Schools

Retired Salesman Brings Passion, Commitment to D122 Board

A retired salesman, Adair intends to utilize his people skills to bring the board together.

a 67-year-old retired salesman who currently drives a bus part-time for Trinity Services, is one of two newcomers to the New Lenox School District 122 Board of Education. It was a hotly contested race—10 candidates for five seats. He and newly elected member Rhonda Starklauf will officially take their seats by May.  

In light of the contentious atmosphere that dominated the board for the past several months, especially in regard to the multi-layered issues surrounding Member Kathy Miller's temporary ouster from the ballot and the there was strong out-with-the-old and in-with-the-new sentiment in the community. Ultimately, the election was divided evenly by supporters and opponents of the board. Miller handily won her bid for a two-year vacancy against write-in candidate Todd Hyatt.

Phil Adair's history with the NLSD122 Board of Education

Find out what's happening in New Lenoxwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

This was Adair's second run for the NLSD122 Board of Education. In 2011, he attracted attention in his bid to change the name of Liberty Jr. High School to Ron Schaper Jr. High. Adair said he wanted to honor Schaffer for all years of commitment to the community; Shaper was mostly recognized as the man behind the almost 50-year-old Mustang Football organization, which attracts hundreds of Ne Lenox youngsters interested in playing youth football and cheerleading.

. Wendy Williams, a district resident who lives in Mokena, pointed out various errors in Adair’s candidacy petition, including a missing election date and incorrectly writing that he’s running for a board “trustee” and not  as a board member. But her reasoning for questioning Adair's candidacy, she told the board, was that he had spoken at a board meeting about renaming Liberty Junior High School.

Find out what's happening in New Lenoxwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Citing errors in Williams' objection, the Election Board in 2011 voted 3-0 to keep Adair on the ballot.

He tossed his hat in the ring and lost in July 2012, when the board appointed New Lenox's Bill Pender to the board to fill a vacancy left by the resignation of Sue Gillooley.  

Speaking about his win on April 9, Adair said, "I want to thank the voters for electing me."

A regular presence at the NLSD122 board meetings for the past couple for years, Adair, the father of two adult sons, both of whom were products of the school system, said he has the time and "passion" to commit to the district.

Adair doesn't believe an anti-board sentiment alone steered his victory. "I felt the same way I did initially (in 2011) that I wanted to contribute to the board. I have the time to devote to the research. I'm available to work with the board and the community, and with the administration.

"My intention is to find out what is working and what's not working, to listen to teachers and the community, to be informed." Adair characterizes himself as a fiscal conservative. "You have to know what you want and know the cost."   

Having grown up in Chicago's Fernwood neighborhood and later moving to Blue Island, Adair exudes the essence of the blue collar working class. A wide smile and easy-going manner, this member of the Knights of Columbus and announcer for Mustang Football, said he'll be relying on the people skills he learned in sales to navigate the waters of fiscal responsibility. It's those same people skills he hopes will help smooth the rough spots that have riled other members of the board.

"There's a lot of information probably that people don't know in the public. I thought the issue (between Miller and Broderick) was resolved. But then two weeks ago I found out that Kathy Miller filed a federal lawsuit."

"…I feel that I can work with Kathy and Maureen. I have no dog in the fight."

"I think I can work very well with all of them. I feel that I can work with Kathy and Maureen. I know them from meetings. I wish them the best. I have no dog in the fight."

Adair is hoping for an opportunity for an "informed meeting to discuss issues. I think that's important before you go into the public meeting. We need to work together, because we have some issues to resolve—funding is the big issue." Adair characterizes himself as a fiscal conservative. "You have to know what you want and know the cost. …I don't believe in going out for (working cash) bonds. I think you should have a referendum and the let the voters decide."   

Although Adair has occasionally confronted Supt. Michael Sass at board meetings, he said he's not anticipating communication problems. "I'm looking forward to working with him and the rest of the administration for the betterment of the schools and the community."

Look to Patch Tuesday for newly elected Rhonda Starklauf's story.

Get news alerts and Facebook updates from these Lincoln-Way Patch sites:


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here