nancy johnson
Wilmette Park district
candidate video
responses to voter guide questions
I moved to Wilmette 47 years ago because I wanted to be closer to the lake, especially Gillson and South Beach. I found I also love my neighborhood park, and I walk there every day. I am a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, I have a Master of Arts in Teaching from Northwestern and I taught school for several years in Chicago, In 1990 I became a licensed Illinois Realtor. I am still a Realtor and I also manage property for my clients. My real estate and property management experience and my love of the parks qualify me and the Board’s decision to fence Gillson motivates me to be on the ballot for Park Commissioner.
Several pressing issues face the Park District – resolving the issues at South Beach, controlling finances, hiring a new Park Commissioner, increasing communication with residents. The current board lacks transparency. They kept the purchase of Beth Hillel for $15.5 million dollars a secret and it has no green space – it’s all bricks and mortar. The Board installed the fences and fees at South Beach without asking the residents for suggestions to handle disruptive behavior there. They kept the current commissioner although a lawsuit was pending and seven staff members resigned. I would advocate for better communication with the residents to prevent making bad decisions.
As a taxpayer, my financial priorities for the Park Board are to stay within the budget. To ensure fiscal responsibility I would reinstate the Finance Committee to monitor expenditures and find grants and partnerships to make improvements, such as the recent state of Illinois $600,000 grant to Hibbard Park.
I understand the need for control over behavior at South Beach but I think the fence and the change to a swimming beach is the wrong solution. We already have two swim beaches - Langdon and Gillson. We need to keep South Beach free for quiet contemplation and appreciation of natural beauty. I’ve read the minutes of the 2024 meetings and it is not clear what behavior prompted this decision. I would work to find a better solution.
Lucy Mellon, the Sustainability Coordinator, has improved dune and shoreline management with native dune grass plantings and added dune signage. Native species will make up 85% of all new plantings and organic fertilizers will be used while pesticides will only be used when necessary. I commend these changes and going forward I would like to see increased focus on waste management.
Several pressing issues face the Park District – resolving the issues at South Beach, controlling finances, hiring a new Park Commissioner, increasing communication with residents. The current board lacks transparency. They kept the purchase of Beth Hillel for $15.5 million dollars a secret and it has no green space – it’s all bricks and mortar. The Board installed the fences and fees at South Beach without asking the residents for suggestions to handle disruptive behavior there. They kept the current commissioner although a lawsuit was pending and seven staff members resigned. I would advocate for better communication with the residents to prevent making bad decisions.
As a taxpayer, my financial priorities for the Park Board are to stay within the budget. To ensure fiscal responsibility I would reinstate the Finance Committee to monitor expenditures and find grants and partnerships to make improvements, such as the recent state of Illinois $600,000 grant to Hibbard Park.
I understand the need for control over behavior at South Beach but I think the fence and the change to a swimming beach is the wrong solution. We already have two swim beaches - Langdon and Gillson. We need to keep South Beach free for quiet contemplation and appreciation of natural beauty. I’ve read the minutes of the 2024 meetings and it is not clear what behavior prompted this decision. I would work to find a better solution.
Lucy Mellon, the Sustainability Coordinator, has improved dune and shoreline management with native dune grass plantings and added dune signage. Native species will make up 85% of all new plantings and organic fertilizers will be used while pesticides will only be used when necessary. I commend these changes and going forward I would like to see increased focus on waste management.