Three races among the hottest in Lake County

Three Lake County political races have been generating far more controversy than others in the area ahead of Tuesday’s election.

The contests for seats on the Stevenson High School District 125 board, Grayslake Elementary District 46 board and the Island Lake village board have captured headlines and prompted plenty of chatter, both in the respective communities and online.

In Island Lake, six candidates — all are newcomers split into two slates of three — are running for three village board seats.

Charles Cermak, Allen Murvine and Mary Piekarski are aligned in one group. They’re facing Shannon Fox, Thea Morris and Joe Ptak. Three incumbents chose not to seek re-election.

Fox, Morris and Ptak have been outspoken critics of embattled Mayor Debbie Herrmann and her board allies. Ptak has been particularly vocal, telling the Daily Herald he couldn’t think of a single positive thing Herrmann has accomplished for the village since she was elected mayor in 2009.

The election comes at a time when a majority of sitting trustees have been trying to erode Herrmann’s powers, voting to take away her ability to unilaterally discipline personnel and making other plays against her.

The moves prompted Herrmann to sue the four-member majority. At a recent board meeting, village attorney Stewart Diamond said the lawsuit would be dropped if the election shifts the balance of power on the board to Herrmann’s favor.

In the Stevenson High School board race, seven candidates are after four seats. The hopefuls are split into two groups.

Incumbents Bruce Lubin, Terry Moons and Merv Roberts are running as a slate with newcomer David Weisberg. Challengers Kim Brady, Charles Cardella and Kathy Powell formed a rival group.

At least one person from the first group is sure to be elected to the Lincolnshire-area board.

The incumbents’ campaign has stressed strong fiscal management, the strong academic performance of Stevenson’s students and their combined decades of experience as board members.

The challengers have criticized that experience, saying new blood is needed. They’ve also accused the board of bad financial management, saying it spends too much and collects too much in property taxes.

Other accusations have flown from both camps and their supporters.

The challengers have attacked an early campaign document from their rivals that sought to paint them as conservative extremists. The incumbents and Weisberg have said they never followed that strategy, but some of their supporters have.

There were other controversies, too.

Voicing concerns about books on Stevenson reading lists, Brady, Cardella and Powell endorsed formation of a parental committee to advise teachers on curriculum choices — a move the board has opposed.

They also said — in a campaign website posting that later was deleted — science teachers should encourage the “strengths and weaknesses” of evolution to be studied. Cardella repeatedly used the phrase in interviews and at forums.

National defenders of evolution say the phrase is used by creationists to undermine the teaching of the theory that man evolved over the millennia. Cardella and his allies have denied they want creationism taught in science classes.

In the Grayslake District 46 race, charges and countercharges involving some of the candidates became as much a part of the campaign as the issues.

Both incumbents defended their records in fiscal responsibility and creating a positive work environment for employees. The challengers contend change is needed to be more responsive to taxpayers and to create more transparency in spending.

Voters will select from incumbents Mary Garcia and Susan Facklam, and political newcomers Marchell Norris, Shannon Smigielski and Kip Evans for three, 4-year seats. Garcia and Facklam are supporting each other, as are Norris and Evans.

Last month, Norris was implicated in the censure of District 46 board member Michael Carbone. The board, including Garcia and Facklam, voted 6-1 in favor of a resolution that included an accusation Norris engaged in subterfuge to try to obtain a password to access a substitute teacher list at Carbone’s direction in February.

Norris, a private business owner from Round Lake, emphatically denied the accusation and said last week district officials had yet to provide her attorney with any evidence to back up the claim made at a March 16 meeting. She said she was disappointed in how Garcia, Facklam and their supporters conducted themselves in the election.

“I thought it would be contested,” Norris said, “but I thought it would be a little more aboveboard, a little more professional.”

Garcia, a Grayslake resident who’s a teacher and union local president at Northbrook/Glenview Elementary District 30, had to dodge accusations as well. Her position with the teachers union made her a target for claims she brings partisan politics to the District 46 board, which she denied.

At minimum, one political newcomer will join the four sitting board members. Garcia said she hopes the elected officials would be willing to go through a self-evaluation with the Illinois Association of School Boards to discuss their differences and agree to work together on education issues.

“That way, everything can be laid on the table and left on the table,” Garcia said.

Ÿ For a compilation of candidate profiles and questionnaires and issue stories, go to dailyherald.com/news/politics/election. You’ll also find a recap of the Daily Herald’s editorial board endorsements online and on Tuesday’s editorial page.