Candidate who truly walks the talk

Being an Illinois public school superintendent for over 16 years, I have met many politicians who say they support public education but who never fulfill those promises with their actions.

Likewise, we have all heard candidates state they will vote for the local property tax owner but in reality they only support the political bosses who paid for their campaign.

This November, the voters of the 66th Legislative district have a choice to select someone who walks the talk. I fully support Nancy Zettler, a proven leader who walks away from Political Action Committees and truly supports public education.

Zettler's opponent, Allen Skillicorn, says he is for the local property taxpayer but votes for and encourages Tax Increment Financing. TIF's hurt public school districts. And where did nearly a half-million dollars for Allen's primary come from? Political bosses with no ties to our community at all. And what was Skillicorn's response to whether he supported the Longmeadow Parkway referendum? Well, no one knows because it was typical political doublespeak.

In 2006, District 300 was at a critical juncture. Many people, including The Daily Herald, did not support the D300 referendums. In 2006, District 300 had a $39 million budget deficit, 36 mobile classrooms, numerous life safety issues and serious classroom overcrowding. Some people in our school district felt it was a hopeless situation and publicly advocated for the state to take over the district.

Nancy refused such naysayers and worked to mobilize hundreds of volunteers to successfully pass two referendums. She works to support public education and embraces holding school districts accountable. Nancy also has refused to accept campaign donations from powerful Democratic bosses. Nancy has repeatedly proven she "walks the talk."

Kenneth Arndt

Algonquin