Three candidates will vie for two open seats on the Skokie Park District board during the April 4 election, marking one of the few contested races in the village.
The certainty about the election is that the park board will see at least one new face as current board President Jerry Clarito is not seeking reelection.
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That leaves Commissioner Mike Reid as the only incumbent in the race.
Khem Khoeun is on the ballot with Reid, and both candidates acknowledged they thought the race would be uncontested. But Kenneth Mantel threw his hat in as well.
Reid said he has been on the park board since 2005 and is seeking his third term after serving eight years as a Skokie School District 68 board member. He works as a credit manager, he said.
“I felt I did all I could do on the District 68 board and it was suggested I run for the park board and I’d be a good addition,” he said.
During his time on the board, Reid said, the Park District has put together a renovation plan for all the parks. He said the board most recently responded to concerns from residents about the conditions at Winnebago Park and work is scheduled there this spring.
Reid also noted the major renovation of the Skatium ice rink and this year’s slated renovation of the Weber Leisure Center as accomplishments during his board tenure.
“The Park District, I think, touches more households over a longer age span than any other government,” Reid said about why he has remained on the board for 14 years. “The Skokie Park District offers child care, from six months on at the Tot Learning Center, all the way up to senior programming.”
Khoeun said she is a 12-year resident of Skokie who is used to being active — mostly with the immigrant community in the Chicago area. A former community activist and organizer, she said she took some time off and then joined the board of directors of the National Cambodian Heritage Museum in Chicago.
“Our family is very familiar with the Park District,” she said. “We utilize it all the time. I actually bought my house a couple years ago in front of Laramie Park because of the park. We love the outdoors and we love the space for our children to grow up in.”
Khoeun said that since most of her work has been in the broader Chicago area, she believed it was time to become involved more locally.
About 30 percent of Skokie is Asian American, she said, and one of her goals would be to find ways to get that community involved.
“I see my role participating in the Skokie Park District as an opportunity to invite and engage (ethnic) communities,” she said. “We’ve got other groups that have tried to open themselves up and be welcoming to the foreign immigrant community here and I think I can be a part of that in terms of being a liaison.”
Khoeun said she wants to advocate for more programming for immigrant community members.
Mantel moved back to Skokie a year ago, but he said he lived in the village from fifth grade through college. One reason his family returned is because of his young children who he said would benefit from Skokie, including its parks.
Mantel said he works in regulatory compliance in contract administration in the health insurance field and writes policies.
“Running for the park board is just something that evolved from discussion with my neighbors,” he said.
Mantel said he has always been an involved person, from being secretary of his fraternity to serving as condo association president when he lived in the city.
“Leadership and being able to help with my community have always been important to me,” he said. “It’s just the greatest feeling when people tell you how much they appreciate it.”
Mantel said there are a lot of people like himself who are moving back to the area with families that include kids.
“Everybody talks about how much they love the park programs and the pools,” he said. “My kids absolutely love the Skokie Water Playground. It’s just amazing what it looks like now compared to when I was a kid.”
Mantel said he wants to continue “a fiscal conservative approach” to maintain the high standards of the park district. He favors reaching out to the business community more to offset the tax base, he said.
“Although we have great parks, great infrastructure, I want to make sure that I can provide as much as I can for my kids’ future so they experience the same opportunities that I did,” he said.
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Mantel said the park board needs a voice for younger families — even while acknowledging the current board has done “an amazing job” overseeing the Park District.
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