mike doyle
wilmette park board
PERSONAL STATEMENT
Please tell us something about yourself and what would make you an asset to the Board of Park Commissioners.
My wife Sarah, daughter Tessa and I have been proud residents of Wilmette since 2013. I also graduated from Loyola Academy longer ago than I’d like to admit. Since moving here, the Wilmette parks and facilities have become our home away from home. Between the recreation center, beach, pool and parks we have been happily over-served by the vast array of Park District amenities and programs. I’ve been blessed to meet so many great kids and parents as a volunteer coach for 5 years and look forward to doing more coaching in the future (if the kids will let me).
The Wilmette parks do more than bring us great programming and joy. They have the power to bring us together. They are a uniquely awesome asset to Wilmette—socially, environmentally and spiritually. We should cherish them, nurture them, and invest wisely in them. The parks unite us.
My career in advertising has taught me that listening to and meeting the needs of the people is critical to success. And brilliant creative ideas and solutions can and should come from anyone. This is especially true with the Wilmette Park District. You, the residents, are in charge. These are your parks. So everyone’s voice needs to be heard—the vocal and often silent majority. I will work hard to be that voice. Your voice.
My wife Sarah, daughter Tessa and I have been proud residents of Wilmette since 2013. I also graduated from Loyola Academy longer ago than I’d like to admit. Since moving here, the Wilmette parks and facilities have become our home away from home. Between the recreation center, beach, pool and parks we have been happily over-served by the vast array of Park District amenities and programs. I’ve been blessed to meet so many great kids and parents as a volunteer coach for 5 years and look forward to doing more coaching in the future (if the kids will let me).
The Wilmette parks do more than bring us great programming and joy. They have the power to bring us together. They are a uniquely awesome asset to Wilmette—socially, environmentally and spiritually. We should cherish them, nurture them, and invest wisely in them. The parks unite us.
My career in advertising has taught me that listening to and meeting the needs of the people is critical to success. And brilliant creative ideas and solutions can and should come from anyone. This is especially true with the Wilmette Park District. You, the residents, are in charge. These are your parks. So everyone’s voice needs to be heard—the vocal and often silent majority. I will work hard to be that voice. Your voice.
responses to voter guide questions
1. What do you hope to accomplish as a Commissioner? Please explain why these goals are priorities for you.
In the last election, only 20% of residents voted for Park Commissioners. That means 80% of you had no voice in who represents your interests. We can only be truly united if more of you have a say in how your parks are run. With this in mind, I have 4 key priorities.
1) Improve community involvement and connection
I’d like to set up a Virtual Suggestion Box program where members of the community can proactively provide ideas to improve our parks and programming. One resident has developed a proposal to create a new disc golf course that would provide fun recreation for all ages. We need more ideas like these. I also support the current dog park initiatives that would give our canine friends (and their humans) a chance to socialize.
2) Inform and educate
We need to create awareness of and educate residents on the role of the Park District Staff and its Commissioners. That these bodies exist for the sole purpose of serving residents and our great parks. When collecting signatures for my place on the ballot, I was surprised at how few people had even heard of a “Park Commissioner.” We need to change that.
3) Create programs and more revenue
While attending a Park District focus group a few years ago, I learned how we struggle to provide programming for teens and tweens. I’d like to establish a Creative Ambassador Program comprised of community teens/tweens tasked with brainstorming new programming ideas and presenting them to WPD staff. I’d do the same for residents 65+. We have a lot of smart, creative people of all ages in Wilmette—we need to hear from them.
4) Protect and beautify the parks for today and tomorrow
Preserving, protecting and enhancing our parks and beaches is critical for their short and
long-term vitality. The Gillson Park Master Plan and Langdon Park Shoreline Stabilization plan are immediate areas of focus. They need community input, sound fiscal management and must deliver long-term value. We also need to focus on landscaping plans which have been back-burnered for other priorities.
2. What are your financial priorities for Wilmette Park District (WPD) and how will you ensure they are implemented?
The WPD is a model for sound financial management. The fact that only 30% of the budget is funded by property taxes speaks to the sound financial stewardship of the Commissioners and Executive Director Wilson. And WPD taxes are actually declining—when’s the last time your taxes went down?
That said, each new initiative should be carefully scrutinized to insure that every penny is adding value and is being responsibly managed. On the Langdon project, I would work with and support fellow Commissioners to better understand (and perhaps negotiate down) the seemingly high fees for this project.
We should consistently support new ways to create more revenue (like the golf path) or revenue streams (e.g. new programming for teens and 65+) that we know residents will enjoy and pay for.
Finally, every decision must balance the short term investment and long term gain. What is the value any investment will bring the community today? What are the opportunity costs for not doing so? How will this impact our parks 3, 5, 10, or even 50 years from now?
3. Identify successes and/or failures you have seen in WPD’s COVID-19 response, as well as any changes you would like to see while the pandemic continues.
I believe the WPD did the best they could under extremely difficult circumstances and should be applauded for their efforts. They took the difficulty steps to cut costs. They met the very challenging restrictions set by the Restore Illinois Plan. They sought community input for programming knowing that many people had serious concerns about safety. Going forward, I’d like to see more ideas for outdoor programming and further attempts to solicit community input.
4. What are your priorities for the Gillson Park master plan?
My #1 priority is hearing from residents. Informed by that, my main priorities would be:
5. As compensation for WPD allowing stormwater reservoirs in three parks, the Village has agreed to fund specified improvements in those parks, including bathrooms and a fitness path at Community Playfields and bathrooms at Thornwood Park. Which specified improvements would you support and/or oppose and why?
I wholeheartedly support the one-mile fitness path proposal (of the 3 options). It will help bring Wilmette walkers and runners together and bring needed relief to the knees and backs of athletes of all ages. The path will add value to our community for many years to come. It is well worth the investment.
I think most would agree that having restrooms or porta potties in community parks are important—especially for folks who don’t live near the parks. They need restroom access. The question is what kind (permanent or portable) and where are they going to be placed? If permanent, they need to located away from homes to respect homeowners but close enough to where the majority of activities will take place. If portable, we need to understand the cost of maintaining these to put their cleanliness on par with permanent bathrooms. At Community Playfield, we should consider using the Wilmette Junior High bathrooms if an equitable agreement can be reached.
6. What, if any, are your environmental priorities for WPD and how you would ensure they are implemented?
7. How will you work to align WPD’s practices with its Statement of Inclusion? How broadly do you think diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives should extend (e.g., programming, park access, and hiring practices)?
For the Statement of Inclusion to have meaning, it needs to be backed by action. If elected, I would want to understand to what extend WPD practices currently align with this Statement of Inclusion. From there, we can look for ways to better align. How do we effectively measure our progress going forward? What are the metrics of success? Certainly, WPD employees and residents should have a safe forum where they can share their experiences, both positive and negative. The parks should be a force of unity and inclusion in Wilmette—a place where everyone feels respected, equal and welcomed.
In the last election, only 20% of residents voted for Park Commissioners. That means 80% of you had no voice in who represents your interests. We can only be truly united if more of you have a say in how your parks are run. With this in mind, I have 4 key priorities.
1) Improve community involvement and connection
I’d like to set up a Virtual Suggestion Box program where members of the community can proactively provide ideas to improve our parks and programming. One resident has developed a proposal to create a new disc golf course that would provide fun recreation for all ages. We need more ideas like these. I also support the current dog park initiatives that would give our canine friends (and their humans) a chance to socialize.
2) Inform and educate
We need to create awareness of and educate residents on the role of the Park District Staff and its Commissioners. That these bodies exist for the sole purpose of serving residents and our great parks. When collecting signatures for my place on the ballot, I was surprised at how few people had even heard of a “Park Commissioner.” We need to change that.
3) Create programs and more revenue
While attending a Park District focus group a few years ago, I learned how we struggle to provide programming for teens and tweens. I’d like to establish a Creative Ambassador Program comprised of community teens/tweens tasked with brainstorming new programming ideas and presenting them to WPD staff. I’d do the same for residents 65+. We have a lot of smart, creative people of all ages in Wilmette—we need to hear from them.
4) Protect and beautify the parks for today and tomorrow
Preserving, protecting and enhancing our parks and beaches is critical for their short and
long-term vitality. The Gillson Park Master Plan and Langdon Park Shoreline Stabilization plan are immediate areas of focus. They need community input, sound fiscal management and must deliver long-term value. We also need to focus on landscaping plans which have been back-burnered for other priorities.
2. What are your financial priorities for Wilmette Park District (WPD) and how will you ensure they are implemented?
- Minimize costs
- Increase revenues
- Calculate short and long term value
The WPD is a model for sound financial management. The fact that only 30% of the budget is funded by property taxes speaks to the sound financial stewardship of the Commissioners and Executive Director Wilson. And WPD taxes are actually declining—when’s the last time your taxes went down?
That said, each new initiative should be carefully scrutinized to insure that every penny is adding value and is being responsibly managed. On the Langdon project, I would work with and support fellow Commissioners to better understand (and perhaps negotiate down) the seemingly high fees for this project.
We should consistently support new ways to create more revenue (like the golf path) or revenue streams (e.g. new programming for teens and 65+) that we know residents will enjoy and pay for.
Finally, every decision must balance the short term investment and long term gain. What is the value any investment will bring the community today? What are the opportunity costs for not doing so? How will this impact our parks 3, 5, 10, or even 50 years from now?
3. Identify successes and/or failures you have seen in WPD’s COVID-19 response, as well as any changes you would like to see while the pandemic continues.
I believe the WPD did the best they could under extremely difficult circumstances and should be applauded for their efforts. They took the difficulty steps to cut costs. They met the very challenging restrictions set by the Restore Illinois Plan. They sought community input for programming knowing that many people had serious concerns about safety. Going forward, I’d like to see more ideas for outdoor programming and further attempts to solicit community input.
4. What are your priorities for the Gillson Park master plan?
My #1 priority is hearing from residents. Informed by that, my main priorities would be:
- Connectivity: Creation of a comprehensive plan that better links the park and accounts for pedestrian, vehicle and bicycle traffic
- Landscaping: Implement a cohesive plan focused on removing old vegetation and increasing native plants and trees
- Community: Establish more areas for the public to come together (e.g. covered and uncovered picnic areas for families/summer camps, Wallace Bowl enhancements)
- Shoreline: Ensure that any plan includes necessary structural improvements
5. As compensation for WPD allowing stormwater reservoirs in three parks, the Village has agreed to fund specified improvements in those parks, including bathrooms and a fitness path at Community Playfields and bathrooms at Thornwood Park. Which specified improvements would you support and/or oppose and why?
I wholeheartedly support the one-mile fitness path proposal (of the 3 options). It will help bring Wilmette walkers and runners together and bring needed relief to the knees and backs of athletes of all ages. The path will add value to our community for many years to come. It is well worth the investment.
I think most would agree that having restrooms or porta potties in community parks are important—especially for folks who don’t live near the parks. They need restroom access. The question is what kind (permanent or portable) and where are they going to be placed? If permanent, they need to located away from homes to respect homeowners but close enough to where the majority of activities will take place. If portable, we need to understand the cost of maintaining these to put their cleanliness on par with permanent bathrooms. At Community Playfield, we should consider using the Wilmette Junior High bathrooms if an equitable agreement can be reached.
6. What, if any, are your environmental priorities for WPD and how you would ensure they are implemented?
- Protect: The Gillson and Langdon Shoreline projects are critical to meeting this goal. We must also protect native plants and species (and increase their prevalence) through our landscaping plans
- Beautify: A comprehensive landscaping plan will need to be a focus going forward, especially as part of the Gillson Master Plan. Understandably, other initiatives have taken priority in the past but it’s time to move landscaping forward
- Involve: Encourage more community awareness and participation. The WPD partnership with Go Green Wilmette on guided nature outings are a great step toward increasing appreciation of Wilmette’s natural beauty. I would encourage more of these initiatives through community outreach and partnerships
7. How will you work to align WPD’s practices with its Statement of Inclusion? How broadly do you think diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives should extend (e.g., programming, park access, and hiring practices)?
For the Statement of Inclusion to have meaning, it needs to be backed by action. If elected, I would want to understand to what extend WPD practices currently align with this Statement of Inclusion. From there, we can look for ways to better align. How do we effectively measure our progress going forward? What are the metrics of success? Certainly, WPD employees and residents should have a safe forum where they can share their experiences, both positive and negative. The parks should be a force of unity and inclusion in Wilmette—a place where everyone feels respected, equal and welcomed.