Melissa Victor: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Melissa Victor

City: Cary, Il

Office sought: Cary Park District Board Commissioner

Age: 40

Family: Married to my wonderful husband of 12 years, Josh. Mother to three great children!

Occupation: Part time Adjunct Faculty Member at the College of DuPage.

Education: College

Civic involvement: Past Board Member for the Cary Education Foundation from 2013-17, in which I was a grant chairperson from 2015-17. Cary Junior Trojans 2/3rd grade Poms team coach from 2015-2017. Board Member for Cary Police Academy Alumni since 2014, currently serving as President of the board. National Night Out Committee board member from 2015-present. Volunteer for PADS organization in Barrington at Willow Creek Community Church once a month from 2014-2018. Cary Park Board Foundation Member from 2015-present, currently serving as Vice President.

Previous elected offices held: Algonquin Township Trustee 2017-present.

Incumbent: If yes, when were first elected?

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Issue questions

What are the most important issues facing your park district and how do you intend to address them?

The most important issues facing our park district are keeping up with the evolving needs of our current growth within the community. As a park commissioner, I would seek to expand our programs and offerings to reach out to a broader range of ages and interests as guided by community interest.

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 have been an active and involved member of our community since moving to Cary in 2012. I want to be a part of the future of the park district, in guiding towards fiscally responsible decision making and satisfying the needs of the community.

Which programs aren't paying for themselves? Would you keep, eliminate or change them? How and why?

It would not be fair for me to suggest a specific program to be deficient without proper review or audit. Programs which struggle from low attendance/interest should be reviewed for deficiencies and improved where possible to generate and maintain interest as expected by our community. Should a program decline to a point where it becomes a fiscal burden and attempts to rejuvenate yield no positive results, I feel the responsible action at such time would be to eliminate that program.

Is there any additional open space the park district needs to acquire?

No. The park district actually has an excess of land, some of which needs to be sold.

Are there any unmet recreational needs? If yes, what are they and how would you propose paying for them?

Yes, we are a growing community and need to bring more programs to the teenage youth, along with adult and senior programing. Currently we have no indoor basketball courts, a small pool which lacks activities and structural elements to maintain interest in our youth and lacks available shaded seating as well as parking. The board has created a master plan which does address some of these needs and I would like to ensure that not only are the community needs met but that these facilities may be utilized to produce revenue through outside sources such as tournaments and league play. Responsible planning for our future through the new park district facility may ensure that additional financial resources are maintained, and taxes are not the priority dependent income to sustain it.