Q&A With Park Board Candidate Terry Mee

Terry Mee, a 30-year resident of Wheaton, is currently the vice president of the Park District board of commissioners. A former employee of the Wheaton Police Department, he is now Chief of Police in the village of East Dundee. He graduated with a bachelors degree from Western Illinois University and with a masters degree from National-Louis University. 

Wheaton Patch: What is the primary reason you are running for this office?

Terry Mee: I’d like to continue for at least one more term the collaborative effort with the community, the other Park Board members, and the Park District staff toward continuous improvement and the success of the Park District in its mission to provide the desired recreational, leisure, and athletic and personal well-being activities and facilities expected by the residents of the District.  

Patch: What will be your single most important priority if elected?

Mee: To provide non-fee and affordable fee-based varied leisure, athletic, and recreational activities for all resident taxpayers, and to offer reasonable non-resident fees that encourage non-resident participation in fee-based recreational activities that support the financial resources of the Park District; while continuing to maintain and improve the fiscal stability of the District during difficult economic conditions.

Patch: What sets you apart from the other candidates?

Mee: My long-term residence in Wheaton and 30-year career as a public servant and employee of the Wheaton Police Department. I routinely worked with residents, the police department and Park District to maintain and improve the quality of life in Wheaton. I am still a municipal employee, and public service is and has been an important part of my life. My cooperative, collaborative approach to service, focused on communication, is one key to success.

Patch: How long have you lived in Wheaton?

Mee: 30 years

Patch: What's your favorite thing about Wheaton?

Mee: Its residents, the diversity that the community offers, and the life that my Wheaton municipal employment and Park Board membership has offered me and my family.

Patch: What is the biggest problem facing the park district?

Mee: The demands of its programs continue to increase. In addition to protecting the facilities supporting the programs, we need to seek additional space and facilities to accommodate them. The former Hubble School site, used by the park district for many years, is of particular concern as a result of the school district’s decision to sell the property. Using that facility is critical to maintaining the programs that have been conducted there. 

Patch: What ideas do you have for the Wheaton Park District—whether new ideas or on current issues facing the board?

Mee: Evaluate available space to support park district operations and activities, focusing on affordability, accessibility and feasibility.

To oversee the financial structure of the Park District and evaluate and implement processes that are efficient at a lesser financial impact. 

To look toward a brighter economic climate that’d support the construction (or retro of an existing building) of a field house to provide athletic and recreational uses, including an indoor pool that  we don’t currently have.