Lawrence Montgomery: Candidate Profile

Back to Butterfield Park Board 6-year term

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: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Butterfield Park Board 6-year term Age: 63Family: I am married with 4 children. My wife is Linda, daughters Caitlin and Julie (Dan), sons Larry(Lindsey) and Jim. I have 6 grandchildren, Jonas (13), Meghan (10), Anabelle (9), Bridget (8), Bodin (5) and Griffin (4).Occupation: BusinessmanEducation: Candidate did not respond.Civic involvement: I have been a commissioner of the Butterfield Park District for 14 years.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?It is desirable for programs to be profitable but if the program serves a need or if a program is something our residents want it should be available profitable or not. Our most widely used asset is our pool which provides great recreation for many community members but it has never run at a profit and likely never will. But I will always support funding of the pool because it is a core component of our park district/communityIs there any additional open space the park district needs to acquire? Please describe.We just completed acquisition of the 53/56 property which prevented commercial development. Now the job is to develop that property to eliminate the eyesore that it is and make it a showpiece for our residents. We also have plans to develop our Brentwood property. We have discussed building a dog park on the ComEd property. And further development at our main property on Butterfield Road. This is a very exciting time for the Butterfield Park District.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?Our staff is exploring new programs on an ongoing basis. We have discussed increased programming for seniors, which is a growing need. I was personally involved with youth sports (baseball and basketball) for many years and we have discussed new efforts in that area. Team sports are funded through fees and outside sponsorship and if we find the community wants programming in these areas we should go forward.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?During my 14 year tenure we have shared resources with many surrounding park and school districts. As an example, the playground at Butterfield School is a joint venture between the Butterfield Park District and School District 44 that has been a great success.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 would first point out that our existing board has developed into a cohesive and productive unit. We have worked hard to recruit excellent staff and empower them to make our park district excellent. And that is what is happening around us, the development at Hoffman Park, the acquisition and development of 53/56, The playground at Butterfield School. These are projects that our board has been a part of and for me to take any individual credit would be presumptuous. It is the cohesive unit that the board has become and that I am a part of that has been a part of the great work our little park district has accomplished and that is what i want to continue to be a part of. None of the projects that have been undertaken were possible without outside financial help. Whether it was the joint effort with dist 44 or funding through the grant process from the State of IL our staff with support from the board has found ways to fund these projects. I am also proud of my involvement with The Friends of Butterfield Pk Dist. Which is a group of residents who worked hard to pass the first ever referendum for the Butterfield Pk Dist. Passage of the referendum provided us the means to obtain funding to purchase and develop the 53/56 property. To use an old sports cliche, "there is no "I" in board" but the accomplishments of the board are mine to be proud of.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Developing the 53/56 property and improving our main property on Butterfield Rd, these are the next big projects. Our park building is not large enough to accommodate the programming that we want to offer so we need expansion, with input from our residents, at that location. We never have undertaken expansion without vetting the process with our residents and as a board member I will continue in that fashion. And finally the long term financial stability of the park district is an issue that we need to continue to work on.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Mike KrzyzewskiWhat's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Work hard, read a lot, eat your vegetables and take care of your family.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?EducationWhat was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Mathematics I use math everyday in my business and life.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Have confidence in yourself, smile and be yourself, you are your greatest asset.False720720Lawrence Montgomery, running for <a href="/news/politics/election/race/Butterfield-Park-Board/">Butterfield Park Board 6-year term</a> False