Michael Kuderna, 6 years: 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: LombardWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Lombard Park District, 6-year termAge: 45Family: Married to Sharon (Mueller), son Mikey and daughter Samantha. Both children attend the University of Iowa. Sharon, Mikey and Sammi are all alumni of Glenbard East High School.Occupation: Auto TechnicianEducation: Graduate of Weber High School, Class of 1983Lincoln Technical SchoolCivic involvement: Lombard Falcon Coach and Board MemberLombard Boys Baseball Assistant CoachLombard Park District Boys and Girls Basketball CoachMember and Board Member YMCA Indian Princess ProgramTaste of Lombard Committee and ChairmanLombard resident 21 yearsElected offices held: Lombard Park District President, 2010-PresentLombard Park District Board, 2005-2010Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 The parks and fields have been looking better than ever and I would like to continue making the same kind of improvements.Key Issue 2 I would like to help find a way and have the reality of a new gymnasium to the Lombard Park District.Key Issue 3 To continue to work on the relationship between the Park District and the Village.Questions Answers What programs aren't paying for themselves? Would you keep, eliminate or change them? How and why?Seniors and Teens programs rarely pay for themselves, but these are two important demographics that we need to continue programming for. I would never think of eliminating programs for these groups. I think we need to continue to challenge staff to always look at all programs profitable or not to assess ways to save precious tax dollars.Is there any additional open space the park district needs to acquire? Please describe.We have over 450 acres of outdoor open space in Lombard, and in a land locked community it is very important to keep and maintain them. No one knows what properties will become available in the future, but obviously Ken Lock golf course in the middle of the community would be a great addition to the Park District as it borders Four Seasons park. 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?Increasing fees during the current economic times for new programming or new construction is so hard to do right now. The Park District does a great job of annually evaluating programming and facilities. This past summer we built a new skateboard park and received a grant from the State for redeveloping Sunset Knoll. Obviously there is a need for a field house with an indoor walking track and a gymnasium. We currently have no field house for people to go to recreate and exercise from morning to 3:30 pm. However in the current economy, I don't think the time is right to ask the taxpayers to pay for it through a referendum or tax increase of any kind.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?Absolutely! The Park District and School District #44 already do this with School District #44. We built a maintenance facility under one roof and share utility and up keep costs, and on the recreation side we co-own the gymnasium at Pleasant Lane School. Village and Park District staff share many pieces of equipment. During the most recent budget discussions, we continued to challenge staff to explore cost savings measures with all of the other taxing bodies both inside and outside Lombard. Areas such as IT, maintenance and clerical are examples of items I would like to see the park district continue to explore to save money or share the cost with our sister governments.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.During my first term as Commissioner, we worked very hard to stay financially conservative and that has showed in the District's budget and tax rate. I think the biggest accomplishment was working with the staff and community to pass a referendum for the new swimming pool, and design and construct it on-time and under budget. It is a wonderful facility for the next generation of Lombardians. I am very proud that we won the Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management which nationally recognized our District as a leader in the industry. A new skate park was talked about for years and brought to a reality this past summer. I think the general appearance of all our parks and outdoor athletic fields have improved dramatically during the last few years.