From park user to park commissioner

As the mother of two active sons, Kirsten Young spends her fair share of time in Naperville parks.

As the daughter-in-law of a longtime Naperville Park District employee, she's no stranger to the district's history and mission.

As a lawyer, she brings a unique skill set to the table.

Young may be new to the political arena, but her background inspired confidence in voters who chose her as one of their newest park district commissioners this spring.

She took her seat in May along with fellow newcomer Mike Reilly.

Young, 43, grew up in Ann Arbor, Mich., and has a bachelor's degree in American political behavior from the University of Michigan. That choice of majors, she says, was inspired by her father, a political science professor.

"We talked politics and political strategy and why people vote the way they vote all the time so it was sort of natural," she said.

She later earned a law degree from Loyola University and now serves as associate general counsel of Integrys Energy Services Inc.

"I love being an attorney," she said. "I love being in energy, it's a great field to be in, particularly now with the current administration. I couldn't have plotted it ahead of time, ... but it's funny the experiences you have and the people you meet and where that points you."

She was pointed to Naperville in 1999 by her husband, Dan, who grew up in the community. The two were ready to leave Chicago to start a family.

"With my husband growing up in Naperville, no other neighborhood or no other suburb was quite enough," she said. "I tried (saying) 'do you want to look (at other places)' and he'd look, but at the end of the day there wasn't going to be a house we were going to buy unless it was in Naperville."

During her time in the city she has gotten involved in several volunteer activities such as Ribfest and Habitat for Humanity, but her spot on the park board is her first major community role.

With two active sons, Young's family frequently uses the parks for sports, riding bicycles and fishing, making the possibility of being a park district commissioner an intriguing one.

She was a finalist for the position last year after Commissioner Charlie Brown resigned from the board and she decided to try again in the April election.

"When this election came up I decided this is a good opportunity and something I can do and I think I can be helpful and make a difference if I run for office and get elected," she said.

She had a cheerleader along the way as well. Father-in-law Bill Young spent nearly 40 years working for the park district and served as its chief of police as well as interim executive director.

"He was quiet with his advice once I decided to run, but in terms of encouraging me to run he was all over that," she said. "He's thrilled that I'm on."

Her husband, too, has been involved in the park district in the past, having previously served as a groundskeeper and park police officer.

Young says campaigning for the board was a "growth experience" that took her out of her comfort zone and gave her a new perspective on both statewide and national political candidates.

Among the issues she'd like to tackle are improvements to Nike Park and dealing with a shortage of indoor recreation space, possibly with the help of a public-private partnership that can keep some of the burden off taxpayers.

She is also interested in exploring the logistics and cost of using Centennial Beach for ice skating in the winter as well as starting a kids triathlon.

But her most immediate priority is to help the district create a master plan to set goals and determine core values to guide future decisions.

"It seems to me they've lacked that sort of discipline in the past, which has made people feel the park board has been somewhat ineffective," she said. "Although certainly they've been very effective in terms of all the great programs and services the park district offers.

"But I think there's a perception there and if we get through that and show the discipline people will be really proud of what the park board does."