Dist. 125 campaign document calls foes “extremists” and “backward”

A campaign document produced by a team of Stevenson High School District 125 board candidates and their supporters recommended they paint their opponents as “narrow-minded,” “exclusionary” and “extremists.”

On a page titled “Messaging Worksheet,” the document further says the targeted candidates “will ruin (the) school” if elected and will “hurt education”.

The document was provided to the Daily Herald by candidate Charles Cardella, a challenger running with political newcomers Kim Brady and Kathy Powell. It was produced by the campaign of their opponents — incumbents Terry Moons, Bruce Lubin, Merv Roberts and newcomer David Weisberg.

Moons and her allies are running as the “United for Stevenson” slate. Cardella, Brady and Powell are running as “The 1-2-5 Team,” with those numbers representing their ballot placement.

The “United” candidates confirmed the five-page document Cardella supplied is real. Moons said it was leaked to a supporter of the opposition group by one of her group’s volunteers.

Moons said she’s embarrassed by the document and said her team rejected it shortly after it was written.

“It was never meant for anyone to see,” she said. “And we never went back to that document.”

But Brady believes the “United for Stevenson” group’s supporters are following the plan. Brady said he has received copies of e-mails that describe himself and his electoral allies in negative terms that conflict with his group’s stated platform.

“While they may not be using it themselves... it is being used by the grass-roots campaign and their supporters,” he said.

The seven candidates are running for four seats with 4-year terms on the school board, which predominantly serves the Lincolnshire and Buffalo Grove areas.

The leaked document is dated Jan. 17 and was created by a strategic planning committee, a campaign representative said. Campaign personnel said it was not circulated to the entire “United” team.

The document stemmed from an early campaign work session “in which we had a talk about trying to characterize their campaign,” Moons said. It compares the two groups of candidates’ stances on issues such as taxes, quality of education and family values.

One chart accurately says Cardella’s group favors creation of a parental curriculum committee, and that they believe Stevenson’s reading lists contain some inappropriate books.

But the document also accuses Cardella’s group of wanting intelligent design — a variation of creationism — to be taught in science classes. All seven candidates have publicly denied creationism should be taught in science classes.

The “Messaging Worksheet” appears a few pages later. It describes Cardella, Brady and Powell using terms including “divisive and destructive”.

Moons insisted she and her allies never use terms like those to describe their political opponents.

“We never say anything about them personally,” she said. “We say, ‘Here are the facts.’”

Moons also said the document was disregarded “right after we wrote it.”

Weisberg distanced himself from the document and the labels it affixed to the opposition candidates.

“There’s no place for that in the campaign,” he said. “We’ve got to be above that.”

Cardella admitted he’s never heard any opposition candidate use the phrases in the memo but said their supporters “have taken it and run with it.”

He urged Moons, Roberts, Lubin and Weisberg to end “this vitriolic campaign.”

“A candidate does not have control over supporters or what they say,” Cardella said. “But certainly you can set a tenor and a code of decorum.”