Interest low for Lake Co. school boards
The longtime superintendent in Libertyville District 70 is retiring but a replacement process is well underway.
The district has no deficit and boundaries are not an issue. So why all the interest in the school board?
"People care," says Anne Brandt, one of 11 candidates, including three incumbents, who filed simultaneously Tuesday to fill four seats on the school board.
Altogether, 19 people pulled petition packets in the first contested District 70 race in 12 years, and the it could become more crowded by Monday's filing deadline.
Schools were closed Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, so Tuesday was the first chance for candidates to file for school board seats.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the level of participation shown in District 70 was an exception among Lake County school districts.
Wauconda Community Unit District 118 reported six candidates, including all four incumbents, filing simultaneously Tuesday for four seats.
But that was one of the larger turnouts, a spot check showed.
As of midday, no candidates had filed in Gurnee School District 56, Warren Township High School District 121 or Gavin District 37.
Only two candidates had filed for four seats in Community Consolidated District 46 in Grayslake, and fewer candidates than the number of open seats had filed in Big Hollow District 38, Lake Zurich District 95, Grant Community High School District 124, Community High School District 117, Diamond Lake District 76 and Mundelein District 75.
Because candidates appear on the ballot in the order they file, a lotteries will be held at times determined by the individual districts for those who filed simultaneously.
One theory is that would-be candidates are waiting for the deadline so they appear last on the ballot instead of the middle of the pack.
In Hawthorn District 73 based in Vernon Hills, for example, seven packets for three spots were picked up, but only two candidates had filed as of Tuesday afternoon.
Elsewhere in the county, there will be some challenges in township races, where all seats, including supervisor, clerk, assessor, highway commissioner and four trustee spots on town boards are open for contest.
In Vernon Township, Vernon Township Democrats are fielding a full slate to challenge incumbents running as the Township Citizens Party. It is the first challenge in many years.
Challengers say the system is stale and entrenched and needs to be more responsive.
Daily Herald staff writers Phil Collins, Lee Filas, Tony Gordon and Vince Pierri contributed to this report.