Lake County Gazette

When parties started taking precedence over parks in Wildwood, Anna Nelson knew she had to step in.

“I’ve lived in this area for 25 years, and it’s near and dear to my heart,” Nelson told the Lake County Gazette. “The problems the district has had with finances are well known, and I want to make sure funds are handled correctly and residents are getting all that they deserve.”

Nelson is one of three candidates running for two spots on the Wildwood Park District Board.

A string of credit card expenses charged to the park district dating to 2014 made Nelson realize that the board might not be performing its job as expected.

The Arlington Heights-based Daily Herald has detailed how thousands of dollars in charges were billed to the district for items such as food, gift cards and employee awards. In all, critics have said approximately $6,000 in unexplained charges have been paid by the district over a year-long period.

Wildwood Park Director Maureen Jekot has defended the expenditures, even arguing that their existence proves how much her office was cutting back to deal with all of the economic challenges it faced. She said that a purchase of beef tenderloin was appropriate and was served at a holiday staff appreciation gathering to save the cost of going to a restaurant.

In Nelson’s mind, none of that addresses the most important issue facing the board: Why parks and recreational facilities across the area are no longer maintained as they used to be.

“The parks are deteriorating and I want to make sure they are maintained properly,” she said. “I want to see all the good times come back; it’s what the residents of this area deserve.”

Jared Labell, director of operations at Taxpayers United of America, said that with roughly 4,000 residents, three full-time employees, up to 40 part-time workers and an $819,000 budget for 2015-16, the Wildwood area might find spending to be "especially problematic.”

"Taxpayer-funded agencies like the Wildwood Park District should not spend its limited budget on thousands of dollars' worth of appreciation dinners, gift cards and other unnecessary perks," he told the Daily Herald. "Residents are rightfully upset and would like to see their tax dollars go toward proper infrastructure improvements and park services which need to be addressed instead of employee parties."

Nelson insists those are the very principles of her candidacy. She said the questions being raised by her and other concerned citizens are already making a difference.

“In previous years, credit card spending was always extremely high,” she said. “Since oversight of spending has become an issue, spending has dropped by two-thirds in some areas. It once was about $2,000 a month for things like food and other perks; now it’s down to as little as $500.”

Meanwhile, board treasurer Dan Van Erden insists the park district has taken steps toward better record keeping, including requiring lists be kept of people attending taxpayer-financed restaurant events.

Nelson also wants to know whether enough of the district's resources are devoted to maintenance and upkeep. There’s a growing dispute over efforts to fight things like swimmer's itch around Valley Lake.

“I just want to make sure funds are being allocated as they should and need to be,” Nelson said. “The list is long: sand for the beaches, boat ramps and maintenance are all major priorities.”