Jim Scalzo: Candidate Profile

Back to Lombard Park Board 6-year terms

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: LombardWebsite: www.parkdistrictparent.comOffice sought: Lombard Park Board 6-year terms Age: 39Family: My wife Nicole and I are going on 15 years of marriage and we have two children, Danielle age 15 and Ethan 11.Occupation: Creative DirectorEducation: Bachelor Degree from Bradley University. CommunicationsCivic involvement: I have been a volunteer head soccer coach in the Park District for over 10 seasons. I also was an assistant coach in the Lombard Baseball League. In 2008 I was a member of "People for the Parks," a group dedicated to bringing Lombard its new award winning water park. The work I am most excited about is as a team captain for WalkMS. My wife and I lead a team annually to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Our team, Nicoli the Cannoli Crew have been recognized multiple times as a member of the Tremendous 200 Club.Elected offices held: I was appointed to the Lombard Park District's Board of Park Commissioners in Late 2013 to fill a vacancy on the boardQuestions Answers What programs aren't paying for themselves? Would you keep, eliminate or change them? How and why?The mission of the Lombard Park District is "to provide people with quality recreation opportunities to enjoy life." This is what most programs are geared for, not so much to drive profit. The park staff has been pretty consistent at keeping participation rates at or above previous year participation levels. When attendance rates are low, staff and the board need to consider whether additional marketing should take place or whether a program suffers from lack of interest and adjust budgeting accordingly.Is there any additional open space the park district needs to acquire? Please describe.Open space is not easy to find these days and once it's gone, it's gone. As land becomes available the Park District should certainly consider its use. The Ken-Loch Golf course property (30 acres in area) would have been a great property acquisition for the Lombard Park District. Unfortunately the it's fate was decided by the County Board and the Park District couldn't even get a response when trying to find an asking price. Any open space in our town needs to be looked at to see how this land will best benefit the community and at what price. It may take a strategic partnership of some form and some creative thinking but, it should not be given up without a fight.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?Many unmet desires evolve around the park district's lack of a sufficient recreation center. Some of these being an indoor walking track, basketball courts, a quality fitness center and even a turf field. The current facilities and space is limited and hours of operation are not conducive to many peoples' schedules. Providing a new facility, in town, will attract more residents and will help the Park District in offering more Teen and Adult programming. While funding this is not a simple task, the Park District has successfully been awarded grants in the past should continue to pursue outside funding opportunities. The opportunity to increase revenues through sponsorships, advertisements and other marketing projects should not be overlooked.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?Any opportunity the Park District has to share or pool resources in order to benefit tax payers should be taken. Besides the current partnerships and facility sharing with the school districts and the Village of Lombard we should expand the relationships we have with nearby Park Districts. As long as our residents have recreational needs that are unmet, we should help them find ways supplement what we have to offer. For instance "exchanging" some resources we have that other districts may be missing. If we can make it easier for our residents to use the facilities and programs offered by neighboring districts, we may not have to create duplicate amenities in a facility of our own. Another area not to overlook is to seek out any additional ways to operate as "green" as possible. The park staff has done a great job in this area so far.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.After being appointed to fill a vacancy on our board in late 2013 I was able to jump right into the budget approval process. We work hard to stay financially conservative and it shows. Our district has received numerous awards for performance in a variety of areas. Most recently we received the GFOA's (Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada) Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for our annual operating budget for 2014. Besides playing a part in the "behind the scenes" happenings, I was proud of the park district's role in helping the families at Hammerschmidt Elementary with their efforts to fund a new playground. Seeing the faces of the kids on the opening day was a blast.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I want to communicate that I'm not trying to become a politician. I am simply a parent and proud resident of Lombard who wants the best for our community. I think it's a good time for new ideas and new motivation on the Park Board. That said, my family, including school aged children regularly take part in programming and make use of the facilities, both indoor and outdoor provided by our park district. Also, I have discussions with friends and neighbors of all ages about our parks and what they like and dislike. I feel this makes me a good advocate for all residents of Lombard. I'm confident that my background and what I can offer I fit well with the commissioners who are retaining their seats on the board. I look forward to the opportunity to serve the Lombard community as a Park Commissioner!Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Warren BuffettWhat's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Treat others how you want to be treated!If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Career Direction - I would have steered towards something that works closer with kids.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Marketing - I think it helped me to become a more informed consumer.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Treat others how you want to be treated!