Faraz Khan: 2021 candidate for Des Plaines Park Commissioner

Two candidates for one six-year term

Bio

Hometown: Park Ridge

Age on Election Day: 18

Occupation: Student

Employer: N/A

Civic involvement: Volunteer coordinator for a presidential campaign, intern for a gubernatorial campaign, and volunteer for local campaigns

Q&A

Q. Why are you running for this office? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what is it?

A. Throughout these past few years, I have acted as a listening ear to residents on behalf of the campaigns I've worked for. Through these experiences, I've gotten to know a wide range of people from our community, and I've been diligent in my efforts to stay in touch with their needs. I am now running to provide the park board with a vision for fiscal prudence, increased environmental sustainability, an expanded park district, and to be a voice for the youth. The park district played an important role in my childhood. Growing up, my family and I enjoyed our summer adventures at Mystic Waters and our mini-golf games at Mountain View. In high school, I spent many weekends at the Golf Center with friends making great memories. I want to ensure that the park district continues to enrich the lives of every resident and family like it has enriched mine over the past years. Furthermore, I want to continue to ensure the safety of residents during these trying times while guaranteeing the maximum possible access to recreational opportunities during our increasingly sedentary lifestyles.

Q. Did your park district continue to adequately serve its constituents during the disruptions caused by the pandemic? If so, please cite an example of how it successfully adjusted to continue providing services. If not, please cite a specific example of what could have been done better.

A. The park district undoubtedly was a leader during the pandemic. They stayed on top of the COVID mitigation plans and were creative in finding ways to continue to serve residents. Furthermore, the staff communicated the changing COVID restrictions and park district offerings with residents effectively via social media and their website. A great example of how the park district adjusted was by improving their technical infrastructure which led to the introduction of many online classes, expanded e-learning for their students, the release of the park district app, and an online reservation system for the facilities.

Q. In light of our experiences with COVID-19, what safeguards/guidelines should you put in place to address any future public health crises?

A. The park district maintains a Safety Manual which is updated yearly. The manual had already contained a section for communicable and infectious diseases prior to COVID-19. In May of 2020, the manual was updated to include policies for COVID-like diseases. Despite those updates, I believe that the plan should be further expanded upon. The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that worst-case scenarios do happen and that is why we must prepare for them. All future public health crises will not be the same and that is why an ideal expanded response plan would be flexible and rely on information received from public health officials. However, one thing is clear, any guidelines made for the response to a future public health crisis must be multifaceted and should address all complications faced by all departments during the COVID pandemic. I also believe there should be a financial safety net in place in case of any future lockdowns, storage of PPE supplies for employees, and that many of the improved hygiene standards adopted during COVID should be permanent.

Q. How has the pandemic affected the park district's offerings and use of facilities. Are there other ways the park board can fulfill the mission of a park district during these times?

A. The Des Plaines Park District's mission is "enhancing our community by providing quality recreational opportunities, facilities, parks and open space." This mission was imperative during the pandemic as residents looked to the park district as an outlet for the stress of a changing lifestyle. The pandemic significantly impacted the park district's offerings and use of facilities. The ones hit the hardest were indoor programs and access to indoor facilities in general. Outdoor programs and facilities were also impacted but not as hard as indoor. While the park board handled themselves well, other ways they could fulfill their mission during these times could be by making sure to explore every avenue and to think outside the box to provide residents with as many recreational opportunities as possible while maintaining state health regulations. Furthermore, reaching out to residents and making sure to communicate effectively is another way the park board members could fulfill their mission.

Q. How has the pandemic affected the park district's revenue? How has that been addressed on the expense side?

A. The Des Plaines Park District uses a fiscal year of May to April rather than January to December. This makes it slightly difficult to gauge how the park district has been affected by COVID revenue-wise because the only numbers available to the public is what the park district provided back in July of 2020, when the board last approved the estimated budget for the 2020/21 fiscal year. While the park district estimated that revenue would be down 10.7% compared to the 2019/20 fiscal year, I am sure they did not foresee the massive spikes in COVID cases in November and again in January which led to stricter lockdowns. The park district has attempted to remedy their loss in revenue in many ways including creating a membership subscription for the Prairie Lakes Indoor Track which was formally free, eliminating job positions which resulted in the letting go of employees, not opening Mystic Waters this past summer, increasing charges for nonresidents, and by freezing salary increases back in March.

Q. What other issues need to be addressed?

A. As park commissioner I hope to address a whole host of issues I have personally seen and have heard from residents. Some of these issues include:

• Seeing that Arndt Park's proposed pool is completed before closing Iroquois Pool.

• Increasing community involvement by incentivizing board meeting attendance and recording and posting board meetings on the park district website.

• Ending the park commissioner free usage policy that allows park commissioners to use the park district for free which puts an unnecessary burden on taxpayers.

• Promoting an inclusive environment for all races, genders, cultures and religions through various initiatives.

• Increasing environmental sustainability efforts.

And more.