Politics & Government
In Their Own Words: Meet School Board Candidate Michael T. McCormick
Here is a brief autobiography of Mike McCormick, one of six candidates vying for three seats on the Geneva School Board.
My wife Jessica, my five children: Michael (Geneva High School student), Collin (Geneva Middle School North student), Evan (GMSN student), Ashley and Meghan, and I have deep roots in Geneva.
I have been a resident of Geneva for more than 11 years and am a member of St. Peter Church. My parents, grandmother, brother and mother-in-law all live in Geneva. This family dynamic affords me an excellent opportunity to see board decisions through the prism of many different perspectives.
While we don't all agree on everything regarding public education in Geneva, we do all agree on the importance of a good-quality school system that is answerable to the people of Geneva, who pay upwards of 70 percent of their real estate property tax to the district.
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I have been a practicing lawyer in Illinois for more than 20 years. I am the managing partner of McCormick Braun Friman LLC in Chicago, practicing tax and corporate law. I graduated with a double major in accounting and finance from Miami University in Oxford, OH, and attended law school at Valparaiso University in Indiana, graduating in the top of my class.
I received a Concannon Certificate in International Law from Notre Dame University in London, England, and then went on to receive a master’s degree in taxation from the John Marshall Law School in Chicago, graduating with honors. I have published numerous articles and have been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes magazine and many other media outlets on matters relating to taxation and corporate law.
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The new board will be going into uncharted waters with the current economic environment. It will be imperative to have well-qualified board members with backgrounds designed to address this uncertain future.
I feel my accounting and legal backgrounds fit that bill, and I would be honored for your vote and to give you voice on the new board as we face the challenges ahead.
Editor's note: Geneva Patch invited candidates in local contested races—for Park Board, School Board and City Council seats—to tell us a little bit about themselves in 300 words or less. Candidates also are invited to submit a final essay prior to the election.
