Patti Weicker: 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: Rolling MeadowsWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Rolling Meadows Park Board Age: 52Family: Two sons DJ is 19 years and a freshman at University of Illinois Patrick is 17 years old and a senior at Rolling Meadows High SchoolOccupation: Candidate did not respond.Education: University of Kentucky BA of Communications 1984Civic involvement: Foundation of the Rolling Meadows Park District Previous -Rotarian, Kiwanis, Jaycees, PTAElected offices held: President Vice President TreasurerQuestions Answers What programs aren't paying for themselves? Would you keep, eliminate or change them? How and why?We are constantly reviewing our programs and their expenses. The staff recommends programming fees to the Board based on our residents wants and needs. We are always investigating the "trending" of our community as well as surrounding communities. We do eliminate and add new programs every year. Our Ice arena programs account for 60% of the general recreation fund.Is there any additional open space the park district needs to acquire? Please describe.Unfortunately, we are a landlocked district. We continue to have the ongoing challenges of our aging infrastructures. Improvements to the facilities could allow for additional usable space for programs.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 constantly reviewing our programs and the community wants/needs. We need to expand programs that appeal to a larger audience. We are looking to produce programs that differentiate between active adults and seniors. Our latest survey of the community stated they feel that this active adult/senior area is in need of expanding.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 currently have several intergovernmental agreements. We are fortunate to have intergovernmental agreements with School District 15 and 214 and St. Colette for usage of their indoor and outdoor spaces. Current additional agreements with surrounding Park Districts OLYMPIC POOL - Arlington Heights Park District JACK A. CLAES PAVILION POOL - Elk Grove Park District ARLINGTON LAKES NICKOL KNOLLS GOLF CLUBS - Arlington Heights Park District TWIN LAKES RECREATION AREA - Salt Creek Park DistrictIf 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.At the beginning of my tenure we were negative in the recreation fund. 2014 was the first time in 18 years that the district has had a positive recreation fund. I have been a very active resident in the community by activities in several civic organizations. I believe this helps in the community connection with the Park District and residents. As a Board member, I have overseen our staff being instrumental in providing financial stability to the district. Under the Executive Director leadership, the district has received sixteen grants, totaling over $4.5 million dollars The Rolling Meadows Park District has been a Distinguished Agency since 1996. The goal of the Illinois Distinguished Accreditation program is to improve the delivery of recreation services to the resident of Illinois. Standard Poor's Ratings Services assigned its 'AA-' long-term rating to Rolling Meadows Park District, Ill.'s series 2013 general obligation (GO) limited tax park bonds. The outlook is stableWhat other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I strive to learn as much as I can to help become a more informed Board Member and that I truly take the responsibilities serious I recently received an award for becoming a Master Board Member. I am the first and only Rolling Meadows Park District Board member to achieve this recognition. The state program gives recognition to local board members who consistently go above and beyond the call of duty through committee involvement, attendance at continuing educational opportunities and achievements at the local, state and national levels.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Amy CharlesworthWhat's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?RespectIf life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Either I have none or too many to list. I wasn't able to answer.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Creative Writing. It gave me the skills to be expressive both in writing and in speechIf you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Always be respectful gentlemen