Al D'Ambrosio: 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: Glen EllynWebsite: www.facebook.com/ALD4GEOffice sought: Glen Ellyn Park Board Age: 41Family: Wife, Linda Son, Henry, 6 Daughter, Tinsley, 4Occupation: Project ManagerEducation: MBA - DePaul University Finance and Information Technology BA - Northern Illinois UniversityCivic involvement: Volunteer soccer coach with the Glen Ellyn Park District. Volunteered as Math helper and Guest Reader at Lincoln Elementary School.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers What programs aren't paying for themselves? Would you keep, eliminate or change them? How and why?If elected, I intend to take a close look at the broad array of offerings of the Park District. My goal is not to cut programs, nor expand programs, but to ensure that programs are offered if the value to the residents is measurable and net positive.Is there any additional open space the park district needs to acquire? Please describe.We should always be open to this option, as this is the primary purpose of a Park District: to prevent all the land from being overbuilt, preserve open space for the people to enjoy. I first prefer to ensure that all of the existing parks are well maintained before seeking additional space. I would consider acquiring new open space if: 1) Residents and businesses close to the park location are not negatively impacted (for example, by changed traffic patterns) and they are strongly supportive. 2) The acquisition is approved via referendum, not just a Board vote 3) We save up money in advance, to acquire the land, rather than adding to our debt. This is the fiscally responsible way.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?What I hear is that people generally like the many available existing programs and parks, and want to see the Park District remain modest and focused on preserving and maintaining our parks, open spaces and natural areas. This takes priority before seeking new offerings that could cost money and raise taxes. There will always be new or evolving recreational desires that don't perfectly match the Park District's current offerings, and the Park District should be responsive to that. We need a clear protocol for determining when it is appropriate to offer those new services and facilities. I'd look at four factors: 1) Is the desire sufficient across all impacted residents, not just the folks who are vocal about asking for it? And does that desire remain, once people know how much they will have to pay via taxes and/or program fees? 2) Is the cost low enough to ensure we will break even or operate at a surplus, and are the risks (such as facilities maintenance, liabilities) minimal or mitigated? 3) Is the leisure already sufficiently available via private entities? 4) Would any residents be harmed by adding the offering (such as building a facility that harms the environment or changes the aura of a neighborhood)?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?I like that the Park District is already working on an intergovernmental agreement to share an IT resource with other nearby park districts. I also see natural efficiencies in utilizing the Main Street and/or Spring Avenue buildings for full-day kindergarten. Currently, School District 41 is considering some expensive expansion options to offer this. But only 20% of residents in D41 have kids in D41 schools. Even fewer have kids approaching kindergarten age, and not all families would opt to pay the fees for full day kindergarten. The Park District already offers well-liked pre-school at these locations. Many parents are comfortable with those facilities. We should look more closely at this money-saving option for taxpayers, try it and see if it works, before we leap to the more expensive building construction ideas. We would have to consider whether sharing one of these facilities impacts any current Park District offerings, and revenue sharing. I'm confident we could work out the details to the mutual benefit of all stakeholders - the school district, the park district, the families who would utilize FDK, and other residents who simply want taxes minimized. I would be open to collaborating more with Park Districts from neighboring towns also. We don't need to be a self-contained city. If Wheaton, for example, invests in one type of facility or program, and Glen Ellyn invests in another, we might be able to serve the needs of more people without duplicating efforts. This could save taxpayers' money.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 feel that it is my civic duty, and a great way for me to 'give back', by volunteering my time to affect positive change. While I was coaching soccer for my son's Park District team, people suggested I run, because they felt that the Board needed new faces to offer fresh perspectives, as once people become entrenched in elected positions they tend to shift toward looking for ways to spend money and demonstrate 'accomplishments'. They want the kind of energy I can bring, and the focus on engaging the community to ensure that all sides are represented in Board deliberations. I am running to provide some balance to the Board: maintain and improve the parks and core programs, and also work to lower taxes while continuing to improve service and transparency.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I'd like to end the practice of annually 'maxing out' non-referendum debt and tax levy requests. I'd rather pay off debt. By eliminating debt service and interest payments, we'll have a more financially secure Park District and we'll free up future money for value added operations or to give back to taxpayers.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.I'm more inspired by past leaders such as Andrew Jackson.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?You are responsible for saving, investing, and preparing for your own future. Don't rely on anyone else for this, they might fail you.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Developing my entrepreneurial side.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?I liked math, physics, and later, economics. Though I liked history, I grew to really appreciate it much more as an adult.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?It would center around saving and preparing for your future, or taking care of yourself by adding value for others, not harming others.