Plenty of candidates in school board races
A wave of candidate filings this week means there will be plenty of new faces on the ballot for school districts in the greater Tri-Cities area, such as eight people running for three Elgin Community College seats and seven vying for three seats in Geneva.
But school districts also are losing some key leaders as well. Here's a look.
Dist. 303
The St. Charles Unit District 303 will lose two of its most vocal school board members this spring.
The district has three seats open and three candidates: But school board President Scott Nowling and Vice President Jim Chimienti won't be on the April ballot. Nowling decided not to run again after serving out his four-year term. He's spent the past year as school board president.
“I've kind of just felt like four years was a good amount of time,” Nowling said. “I asked myself if I could hold myself to the same level of commitment I've had for the past four years, and I was a little concerned about being able to do that.”
Nowling said he's not burned out on public service. He wouldn't rule out some other local, community-based involvement in the future. He added that he's pleased with all the positive changes in the district he's helped oversee during his term on the board.
“The board is really working together very well and disagreeing agreeably when necessary,” Nowling said. “I really feel the district is headed in a good direction, and the remaining board members are well prepared to carry that mission forward.”
Continuing on with that mission will be Kathy Hewell, who's been on the board since 2003. Replacing Nowling and Chimienti are Nick Manheim and Judith McConnell.
Manheim lives in the Wild Rose Elementary District. Local residents may recognize McConnell from her involvement with the Tri-City Tea Party Patriots organization.
Dist. 101
Five candidates are running for three, 4-year seats. At least one new face will be on the board because Kristin Behmer is not seeking re-election.
Incumbents Kathleen Roberts and Matt Winkle will run for another term and will be challenged Gregg Hodge, Cathy Dremel and Patti Kozlowski.
Kozlowski has lived in the district for more than 40 years and her two sons went through Batavia schools.
Kozlowski, who recently retired from teaching family and consumer science at West Chicago High School, said she is particularly interested in preserving programs like art and music in the face of trying budgets.
“It's so important to have a well-rounded education,” she said. “I thought (serving on the board) would be a great way to give back to the community.”
Hodge and Dremel could not be reached Tuesday.
Dist. 304
Geneva Unit District 304 has one of the most crowded fields of school board candidates. There are seven candidates for three seats. All three incumbents — Leslie Juby, Kelly Nowak and Board President Mary Stith — will seek new terms.
Four candidates are out to unseat them: Robert Cabeen, George Jackowiec, Patrick McCann and Michael McCormick.
Dist. 302
The majority of the Kaneland Unit District 302 school board is up for grabs in 2011. Incumbents Deborah Grant and Teresa Witt seek fresh terms. Incumbents Lisa Wiet and Diane Piazza did not file to retain their seats, as of the latest information available from the district. Attempting to replace them will be Tony Valente, Joe Oberweis and Patrick Denlinger.
Dist. 129
The district has five candidates for four, 4-year seats.
Amie Thompson, Allyson Herget, Maricela Perez, Robert “Bob” Gonzalez and Angela Smith all filed petitions to run. Herget, Perez and Smith are incumbents. Board member Jim Toynton, whose term is expiring, will not run for another term.
U-46
Only two of the four incumbents who are up for re-election on the Elgin Area School District U-46 school board have decided to run again.
They are Maria Bidelman and Amy Kerber. Board President Ken Kaczynski and former President Karen Carney, who has served on the board since 1991, did not file to be on the April ballot.
Kaczynski has said he is not running again so he can spend more time on his business. Carney said that after 20 years on the board, it was time to move on.
“It's time for the next generation to step in,” Carney said. “That doesn't happen unless you walk away.”
Bidelman and Kerber face four challengers: Gary Percy, Traci O'Neal Ellis, Jennifer Schroder and Mary VanSlyck.
Percy is a member of the Citizens' Advisory Council and an aircraft maintenance technician. He ran unsuccessfully for a board seat in 2009.
VanSlyck is also a Citizens' Advisory Council member.
The six candidates competing for four, 4-year terms on the board all have something in common: they all live in Elgin, according to the district.
ECC
Elgin Community College has a competitive race for its board of trustees, with eight candidates filing for three open seats.
Among those eight are two incumbents: board President Eleanor MacKinney and John Duffy. They are running on a slate with Elgin attorney John Dalton, who ran unsuccessfully for 16th Circuit judge this year. He said he was recruited to replace Trustee Phyllis Folarin, who is not seeking re-election.
The other challengers are L. Robert Russell, Darwin Adams, Richard Geary, Robin Lisboa and Edgar Pereda. Lisboa ran unsuccessfully for the ECC board in 2009, while Russell ran unsuccessfully for Kane County Sheriff this year.
WCC
There won't be any change in the leadership of Waubonsee Community College come April. All three incumbent filed for re-election: James K. “Jim” Michels, James E. “Jim” Pilmer and Karen L. Cotter.
Daily Herald staff writer Jameel Naqvi contributed to this report