Jennifer Blum: 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: Round LakeWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Round Lake Area Park Board Age: Candidate did not respond.Family: Husband-Michael Blum Daughter-Madison 17 Daughter-Mikayla 12Occupation: HR ProfessionalEducation: BA Psychology from Northeastern Illinois Masters Forensic Psychology from Argosy UniversityCivic involvement: Commissioner Round Lake Area Park District 6 1/2 yearsElected offices held: Commissioner Round Lake Area Park District 6 1/2 yearsQuestions Answers What programs aren't paying for themselves? Would you keep, eliminate or change them? How and why?We have gone through a very rigorous "clean up" of our programs recently for this reason and we are at the point where right now we have viable programs for our community that are successful.Is there any additional open space the park district needs to acquire? Please describe.At this time we are not looking to make any acquisitions. We are working diligently on the Huebner and Shaw properties that we have acquired to successfully role them out to the community and maintain the properties that we currently have.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 are always looking as well as listening to our community for their wants and needs since this is what we are based on. Without the communities input, we cannot be successful. We are very diligent with our budget and go by a strict 5 year planning model to pay for these needs.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 combine resources constantly with other local governing bodies with regards to advertising as well as donations and are always open to other opportunities in order to improve or save money where it can be done.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 integral in pairing down our expenses in many areas within the Park District where we no longer had viability such as the Ranger program, all day Kindergarten, as well as internal restructuration to better suit our staffing needs.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I feel that the needs of our community are of utmost importance. I as part of the community as well as being a taxpayer and user of the Park District know that quality is paramount over quantity.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.The Dalai Lama is an inspiration to me in these difficult times. When the world is in turmoil and times are trying he teaches peace.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?I learned to treat others as you would want them to treat you and this is what I instill in my own children.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I don't believe I would do anything that I have done over, everything is a life lesson and makes you what you areWhat was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?I am a studier of Psychology. The mind is vast and we know little about it yet it makes us who we areIf you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Be kind to each other and remember to never cast stones.