The Streamwood Park District Board of Commissioners declared a vacancy for the office of Streamwood Park District Commissioner on September 26, 2023.
The Streamwood Park District is making formal notice that anyone interested in potentially serving as a Commissioner for the Streamwood Park District to please consider attending any of the following meetings to learn more about the position or visit our website at https://streamwoodparks.org/park-board to learn more about the park district.
October 24, 2023 – Hoosier Grove Barn, 700 W. Irving Park Road 7:00 pm
November 14, 2023 – Hoosier Grove Barn, 700 W. Irving Park Road 7:00 pm
December 19, 2023 – Hoosier Grove Barn, 700 W. Irving Park Road 7:00 pm
Qualified residents who are interested in serving a partial term until the next Park District Commissioner Election in 2025 may submit a letter of interest and resume to the Streamwood Park District, Attention Jeffrey Janda, Executive Director at 777 S. Bartlett Road, Streamwood, Illinois 60107.
Are you interested in serving on a Park District board? Please read the following excerpts below taken from Illinois Association of Park Districts (IAPD) President and CEO Peter Murphy’s article “So You Want to Serve on the Park District Board…What Does That Mean?”:
SO YOU WANT TO SERVE ON THE PARK DISTRICT BOARD…WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
By Peter Murphy, President and CEO
Illinois Association of Park Districts
If you are appointed or elected to the park board, you will become a leader who has accepted a major civic responsibility. You should be willing to make a commitment to give freely of your time and talents to help strengthen and further the park, recreation and conservation mission of your community.
As a board member, you will take on the responsibility for helping to set goals, formulate policies and establish services that will meet the present and future needs of the citizens of your district. The success of your agency depends to a great degree on how well you understand your role and how effectively you address your responsibilities as a board member.
More than 2,100 citizens serve on Illinois park district, forest preserve and recreation boards. Effective board members are respected citizens, well known and active in community affairs and interested in the total recreational needs of their communities.
Serving without compensation, locally elected commissioners represent their fellow citizens and interpret their views. They have the primary responsibility of spending tax monies, fees and donations designated for park and recreation services. They spend, and spend wisely, millions of dollars every year.
Board Obligations
As a board member, it is important that you commit to the “big picture” and the longterm effects of the decisions you make. You should use sound judgment by weighing the pros and cons of each issue, be open to new ideas, and make ethical decisions. In addition, it helps to have the capacity to “take the heat” when unpopular, but necessary, decisions are made.
Board Members:
• Adopt policies that allow the organization to run efficiently, effectively, legally and ethically.
• Request, receive, evaluate and make decisions based on well researched guidance from the executive.
• Interpret the agency’s mission, values and vision to the public.
• Monitor operational and capital finances.
• Hire, fire, supervise, evaluate and support the executive.
• Establish policies after consideration of pros and cons of each issue.
• Help set a strategic direction that adopts goals relating to the vision and mission of the agency.
• Act as a resource, a sounding board and as the eyes and ears of the citizens of the community, making sure that the agency is meeting their needs.
• Develop, maintain and update long-range plans.
• Adopt and adhere to a code of ethics.
Effective Board Members:
• Have an attitude of cooperation, open-mindedness and objectivity.
• Are motivated only by a desire to serve the citizens and the agency.
• Work with the executive, not over or around him or her.
• Inspire the community’s confidence, respect and support.
• Spend time in board meetings on strategic planning, policies and procedures, not on operational details that are the executive’s responsibility.
• Make no disparaging remarks about the agency, other board members or their opinions.
• Keep high ethical standards.
• Display a talent for working well with others.
• Do not promise voting outcomes prior to learning the facts of any issue.
• Do not make decisions until all sides of an issue have been presented.
• Support board decisions even when a decision conflicts with personal views.