Jeffrey Service: Candidate Profile

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: PalatineWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Palatine Park Board (6-year Terms)Age: 50Family: I am married to my wife Kathryn for 16 years.I have two lovely daughters named Jasmine,who's 14,and Josalyn, who's 11.Occupation: I am employed at Mt.Prospect Park District since '06 in the grounds maint. dept. IL licensed pesticide applicator, safety committee member, training for certified playground inspector.Education: I was educated at Palatine district 15, Fremd High school, and Bradley University.Civic involvement: I participate in Valspars paintathon for those in need.Elected offices held: None yetHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: No, nor have i ever received a single ticketCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 The biggest issue will be the 2014 health care for employees due to Obamacare. Costs and fines for the district may lead to drastic reorganization of the districts labor force and the way the district conducts businessKey Issue 2 The second issue would be that Palatine Stables are a money pit that is under utilized. It is a must that this assets must become viable and a true selling point for the entire park districts residents.Key Issue 3 Costs of affiliates programming needs to be addressed. Alternative revenue avenues must be continually explored. Cable airing of board meeting should be done to keep the residents informed. Staff motivation, accountability, and empowerment can be improved.Questions Answers What programs aren't paying for themselves? Would you keep, eliminate or change them? How and why?Without seeing all the past financials,I am not sure as to which programs are not financially viable. I would keep most of the programs even if they do no pay for themselves. These programs have already been budgetted for and therefore must remain intact for the community.Is there any additional open space the park district needs to acquire? Please describe.They just made a 20-acre purchase that will benefit additional green space.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?yes there are. My guess would be 80% of the population does not participate in any recreational programming offered by the park district.Therefore, I would encourage looking at other possible programs in order to incorporate that 80%.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 reason for this is it may become critical to share any and all resources available to keep operating costs down without compromising programming. This may include job sharing, internally and externally. I would also explore sharing insurance with other government units.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.Being a newcomer, I realize there is a learning curve to become an effective board member, but since I have a park district background, I am more than qualified to address issues regarding park district operations. I also have a firm belief in community service and this is a logical oppurtunity for me where I can excel in.