Vacant Palatine District 15 board seat gets 14 applicants

The opportunity to serve as a Palatine Township Elementary District 15 board member without committing to the cost, time and stress of running a campaign is proving a popular one.

A whopping 14 hopefuls have applied to fill the board seat held for less than two years by Mark Bloom, who last week resigned citing new job responsibilities.

In comparison, just six candidates are vying for three 4-year terms up for election in April.

“I’m a retiree on a fixed income, and it’s an expensive process to run for office in District 15,” said Joe Heater, who has assisted a Sundling Junior High teacher for the past eight years through the district’s senior volunteer program. “But I feel I have many skills and life experiences that make me qualified.”

School board members will begin interviewing applicants about 10 a.m. Saturday at the Joseph M. Kiszka Educational Service Center, 580 N. First Bank Drive, Palatine. The board is expected to meet open session after the interviews to vote on an appointment.

Also among the contenders is Jennifer DeFranco, membership marketing director for the Illinois PTA and a member of the Illinois State Board of Education’s standardized testing review committee.

“I feel like I can provide a voice for the students and their families,” DeFranco said.

Another notable name is Bill Lloyd, who served one term on the Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 board but decided not to run for re-election in 2009.

Mary Vanek, one of the key organizers behind last year’s petition drive opposing a $27 million bond issue, is a self-described longshot. She writes a blog that’s often critical of board President Gerald Chapman and the board majority.

Vanek said she wants to serve but knows she “doesn’t stand a chance” to be appointed. Still, she said it’s important the board spends time interviewing people with differing opinions.

Harry Spila, the village of Palatine’s director of community services, said his familiarity with government workings and the relationship between administration and a board would make him able to contribute right away. “I’m also an architect by trade and think I could provide constructive input to the district’s capital plan, which is an area of big concern,” Spila said.

Of the four non-incumbents running in April, David Seiffert is the only candidate who applied for Bloom’s seat as well.

“I just thought it’d be nice to get started as early as possible,” Seiffert said.

The remaining applicants are James Smith, Ramnath Cidambi, Jeffrey Service, Joe Pluta, Jose Hernandez, Norma Lara, Monica Pasillas and Bob Basofin.