Steve Fieweger: 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: WheatonWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Wheaton Park Board (4-year Terms)Age: 45Family: Married to my wife Beth for 14 years. Three children: Emma (13), Danny (11) and Molly (6)Occupation: Corporate Director of Fitness TrainingEducation: Bachelor of Science in Exercise Physiology, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 1990Civic involvement: St. Baldrick's Foundation Wheaton Park District Volunteer CoachElected offices held: Wheaton Park District Board, 2000 - currentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Ensuring the financial sustainability of the park district, and we have done this by making sustainability of all our programs a priority for our staff.Key Issue 2 Keeping the park districts property tax burden level - no tax rate increases and we have done this through my tenure on the board.Key Issue 3 Ensuring excellent services, parks, facilities and programs that our residents have come to know and expect.Questions Answers What programs aren't paying for themselves? Would you keep, eliminate or change them? How and why?The Senior Citizen Leisure Center, Lincoln Marsh Natural Area, Cosley Zoo and General Park Services are all subsidized partially by the property tax levy. All of these services should be continued because of the importance of these programs for our residents but we need to continue to challenge staff to do more with less along with helping our residents who need assistance in these tough economic times.Is there any additional open space the park district needs to acquire? Please describe.No. The Hubble acquisition was a big purchase so we should hold the line for the foreseeable future.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?People sometimes tell us that an indoor pool is needed but as I understand it, they are very hard to run in a sustainable fashion. Accordingly, I would wait until the economy improves and some form of governmental partnership or public/private partnership can be found.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, vehicles and buildings. We currently share buildings and properties with the City of Wheaton, Community School District 200 and the Forest Preserve of DuPage County through Intergovernmental Agreements. I will endeavor to continue and expand these types of partnerships if re-elected.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 been very involved in strategic planning for improvements to the parks plus fitness center which has seen improvements in service and the bottom line over the last several years and is now a profit center for the Park District. I have also served on the finance subcommittee and the policy review subcommittee which are very active in collaborating with staff to improve the agency and ensuring fiscal responsibility and transparency in the Park District. Please see the Park District website to learn about our financial plan.