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Schools

Geneva School Board: Lamb, Juby Join Grosso, Wilson

Voters on Tuesday said they liked what the Geneva School Board has been doing these past four years—and that incumbency and community involvement matter.

When Geneva School Board members met with Geneva Education Association representatives across the bargaining table in 2012, Geneva saw perhaps for the first time in its history a disagreement between faculty and elected officials strong enough to make a teachers strike a very real possibility.

It was a trial by fire for the board, for educators, for parents and students, and for the community as a whole, which ended with a signed contract, hopes for healing and the promise of continued academic success.

On Tuesday night, School District 304 voters said thank you by supporting two incumbent School Board members and by adding two candidates who represent School Board and finance experience as well as deeply-layered community involvement.

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Eight candidates sought four open seats on the board.

  • School Board President Mark Grosso was the runaway winner with 2,444 votes.
  • David Lamb, a newcomer active in youth sports and with a professional background in finance, was second with 1,907 votes.
  • Leslie Juby, a previous School Board member who lost re-election two years ago by less than 20 votes, was third with 1,605 votes.
  • Three-term incumbent Bill Wilson was fourth, with 1,509 votes.

Finishing a very close fifth was newcomer Dan Garrett, a developer of financial computer software, who fell short of the winner's circle by just 19 votes, with 1,490.

Find out what's happening in Genevawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Next was Naperville math teacher Jeffrey DiOrio with 1,402 votes; retired auto industry businessman Fred Dresser with 1,367 votes and former United Airlines Pilot Robert Cabeen with 1,124 votes.

Grosso, elected to his second term, said the victory at the polls was a sign that the board was on the right track.

"For me, just looking at tonight, I think the community is saying we like what the board is doing and we want them to continue with the trends and actions that we’ve taken," he said. "I think we’ve been very aware of the economic conditions in our community. We’re also concerned about our students and parents, and we try to balance everyone’s needs to come up with the best solutions we can."

Wilson, who won his fourth term Tuesday night, was a "kids first" candidate who also served on the School Board's collective-bargaining subcommittee.

"The seven members of the board worked very hard to come up with a contract we felt was good for the teachers and good for the community," he said. "And to some extent we were saying, 'If you think we did a good job on the teacher contract, give us an opportunity to keep going and do good things.' ... I think the community was telling us, 'You have done a good job.' "

Juby wasn't an incumbent per se, but she had an incumbent's experience, serving on the School Board prior to 2011. She's a substitute teacher in Batavia and serves on countless boards, including the Illinois School Success Task Force, the Geneva Strategic Plan Advisory Committee and as a trustee of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy.

"I hope (voters) liked the total package—the diverse education background, and I’m hoping they saw me as someone who will always try to do her best for students and taxpayers," she said.

"All the candidates were excellent," she added. "It was hard for me to predict who would win, except Mark. We all knew Mark would win. But for the rest of us, it’s hard to call a race when the voter turnout is so low."

Lamb was picking up election signs as he was interviewed by phone Tuesday night.

"I'm in my rolling campaign office—my car," he said. And, for the record, he pulled over and was at a complete stop while speaking.

"To be honest, I’m not surprised (about finishing in second place)," he said. "I’ve been in the community a long time, and I know people, and people know who I am. Just being involved, getting to know families, that’s kind of what it’s about, and in all honesty it will help me as a board member. I do think I know the vibe of what the community and what people are thinking."

He also said he was impressed by Grosso's 2,444 votes.

"If there ever was a mandate in a School Board election, that was it," Lamb said. "He’s a very effective board member and effective leader. It's a tough job with a lot of tough decisions, no matter what you do.

"I don’t know if it validates what the board was doing during those negotiations, but I agree with how the board approached it. I do know that, in following school-contract talks in general, every contract negotiation almost got to a strike, so it’s not unique to our district. 

"But I think Mark was an effective leader during those talks, and I think (this election) was a validation of Mark and his efforts."

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