The issue took up a significant chunk of discussion time, but not all the questions Wilmette Park Board candidates fielded at a March 14 candidate forum were about the board’s lakefront master plan.
Nor was all the discussion about the two bond referendums the board hopes will pass in order to fund that plan.
Newcomer Ryrie Pellaton and incumbents Gary Benz, Jim Crowley and Shelley Shelly also talked about park district user fees, how much reserves the district should have and how much debt it should carry, whether commissioners should turn their eyes to the Sheridan Shores Yacht Club building, and the desirability of promulgating environmental education through district programs.
Still, the contentious referendum generated most of the differences between opponent Pellaton and the incumbents, who back the $12.7 million Gillson Park bond question and the smaller $1.8 million Langdon Park bond question that will join them on the April 7 ballot.
The League of Women Voters event at Wilmette Village Hall attracted a healthy crowd. Only one candidate in the race to win four board seats, newcomer Stephanie Foster, was unable to take part.
Crowley, a 24-year board veteran and his one-term colleagues Benz and Shelly presented a unified pro-referendum message.
The financial plan behind the bond questions is sound, each said. The renovation and building programs at Gillson and Langdon do not appreciably increase the amount of concrete along the lakefront, Crowley said.
“We don’t believe in blacktopping the world,” he said. “The idea that we’re just throwing concrete down there is really misleading.”
Shelly told listeners that much of the work is federally mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act and must start this year, while Benz touted master plan proposals for walking paths, butterfly gardens, and additional natural and native plantings.
Pellaton, who is part of the Save Wilmette Lakefront anti-referendum campaign, questioned their claims and decried what he called a lack of imagination by current board members as they pursued the lakefront plan.
Pellaton said that voting against the referendums – which he urged listeners to do – “wouldn’t preclude us from doing a different referendum for a different amount of money, for a different scope of project.”
When asked what the board would do if the referendums fail, Crowley said project work would go forward in “bits and pieces over a longer period of time. It would be robbing Peter to pay Paul.”
He and Shelly also said they would support doing little or nothing at tiny Langdon Park, if the referendums fail.
“I would prioritize making Gillson ADA-compliant,” Shelly said.
Despite being on opposite sides of the referendum question, candidates were sometimes closer on other questions.
Benz told questioners who wanted to know what level of debt the district should shoulder that “the appropriate level of debt is what the voters agree to,” while Pellaton said, “I don’t think it’s rational to think they won’t have any debt, although minimizing it is a good idea.”
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All four candidates said the park board should consider the possibility of bidding for the Sheridan Shores Yacht Club building lease when the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District renews the lease in 2016. All four also said such consideration would have to be very careful.
“There are issues … regarding our lakefront park land that can be handled by private organizations,” rather than government bodies like the park board, Benz said, referring to the park board’s 2013 decision against trying to take over management of Wilmette Harbor.
All four candidates support making the park district a place to learn about environmental issues such as the Great Lakes basin. Crowley suggested if the park board did acquire the yacht club building lease, it might be a good site for such educational efforts.
The candidates also said they would support reviewing the district’s user fee structure, which provides about 65 percent of the district’s revenue. While they all agreed that non-resident user fees might be worth increasing, Pellaton pointed out that the district can’t deny park access to non-residents, “and I don’t think we should.”
In opening and closing statements, the candidates tried to highlight their own strengths and board aims.
“I continue to have no agenda, other than the belief that parks should be maintained for all citizens,” Benz said.
Shelly, who is a fervent supporter of the district’s new paddle tennis facility, also said she and her family have used many park district programs.
“As a parent and user of park district facilities, I understand the needs of the users of Wilmette,” she said.
Pellaton said one of his priorities is increasing communication with Wilmette residents through a survey.
“I hope to be elected, whether or not the referendum passes, to offer my insight,” he said.
Crowley, who said he would provide continuity on the board if elected, said he hopes to reach out to the recently fire-gutted Woman’s Club of Wilmette. He said at least one of the freshman candidates and perhaps both will be elected, adding, “I vow to support you no matter what.”
He also offered a diplomatic message to voters: “We don’t often have a contested election where two sides have such passion, and that leads to a better informed electorate.”
To access the Wilmette LWV voters guide, with information on all four district candidates, visit lwvwilmette.org/files/voters_guide_2015_.pdf.
To view streaming video of the forums, visit http://www.wilmette.com click on the “Online Tools” menu, choose “streaming video,” then go to “special programs.”
Twitter: @pioneer_kathy
Wilmette Park Board election
Open seats: four
Term: four years
Candidates: five
On the ballot: Gary Benz, Jim Crowley, Stephanie Foster, Ryrie Pellaton, Shelley Shelly