Politics & Government

Doug Ennis: Candidate for Elmhurst Park District Board

Ennis, who has a background as an athlete, coach and outdoorsman, says he is eager to bring new ideas to the Elmhurst Park Board.

Campaign Contact Information
www.dougennis.com

doug@dougennis.com

Family: Wife, Sandy; children, Collin, 13, and Anna, 7 

Education:

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  • Capella University, 2005, Masters Of Science, Information Technology
  • John Carroll University, 1993, Bachelors, Computer Science

Occupation: Senior manager, strategic accounts, at Infoblox

Why Are You Seeking Office? 

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The Elmhurst parks and recreation facilities are award-winning and a cornerstone to the value of life in our wonderful city. I am running for Park Board because I believe that we can do more to raise the quality of, increase access and usability of, and modernize our parks and facilities.

What will be your highest priority if elected?

My highest priority if elected to the Park District Board will be to ensure, advance and enhance our amazing and award-winning park system while holding the line on taxes.

What sets you apart from the other candidates?

I feel that the blend of my experiences as an athlete, volunteer coach and referee, technologist, and my time living and experiencing the outdoors in Colorado will bring a unique perspective to the future success of the Elmhurst Park District.

What types of amenities would you like to see in a south Elmhurst anchor park?

The south Elmhurst anchor park should not be a carbon copy of Berens, but we should apply the experiences from Berens to the south Elmhurst anchor park. A couple of new amenities that should be considered are platform/paddle tennis (a version of tennis on a heated court for year-round play), a training trail and an outdoor, multi-use court that could be used for hockey in the winter and basketball in the summer. The turf fields at Berens are heavily utilized, so I believe another set would be very beneficial.

The Park/City/School committee has been well-received as a way to conserve resources and save money for all three taxing bodies. The Park District, as steward of the land and keeper of grounds, plays a big role in that cooperation. Are there any new or expanded possibilities for intergovernmental agreements?

Two items that I would like to see explored between the Park/City/School committee are: a joint multi-use indoor facility that could be used for sports, events and tournaments, and sharing of resources and costs for information technology. Cooperation in IT will help increase our buying power while lowering costs and ultimately reducing the tax burden on residents.

Are the parks as safe as they can be? If there is room for improvement, what would you recommend?

The Park District and Elmhurst Police Department have an excellent relationship that has maintained our parks as safe places for our children. There is always room for improvement and advancement of safety, which may be accomplished with further education of the residents, and potentially the use of technology without infringing on resident privacy rights.

Do you favor any types of corporate sponsorships as a means to increase revenue?

I fully support the review of any potential joint relationship that could benefit the residents of Elmhurst by sharing costs and lowering the tax burden.

Is there anything else would you like to get across to voters?

This is a great time in the Park Board election cycle to vote for a candidate that has children who currently use our parks, has new ideas that will capture the future of where our parks must go, and will work extremely hard to ensure the residents' views and desires are represented in an open forum.


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