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Michael Kuderna: Candidate Profile

Lombard Park Board (6-year Terms) (Independent)

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: LombardWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Lombard Park Board (6-year Terms)Age: 47Family: Married, Two ChildrenOccupation: Auto TechnicianEducation: Weber High School, Lincoln Technical SchoolCivic involvement: Village of Lombard Public Works CommitteeElected offices held: Lombard Park Board of Commissioners 2005-2011Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 I still have much more to offer to the park district and would like to continue the progress when I originally was on the board. I am a good liaison between the residents and the board. I listen to opinions and ideas before making a decision. I want to do what is best for the community.Key Issue 2 Talking with residents I believe there is a high demand for a dog park. I would like to see this idea become a reality.Key Issue 3 I am proud that Lombard is known for its parks. I would like to see Ken-Loch be turned into open space and become one of our beautiful parks.Questions Answers What programs aren't paying for themselves? Would you keep, eliminate or change them? How and why?Seniors and Teens programs rarely pay for themselves, but these are two important demographics that need to continue. I would never think of eliminating programs for these groups. I think they need to continue to challenge staff to always look at all programs profitable or not to assess ways to save precious tax dollars.Is there any additional open space the park district needs to acquire? Please describe.The park district has over 450 acres of outdoor open space in Lombard, and in a land locked community it is very important to keep and maintain them. No one knows what properties will become available in the future, but obviously Ken-Loch golf course, in the middle of the community, would be a great addition to the Park District as it borders Four Seasons Park.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?Increasing fees during the current economic times for new programming or new construction is so hard to do right now. The Park District does a great job of annually evaluating programming and facilities. Recently built a new skateboard park and received a grant from the State for the redevelopment of Sunset Knoll. Obviously there is a need for a field house with an indoor walking track and a gymnasium. Currently there is no field house for people to go to recreate. However in the current economy, I don't think the time is right to ask the taxpayers to pay for it through a referendum or tax increase of any kind.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?Absolutely! The Park District and School District #44 already have an intergovernmental agreement. They built a maintenance facility under one roof and share utility and up keep costs, and on the recreation side we co-own the gymnasium at Pleasant Lane School. The Park District, School District 87 and Glenbard East Athletic Boosters together built the new synthetic field at Glenbard East High School. The Village and Park District staff shares many pieces of equipment. During the most recent budget discussions, staff is challenged to explore cost savings measures with all of the other taxing bodies both inside and outside Lombard. Areas such as information technology, maintenance and clerical are examples of items I would like to see the park district continue to explore to save money or share the cost with our sister governments.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.During my previous term as Commissioner, we worked very hard to stay financially conservative and that has showed in the District's budget and tax rate. I think the biggest accomplishment was working with the staff and community to pass a referendum for the new swimming pool, and design and construct it on-time and under budget. It is a wonderful facility for the next generation of Lombardians. I am very proud that we won the Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management which nationally recognized our District as a leader in the industry. I think the general appearance of all our parks and outdoor athletic fields have improved dramatically during the last few years.