From Dolton and Blue Island to Park Forest and Lemont, several intriguing storylines emerged Tuesday after filing ended for high school board elections in April.
Monday was the deadline for candidates to file paperwork for the April 4 consolidated election. Clerks in Cook and Will counties listed candidates for more than a dozen public high school districts serving the Southland.
Typically, opponents challenge the validity of numerous candidacies for school boards. County electoral boards will resolve disputes in coming weeks.
Homeowners ought to pay attention to high school districts, as they typically account for the largest share of property tax bills.
Seven people filed for three seats on the Rich Township High School District 227 Board. Andrea Bonds, the board president, faces reelection for the first time since she and three other board members voted in 2019 to close Rich East High School in Park Forest.
Bonds, of Richton Park, filed for another term, as did Randy Alexander of Olympia Fields, who voted against closing Rich East. The three who voted with Bonds to close Rich East were Cheryl Coleman, Janice Preston and Delores Wood.
Coleman did not file for another term. Wood previously left the board and Preston was reelected in 2021.
Five others who filed are Kristine Rucker-Morrow and Mason Newell of Richton Park, Shagmond Lowery and Lamekia Davis of Park Forest and Keith White of Matteson.
The dynamic to watch will be whether the Park Forest candidates can pull enough support to oust Bonds as payback for voting to close Rich East. While Park Forest residents are passionate about the issue, they are outnumbered by the combined population of other communities in the district, as evidenced by Preston’s reelection in 2021.
Bonds did not immediately respond Tuesday to requests for comment.
Nine people filed for three seats on the Thornton Township High School District 205 Board.
Incumbent Nina Graham, of South Holland, the top vote-getter in 2019, filed for another four-year term, as did Annette Whittington of Harvey. Board member Albert Butler did not file for another term.
Seven others filing were Donkor Parker and Kara Ellen Davis of South Holland; Stafford C. Owens and Samir Vohra of Harvey; and Rashonda Maxie, Demarkus Criggley and Sherry Jackson, all of Dolton.
Parker worked as a football and wrestling coach at Thornridge High School in Dolton. The District 205 Board voted 5-2 in March to terminate Parker’s employment as part of a reduction in force measure, public meeting minutes showed. Board members Stan Brown and Bernadette Lawrence dissented.
A flyer for a Parker campaign fundraiser Dec. 16 in Phoenix included pictures of Brown, Lawrence and Calumet City Ald. Monet Wilson.
Election interest seems to have spiked in Lemont High School District 210. Four members who ran uncontested in 2019 filed again and face challenges from four other candidates.
Incumbents filing were Gary D. Gray, Pamela Driscoll, Beverly Markiewicz-Marzec and Renee Koehler, all of Lemont. Challenging are Edward J. McManus and Noal Staubus of Woodridge and Lisa Buczyna and Jody Benson of Lemont.
Oak Lawn-based Community High School District 218 is distinct in how it elects members by district. District 6 representative Bob Stokas stepped down from the board Dec. 2 after serving two terms, he posted on social media.
Carol A. Kats of Worth, District 5 representative, filed for another term as did incumbent Sheila P. Collier of Robbins for District 1. Also filing in the uncontested election was Nora J. Hunt of Oak Lawn for District 6.
Election interest appears to have waned in Homewood-Flossmoor High School District 233, where 10 people filed for four seats in 2019. In this election, three incumbents are among six who filed for the four seats.
Incumbents running are Gerald Pauling II, Pamela Jackson and Nathan Legardy, all of Flossmoor. Newcomers seeking election are Christopher K. Riedel of Flossmoor, Beth Larocca of Lansing and Charles E. Dieringer Jr. of Chicago Heights. Board member Debbie Berman did not file for another term.
Three newcomers filed for three seats on the board that oversees Thornton Fractional High School District 215: Jacqueline Terrazas, Dominique Newman and Patricia Stepp, all of Lansing. Board members not filing for additional terms were Rita Oberman, Morgan Waller and Christopher Dodd.
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Three incumbents are among four who filed for four seats on the board serving Bloom High School District 206. Incumbents seeking additional terms are William Angell, Teresa Palombi and Cassandra Everett, all of Chicago Heights.
Lorena Varela of Chicago Heights also filed. Longtime board member Robert Rossi, who has served on the board for all but two years since 1993, did not file for another term.
Three incumbents are among five who filed for four seats on the Bremen High School District 228 Board. Incumbents who filed were Kristine Resler of Tinley Park, Terrence J. “T.J.” Whitcomb of Posen and Mark Johnson of Markham.
Newcomers filing were Tiffeny Lott and Marquita Marshall Motley, both of Hazel Crest. Board member Kim Kampwirth did not file for another term. Four years ago, Whitcomb was elected as a write-in who received just 48 votes after only three people filed for four seats.
Three incumbents filed for three seats on the Evergreen Park High School District 231 Board: Larry Symanski, Maryann Kutschke and Mike Kress, all of Evergreen Park.
Two incumbents and one newcomer filed for three available seats on the board that oversees Consolidated High School District 230. Incumbents who filed were Patrick O’Sullivan and Lynn Zeder, along with newcomer Mohammed Jaber, all of Orland Park. Zyber was appointed to the board this year. Board member Dave O’Connor did not file for another term.
Similarly, two incumbents and one newcomer filed for three available seats on the Oak Lawn High School District 229 Board. Incumbents Matthew Egan of Oak Lawn and Safaa Zarzour of Bridgeview filed, as did John Hickey of Oak Lawn. Board member Mark Stanislawek did not file for another term.
In Will County, incumbent Richard LaCien Jr. was among 10 who filed for four seats on the New Lenox-based Lincoln-Way School District 210 Board. Also filing were Catherine Johnson, Tessa Quinlan, Gena Sambo, Caitlin Olejnik, Nathan Sandoval, Dana Bergthold, Mark Bamman, David Collins and Katarzyna A. Topor.
Incumbents Beth Janus-Doyle, Joseph A. Kirkeeng and Christopher M. Lucchetti did not file. Unlike in Cook County, the Will County clerk’s office did not provide addresses of candidates who filed.
Two incumbents were among eight who filed for three seats on the Lockport High School District 205 Board. Incumbents who filed were Veronica Tylka-Shaw and Michael Lewandowski. Richard M. Ives did not file for reelection.
Six others who filed were Martin “Marty” Boersma, Michael Clausen, Sandra Chimon Rogers, Lance Thies, Sheri Boniecki-Cooling and Nicholas J. Paris.
Ted Slowik is a columnist for the Daily Southtown.