Richard Drazner: Candidate Profile

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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:BioQA Bio City: Buffalo GroveWebsite: www.rjdrazner.comOffice sought: Buffalo Grove Park Board Age: 54Family: Spouse: Melissa Children: Abigail (26) Jeremy (22)Occupation: Attorney and Public AdjusterEducation: J.D., The John Marshall Law School, 1985 B.S.C., DePaul University, 1982, Major: AccountancyCivic involvement: Served 16 Years, Commissioner, Buffalo Grove Park District. Served as President two terms; Vice President, three terms; Treasurer, five terms. Named Master Board Member 2014. Buffalo Grove Area Chamber of Commerce, Past President, Treasurer and Director for 16 years on board. Rotary Club of Buffalo Grove, Member, 20 Years, Past-President 1994-1995, President Elect, Programming VP and Secretary. Congregation Beth Judea, Past President, Executive Vice President, Youth Vice President, and Member, Board of Directors. Buffalo Grove Days Committee Member for three years.Elected offices held: See AboveQuestions Answers What programs aren't paying for themselves? Would you keep, eliminate or change them? How and why?Aquatics typically does not pay for itself due to the cost of running a pool. Our indoor pool at Buffalo Grove High School was transferred to the school district. We recently renovated and improved Willow Stream Pool. The pool is of vital interest to the community and must be maintained. In addition, the pool is big part of our summer camp program.Is there any additional open space the park district needs to acquire? Please describe.Our board is always looking to acquire additional open space to expand our parks and programs, to preserve open land and to enrich the lives of our residents and the community. We recently had the opportunity to purchase the building, formerly the home of Congregation Beth Am, in which we created the Buffalo Grove Park District Community Arts Center. This center will be the home for community theater, dance, special gifts theater, and many special programs and events. It is also available for community rentals. Whenever, there is new development on large parcels of land, the park district will have the opportunity to build other new parks.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?We have been very creative in meeting the needs of our community through current user fees, state grants,and donations. By law there is a cap on the amount of taxes that the park board may levy. Taxes only account for a small percentage of our annual budget. We have a master plan to continually update and improve our current facilities and parks, and acquire new parks, adding to our current 52 parks and facilities, which are some of the best in the State of Illinois and the country. Building a Community Center is a future goal. However, our new Community Arts Center will basically function in large part as a community center.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?The park district already does share resources with the school districts and other local governments. The park district shares the gyms and facilities of many of the schools, and we assist with the cost and maintenance of these facilities. We also have outdoor parks at many of the schools that both students and residents may utilize.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.Over the last 16 years I proud of the development of many new and improved parks and facilities, just to name a few: Community Arts Center; Twin Creeks Park; Alcott Center, Raupp Memorial Museum; Buffalo Grove Fitness Center; Golf and Sports Center; Veterans Park; Willow Stream Park and Pool; Spray and Play; Apple Hill Park; Emmerich Park and Emmerich East Park; Green Lake Park; Happy Tails Dog Park; Skate Park at Mike Rylko Park; Martha Weiss Park; Mike Rylko Park; Kilmer Park and many others. We also have many new amenities in our parks such as new tennis courts, pickleball, disc golf, batting cages, etc. In addition, we received a certificate of achievement for excellence in financial reporting for 16 consecutive years, and received AAA bond rating. I would venture to say that many residents have yet to visit and take advantage of our many parks and facilities, and I strongly encourage our residents to actively seek out the many opportunities available to children, adults, seniors and residents of all ages. Perhaps we can have a community wide Parks Open House, in which all residents may have organized tours of our parks, meet our very dedicated and professional staff and board, and learn of our many offerings. I look forward to being part of the board and leadership of the Buffalo Grove Park District for another four years, and to work toward continued excellence in all our parks and facilities, and to further enrich the lives of all our residents.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Buffalo Grove now has many residents for whom English is not there first language. We continue to accommodate the needs of all our residents in both language and cultural needs and desires. We may need new personnel with these skills. We must embark on a community fund raising campaign in order to develop the Community Arts Center to its full potential according to our master plan. I would like to introduce Segway movers in order to allow for tours of our parks, nature, and facilities in a unique and fun manner. If there is something you want us to offer in way of services or facilities, please let us know how we can assist you. The public is invited to our board meetings on the second and fourth Mondays of each month. Come out to a meeting a let us know what's on your mind.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Bill Gates due to his impact on society and generous charitable acts of loving kindness.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?You have to work hard for what you want to achieve. Success must be earned, it is not a given.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would spend it on more quality time with my wife and children.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?History. You learn from the past not to repeat the same mistakes.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Be confident in yourself and live the Golden Rule.