MK_031419

mokenamessenger.com election 2019
the mokena messenger | March 14, 2019 | 5
Name: Steven
Jacobson
Age: 45
Party: N/A
Town of
Residence:
Mokena
Occupation: C.O.O. of
Chicago Investment Advisory
Group in Mokena
Prior elected political experience:
N/A
Why are you running
for Mokena Community
Park District Board of
Commissioners?
My wife and I moved to
Mokena eight years ago to
raise our family. The five
of us have taken advantage
of the many programs and
facilities the park district
has to offer. This is a way
for me to give back to the
park district and to serve
our community.
What makes you the
best candidate for this
bagdon
From Page 4
as through partnerships,
sponsors and continue applying
for state-funded
grants. Having the updated
Comprehensive Master
position?
As a parent of two boys
and a girl, I bring my experience
within this community,
visiting park areas,
and being involved in recreation
programs and see
them in operation. I have
the ability to work for the
good of the entire community
and not for the interests
of one special interest
group. I am a good listener
and work well with others.
I am currently a board
member of the Mokena
Community Park District
Foundation and was a part
of the Delphi Committee
for the 2019-2023 Comprehensive
Master Plan.
What are the Top 3 issues
you see facing the
Board of Commissioners,
and what would you
do to solve them?
The use and continued
development of Yunker
Park seems to be a big
Plan allows us to apply to
these grants.
As far as the top issues
facing park district, it
comes down to providing
the best amenities, parks
and programing for the
least amount of money.
topic for the community.
There is a wide range of
opinions and thoughts for
the farm. The operations
and management will
need to keep an open line
of communication with
the community, offering
public forums and workshops
to gather input.
The current operations
and management of the
park district has done a
wonderful job over the
past few years restoring
integrity and fiscal responsibility.
We will need
to continue this positive
momentum with an emphasis
on communication
and transparency.
The park district has
a number of community
partnerships for recreation.
We need to continue
building and strengthening
these relationships,
creating new programs
and events for all age
groups.
Our goal is to be committed
to enhancing lives
through the power of
recreation by providing
exceptional parks, facilities,
programs, events and
services for all to explore
and enjoy.
Name: Timothy J. Ozinga
Age: 32
Party: Independent
Town of residence: Mokena
Occupation: Co-owner
and Executive Vice President
of Ozinga Bros., Inc.
Prior elected political experience:
N/A
Why are you running for Mokena
Community Park District Board of
Commissioners?
Being members in the community
for the past eight years, our family has
enjoyed participating in and volunteering
for numerous park district activities
and events over the years.
Living and raising our family down
the street from Main Park and Yunker
Farm, it’s been truly exciting to witness
the park district’s growth and development
firsthand. I would be proud
to contribute to that growth and work
to maintain all the recreational areas
throughout the district.
Serving on the park’s Board of Commissioners
would be an honor.
What makes you the best candidate
for this position?
As a husband and father, business
owner, and active community member,
I am committed to Mokena for the
long-term. Raising our four daughters,
operating our family’s business in the
village, and serving the community in
various ways has been a privilege as
my family and I live, work, and play in
this community.
I look forward to listening, learning,
and helping to advise the park district
from my experience as a business leader,
and provide oversight to make sure
the district is being responsible with
our investments, and has the long-term
interest of all the residents at heart.
I am currently serving on the Board
of Directors for Ozinga, our fourthgeneration
family business, and have
experience serving on other boards, as
well. I graduated from Trinity Christian
College with a bachelor’s in business
and political science and from
Northwestern’s Kellogg School of
Management with my master’s in business
administration.
What are the Top 3 issues you see
facing the Board of Commissioners,
and what would you do to solve
them?
With the community of Mokena continuing
to grow, it is important that the
Board of Commissioners continues to
listen and advocate on behalf of the
residents’ changing needs, ensure our
resources are being utilized wisely, and
provide oversight and guidance to the
parks and recreation team.
I intend to be a disciplined and courageous
advocate of the residents to
ensure our park district continues to be
one that serves the needs of the community
and is something we can continue
to be proud of for many years to
come.
dance
From Page 3
[Mom] would have to
distract us and my dad
would leave us crying with
Mom.”
St. Mary would arrange
the dances so that each
class, from kindergarten to
eighth grade, had its own
time on the dance floor
with the dads.
“I think the most memorable
moment was when
us three got to do our first
dance together in kindergarten,”
Clayre said. “So,
we were the first ones to
go in kindergarten. It was
just cool to just dance with
our dad alone for one song.
So, I feel like that was the
most memorable moment
each year.”
Up next was Magdie.
She remembers tagging
along with her older sisters
and having that feeling of
anticipation of finally getting
to leave the house on
that special night.
“I always wanted to be
like my older sisters; whatever
they did, I wanted to
do,” Magdie said.
For those keeping score
at home, that meant that
David now had five of his
daughters with him at the
same dance.
Eventually, Lauren did
graduate eighth grade and
move on to Providence
Catholic High School.
Now Kelly had someone
to help coordinate the dayof-the-dance
activities.
The penultimate daughter,
Mckenna, had a secret
trick to getting special attention
when it was her turn
to join four of her sisters.
“At the end, they would
call for all families to
come dance,” Mckenna
said “So, all five, six of us
would all go by Dad and
dance together.”
“Mckenna got Dad’s arm
spot because she was the
youngest,” Cascidy said.
“Yeah, I was the lightest,”
Mckenna said.
Finally, the youngest
daughter, Abai, had her final
daddy-daughter dance
on Feb. 9. And, as a special
swan song to their
father, the girls decided
they would send him off
by having all the daughters
crash the annual daddydaughter
dance together.
“We all got ready. All
the other sisters got to wear
black,” Abai said. “My dad
wanted me to wear black,
but I got to wear white.”
“She got to pop,” the
other sisters chimed in.
That final evening was
spent with all the Bandyk
daughters serenading their
father with a modified version
of “My Guy”: “My
Dad.”
“Seeing my dad’s face
and how happy he was and
shaking hands like he was
a celebrity with his whole
squad of girls behind him,
it was really awesome that
everyone put in the effort,
not only to get ready, but
to make sure it was a special
night to be there for
my dad,” Lauren said.
And David had a special
message for his daughters,
too.
“The father daughter
dance has been a sweet
and meaningful way to
share a special evening
with our amazing daughters,”
David read from a
prepared note. “We are so
blessed to have wonderful
kids who want to spend
time with their mom and
dad. The Valentine’s Day
will continue as a family
tradition for years to come.
“So, that’s what the father
daughter dance means
to me over the last 21 years
of getting everybody together,
prepping, dancing,
chowing.”