D86 Election: Outgoing Board President Proud of Accomplishments

District 86 Board President Dennis Brennan said he believes his failed reelection bid is partly the result of serving on school boards that have taken action to improve the district and its facilities.

“If you sit there and do nothing, you’ll probably get reelected,” Brennan said Thursday, more than a day after his four-candidate slate placed only one winner. “But if you try to get something done … you’re going to probably raise the opposition, whoever that is.”

In 2013, that opposition was “Friends for District 86,” the candidate slate of Victor Casini, Ed Corcoran and Claudia Manley that managed to go three-for-three Tuesday after a campaign centered around improving fiscal responsibility, transparency, and community involvement in District 86.

Kay Gallo was the only winner from the “Building on Excellence” slate that also featured Brennan, DeeDee Gorgol and Roseanne Rosenthal.

During his eight years on the board—the last six of which he has served as president—Brennan said the district has made “much-need improvements” to its facilities, bettered security in the district, and sought to eliminate the perception that Hinsdale South does not get same level of attention from the district as Hinsdale Central.

Brennan said he wishes the three new board members well but issued a warning.

“It is tough to be a board member, compared to being out in the audience,” Brennan said. “It’s a lot easier out there, second-guessing everything.”

Knowing how the race ended, Brennan said it might have benefited the slate to start campaigning earlier and to more aggressively attempt to convince the Downers Grove Township Republicans, who officially supported the “Friends” slate, not to make an endorsement.

Brennan, who said his slate had little chance of getting that endorsement because of the differing political affiliations of its members, feels the party should stay out of nonpartisan elections like those for school board seats.

“Interference in this process was wrong and it was shameful,” said Brennan, a Republican himself. “I do think they need new leadership in that organization.”

Looking back, Brennan said the district is better off now than it was before he was first elected in 2005, and he hopes he is remembered as someone who served on boards that took political chances in order to improve the district.

Brennan said he left voicemails to congratulate each “Friends” winner after the election. He hopes they keep in mind the community and students when making decisions as board members, and keep out of mind some of the fiscal-issue ideas raised during campaign, such as not raising the tax levy year over year.

“I hope they really don’t think they can zero-levy and not affect the programs and affect classroom teaching,” Brennan said.

The outgoing board president expects to feel a void for a period of time after his last meeting in May, but he said he'll eventually move on.

And there’s definitely one perk of not being reelected.

Brennan recalled a community member during the Hinsdale South Film as Literature movie controversy last year telling him he might lose his position if he doesn’t watch out.

“Then I get to watch Monday Night Football,” he said.

Editor's note: This story previously stated that Brennan was a member of the Downers Grove Township Republicans. In fact, he is a former precinct committeeman. We regret this mistake.