Challenger to Crespo's seat emerges

A Schaumburg Township Elementary District 54 board member announced Tuesday she'll run as a Republican against state Rep. Fred Crespo in 2008.

Peggy Brothman of Hoffman Estates was elected to the District 54 board in 2001 and is midway through her second term. She recently completed a two-year stint as president of the board.

Brothman said she was approached by the state GOP and has accepted the party's offer of support after a few weeks of deliberation.

"It's very nice to be asked," she said. "They knew of me through my elections and knew that this district is more conservative than not."

Brothman said she never thought of her school board service as a stepping stone to higher office but believes the district is an excellent local example of good government.

She cited the district's fiscal restraint and the school board's promise never to accept a budget that's not balanced.

Both, she said, have served the district well in staying financially strong.

The temptation to accept budgets that aren't balanced is always there, as it is for people in their private lives to rely on credit cards, Brothman said. But she believes the district's decision to "bite the bullet" years ago has served its constituents well.

This is an example from which the state might already learn, she said.

"It's obvious it's not working right now," she said of the state's overtime budget sessions. "I think one person can make a difference, maybe not immediately."

Brothman believes the connection she's made with the community through her school board work would serve her well in higher office.

She hopes to get her campaign off the ground quite soon, probably by knocking on doors as she has before.

Brothman isn't critiquing her opponent's record for the time being, but analyzing what she herself can bring to the district.

"I think the people in this area are looking for leadership that mirrors their own values and experiences," she said.

Crespo, also a Hoffman Estates resident and recently back from the mammoth budget session in Springfield, said his prime concentration remains serving the people of the district. He expected to have a Republican rival in the 2008 election, so knowing who it is doesn't have much impact on his immediate campaign plans, he said.

The 44th District includes all or parts of Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg, Streamwood, Hanover Park, Bartlett and Elgin.