Wadhwa, Harada win for Oakton board

Patricia Harada and Jody Wadhwa won two, 6-year terms on the Oakton Community College board, in a tight three-candidate race.

With all precincts reporting early today, unofficial totals showed Harada and Wadhwa leading student trustee Eric Staley.

Harada led with 14,772 votes and Wadhwa had 12,850 to Staley’s 12,572 votes.

One of the new board’s most pressing tasks will be to oversee a five-year, $68.5 million construction and renovation plan approved in December that will add 75,000 square feet of infrastructure to the campus, including a science and health building.

In his fourth term, the 76-year-old Wadhwa of Northbrook hopes to advocate for seniors and returning students who want to retrain or hone their skills. He’s also pushing for a program that would provide a guarantee for vocational students who could repeat a course for free if they don’t meet an employer’s standards.

Harada, a 55-year-old Wilmette resident, said her primary goal is to maintain competitive tuition rates in order to make programs and services accessible.

An executive at a company that provides energy project financing and LED lighting products, Harada also works as an arbitrator in the Circuit Court of Cook County.

She said she’ll bring a fresh and open-minded perspective guided by her business and legal skills, as well as her experience as a volunteer and education advocate.

Harada said she would support increasing the property tax rate from .014 to .015 per $1,000 to help fund the expansion project, citing the need to prepare students through technology upgrades.

Staley, a 37-year-old Northfield resident, is working toward his associate’s of arts degree at Oakton and serves as student trustee. He also owns a business designing and building organic vegetable gardens.

Staley said he represents the growing number of adults who need to add to their skill set by enrolling at a community college, and he believes he can contribute to the respectful and helpful atmosphere he found on campus.

He said that even though Oakton has a relatively low tax rate, he doesn’t foresee the college seeking a tax hike in the near future given the economy and district’s dense population.

Instead, Staley is hopeful the expansion project will be funded not through a tax increase, but rather bonds, government grants, reserves and student fees.

Sitting board member Sharon Rossmark didn’t seek re-election.