Endorsements: King, Jaiswal, Ruffing, Thompson for Naperville Park District board

With four open seats and only one incumbent seeking re-election, voters have a unique opportunity to bring new voices and perspectives to the Naperville Park District board.

What makes it more special is that voters are fortunate to have eight well-qualified candidates running for the board. All the candidates have strong and unique ideas and share a passion for making sure the park district maintains and improves its reputation of being one of the premier districts in the suburbs.

Mike King is the sole incumbent and is seeking a second term. The newcomers are Rhonda Ansier, Mary Gibson, Nag Jaiswal, Lee Kaseska, Leslie Ruffing; Alison Thompson and Nathan Wilson. All believe the district is well managed and uses its funds wisely, but several note programs could be tweaked to better serve Naperville's diverse population. Two candidates, Kaseska and Jaiswal, believe the number of the district's police officers should be increased to better protect park users, but the others question if that is needed right now.

We believe King's background in finance and his focus to maintain the district's high bond rating is worth returning him to the board. We also like Jaiswal's proposal to create a cooperative platform with local businesses and governments that would provide paths for success for young people - and generate new channels of revenue - and he gets our recommendation as well.

For the remaining seats, we believe Ruffing and Thompson would well represent young families' needs and focus on assuring programs are affordable for all residents. Both get our nod as well.

Again, the quality of talent and potential in this race is uniquely strong, and we hope that those who are not elected April 6 will continue to be a voice in shaping the district's future.