Thursday, April 11, 2013
Challengers Victor Casini, Ed Corcoran and Claudia Manley all won spots on the District 86 Board of Education Tuesday after a contentious campaign.
Claudia Manley called it “unbelievable.” Ed Corcoran was “elated.” Victor Casini said it was “a pleasant surprise.” Following the election of all three “Friends for District 86” candidates Tuesday in the race for District 86 school board, Manley, Corcoran and Casini all said the sweep was unexpected, but also symbolic. “I think it sends a message that the platform that we ran on resonated with District 86 citizens,” Casini said. “Namely, fiscal responsibility, transparency and community involvement.” Corcoran agreed that the community showed its support for the substance of the “Friends” slate’s platform. He also said he thought voters reacted to the group’s campaign approach. “We tried to have a positive campaign, talking about what we’re…
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Victor Casini, Ed Corcoran, Claudia Manley and Kay Gallo were the top four finishers Tuesday in the District 86 school board race.
District 86 voters have decided to make a change. Three of them, actually. Victor Casini, Ed Corcoran and Claudia Manley—the three challengers who made up the "Friends for District 86" slate—won three of four open seats on the Hinsdale Township High School District 86 Board of Education Tuesday, with all precincts reporting. Incumbent Kay Gallo also won a seat, according to unofficial results. Manley, the leading vote-getter with 4,196, called her slate's three-win performance was "unbelievable." "We thought we were swimming upstream the whole race," she said. Corcoran finished second in the voting with 4,044. Gallo was a close third at more than 4,005 and Casini was fourth with more than 3,879. Manley said the results show that the …
Monday, April 8, 2013
The following letter was submitted to Patch by District 86 school board candidate Edward Corcoran, a member of the "Friends for District 86" slate.
- ELECTIONS
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Monday, April 8
Dear editor and fellow District 86 citizens, Related to the Hinsdale Township High School District 86 school board election, two direct mail pieces were recently delivered to residents in Hinsdale, Clarendon Hills, Burr Ridge and Darien, one it appears by the "Building on Excellence" slate and another it appears by the "Committee to Re-Elect Brennan." Both mailers contained statements that were false and misleading about the Claudia Manley/Victor Casini/Edward Corcoran slate. The mailers attempt to damage our reputation with lies to gain voter influence. The untrue statements were rebutted by the group Citizens for Clarendon Hills (C4CH) in an email Sunday and are rebutted below. This is exactly the type of bad behavior we intend to fix if…
Patch asked the question, and the eight District 86 Board of Education candidates provided their answers.
In its 2013 candidate questionnaire, Patch asked the eight candidates for Hinsdale Township High School District 86 Board of Education the following questions: Do you support the district’s ruling in favor of Hinsdale South staff on Victor Casini’s curriculum objection last year of the showing of American Beauty and Brokeback Mountain? Do such movies have a place in high school classrooms? Here, in alphabetical order, are the candidates' responses: Dennis Brennan: "The board acted correctly and courageously in supporting parental control of the curriculum. Mr. Casini and his running mates sought to substitute their judgment for the parents of each and every student in this elective class. As board members, we should not be interfering with…
Saturday, April 6, 2013
The four candidates in attendance at Thursday night's candidate forum gave their answers.
What is the role of a board member? The four Hinsdale Township High School District 86 Board of Education candidates that attended Thursday night's candidate forum at Hinsdale Middle School gave their response in the video above. Edward Corcoran is the first speaker. He is followed, in order, by Kay Gallo, Roseanne Rosenthal and Dennis Brennan. Whose answer is best? Tell us in the comments. If you missed the forum, we live-blogged it. Check out Patch's real-time notes from Thursday night here.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
The following letter was sent to Patch by Willowbrook resident George Logan.
- OPINION
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Thursday, April 4
An important election campaign is now in progress for the District 86 school board. I would like to take this opportunity to complement candidates Claudia Manley, Victor Casini and Edward Corcoran for conducting a fair, clean and positive campaign. We can be proud of these three District 86 candidates. After reviewing articles in local newspapers, attending school board meetings, and hearing the candidates state their reasons for running and their platform, I believe these three candidates are well qualified. Their education, work history, leadership skills and desire to do a good job as a District 86 board member are apparent. They have advanced degrees from excellent universities and a lot of work experience in finance, law, engineering…
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
The following letter was sent to Patch by Lisa Stafford of Hinsdale.
- OPINION
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Wednesday, April 3
Hinsdale Township High School District 86 was the reason we moved here 20 years ago. We wanted a great public school system for our children. We have been delighted with the excellent education they have received. From academics to athletics to the arts, our schools are among the best in the country. Our high schools are the reason that well-educated, hard-working families want to move to this area. It’s why our communities prosper and it’s why our houses retain their value. For years there have been few changes to the facilities at Hinsdale Central. Last year was different. Last summer, science labs got a much-needed face-lift, the school entrance was updated and is now warm and welcoming, air conditioning was added and the auditorium was…
Monday, April 1, 2013
The following letter to the editor was sent to Patch by Darien resident Rich Brandeis.
- ELECTIONS
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Monday, April 1
I am most disturbed by a recent development in the campaign for Hinsdale Township High School District 86 Board of Education (Hinsdale South and Hinsdale Central). In recent campaign fliers the slate that bills themselves as “Friends for District 86” boast of being supported by the mayor of Darien and the Downers Grove Township Republican Organization. While I am a long-time Republican and voted for the current mayor of Darien, I have always strongly felt that party politics has absolutely no place in local school elections or governance. I am fearful of the impact this group of candidates might have on two excellent high schools if they bring their extreme partisan views into the board of education. One of the strengths of our schools …
Sunday, March 31, 2013
The following letter to the editor was sent to Patch by Darien resident and former District 86 school board candidate Jennifer Babbington.
- ELECTIONS
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Sunday, March 31
People are already talking about the Hinsdale Township High School District 86 school board election, and asking how a new slate such as Claudia Manley, Victor Casini and Ed Corcoran plan to change District 86. Why introduce conservative values into our "non-partisan" high school board? Because we need to replace the current board and its in-fighting, overspending, and lack of basic project management. What is best for District 86 is a community-oriented board collaborating with students, parents, teachers and taxpayers, running the district efficiently and in a more transparent manner, serving the community better. A school's purpose is to provide curriculum and competent teaching staff so the school's customers—the students—achieve …
Friday, March 29, 2013
The following letter to the editor was sent to Patch by Burr Ridge native Molly Hogan, a 2012 Hinsdale South grad who's now a freshman at George Washington University.
As a 2012 graduate of District 86, and current college student who remains positively impacted by my education in the district, I am voicing my strong support for candidates Dennis Brennan, DeeDee Gorgol, Kay Gallo and Roseanne Rosenthal. These candidates have a record that speaks for itself. During their combined time served on the board, District 86 has had seven balanced budgets, maintained a triple-A credit rating, continually increased ACT scores, continued cost containment measures, and built new science labs at both schools in the district. They continue to look ahead at promising and viable ways to keep District 86 a leader in education. Last fall I was highly disturbed by an initiative suggesting the school board should control …
Tom Cawthorne
8:53 am on Sunday, May 19, 2013
Interesting, Carla. You find it alarming that people beyond the boundaries of the district were involved. Yet, you donated at least $320 to the "Neighbors for Greg Hose" campaign fund. A fund to elect Greg to the DOWNERS GROVE village commission. Are you planning on moving to Downers Grove? more ›