Dist. 158 to interview board hopefuls

The Huntley Unit District 158 school board will interview candidates to fill Jim Carlin's empty seat on the board, following the district's past practice and avoiding controversy over vote totals.

Board President Shawn Green last week entertained the possibility of simply appointing the candidate who received the next-highest vote total in the spring elections, in this case, former board President Mike Skala.

This could have drawn accusations of favoritism and questions over fairness. Linda Moore finished just one vote behind Skala in the spring.

The board has avoided this situation by sticking with the interview process the district has used in the past, most recently to appoint board Vice President Tony Quagliano.

The successful candidate will serve on the board until the spring 2009 elections, when a two-year seat on the board will be open.

Skala said he is leaning toward applying for a seat but hasn't made a final decision.

"I think I'll probably end up submitting my name for the interview," Skala said. "It's not 100 percent definite."

The board vacancy opened up when Carlin, reportedly frustrated with the way things were going, resigned at the end of last week's board meeting, just six months after he was sworn in.

The board will interview candidates at 6 p.m. Nov. 12 or Nov. 13. The interviews will be open to the public. The new board member will be sworn in on Nov. 13.

Letters of interest, resumes and proof that you are a citizen and a registered voter in the county should be sent to Superintendent John Burkey by Nov. 7. If you're interested, call (847) 659-6158, ext. 6103.