Sherry O'Berry: 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: GenevaWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Geneva parksAge: 49Family: Married, four childrenOccupation: Homemaker, former TeacherEducation: Bachelor of Science in EducationCivic involvement: P.T.O Vice President, chair person of Art Explorers,Beautification, Sports Day, After School Enrichment, Volunteers. Volunteered for Classroom helper,room parent... Maintain a plot in downtown Geneva for beautification, assisted with events at the Geneva History Center,worked with the Living Well Cancer Resource Center in Geneva...Elected offices held: NoneHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Strive to maintain or improve the Geneva Park District as a top ranked Park District nationally in terms of the programs and facilities offered.Key Issue 2 Increase solicitation of resident input and feedback through surveys and evaluations to ensure that Geneva Park District offerings best meet the needs of the residents.Key Issue 3 Strengthen existing and develop new relationships with potential private and public funding sources, along with local, state and national leaders and agencies, for the purpose of generating additional financial support for future land acquisitions, thereby minimizing the financial impact on tax payers.Questions Answers What programs aren#146;t paying for themselves? Would you keep, eliminate or change them? How and why?To the best of my knowledge all of the programs are self sufficient.Is there any additional open space the park district needs to acquire? Please describe.The Geneva Park District should evaluate opportunities to acquire additional land, particularly if the acquisition could fulfill an unmet need. However the board should be sensitive to tax increases and increasing total Park District debt.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?Inactivity, whether it is physical, mental or artistic, is detrimental to all age levels. Keeping the body and mind active and making healthy choices is an integral part to one#146;s well being. Therefore, The Geneva Park District should offer more team sport programs, specifically for middle school aged children that are not on school or club teams. In addition, the Geneva Park District should offer healthy cooking and nutritional eating classes. Along with offering team sports programs, the Geneva Park District should keep offering and expand their #147;lifetime activity#148; classes.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, it would certainly help the Geneva Park District financially (and therefore the taxpayers) to continue to pool resources with other local governments whether it is sharing facilities, vehicles, man power#133;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.#147;There#146;s no place like home,#148; and for over 17 years I have been fortunate enough to call Geneva my home. I have been active in all my children#146;s school and now I look forward to bringing fresh and innovative ideas as a new board member of the Geneva Park District. Throughout my years living in Geneva, my children or I have been active participants in the Geneva Park District. I am interested in using my education, teaching experience, parental experience, coaching experience, and PTO Vice President experience to serve as a Park Board Commissioner. I am confident that these credentials will be an asset to the Park District when I#146;m elected Park Board Commissioner.