Natalia Dagenhart is running for the Naperville Park District Board in the 2025 Naperville Consolidated Election.
Natalia Dagenhart is a mother, grandmother, writer, and artist
My name is Natalia Dagenhart, and I have been a Naperville resident since March 2002. I am a mother of two and a grandmother of two. I have a bachelor’s degree in teaching music in elementary and middle school. I also graduated twice from College of DuPage – one degree that I received was an Associate in Arts, and the other one was a Paralegal Certificate.
Since November 2013 I have been writing articles about classical music events that take place in the Chicago area and about other cultural and social events. I am a community contributor; it means I contribute my articles to various publications, but I am not employed by them. I am an independent writer. Currently, I mostly contribute my articles to Patch and the Daily Herald. I also post them on my website. For a few years, they appeared on the website of the Chicago Tribune. My first article was published in November 2013 about an event organized by Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic Church. I also write about concerts organized by DuPage Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Sinfonietta, New Philharmonic, and many other organizations.
Lately, I have become involved in local politics, although I am not a career politician. I help other candidates and serve as an Election Judge. Since 2022, I have been a commissioner on the Special Events and Community Arts commission (SECA). The SECA commission assists, informs and advises the City Council on matters related to the arts, culture, and special events in the city of Naperville.
I have been a member of the Naperville Art League since 2013. I am a self-taught artist. I have been serving my community for all these years, and now I want to keep serving it, but in a different role – as a Naperville Park District Commissioner.
Dagenhart seeks creative solutions to solve problems
I am running for the Naperville Park District commission because I want to serve my community. I care about Naperville parks and facilities. We often take walks in our parks. Also, I have signed up my children for classes organized by Naperville Park District. I devoted my time taking them there and waiting for them. I paid for those classes. I pay taxes that go to the Naperville Park District. I am a mother of two and a grandmother of two. I mostly want to do it for them, for their future, and for the future of all Naperville children. I want to be the voice of Naperville moms, dads, grandparents, and children. I am not a career politician; I am a Naperville mother and grandmother. And I will do everything I can to voice the opinions of simple people, of our residents.
I am already a commissioner. Since July 2022, I have been serving on the SECA commission. A 1% Food and Beverage tax is used to fund SECA programs. I have experience serving on a commission that supports arts and culture and helps to beautify our town. Now, I want to serve on the Naperville Park District Board to help our residents stay healthy.
Besides that, I am a creative person, and I think outside of the box. I believe that I can use my creative approach to solve problems and by doing that help my community. I understand that I can’t change things all by myself, but I know that I can participate in board discussions of current issues and help to find solutions that will meet the interests of Naperville residents. I met with my constituents and learned a lot from them. I am looking forward to talking to even more people about their needs and their ideas of how we can together improve our parks and facilities and keep them safe, accessible and beautiful.
Dagenhart’s top three priorities are taxes, indoor space, and costs
My first concern is that our taxes are going up. Many people can’t afford it. Some of them must work two or three jobs to afford a comfortable style of living and pay their taxes. By doing that, they don’t have much time for their recreational activities, including playing sports, taking walks, and exercising. They don’t have much time to spend with their families. The Naperville Park District increased the levy used to fund its operating budget in 2025. The levy increase exceeded 5%. We need to think about cutting some expenses or delaying some work that must be done. We must prioritize certain projects over others. We must prioritize the needs of our citizens.
My second concern is that we have a critical need for indoor space where we can have various recreational activities. Particularly, our residents want to have an indoor pool in Naperville. Many of them travel to neighboring towns to take their children to swimming classes, for example. This must be fixed without overspending our budget. For example, instead of building a new facility, we can look at options such as finding and leasing an unused facility to meet the interests and needs of our residents.
Another issue is cost increases and the difficulty of registering for programs. For example, I found out that bus transportation costs for such programs as the popular summer day camps have increased as much as 25% in some instances. That’s not good. We need to ensure our costs are kept under control. We also need to simplify program registration.
Nowadays, children, teenagers, and even adults spend excessive time on the screen instead of being outside or attending sports activities and various health programs. We need to give them a chance to enjoy our programs and facilities! Spending time outside and exercising is good for a child’s body and mind. It’s good for their mental health as well.
A note from NCTV17
The written content above was submitted by the candidate. The video interview was produced by NCTV17 as part of the Meet the Candidates series. All candidates running for the 2025 Naperville Consolidated Election were interviewed using the same question format.
The placement of this interview on our website does not represent an endorsement of the candidate.
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