Election 2013: Victor Casini

Name: Victor M. Casini

Position sought: Hinsdale Township High School District 86 Board of Education

Website: www.FriendsForDistrict86.com

Email address: info@FriendsForDistrict86.com

Hometown: Burr Ridge

Family: Wife Janet; son Grant, 18; daughters Elle, 16, and Shayne, 12.

Education: Bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and law degree from Northwestern University.

Occupation: Senior vice president and general counsel of LKQ Corporation, the largest nationwide provider of alternative vehicle replacement parts.

Years in District 86: Approximately 17

Previous elected offices: Member of the Gower School District 62 from April 2007 to April 2011.

Applicable experience qualifying you for the position: My education in finance and law provide critical skills for handling important school board matters.  My four-year term as a member of the Gower School Board gave me valuable experience dealing with the unique issues facing schools and school boards.  And my career as a business person and lawyer, primarily working with boards of directors of public companies, has taught me the art of finding the “middle ground” to reach consensus and solutions to tough problems.

What is the primary reason you are running for this office? 

I have two children that are in District 86 and one that soon will be going to a District 86 high school. There is no better motivator to want to make a positive contribution to the school district than to have your children’s education invested in the schools.

What will be your single most important priority if you get elected?

Just as it was my priority at Gower, I will be committed to District 86 using taxpayer money in the most prudent, efficient manner possible while maintaining the educational greatness that characterizes the district.

What sets you apart from the other candidates?

The combination of my financial background, my legal training, my experience as a school board member, and my family being an integral part of District 86 makes me uniquely qualified to sit on the school board.  In addition, my track record at Gower shows that I am committed to a common sense approach to school board operations without the distraction of political infighting.

What do you believe is District 86’s biggest strength?

District 86 has the enviable quality of having the vast majority of its stakeholders (teachers, parents, students and administrators) involved and dedicated to the success of the institution.

What do you believe is District 86’s biggest weakness?

I think that the school board could serve the district better by eliminating some of the infighting and other distractions that have characterized the current board.

Do you support the district’s ruling in favor of Hinsdale South staff on a parent’s curriculum objection last year of the showing of American Beauty and Brokeback Mountain? Do such movies have a place in high school classrooms?

I think that District 86 could have chosen other films that are more consistent with an esteemed learning institution.

In terms of a school district, how would you describe a board that is fiscally responsible? Does District 86 currently have a fiscally responsible board? 

A fiscally responsible board is one that is wise in the use of the taxpayers’ money and that maximizes the students’ educational opportunities with the available funds. I believe that the current board could improve its fiscal responsibility, especially with regard to the transparency of its spending decisions. The community deserves to be kept better informed about major expenditures.

Related Pages:

• Election 2013: District 86 Board of Education
• Claudia Manley
• Dennis Brennan
• DeeDee Gorgol
• Kay Gallo
• Roseanne Rosenthal
• Edward Corcoran
• Roger Kempa