Two candidates with experience on the Pleasant Dale Park Board will face off April 7 for a two-year term.
Mark Radulski is the current vice president of the Park Board, and Brad Tertell is a former member who served for 20 years.
Tertell said he is looking to return to the board because he is concerned about the financial condition of the district.
“They purchased the old Chalet many years ago and they lost a lot of money on that,” Tertell said.
The Burr Ridge resident said he also wants to see more programs for adults and senior citizens.
“Right now, there is not much offered for those two age groups,” Tertell said. “Most everything is for younger kids.”
Tertell said maintaining open space in the area is a big concern of his.
“I helped secure the land for three different parks. I was a driving force for them,” Tertell said. “When they talked about Flagg Creek (Golf Course), I worked three years on that.”
He said he thought more than two decades of service to the park district was enough, “but now I am concerned and decided to get involved to help with overseeing things.”
A certified public accountant, Radulski, who was appointed to the board in 2010 and elected to a four-year term in 2011, said he will continue to take an active role in the district’s finances.
“When I came in, the park district was having financial hardships,” Radulski said. “Through my guidance, we have gotten internal auditors and have gotten our finances and our budget in order.”
He said eliminating the Chalet, which had been a growing financial concern, has stabilized the district’s financial situation. Radulski said the district now gets healthy and clean audits.
Radulski said he wants to continue his active governance role.
“We need to encourage efficiency without sacrificing quality,” Radulski said.
He said he is proud that he stepped in when the district had a lot of financial risk and, with the operating team of the district, was able to mitigate that risk.
“One benefit of me being on the board is that I give financial oversight, ensuring tax dollars are utilized the best way possible,” he said.
Tertell said he could not sit idly by and watch things happening at the district with which he didn’t agree.
“When I am concerned, I am going to try to do something, not just pay lip service,” Tertell said. “There are a, lot good things they do. There is a lot good stuff, a lot of nice land. I want to make sure we maintain that. Some people on the board might feel there are too many parks. I do not want to see us get rid of any parks.”
The candidates
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Mark Radulski
Age: 38
Residence: Willow Springs
Occupation: Senior financial analyst with Motorola Solutions
Education: Bachelor of arts degree in communications from Eastern Illinois University; CPA certification earned after accounting courses at College of DuPage
Civic experience: Vice president of Pleasant Dale Park Board
President of Flagg Creek Golf Advisory Board
Brad Tertell
Age: 64
Residence: Burr Ridge
Occupation: Retired, formerly in real estate industry for more than 30 years
Education: Bachelor of science degree from Western Illinois University
Civic experience: Pleasantdale Fire District Board member; member of the Pleasant Dale Park Board for more than 20 years.