What do COD incumbents fear?

We should be thankful that someone is concerned about the rule of law in Illinois elections given the tarnished image of this state's political processes. Appointed College of DuPage board member Kory Atkinson, who after the election will no longer be part of the board, claims to be doing just that in his slew of petition challenges of candidates for the April elections to the COD board of trustees. "It's important to ensure the election laws of Illinois are upheld, and if someone can't fill out their election forms properly they shouldn't be serving on a college board that oversees a $146 million budget," Atkinson was quoted in the Feb. 2 Daily Herald.

Fighting words indeed. Yet, on closer inspection, there is perhaps a hint of selectivity about those challenges. Mr. Atkinson's overriding concern for the rule of law appears to be directed only toward candidates not already connected with incumbent board members. Alleged irregularities on the petition of Mark Nowak appeared to elude his eagle eye, although someone else saw fit to challenge the authenticity of a dozen signatures. Mr. Atkinson's challenges stoop to absurd trivialities such as signing "Tom" when his given name is "Thomas," or listing the district number as "505" rather than "502." This is indicative of a group attempting to retain power, for whatever reason, by attempting to eliminate opposing candidates on ridiculous technicalities. These desperate strategies raise the obvious question: What do the incumbents and their picks have to fear at the ballot box? The answer of course is clear: Our community is tired of their failed leadership and questionable ethics. It is time to put COD back in the news for all the right reasons, the achievements of students, rather than the destructive machinations of politically motivated hacks.

Richard Jarman

Glen Ellyn