For the most part, the Kane County election ballot is business as usual. Five people are running for four seats on one school board. Four are trying for three seats on another.
Now, take a look at Batavia Public School District 101. The list of candidates hoping for four seats on the board is 14 names long:
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– E. Thomas Maas, 48, who was elected to the board four years ago. A chemist by training, he works for Amoco.
– Trevor Steinbach, 40, an executive with the National Dairy Council. He is seeking his second term on the board.
– Rosalie M. Jones, 55, was on the board from 1979-1981 when she stepped down to “spend more time with my family.” Now Jones, a registered nurse, wants back on the board.
– Yvonne Dinwiddie, 46, who has her own business, said, “The board has failed to give out proper information to the people so they can make informed decisions.”
– Carl E. Dinwiddie, 50, agrees with his wife that the board is unresponsive. He is an executive with the National Transportation Safety Board.
– Sue Jenkins, 40, a manager at a hardware store in Batavia, said she would like to help restore the confidence the community lost in the board.
– Thomas R. Van Cleave, 43, owns a travel agency in Batavia. Van Cleave, who is on the Batavia Planning Commission, said that “it is important to have someone on the school board that also sits on the planning commission.”
– Sue Koning, is the director of music and Christian education at the United Methodist Church of Batavia. Koning, 50, would like to see the board establish programs on verbal and writing skills.
– Ann T. Koehler, 55, a homemaker, said she believes board members are doing their best. But, she said, “there has to be more communication between the board and the public.”
– Stanley Ray Reeves, 43, is a mechanical engineer. Reeves said that, if elected, he will focus on the rapid growth of the community.
– Craig R. Neader, 40, said his experience as an accountant would be an asset to the board.
– Sally A. Studlo, 39, said that the board needs someone like her, a homemaker. “A lot of people are saying, `Why can’t ordinary people be represented on the board?’ ” she said.
– Robert J. Gehring, 67, a retired high school teacher, said his main goal is to see that students receive more individualized instruction.
– Theodore G. Schuster, 72, an attorney, said his first goal would be to”re-establish a working partnership” between the board and the community.