Richard L. Dunn: 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: Glen EllynWebsite: http://cornellmayodunn.comOffice sought: Glen Ellyn parksAge: 72Family: Family: Married to Jane Dunn, three children and five grandchildrenOccupation: Retired city planner, currently a Realtor and city planning consultantEducation: Bachelor of Science in Education, Major in Social Science at Eastern Illinois UniversityMasters of Science in Education, Major in Economics at Eastern Illinois UniversityGraduate studies in City Planning, at Indiana State UniversityCivic involvement: Kiwanis Club: 1974-present (President and other offices)Glen Ellyn Chamber of Commerce: 1990-present (Secretary and presently VP Membership)Glen Ellyn Welcome Center: 2004 to present (manager since 2008)First United Methodist Church: (several offices since 1990)Volunteer In Mission Trips: Short term missions, mostly to Guatemala and PanamaElected offices held: noneHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: noneCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Fiscal responsibility is the most important issue facing the park district right now. In the past 10 years the district has tripled its debt and I believe we need to reduce this. I want to make sure that we make budgets that encourage efficient use of our tax dollars and then we stick to those budgets.Key Issue 2 As a board member I will focus on good stewardship of the parks. Our park land and buildings are an incredible resource and we need to protect our investment. Rather than focus on big, expensive new capital projects I will improve our existing facilities and maintain our parks. The trees we save and plant now will add value to the environment for decades. Key Issue 3 Transparancy is very important that the citizens have the opportunity to learn about the business of the park district. I believe all board meetings should be broadcast to the community and there should be expanded opportunities for the public to see Board document, both online and at the board meetings.Questions Answers What programs aren#146;t paying for themselves? Would you keep, eliminate or change them? How and why?Before the elimination of or major change in a program I would seek the input from staff, citizens, and participants. Two programs that should be analyzed are platform tennis and the Spring Avenue fitness center. We need to bring our expenses in line with our revenues for these and where necessary, other programs.Is there any additional open space the park district needs to acquire? Please describe.There is limited open space in the Park District area but there is land that might be considered. I believe this should be a top priority for the park district and we should consider creating new parks in underserved areas, not just adding to existing parks as is the current park district practice. Because of the low costs right now for land, this is an opportune time for the park district to expand.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?In the past two community surveys the public has indicated a strong desire to restore the boathouse at Lake Ellyn. The Board has not taken any action on this. I believe that a modest restoration of the boathouse, with a focus on increasing usage of the facility through additional recreational opportunities, is important to Glen Ellyn. 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?Presently the District cooperates with several governmental units to provide land and recreational opportunities to local citizens, including School District 41, Wheaton Park District and the Village of Glen Ellyn. Partly because of my history as a city planner, my knowledge of these and other cooperative efforts will bring added insight to the Board. The Board should expand its efforts to identify efficiencies and reduce costs. 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.I have observed the park district#146;s decision-making process on major projects and am concerned about the lack of long-range planning, appropriate use of land, and community input. The district#146;s current comprehensive plan is a wish list with no correlation to available funding. As a city planner I know that planning for the future is realistic and valuable. The park district does community surveys but does not use them to help set priorities for capital projects. This needs to change. We need to understand our current resources through facility studies, look at the needs and wants of the community and put together a realistic multi-year plan. Teh plan should include: major facilities, land acquisition, financial planning, and programming.