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Greg Sammons: Candidate Profile

Palatine Park Board

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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:BioQA Bio City: PalatineWebsite: Facebook - Greg Sammons for Palatine Park District CommissionerOffice sought: Palatine Park Board Age: 46Family: My wife Lisa and I have been married for 21 years and have 2 boys ages 18 and 16. I'm a life long resident of Palatine and proud to call it my home.Occupation: Senior Technical Director for ATTEducation: Graduate of Palatine High School, Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Marquette University and Masters of Business Administration from Roosevelt University.Civic involvement: Coached Palatine Celtic Soccer 2003-2004. Coached Palatine Youth Baseball 2005-2008. Cub Scout Leader and Committee Chair for Pack 209 2004-2007. Boy Scout leader including Assistant Scout Master for Troop 335 2008-2014. I've received many recognitions in the Scouting program including Signal Hill District 2014 Volunteer of the Year Award.Elected offices held: None.Questions Answers What programs aren't paying for themselves? Would you keep, eliminate or change them? How and why?To answer this question fairly you have to separate â#128;~programs' into a couple different categories. First are recreational programs and include a wide array of options such as fitness classes, gymnastics, performing arts and many more. Recreational program expenses are off set by fees charged for participation in the programs. Second are revenue producing facilities such as the golf course and stables which have historically run at a deficit. The third category, parks and non-revenue producing facilities such as bike paths and pickleball courts . When considering programs that aren't paying for themselves we must focus on the big ticket items that potentially produce big losses. The key programs to consider are the golf course, stables and pools. Each of those programs delivers value to the district residents not directly measurable in dollars. The changes I would make to reduce the deficit on those key programs would be set specific measurable targets to reduce the gap over a 4-5 year time frame and obtain those targets using creative energetic marketing and alternate revenue sources.Is there any additional open space the park district needs to acquire? Please describe.The Park District owns 424 acres of land and leases another 234 acres. If the opportunity arose to acquire additional open space it needs to be evaluated and if it makes sense, and matches the parks strategic direction, it should be acquired as long as it does not increase the tax burden on residents. In additional, evaluation of the parks existing open space needs to be conducted to identify under utilized space and create plans for better use of the park districts existing open space resources.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 unmet recreational needs. The two I hear most about are the need for an indoor pool and an improved fitness / recreation center. The need for an indoor pool is not a new issue and would be a great asset for the Park District. Our existing fitness center servers just over 2% of the Park District residents. An improved fitness / recreation center would attract many more residents than the 2% currently using the fitness center. The Park District, like everyone, has limited resources so funding large scale projects would require financial creativity or possibly a referendum where residents decide if they would support a potential tax increase to help fund projects. The Park District also must focus on and deliver recreational programming needs for the 60+ age group. Pickleball and paddleball are two excellent examples in the past year where the park district was behind the curve delivering programming and facilities for the 60+ age group.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 would absolutely support sharing / pooling resources on 2 conditions; 1.) A cost savings or resource efficiency was involved for both sharing parties and 2.) services to the residents of the park district are not degraded in any way. The park district participates in resource sharing / pooling today with Village of Palatine and District 15 for many services. Sharing of resources results in cost savings for the park district which means those dollars and be reallocated elsewhere to directly benefit residents of the park district.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.I am a new comer running against two incumbents. I began attending Park District board meetings in 2010 to provide feed back on the existing park district out door ice facilities. The Superintendent of Parks and Planning at the time, Pat Moser, took the feedback and produced a high quality outdoor facility that is in use today at Community Park. I continued to attend the meetings on a semi regular basis to gain an understanding of the board meetings, people involved, and processes in place. I'm a recreation enthusiast and have a passion for sharing that enthusiasm with others. I'm certain I can make a positive difference within the Park District and ensure the absolute best product is delivered to our deserving residents at the lowest possible cost.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Three issues are important to me as a candidate for Park District Commissioner. 1.) Improved facilities and recreation for all residents. Facilities and recreation needs are highlighted in previous answers. 2.) Financial creativity and responsible financial stewardship. Although the economy is beginning to recover we need to be careful stewards of Park District resources. We need to be creative with alternate revenue streams to help drive down the percentage of revenues funded by resident taxes. The tax revenues make up 57% of the overall revenue picture. Alternate revenue streams will help drive that percentage down and enable additional dollars to be allocated to significant overall improvements without impacting our residents overall tax burden. 3.) Goals and measurements. Not only does a healthy board set Park District policy and direction but they need to establish clear goals and measurement of those goals.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.If I had to answer today it would be Bob Mariano. Hard working, smart, energetic, tireless and positive.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?How to share and get along with others.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Candidate did not respond.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?I enjoyed math that lead to an engineering degree and a rewarding profession.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Do your best.