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Politics & Government

How to Sort Geneva School Board Candidates

What criteria do you use to sort out candidates when there are eight seeking four seats? Here are some groupings that might or might not help you make decisions on April 9.

Figuring out which candidates to vote for in a multi-candidate, multi-seat election is a little like ordering from the menu of an American Chinese restaurant: Sometimes you want some from Column A and some from Column B.

This column is meant to help you select the entrees that appeal to your electoral palate. Take it for what it is, and ignore it if you wish.

Looking for a candidate who has experience in the education field?

Then you might consider grouping Jeffrey K. DiOrio, Robert L. Cabeen and Leslie N. Juby. Jeffrey is a math teacher with the Naperville School District; Robert has a degree in education and his wife is a teacher who will retire this year from Geneva School District 304 and Leslie is a substitute teacher in Batavia.

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Want to pick the most conservative of the fiscal conservatives?

Or pick the candidate whose high school class would have selected as "Most Likely to Keep Your Property Taxes Low"?

That probably would be, in this order: Daniel J. Garrett, Fred A. Dresser, David Joseph Lamb and Mark Grosso.

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And incidentally, those might be the candidates you'd lean toward if you were concerned about costs associated with step-and-lane increases, employee benefits and pension spiking.

Like what you saw in the Geneva School District 304 Board of Education in past years?

Then pick an incumbent. School Board President Mark Grosso and William R. Wilson fit that criteria, and both served on the School Board contract-negotations committee. Also in that category with an asterisk is Leslie N. Juby, who served on the board prior to 2011, when Mike McCormick edged her out of re-election by just 35 votes.

Prefer to vote for someone with a fresh face and fresh perspective?

Go with David Joseph Lamb, Daniel J. Garrett and Jeffrey K. DiOrio. (I'm leaving Robert L. Cabeen off this list only because he ran in 2011 and has been a frequent contributor at School Board meetings.)

How about choosing candidates with skill sets and experience in finance?

With many of the candidates listing "debt" as the No. 1 challenge facing School District 304, financial expertise could be invaluable. Two candidates pop out in this category: David Joseph Lamb, who is a CPA and senior vice president for Nuveen Investments, and Daniel J. Garrett, a vice president of Investortools, a company that sells and develops portfolio-management, credit-analysis and performance-measurement software.

How about real-world experience, in life and in business?

All the candidates qualify in this category, so choose the skill sets you think best.

  • Mark Grosso is retired from the Union Pacific Railroad and has experience in management, including contract talks.
  • William R. Wilson is a a licensed structural engineer, whose expertise was quite valuable in assessing, for example, the Coultrap and Fourth Street facilities.
  • Robert L. Cabeen has spent a lifetime making difficult decisions under pressure, serving in the Air Force for six years and as captain for United Air Lines, mostly on overseas flights, for 37 years, as well as in a teaching capacity for the Federal Aviation Administration.
  • Fred A. Dresser worked for 40-plus years in the automotive industry. Prior to retirement he was assigned to improve dealer automotive sales, and his team was able to double sales in the Chicago market. 

How about community service?

Leslie N. Juby might lead the league as a member of the Illinois School Success Task Force, chair of the Best Practices Subcommittee, secretary of the Geneva Strategic Plan Advisory Committee, a member of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy Board of Trustees, a member of the Historic Homeowners Association, and volunteer gardener for the Geneva Beautification Committee. But all the candidates have an extensive curriculum vitae in public service.

Who's got kids in Geneva schools?

Would you rather elect a candidate whose children presently attend Geneva public schools because they have a "stake in the game"? Or do you prefer someone who doesn't have kids in school and isn't so directly affected when making decisions on curriculum, class sizes and spending?

Kids in school: David Joseph Lamb, Daniel J. Garrett, William R. Wilson, Leslie N. Juby

No kids in school: Mark Grosso, Robert L. Cabeen, Fred A. Dresser and Jeffrey K. DiOrio. (Jeffrey and his lovely wife have a child on the way. Congratulations!)

Political party affiliation?

Sorry, can't help you there. I don't have a record of the registered Republicans, Democrats and independents, which is OK because School Board is a nonpartisan position anyway.

Gender? Age?

Leslie N. Juby is the only distaff candidate of the eight. However, two of the three incumbents not up for re-election this year are women, so she woul not be the only woman on the board. Jeffrey K. DiOrio is 20 years younger than the next-youngest candidate.

Who's endorsing whom?

I'll touch on that in another column.

Conclusion

If any candidates or friends of candidates believe these assessments are off base, let us know in the comments field. For more information on the candidates, I strongly encourage you to click on their names highlighted throughout this article for links to each candidate's bio/questionnaire. For links to other articles, endorsement letters and blogs, visit Geneva Patch Election Central.

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