As Skokie voters prepare to go to the polls on April 4, they’ll face choices for the Niles Township High School District 219 Board, several local school boards and the Skokie Park District Board of Commissioners. No village trustee seats will be up for a vote in this election.
The District 219 Board has four seats in question. Incumbents Kevin Ko and Mateo Mohammed Franzaneh are seeking re-election. They are joined by Amber Wood, Ganda McAlphin-Toney, Kennya “Ken” Durr, Celia Stennett, Ramsen Sheero and Sidney Stein. Secretary Ignacio Lopez is not seeking re-election.
The candidacy of Matthew Flink, a board member appointed in October to fill out the term of a member who had resigned, came to a close when his name was removed from the ballot for failing to number his nomination papers, according to the Cook County Officers Electoral Board hearing officer’s report. Caroline Pollock Bilicki, whose tenure as the Niles West Parent Advisory Council president ended this past June, submitted the sustained objection.
Flink, of Morton Grove, admitted none of his nomination papers were numbered during the second Electoral Board hearing but said he believes the document fulfilled its purpose. The page-numbering rule is intended to aid in content identification and prevent election tampering, the report states.
“The fact [Pollock Bilicki] did not claim she had difficulty identifying any of the content in the pages; nor made allegations of tampering that might threaten the integrity of the election process” proves the papers satisfied their purpose, the hearing officer’s report states as Flink’s defense.
“I think I would have had a great shot at getting elected, but I accept their decision and will move on,” Flink wrote to Pioneer Press in an email.
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“I have made some great connections and will use those connections to continue to support District 219. I plan to help in any way possible and look forward to working with the Board and Tom Moore in these last few months of my term and beyond.”
He said he has no plans to run for office again.
Skokie School District 68 has three Board of Education seats on the ballot with Katrina Bell-Jordan and Jeffereny Sterbenc seeking re-election. Secretary Meghan Espinoza is not seeking re-election. Emily Lonigro, who served as a parent representative on the district’s Strategic Planning Committee this past October, is hoping to replace her.
East Prairie School District 73 has three candidates looking to fill three open seats with members Frank Santoro and Nina Johnson seeking re-election. Tracy Lande joins Santoro and Johnson on the ballot. Board Member Michael Hornick is not seeking re-election.
Skokie School District 73.5‘s Board of Education has four terms coming to an end. All the representatives are seeking re-election with no contenders. This includes North Shore Country Day School Social Studies Teacher Louis Mercer, Northwestern University Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology LaTasha Nelson, Google Account Manager Bushra Amiwala and John Middleton Elementary School parent Kelli Nelson, according to District 73.5 board member biographies. Amiwala became the youngest Muslim elected official when she won office in 2019; she was 21 years old.
The Skokie Park Board of Commissioners has two open positions with both Mike Reid and Ezra Jaffa seeking re-election. Reid and Jaffa are challenged by Marrissa Seidler, a teacher for Chicago Public Schools, according to Luther Burbank Elementary School’s website.
The Skokie Public Library Board of Trustees is taking applications for its one vacancy. If interested, email a resume and cover letter to [email protected].