Neil Buchelt: 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: LisleWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Lisle Park Board (4-year Terms)Age: 43Family: Married for 15.5 years to wife Sue. Four children, Sydney 6, Zoey 3, Samantha 3, Jackson 3. Both Sue and I were born and raised in Lisle, and most immediate family of each also reside in Lisle.Occupation: President/Owner of Advanced Imaging, Inc., located in Lisle, a family owned Professional Digital Photographic Lab. 18th year in business.Education: B.S. Aviation Management, Southern Illinois University A.A.S Aviation Flight, Southern Illinois University Lisle Senior High School, Class of 1987Civic involvement: Lisle Area Chamber of CommerceElected offices held: NoneHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 As a first time Commissioner, I look forward to being an important part of the relationship between the Park Board, Staff and other members of our Village. I believe that the strength of the working relationship and cooperation between the Park Board and Park Staff will dictate just how successful the Lisle Park District will (continue to) operate.Key Issue 2 The "Questions From the Editor" did ask several specific points regarding some potential issues. I am interested in programs, especially programs that may be brought into the system that address some needs of parents, in conjunction with their child/children.Key Issue 3 We've seen an expansion of property and other investments that the Lisle Park District has completed. It's time that some not-so-fun stuff gets attention and I look forward to working together to find the best path to take in the future.Questions Answers What programs aren't paying for themselves? Would you keep, eliminate or change them? How and why?As far as I know, most, if not all programs either break even or generate revenue. There may be a few that can't generate enough revenue, but the community has shared the need for these programs, and the park district has found ways to utilize earnings from over achieving programs to make the community happy. Of course there will always be evaluations on what programs are working and what are not, but the goal is to offer the community a wide range of programs at an affordable price.Is there any additional open space the park district needs to acquire? Please describe.?Needs to acquire?, no. While the Lisle Park District's Master Plan does include additional Park owned property in the district, there are no immediate plans, that I am aware of, to acquire additional space. It seems that there is more infrastructure updating and maintaining requiring attention at this point. However, if the right opportunity did present itself, I would support researching it.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?Interesting question. While I?m not a Commissioner (until April), I have already been engaged in conversations with Lisle residents about a few needs that I feel should be brought to the table. In conjunction with the outstanding programming in place, there is always room for improvement. Some areas of interest may be additional teen and early childhood programming. These are two segments that I have heard the most about and perhaps a great area to start with. I?m really looking forward to talking to the residents of Lisle to get their opinions.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?From what I understand there is an unwritten agreement within the intergovernmental areas in our village already. I would certainly support the continuation of that relationship. Asides from the piece of equipment or a staff member here and there, fuel is already being purchased together for better pricing. I?m sure, as you mention for example,printing? can be pooled, as long as each segment is printing at the same time, but I?m not sure how often that would be. There are other areas that can be mutually considered, like office supplies, but there will always be a logistical part of this that we need to keep in mind as far as storage. Bottom line is if the numbers added up to savings verses additional cost of labor to coordinate and manage any sharing or pooling, it would be worth looking into possibilities.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 lived in Lisle my whole life and have been looking to become a structural part in the community for several years. Seeing the involvement of my brother with Partners for Parks and the opportunity of a board member position, it seemed a good fit. I know I can bring my 20+ years of business knowledge, experience and leadership to the table and benefit the community. My family has participated in the Lisle Park District programs for many years and I even worked for the Park District when I was young. This Park District is a community center and that's what it is all about to me. I look forward, with much anticipation, being a Lisle Park District Commissioner.