Voters should support Hinsdale Caucus slate
I am writing to express my strong support for the candidates slated by the Hinsdale Caucus to serve as trustees and president of the Hinsdale Village Board. While I believe that all of the caucus-approved candidates are demonstrably capable and share the values that will promote and protect our village, I want to focus in particular on the candidacies of Laura LaPlaca and Doug Geoga.

As a member of the Plan Commission, I have worked closely with Chairwoman LaPlaca and Commissioner Geoga with respect to various complex and often difficult issues. With respect to each matter before the Plan Commission, LaPlaca and  Geoga have demonstrated a keen understanding of the issues, a willingness to entertain disparate views, and an unerring belief in the fundamental importance of the roles of community involvement and process. In executing their responsibilities with perspicacity and aplomb, they espouse and demonstrate a commitment to the highest degree of care, attention and ethics, and I look forward to their contributions as village trustees of Hinsdale.
Matt Kluchenek, Hinsdale

Cauley is the right choice to lead Hinsdale board
Please join me in voting for Tom Cauley for village president. Tom is a long-time Hinsdale resident and a village trustee for two years. While a trustee, Tom has frequently been the lone voice for restraint in village spending, specifically consulting and legal fees. Tom is a staunch supporter of development that complies with established village code, promoting our downtown with development that makes sense and respects neighbors. Tom advocates rebuilding our streets and infrastructure in a responsible manner.

His opponents are incumbent Mike Woerner and Trustee Cindy Williams. Village finances and respect for citizens have declined markedly during Mr. Woerner’s tenure. Woerner spent our tax dollars to sue Hinsdale residents who opposed a 10- story development in their neighborhood.

Also, Woerner spent our tax dollars to depose a citizen volunteer weeks before his term expired. We have spent over a million dollars on consulting fees for grand plans, with little to show for it. The opportunity cost of dollars spent on legal and consulting fees is all too obvious. Our streets and infrastructure are in a state of conspicuous disrepair.

While Ms. Williams has not been a leader or the instigator in these misjudgments, she has usually gone along with the majority, continuing to spend on consultants and engage in vendettas against citizens.

Tom Cauley has the temperament and experience to lead Hinsdale through these challenging times.
Gary Moberly, Hinsdale

District 86 board election ‘extremely’ important
The election for Hinsdale Township High School District 86 is extremely important as to what it says about the integrity of our community.

The “final four” of Dianne Barrett, Matt McCann, Andrew Schmidt and Richard Skoda stand for integrity and open meetings. We have seen some members of the present board try to sneak through a $10 million back door referendum and then try a closed door executive meeting to correct mistakes they made to pass this. If it is really needed and the public wants to do this, let the public vote on the $10 million loan.

All candidates are looking to keep our schools as top rated schools, however, we don’t do it by closed door meetings and sneaking around the law. We don’t need to bully others either. What we do need are people like Barrett, McCann, Schmidt and Skoda who will conduct their business in the open and not behind closed doors. As an educator, I strongly endorse the final four candidates to bring honesty, integrity and openness to Hinsdale High School District.
Pierce McCabe, Hinsdale

Schmidt has proven track record on District 181 board
What a difference a few years make. It was not too long ago District 181 was in chaos and parents were becoming very anxious. There were financial issues, leadership issues, special education issues and internal board issues.

Now, it appears District 86 is suffering the same fate. Unless something changes, we may not only damage our children’s eductions, but our trust in our school board. Two years ago, I voted for Andrew Schmidt to bring that needed change to District 181 and on April 7, I will vote for him to bring that change to District 86. As both a parent and educator, Andrew has the knowledge, experience, and energy to bring reform to District 86. He has been an excellent representative for the parents, community, and children of District 181.

I would like Andrew to continue being an advocate for our children as they move through their educational careers. On April 7, please elect Andrew Schmidt to the District 86 Board of Education.
Kevin Gaffney, Clarendon Hills

Writer mistaken on meaning of ‘fiscal responsibility’
I enjoyed the passion Greg Lawton showed in his letter that was printed. However, I need to correct some information. Mr. Lawton may not be aware that not only am I a 1978 graduate of Hinsdale South, both my brother and sister graduated from Hinsdale South in the 1980’s and my son is now a senior there.

“Fiscal Responsibility” does not mean, as Mr. Lawton claims, “spend no money.” The fact is District 86 spends a lot of money. The district does spend money, like $80,000 on a community survey, which was no value in maintaining the quality of the education at both schools.

We must maintain the high standards of this district. However, in these challenging economic times, we must be fiscally responsible. Business are cutting back or closing their doors, people are losing their jobs, now is the time to be fiscally responsible.

Whether you are well to do or a retired person just getting by, we all have worked hard for what we have. This means as a board member I will ask questions the board must ask why and then why again.

My priorities are simple: Maintain our high educational standards, maintain the safety of our students and staff, provide the proper tools to meet those goals and do so without increasing the cost to the taxpayer.
Matt McCann, candidate for Hinsdale Township High School District 86 Board

Voters need to do their homework before the polls
I would implore each registered voter in this upcoming April 7 election to do their homework prior to going to the polls.

It appears that Chicago-style politics has hit small town school elections with unethical behavior, bashing candidates seeking office and infiltrating booster clubs, PTO and foundations with directions on how to vote. How could we have sunk to such lows we cannot even make our own minds up because someone else is telling us how to vote in the election.

As residents, many are aware that some individuals think statutes, codes, and bylaws are just inconveniences that only kick into action if someone demands that they be enforced. To use the sports metaphor, “No whistle, no foul.” What kind of lessons are we teaching our kids?

I strongly urge voters to look at each candidate in each race and vote for them based on ethics, background, voting record (if they have one), experience, and potential. Take it one step further and Google a candidate. It appears that anyone so desperate to get on a board by spending tens of thousands of dollars in a local race could be using that sought position for other purposes. These are your tax dollars, your property values, your kids, and your community.
Dianne Barrett, incumbent candidate, District 86 Board Member

District 201 School Board needs new leadership
The challenges facing the current Community Unit School District 201 School Board are enormous, unprecedented and complex.  As if declining enrollment and higher national standards weren’t enough, now its leaders must deal with future years of declining tax revenues and rising parent dissatisfaction.

Most of these problems, of course, have existed in some form throughout the past decade or so. What is different now is that the pace of change has accelerated while the current School Board’s ability to manage this change has not kept pace.

On April 7, more candidates are running for the four open School Board seats than ever before. These candidates have broken up into groups of four, and offer a clear choice between the past and the future.

Strongly opposing the underperforming past are Marie Charlton, Diann Thomas, Dan Charleston and Joel Price. They feel high spending and poor performance represents a failure rather than a success. They seek a future of continued positive change and upward trends, and point out that the small positive changes of the past two years seem suspiciously to have begun only after they formed a parent group in 2007 and started to put pressure on a reluctant School Board. They point out that the incumbents did little for a decade, except confound the desires of the citizens, first with cell towers and lighting structures, and later with school closings and refusals of financial disclosure.

It is time for a change. It is time to open up the underperforming District 201 School Board to a new generation of leaders. It is time for the future to begin.
Knight Charlton, Westmont