Bob Thomson: 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: St. CharlesWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: St. Charles parksAge: 55Family: Married with 3 childrenOccupation: Teacher at Elgin High School, Cross Country Coach at Geneva High SchoolEducation: Bachelor of Science in Education, University of Wisconsin-Stout, 1978Masters in Instructional Technology, Northern Illinois University, 1994Civic involvement: Candidate did not respond.Elected offices held: St. Charles Park District Commissioner, 1999-PresentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 We have a National Gold Medal winning park district. We have great parks and facilities and offer a wide variety of programs for all ages. We look to maintain this excellence while always looking for opportunities to broaden the scope of our facilities and programs to benefit the community.Key Issue 2 The opportunity to work with our new director, Ray Ochromowicz. I look forward to working with him and our other great employees as we strive to meet the ever changing needs of our thriving community.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?Programs are presented to the board seasonally. There are minimum participate requirements for them to run so some are eliminated if they fail to meet those requirements. Our staff does an excellent job of compiling program offerings and they listen to our residents when ideas for new programs are brought to their attention.Is there any additional open space the park district needs to acquire? Please describe.There is no additional open space the the park district needs to acquire but open space is at a premium in the city of St. Charles. There are fewer opportunities to acquire land. When those opportunities arise, we take a serious look at them to see if there is a need for that particular space as well as the finances available.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?I feel that our park district offers something for everyone. Ideas are always coming in for ways to make the park district better. Our residents give the park district high marks so it's in our best interest to constantly look for ways to keep it that way and make improvements wherever possible.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?If there are ways to save the tax payer some money and get ""the most bang for the buck"", we should be exploring them. One example are the times when the park district and school district share facilities. Another example is the development of several properties in partnership with the Kane County Forest Preserve.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.As an incumbent, I have served in numerous capacities on the board and also as the St.Charles Park District, member of the Norris Cultural Arts Center Board of Directors and the Fox Valley Special Recreation Center Board of Directors.