sandra lentz

candidate for 2025 OAK PARK PARK DISTRICT COMMISSIONER

Sandra Lentz has not submitted answers to the Activist Toolkit questionnaire.

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1. What motivates you to seek this office? What skills do you bring to the office? What sets you apart from other candidates?  What does success look like for you after four years in the position?


2. What do you see as the three biggest challenges or opportunities facing the Park District and what role do you see the Board playing to address them over the next four years? 


3. What is your decision making process? What are steps the Board can take to ensure transparency, clear communication, and community engagement – hearing from the board spectrum of Oak Park residents about access to its services and facilities? 


4. Please share your thoughts about the Park District’s current financial picture. What’s your understanding of the Board’s role in the budgeting process and the allocation of resources? Do you have organizational finance experience?


5. What would you say to voters who are worried about Oak Park’s overall tax burden?


6. How do you define equity? Have recent discussions in the larger community and or at the national level informed or changed your thinking? 


7. In 2019, the Park District adopted an equity policy that adds training and organizational support around equity and inclusion. How would you evaluate the success of the equity policy so far?


8. The Community Recreation Center (CRC) is a very popular addition to the Park District facilities and programs. What is your thinking about how to continue to leverage resources to support and expand its operations? What are your thoughts about the potential ongoing impact on the Park District’s annual budgets?


9. Park districts make use of many different sources of funding, including property tax revenues, fees, and grants. Recently, community members have raised concerns about the affordability of Oak Park Park District programs in comparison to surrounding communities. What would you say to those who raise this issue?


10. The Park District is largely staffed by part-time employees. How will you balance the need for fiscal stewardship and still pay employees a living wage? 


11. What approach should the Park District take towards local intergovernmental cooperation initiatives such as the Collaboration for Early Childhood? Are there other specific initiatives that you would like to implement or expand upon with other local and or regional governing bodies, and nonprofits? 


12. One of the Park District Board’s primary responsibilities is oversight of the Executive Director. What criteria do you believe the Board should use to evaluate the performance of the Executive Director?


13. Last November, Oak Park voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot initiative that proposed that voters be able to approve ordinances and policies though a direct vote. At this point the vote on the ballot initiative was advisory or non-binding. The next step is for the Village or any other taxing body in Oak Park (as reported by the Wednesday Journal, November 7, 2024) to decide whether or not to place the issue on the ballot as a binding referendum. Please share your views on this initiative.