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Benjamin J. Richards, 6 years: Candidate Profile

Wildwood parks, 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:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: WildwoodWebsite: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_184513534902151ap=1Office sought: Wildwood parks, 6-year termAge: 35Family: Married, 4 childrenOccupation: Academic Programs AdministratorEducation: Master of Science in Public Service Administration (MPA), DePaul University, 2006.Bachelor of Arts, University of Iowa, 1998.Civic involvement: -Warren Township, IL District 326 committee representative-United Nations DPI-NGO Conference: Sept 2005-Inter-Americas Conference in Higher Education (Brazil)July 2005-Grant Development for the New Orleans Musicians Hurricane Relief Fund: 2006 -HabitaElected offices held: N/AHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: N/ACandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Create more usage of the park servicesKey Issue 2 Get higher satisfaction with the park servicesKey Issue 3 Increasing Park District revenueQuestions Answers What programs aren't paying for themselves? Would you keep, eliminate or change them? How and why?A needs assessment would need to be completed to determine appropriate changes to the park programs.Is there any additional open space the park district needs to acquire? Please describe.There are 11 parks already. Acquiring more park space is not a priority.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?I am not aware of any significant unmet needs. A needs assessment would need to be completed to determine appropriate changes to the park programs. That would include economic aspects of the need(s).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 know the Park District has some nice relationships in place already. I am very open to more partnerships. Building relationships and finding mutual benefits is one of my strengths. I need to look closer at the relationships and services in place to determine efficiency. I often find that although we are in the 21 century technology is is under utilized and likely not saving the money it should.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.On the previous ballot, not one else ran. My children use the parks and programs quite a bit so I am very familiar with the system. I have been to board meetings and had conversations about running before. Wildwood has been my neighborhood for 8 years and likely many to come. I would like to be more involved with our community and believe I can offer the park district a unique set of skills to take us further into the 21st century.