Carney opts against U-46 re-election bid
Only two of the four incumbents who are up for re-election on the Elgin Area School District U-46 school board have decided to run again.
They are Maria Bidelman and Amy Kerber. Board President Ken Kaczynski and former President Karen Carney, who has served on the board since 1991, did not file to be on the April ballot.
Kaczynski has said he is not running again so he can spend more time on his business. Carney said that after 20 years on the board, it was time to move on.
“It's time for the next generation to step in,” Carney said. “That doesn't happen unless you walk away.”
Bidelman and Kerber face four challengers: Gary Percy, Traci O'Neal Ellis, Jennifer Schroder and Mary VanSlyck.
Percy is a member of the Citizens' Advisory Council and an aircraft maintenance technician. He ran unsuccessfully for a board seat in 2009.
VanSlyck is also a Citizens' Advisory Council member.
The six candidates competing for four, 4-year terms on the board all have something in common: they all live in Elgin, according to the district.