D122 Candidates Hope to Move Past 'Nasty' Election

Longtime New Lenox Township resident Phil Adair has been a large part of the community and seen a lot of things in his 40 years here, but not until this year experienced a school board election.

"This was my first time running for office, and I would have liked to see the elections be a little less political," Adair said Wednesday at the District 122 Board of Education meeting. That followed his loss Tuesday night in the board election. 

"When my signs get put in the trash … I didn’t understand this was such a political game," Adair said Tuesday night. "But apparently there are some dirty people out there infringing on my rights."

Most of the six candidates who ran for three open seats on the District 122 school board said it was a "nasty" election, one that included anonymous mailings attacking candidates, campaign signs thrown in the trash and even accusations that the local teacher's union was telling teachers how to vote.

Both Maureen Broderick and Sue Gillooley, the two incumbents who successfully ran for re-election, said they were victims of anonymous, last-minute attack ads stuffed in mailboxes of targeted residents. Gillooley said a mailing in certain precincts accused her of votes that were never made, for example.

"It's bullying," she said. "That’s mudslinging and that’s not how an election should be held."

Likewise, a mailing urged voters to "Say No to Moe," playing up a controversy in which Broderick was involved earlier this year in which she was accused of having—and later found not to have had—a conflict of interest regarding a board vote in December.

Although many voters wouldn't say whom they cast a ballot for, they did acknowledge the politics involved in the campaign and the public perception of the current board.

"The in-fighting is unfortunate," said Lorine Samuels, who voted Tuesday at Lincoln-Way Central. “I'm just looking for people who are committed to getting the job done that they’re being voted into. Education is about the students.”

So now Broderick, Gillooley and newcomer Nick DiSandro (who will replace outgoing board President Kathy Markus) say it's their job to help repair the perception of the board.

"I think that’s a huge focus for the board, to repair the reputation," DiSandro said. "They need to find a common ground, and they need to move on. Nothing should be personal. It should all be about the kids and the tax dollars."

On election night, both Broderick and Gillooley said DiSandro could be the key to newfound board cooperation after the current board has gotten chippy on multiple occasions. It's not so much that DiSandro is replacing Markus, who wasn't often involved in the bitterness as it is a chance to start anew.

"The sides are over," Broderick said, referencing what she said is a block of board members always voting together, opposite of her. "(DiSandro) could make the difference. It’s how he comes in, if he’s a team player. I hope he analyzes things to make the best decision, because we can't all be yes-men."

Besides repairing the reputation of the board, DiSandro's biggest goal is his hope to improve communication between board members and the public. At Wednesday's board meeting, Superintendent Mike Sass suggested the new board take up a policy regarding changes to how the board members would interact with the public during meetings and through email. DiSandro has suggested more of a back-and-forth dialouge between the board and residents when decisions are being made.

"That’s one of the biggest complaints when you talk to parents and taxpayers," he said. "People just don’t know what’s going on and there's not enough conversation before decisions are made."

So despite what some candidates called "dirty Chicago politics" this election and some in-fighting that's occurred this year, the new board that takes over largely with the same faces, save DiSandro. But they hope to improve the board's public image and personal interactions.

"I really think this board needs to get along," Gillooley said. "Some people were attacking the incumbents saying we're not good on the board, but if that was the case both Maureen and I would not have gotten re-elected.I’m hoping that having a new member on the board … that he’ll be the key element to push the board in the direction."