Kane GOP nabs regional superintendent job without a fight

When Kane County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay asked if local Democrats had slated any candidate for regional school superintendent this week, Democrats in attendance looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.

Because of that, Kane County residents will not wait until November to find out who the next superintendent will be. The county board will likely vote next week to confirm McConnaughay’s appointment of Pat Dal Santo to fill the unexpired term of Doug Johnson, who retired March 1. Kane County Clerk Jack Cunningham confirmed to the county board’s Executive Committee this week that no other candidates filed for the position by the June 4 deadline.

Kane County Republicans slated Dal Santo in April after she spoke in favor of government-funded vouchers to pay for private school tuition. She also said she believes it’s the responsibility of parents to handle sex education, not schools.

Dal Santo currently serves as the director of alternative programs for the Kane County Regional Office of Education. Truancy is one of the problems she’s working on. The numbers of truant students in Kane County reached new highs the previous two consecutive years.

At the same meeting next week, county board members will also be asked to approve the appointment of a Democrat Michael E. Madziarek to the Kane County Board of Review. That’s the board that oversees property assessment complaints. Democrat and former Kane County Board member Gerald Jones recently resigned from the board of review. A fellow Democrat must be appointed to replace him. The position pays $19,600.

Madziarek is currently an alternate member to the board. He is a senior adviser for Geneva-based Sperry Van Ness, a commercial real estate company. Madziarek is also an adjunct professor at College of DuPage, where he teaches real estate appraisal courses.