Locally, too, voters deserve a choice
I know that everyone is talking Trump vs. Hillary, but election season never ends. Did you know that the time for candidates to collect signatures for next April's consolidated (local) election is now?
The first day to lawfully circulate nomination petitions was Sept. 20, 2016. For nonpartisan positions, the submission dates are Dec. 18-26, 2016. These positions include three or four seats on every school board, three seats for College of DuPage, library boards, park district boards … city councils and mayors … Note: there are a handful of city/village offices that have an ordinance to hold a municipal primary - for those few the papers' turn-in dates are Nov. 21-28, 2016.
These are local, inexpensive elections. Unfortunately, many will be filled by the only person(s) who signed up to be on the ballot. Taxpayers deserve a choice. Anyone who has followed the corruption of the previous COD board, or the controversial school issues knows that something needs correcting. In 2015 we elected the "Clean Slate" to COD. They are well on their way to correcting the problems that whistle-blowers and watchdogs identified. In 2017, the COD board needs reinforcements.
The latest school controversy is the push by administrators and the federal government to allow gender confused students to use the locker room of the opposite biological sex, without letting the parents of other students know about it. Why do the desires of one student trump the privacy rights of others? Why would a district decide that parents don't need to know what is happening to their children, or what their children are being taught? How wide spread is this issue? And let's not forget about curriculum and spending issues.
Please consider running. Voters deserve a choice.
Jan Shaw
Wheaton