band Shell Memorial, Meadows Pool and Hill Street Nature Center and the remodeling of the Friendship Park Conservatory, Greenhouse and several neighborhool parks. I have also had the opportunity to implement agreements with school districts 57 and 59 to utilize gyms and other school facilities for park district programs.Key Issue 2 To efficiently manage changes throughout the park district so there are no surprises, like our last tax bills. Many people in our district are still trying to deal with this. I have worked with the park board to implement strict policies pertaining to financial planning and project management to ensure there are no ""surprises"". These policies help to ensure we maintain a controlled budget while providing the community with the level of programs/facilities that meet their needs. The commissioners currently serving on the Park District Board have worked hard to control these changes. Any change in the board members can give us ""surprise"" change and we will all pay the price. Can we afford these changes?Key Issue 3 High Quality of Life and Safety for Community. It is important for the park district to continue to ensure a safe environment for all our residents, especially our children, while providing them with the opportunity to learn and excel in different sports. I also feel it is important that all park district programs can be enjoyed by all ages. Our seniors in the community enjoy walking, golfing, swimming and working out, or just sitting watching their grandchildren have fun. This is what makes a great park district. Our staff excels at doing their jobs. They are our number one reason we can provide great service to our community. We are one big happy family that works together to provide the community with a great experience everytime they use our facilities. I encourage everyone in our Park District to use our parks more and to enjoy life! If you haven't already, give one of our programs a try. Veterans are honored at Lions Park Band Shell which we're expanding so all our Veteran's will have a memorial in their honor for all they've done for us. I would like to give a special thanks to all the Veteran's, the Park District Staff and to everyone else for their continued support!Questions Answers What programs aren#146;t paying for themselves? Would you keep, eliminate or change them? How and why?We have several programs that currently aren't paying for themselves. Our outdoor pools are one of them. I would keep them as long as it continued to make sense and look at different types of passes that can be offered to support them. These programs are currently supplemented through our tax dollars.Is there any additional open space the park district needs to acquire? Please describe.The Park District is always looking for open land. When and if something comes along, the board will evaluate the opportunity.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?There are a few unmet recreational needs. These are Dog Parks and an Outdoor Skate Park (Rollerblade). At this point I would wait until the money becomes available in the park district's budget or until the economy improves.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, I do support the sharing/pooling of resources and have done this throughout my 16 years as Park District Commissioner. There are several resources and facilities that the park district is already sharing.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.