Jim Siemers: 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: MundeleinWebsite: http://NoneOffice sought: Mundelein Park Board (6-year Terms)Age: 65Family: Married, two childrenOccupation: VP Human Resources, Services and Systems (retired 2007)Education: High School: Fenton, Bensenville College: eCornall University / Harper College Major: HR Administration, Computer ScienceCivic involvement: President of the Steeple Chase Homeowners Association, 2008 - presentElected offices held: Mundelein Park District Commissioner 2007 present, Chicago District Golf Association (CDGA) Director, 2010 - presentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 We must continue to look for ways to do more with less. This could include discovering new and creative ways to work with other governmental agencies and legislators, applying for state and federal grants, or outsourcing back-office functions.Key Issue 2 By using a continuous improvement model, we need to focus on initiatives that add value to the Park District without adding any more cost to the tax payers.Key Issue 3 Be prepared to support the ongoing growth of Lacrosse. With education and awareness, program offerings and space requirements.Questions Answers What programs aren't paying for themselves? Would you keep, eliminate or change them? How and why?This is a subject that we wrestle with during each budget process. The allocation of revenues from/to programs is always a complex issue. Some programs can consistently be expected to make money, while others breakeven or even lose money. This is where we must determine the proper balance of programs to meet the needs of the community.Is there any additional open space the park district needs to acquire? Please describe.The District is always looking for more land. This objective is an integral part of our Long Range Strategic Plan. At this time, we are somewhat landlocked to our North, South and East, but we are not completely without opportunities. Having those constraints we must make sure that any acquisition we investigate meet thecriteria for land acquisition? and be cost effective and fiscally responsible.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?Our indoor pool could certainly use a major overhaul to be more family friendly and more like a water park. But, this would be a very costly endeavor and should not be addressed in the uncertain economy. With that said, I don't think we have any glaring needs that are going unmet. As part of our ongoing planning process, we continue to frequently access our overall needs and make adjustments accordingly.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 are already involved with sharing resources with other agencies and will continue to pursue other opportunities when it makes sense to the District.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.While I am very proud of the accomplishments (listed below) of the District during my first term in office, it must be understood that these achievements are shared equally the District's management and could not have been successful without the complete commitment of the entire Board of Commissioners; 1) Completed a Community-Wide Needs and Assessment Survey; this survey was used to gauge the perception of the residents of the Park District. 2) Development of a comprehensive Master Plan was completed based on the review of demographics, history, existing facilities and parks, trends and input received from the residents from our Community-Wide Needs and Assessment Survey. 3) The financial reporting and analysis duties were brought in-house and a state-of-the-art software system was purchased. By 2012, the District received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada. 4) Our parks and facilities have been placed under a systematic assessment schedule to determine any maintenance actions or man-hours required to maintain a complete up-to-date park system. 5) The Diamond Lake Sports Complex was opened a 35 acre site set up for Soccer/Football, Frisbee Golf, walking paths, bike paths and picnic areas. 6) A new interactive Web Site was implemented. 7) The District received the Illinois Association of Park District's (IAPD) Distinguished Accreditation Award. This award recognizes agencies that provide exceptional Park and Recreation services to their community.