Endorsements: Duffy, Rakow, Ramey for Elgin Community College

The board at Elgin Community College will see some turnover after the April 4 election.

Three 6-year terms are being contested, with retired Larkin High School educator John Duffy of Elgin running as the only incumbent on the ballot.

Also running are Poplar Creek Library Board President Candace McCreary of Streamwood, financial aid officer Shane Nowak of Elgin, human resources director Jennifer Rakow of St. Charles and ECC Foundation Board member Roger Ramey of Bartlett,

The ECC board will be losing Board Chair Eleanor MacKinney, a retired educator from Hampshire with 18 years of service on the board; and Finance Committee Chair Art Sauceda, an accountant from Bartlett who is completing his sole 4-year term.

Given the departure of that experience from the board, Duffy's long tenure and institutional knowledge becomes particularly valuable and we enthusiastically endorse him.

Duffy is the longest-serving member of the board and one of the longest of any elective position in Illinois or, for that matter, the country. He has served on the board since 1975, chairing the board seven times, and has helped oversee the college's evolution in those 42 years into a nationally recognized institution.

Still today, he maintains his passion. Asked why he's running again, Duffy told us, "Every year, now every semester, when you sit on the stage and watch the graduates walk across that stage, it makes every meeting worthwhile. Every walk of life, every age, every socio and economic condition - it's like a cross section of America is walking across the stage in front of you. It just takes your breath away."

Such feverish commitment ought not be turned away, and we're proud to support him.

Meanwhile, we're impressed with all the other candidates in the race. They're all thoughtful and caring.

In addition to Duffy, our endorsements go to Jennifer Rakow and Roger Ramey. We believe the two best understand the interconnectedness of educational pathways that lead to student success and the collaborative nature of ECC's educational operation.

We like McCreary, but believe her simultaneous service on the library board would be an unnecessary distraction. We like Nowak as well and hope he would find other ways to stay involved with the school.