Ron Greenberg: 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: 66Family: Married, two children, 1 grandchildOccupation: Semi Retired. Worked in the fields of Parks and Recreation and education for 40 years before retiring. Presently own two local businesses in Hoffman Estates.Education: Bachelor of Science in Recreation Administration - University of Illinois 1967, Master of Science in Recreation - George Williams College, 1974Civic involvement: Hoffman Estates Chamber of Commerce, Village of Hoffman Estates Celebrations Commission, Village of Hoffman Estates Fire Department Pension BoardElected offices held: Hoffman Estates Park District Commissioner 1997-presentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Maintain the economic stability of the Park District while continuing to expand the recreational opportunities that are offered which formed the foundation of the National Gold Medal Award for excellence that the District received.Key Issue 2 Maintaining the parks and facilities of the Park District at the highest level.Key Issue 3 Preserving open space.Questions Answers What programs aren#146;t paying for themselves? Would you keep, eliminate or change them? How and why?There are special areas of programming that are offered for certain segments of the population that traditionally and historically have not been able to cover their entire costs. These programs are offered to fill a need for these special groups. I would keep these programs knowing that they serve a vital need and provide a service for our residents. Fortunately our efforts in these areas have seen a growth in participation and efficiency in numbers.Is there any additional open space the park district needs to acquire? Please describe.There are always areas of potential open space that come up for consideration. Some are not appropriate while others do deserve further evaluation. Because of our possible interest in these sites it is not in the public interest to discuss them in an open forum.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?At the present time the primary area that has been identified is for additional bicycle trails. These are presently being evaluated and worked on in association with other governmental partners.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?We have always enjoyed excellent working relationships with other governmental agencies. We have partnerships with the local school districts for shared facilities and work cooperatively with the village in several areas including providing the teen service center. These partnerships and cooperative ventures have meant savings for the agencies involved.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, we the members of the board, have worked together to provide the fiscal oversight and guidance for our professional staff to keep the Park District moving forward and excelling. During the last four years we have been awarded the National Gold Medal for excellence in Parks and Recreation and have been awarded the Distinguished Park and Recreation Accreditation from the Illinois Association of Park Districts; developed our first Dog Park; build Black Bear Park with its nature trail and fitness trail, 18 hole disc golf course and playground; built Bode/Salem Playground; conducted the Poplar Creek Golf Course enhancement project which overcomes our past flooding problems; moved forward on the Canterbury Fields development which included athletic fields, Cricket field, playground, shelter, and washroom; moved forward with our Green Initiative; retrofitted several other parks and were able to have a balanced budget and surplus of funds in each of these years. Over the past two years, I was awarded the Master Board Member status by the Illinois Association of Park Districts under their Board Member Development Program.