New look for District 200 school board

It was a bittersweet election in Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 for incumbent Rosemary Swanson.

Although she finished as the top vote-getter in the seven-candidate field, she also lost a friend and colleague. Fellow incumbent John Bomher failed in his bid for a third term and Swanson said it will be a loss for the board.

“Clearly this is a non-incumbent year, just generally for everybody,“ said Swanson, who will be joined on the board by newcomers Jim Vroman and Jim Gambaiani. “I think that played a big part.”

A third incumbent, Marie Slater, did not run for re-election. The new board members take their seats during a special meeting May 2.

Swanson said she managed to avoid the anti-incumbent tide because of her track record.

“I have worked hard for 12 years and people know me and what I stand for,” said Swanson, who will serve her fourth term.

Bomher said he had hoped to be around for the sale of the old Hubble Middle School site. However, he also said major issues like Hubble tend to cross over different boards and that it was a similar situation when he arrived during renovations of Longfellow Elementary School in the early 2000s.

Bomher wished the new board well and said he was proud of the work he did during his eight years.

“Whenever you’re in those positions, you make decisions based on what you think is in the best interest of the students,” he said. “If you do that, you sleep well at night. It’s a challenging position but it’s very rewarding.”

With the budget and the disposition of the old Hubble Middle School site on the horizon, the new board will be expected to get going almost immediately.

That suits Vroman just fine. Having recently retired, he said he had time to meet with all of the principals of the schools to learn their concerns.

He said his years of civic involvement, including coaching in local leagues, gave him a support base that he reconnected with.

He said his meetings with principals were important in order to get to work.

“I know I need to learn a lot more,” he said. “But I think that insight has given me a jump-start.”