District 15 board elects Millar its president

From leading the board to having virtually no say-so and back to leading again, things have come full circle for Palatine Township Elementary District 15 board member Tim Millar.

Shortly after the victorious challenger slate made up of Scott Herr, Gerard Iannuzzelli and Manjula Sriram were sworn in Wednesday at a special meeting, the new board by a 4 to 3 vote elected Millar its president.

It’s a big change from the past two years, when Millar and former member Sue Quinn rarely, if ever, ended up on the winning side of a controversial vote.

“I think it was a matter of me having the most experience on the board and having been president and vice president in the past,” said Millar, who clearly aligned with the challengers in his views.

Millar said he wasn’t surprised when member Rich Bokor nominated Herr as president despite having only minutes of experience under his belt. Herr got votes from Bokor, Peggy Babcock and Dave Seiffert, but voted for Millar over himself.

“It was definitely something I thought could happen,” Millar said of Bokor’s nomination. “But at the same time I just think we need to try to work together as a team and move forward to address the issues.”

Herr was elected vice president by a 4 to 3 vote over Bokor, and Babcock was unanimously elected board secretary.

Millar said he didn’t want to comment about the leadership style of former President Gerald Chapman, who finished last in the six-way race, but said he’s looking forward to encouraging more communication.

He’s also hoping to reinstate the use of committees, which Chapman eliminated. Millar said committees, especially for finance and architectural issues, can be effective forums for more discussion and progress.