Dale A. Ott: 2023 candidate for Medinah park board

Bio

Town: Medinah

Age on Election Day: 67

Occupation: Retired

Employer: N/A

Previous offices held: 4 terms (16 years) on the Medinah District 11 Board, board vice president & facility committee chair

Q&A

Q: Why are you running for this office, whether for reelection or election the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what is it?

A: Yes, a few. 1) the Board/Administration relationship, 2) Lack of Community involvement, 3) and potential radical issues that could arise after this election.

Q: How well is your district rebounding from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic? What new measures should be taken to strengthen programming or better meet the needs of the community?

A: Pretty well, considering the impact on operations and programs that the pandemic caused for everyone. Increased efforts for grants and redevelopment of programs to augment the funding while not increasing taxes which no one would appreciate, especially in this economy.

• Continue to step by step improve the District website.

• Initiate monthly email newsletters with feedback ability to all constituents.

• Conduct annual or even semiannual "Town Hall" meetings to allow more focused & complete public input.

Q: How would you describe the state of the district's finances? What challenges do you see on the horizon, and how do you propose to meet them?

A: Fair. Expenses are being met and reserves are good for now. Going forward, there will need to be much more effort on prioritizing maintenance of existing assets vs. new initiatives and balancing those against the available resources. This has to be done through teamwork at the Board/Administration level. There are no magic bullets, As Abe Lincoln once said, "You can satisfy all of the people some of the time, some of the people all the time, but not all of the people all of the time."

Q: Describe your experience working in a group setting to determine policy. What is your style in such a setting to reach agreement? Explain how you think that will be effective in producing effective actions and decisions of your park board.

A: Roughly 20 years working at a Management level in local government (Public Works) and 16 years on Medinah District 11 School Board including Vice President and Facilities Committee Chair. In addition, numerous outside courses/seminars on Teambuilding, Facilitation, etc. This experience will help to bring the Board together as a functioning as a team with much less discord and dissension.

Q: What makes you the best candidate for the job?

A: • College education in Engineering and Business Administration.

• 25 years' experience in local government (Public Works).

• 16 years on the Medinah District 11 School Board, Vice President and Facilities Chair.

• Nearly 36 years as a Medinah resident.

• Served on Park District Special Task forces concerning water and sewer issues.

• Licensed National Chief Power Engineer for 37 years.

• Certified IT Administrator.

• Experienced in budgets, construction, project management, public bidding, office management, human resources, public interface, etc.