Sparks fly over campaign cash at Dist. 214 meeting

It's been almost a year since Northwest Suburban High School District 214's heated election, but hard feelings still linger around the board table.

Board members Leslie Pinney and Bill Dussling argued at Thursday's board meeting about Pinney's inquests into a recent District 214 contract to buy five vans from Lattof Chevrolet of Arlington Heights. The contract was for $104,000, according to District 214 reports.

During the March 6 school board meeting, Pinney said it didn't appear proper to accept a bid from a company who had made campaign contributions to some District 214 candidates. Lattof contributed about $500 to the re-election campaign of Dussling, Alva Kreutzer and Bob Zimmanck, according to their campaign spokesman.

Lattof was also the only company to bid on the van purchase.

Dussling asked Pinney on Thursday to withdraw her comments from the March 6 meeting minutes.

"Your insinuations have done damage to this board," Dussling said. "Mrs. Pinney, I request you withdraw your comments."

Pinney refused and accused Dussling of trying to intimidate her.

"I won't," she said. "I have a fiduciary responsibility to look into this, and I won't be moved by your rage, intimidation or public scolding."

When it came time to approve the minutes, the board deadlocked with Dussling, Zimmanck and Miriam "Mimi" Cooper voting not to approve them. Pinney, along with board members Lenore Gonzales Bragaw and Jim Perkins, voted to approve the minutes. Board member Alva Kreutzer abstained because she wasn't at the March 6 meeting.

The tie vote puzzled Superintendent David Schuler, who vowed to research what happens when a school board doesn't approve meeting minutes.

Pinney chided her fellow board members after the meeting.

"I thought this board was against censorship," she said. "I don't think they want me to ask questions."

Pinney was referring to her 2006 proposal to pull nine books from the district's required reading list because of content she said was sexually graphic, vulgar and violent.

The ensuing saga drew hundreds to a six-hour board session and prompted dueling Web sites on the issue. The board eventually voted 6-1, with Pinney dissenting, to keep the books on reading lists.

In April 2007, the Dussling, Kreutzer and Zimmanck slate coasted to re-election, and ran on a record of solid test scores and balanced operating budgets. However, the group also used Pinney's move to yank the texts from required reading lists to fuel their campaign.

Pinney has been on the District 214 school board for two years when she beat an incumbent by about 400 votes. During her campaign, Pinney pledged to bring her Christian beliefs to board decision-making and raised a record $20,000, largely from Christian conservative groups with state or national roots.