Lisa Tenuta: 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: Mt. ProspectWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Mount Prospect Park Board Age: 50Family: Married for 21 years to my Husband who is a life long resident of Mount Prospect, Two sons 19 16.Occupation: Administrative AssistantEducation: Candidate did not respond.Civic involvement: Member of the Mount Prospect Parks Foundation, Past Member of TPC at Prospect High School PHS Booster Supporter.Elected offices held: Mount Prospect Park District Commissioner 2011 -2015Questions Answers What programs aren't paying for themselves? Would you keep, eliminate or change them? How and why?There are always going to be programs that break even or do not pay for themselves. MPPD does a great job on reviewing evaluating recreation programs that do not have a minimum number of participants. MPPD needs to continues to find new innovative program classes for all age groups within the Park District. We need to always listen to our residents and provide programs and recreational opportunities our residents want.Is there any additional open space the park district needs to acquire? Please describe.We need to consider any opportunity to attain open space within the district. Acquiring open space always needs to be on the park district's radar. The board should considering any acquisitions of open space if it is within budgetary constraints.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?The MPPD has always done a impeccable job at offering a variety of recreational needs. We need to make sure that we are meeting the needs to our little park district users, families, and our seniors. Feedback from residents is essential to make sure MPPD is offering programs classes that interest our residents.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 village and the local school districts serve the same residents that the park district serves, so it only makes sense that we should work together. The park district has a history of doing this with the local school districts. Mount Prospect Park District does work with School Districts 57, 59, and 214 for use of gym, athletic fields, and auditoriums. The sharing of resources needs to continue with our school districts and a open line of communication is a priority for MPPD Looking into bulk purchasing with all local entities should be explored more fully and be a top priority. Co-opting resources with the village school districts needs to be considered immediately. We need to find creative ways to save money and improve efficiencies.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.As an incumbent, I understand the park district facilities, parks, and programs. My interest in running for park district again is because I am interested in the whole park district and I feel that it is a priority of mine to continue listening and seeking out resident input. In the last four years the Veteran Memorial at Lions Park was completed and much needed repairs the roof at Rec-Plex were done. The board staff were able to create an agreement with Arlington Heights Park District to develop and open a shared dog park at Melas Park. We began the renovation of Mount Prospect Golf Course which should re-open summer 2015 The OSLAD grant was recently awarded to the park district for the renovation of Einstein Park and plans are in place to for Dara James Park. I love this park district and that is why I ran in 2011 and why I am running again. I am proud of what we as a board have accomplished. I hope that the residents will give me the opportunity to continue serve.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?It is important to keep MPPD fiscally responsible and continue providing reasonably priced recreational opportunities and facilities for our residents. We need to maintain our aging infrastructure and continue to improve our current facilities for many years to come. We need to make sure that we keep and improve all of our outdoor spaces within our district. Residents also need to be heard and it's important that any project in our district has resident input. We need to continue to post information on our web-site to give residents access to minutes, agendas, plans for future online.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.My Dad he is caring for my Mom it is not easy, he is doing his best. I am witnessing what true love is.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Don't be afraid of your failures, everyone fails, but it is what you learn and how you bounce back that matters.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would love the opportunity to tell the people I have lost in my life, How much I loved them.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Candidate did not respond.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?One would be impossible, Be true to yourself. Give love to get love. Work hard Enjoy life Be respectful Listen carefully Travel Try new things