New District 211 board takes seats

With a big smile and her purse on her shoulder Lynn Davis exited the Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 board room, as her term as a board member had ended.

Davis spent 12 years serving the board and did not run for re-election earlier this month. She exchanged hugs and thank-yous with District 211 staff. She also stopped by to say hello to new board members Mucia Burke and Bill Robertson, who were preparing for their first meeting.

“Good luck to you,” Davis told them. “Congratulations to the both of you.”

Debra Strauss also decided not to run, and Thursday would have been her final meeting as a board member. She was not present for meeting which ended her 12-year career on the board. Voters earlier this month also re-elected board Vice President George Brandt and board member Richard Gerber. Voters first elected Brandt to the board in 2007, while the board appointed Gerber to Theresa Tracy’s seats last year after the former board member died suddenly. Brandt and Gerber, plus Burke and Robertson took the election oath Thursday night.

The board also re-elected Robert LeFevere as its president and Brandt as vice president. They then elected Edward Yung as board secretary. Anna Klimkowicz was the only member who voted against all three nominations. Gerber made all three nominations.

Before the new members were seated, the board accepted the final results of the April 5 election, as released by Cook County, which counted 54,410 votes from 173 precincts in the District 211 election. The officials results had Brandt with 9,436 votes, or 17.3 percent; Gerber with 9,212 votes or 9.2 percent; Robertson with 8,985 or 16.5 percent; and Burke with 7,635 or 14 percent.

Former board member Charles Fritz came up short and earned 6,731 votes or 12.4 percent; M. Bryan Neal followed with 6,438 or 11.8 percent; and Roman Golash received 5,973 or 11 percent.