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Challengers Sweep in D-15

All three challengers won in the Community Consolidated School District 15 Board of Education race.

 

School District 15 will have a new board April 27.

The slate of three challengers–known as 1-3-5–won a clean sweep Tuesday. In unofficial returns Scott Herr received the most votes with 5,670, followed by Gerard Iannuzzelli with 5,217 and Manjula Sriram with 5,109.

The results were based on 86 of 88 precincts reporting.

Incumbent board members Gerald Chapman, James Ekeberg and David Seiffert garnered 3,573, 3,787 and 3,816 votes respectively.

All involved in the election agreed that the school board had been marred by personality conflicts and factionalism in the past. Herr said he hoped the new board could work together.

"I think you want to work together and as much as possible talk things out and try to get a consensus across the entire board because that's going to have the best support of the community and the administration," Herr said.

Current board member Tim Millar was a supporter of Herr, Sriram and Iannuzzelli which would give the four of them a majority vote on the board. Also, the election will result in new leadership on the school board–Chapman was the president and Ekeberg the vice president.

Among the biggest issues facing the district is a deficit that is project to drain the school district's reserves over the next five years and how to deal with it.

Seiffert will remain on the board despite losing Tuesday. Seiffert was appointed to finish former board member Mark Bloom's term. If Seiffert had won Tuesday, he would have taken the four-year term, instead Seiffert will finish the final two years of Bloom's term.

"I thought we ran a good race; it's disappointing to lose," Seiffert said. "Hopefully the board can meld together and work together on this thing. We don't need the contention on the board."

Seiffert said he was put off by some of the negativity he experienced in the campaign, specifically referencing comments made on Twitter and Facebook.

"People who I have never even talked to, there were some pretty tough comments made about me," Seiffert said. "You know hey, I'm standing up for what I think is right to do for the community."

Sriram said one of her goals is to have the school board work together as a team.

"I don't think it's a them versus us," Sriram said. "We're all a team. I think it's the Board of Education and the education is all about the children."

Related Topics: District 15, Palatine Elections, and Year in Review 2011

Sasha Yu

4:20 am on Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Very disappointed but am anxious (not eager) to see what the new board members will do. ...

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Jenny

11:44 am on Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Sasha, Please don't be anxious about the newly elected Board members.

If you have important education issues go to the Board meetings and request to be heard. I have met all three of these new Board members and have also seen the previous Board's way of conducting meetings. I much prefer to bring an issue to this new group of individuals. Give them a chance.

The road ahead will be challenging because of poor decisions made in the past. However, if we start steering in the right direction now we will all be in a better place.

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edmund

7:40 am on Saturday, April 9, 2011

District 15 has always taken great pride in being business like. In corporations there is no worrying about staff cuts. You don’t see corporate board members whining about where or why to cut. They just cut. Remaining staff takes up extra work. If they don’t like it they can leave as well. So new board members take a hint, America produces very little. What is made here is done by automated machines for the very rich. A country with no middle class can’t afford any property taxes.

Sue De Witt

8:49 am on Wednesday, April 6, 2011

So excited to see that good guys do win sometimes. Let's get going now... and make District 15 the best it can be.
Congratulations!

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Mark

9:49 am on Wednesday, April 6, 2011

"I thought we ran a good race; it's disappointing to lose," Seiffert said. "Hopefully the board can meld together and work together on this thing. We don't need the contention on the board."

Dave, I am sure you're speaking for yourself ... and Bokor and Babcock. Let's hope the three of you can work together on "this thing" with the new majority. One thing I do know, Tim Millar along with the three new members will encourage discussion and openness and transparancy, unlike the heavy-handedness we have see with Chapman and his cronies.

Congratulations to Manjula, Scott, and Gerard!

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David

1:54 pm on Wednesday, April 6, 2011

After the shenanigans the current board pulled regarding the date of appointment for Bloom's vacant seat, I find it amazing the Daily Herald endorsed the status quo. Well, the community has spoken with a clean sweep of these incumbents. Dave Seiffert was soundly defeated and now serves 2 more years because of this loophole? He should step down immediately. Chapman and Ekeberg, good riddance. You can now join Dan Lukich. Congratulations 1-3-5!

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Mr X

9:26 pm on Wednesday, April 6, 2011

When times were fat, nobody took notice of the fiscal irresponsibility. Those days are over. The gravy train has come to a long overdue end. From these small local elections to national elections, at long last everybody is coming to the realization that we don't have the money anymore. Congratulations to the 1-3-5 team and I look forward to your upcoming efforts!

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Jenny

9:30 pm on Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Mr. X, I wholeheartedly agree. If you'll indulge me in a Margaret Thatcher quote:

"Socialism works until they run out of other people's money."

Fat times are no more.
(Except in D.C.-- One of only two major cities nationwide where housing values went up slightly.)

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