Election 2015: School Board Races Heat Up As More Candidates Join Ballot
As of 5:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 22, school board races in St. Charles, Geneva, District 300 and School District U-46 just got hotter.
Thirteen new candidates entered the race on Monday, the final day for school board candidates to file at the Kane County Clerk’s Office.
Perhaps the biggest change was in the St. Charles School District 303 ballot, which had three candidates running for three open seats as of Friday. By the end of Monday, five more candidates threw their hats into the ring, for a total of eight names on the April 5 ballot.
The eight candidates are vying for three open seats in St. Charles.
The five new candidates are Michael A. Vyzral, Judith Mc Connell, Jennifer Ann Reeder, Lori Linkimer and Nicholas P. Manheim. The three who had previously filed are Kathleen T. Hewell, Rick Leidig and Lowell Yarusso.
Two additional candidates filed for the School Board race in Geneva School District 304 on Monday. Tina B. Yagla and Ann E. Murtaugh joined Kelly B. Nowak, Taylor R. Egan, Mary Stith, Evelyn Schneider and Michael T. McCormick in the race for three open seats. Nowak, Stith and McCormick are incumbents.
One new candidate joined the race in Community School District 300. Susie Kopacz joins Steve Fiorentino and Joe Stevens. There are four open seats in that election, so a write-in candidate might determine who fills the fourth seat.
The U-46 District, which covers a wide geographic range, has an interesting ballot, as well. Five new candidates — Kai Rush, Susan E. Kerr, Ed Novak, Brian Sauvageau and Traci D. Ellis — joined the six candidates who had previously filed: Cody Holt, Phil A. Costello, Lawrence “Larry” Bury, Jeanette Ward, Jennifer Shroder and Arisleyda Taylor.
There are four open seats in the race for a four-year term.
An interesting twist in U-46 is that there is also an open seat for a two-year term. Three of the candidates for the four-year term also have filed for the two-year position. They are Kai Rush, Cody Holt and Phil A. Costello.
For the full and official list of candidates, be sure to visit this page on the Kane County Clerk’s Office website. (And if you see any typos or corrections that need to be made to this article, contact Rick Nagel at nagelrick.co.kane.il.us.)
The names of the candidates who filed on Monday are listed in boldface below.
Kaneland School District 302
FOR MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO SERVE A FULL 4-YEAR TERM
(Vote for FOUR)
- Tony F. Valente
- Dan Nagel
- Jerry Elliott
- Ryan Kerry
- Peter Lopatin
- Gale E. Pavlak
- Teresa Witt
- Pamela Voorhees
St. Charles School District 303
FOR MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO SERVE A FULL 4-YEAR TERM
(Vote for THREE)
- Kathleen T. Hewell
- Rick Leidig
- Lowell Yarusso
- Michael A. Vyzral
- Judith Mc Connell
- Jennifer Ann Reeder
- Lori Linkimer
- Nicholas P. Manheim
Geneva School District 304
FOR MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO SERVE A FULL 4-YEAR TERM
(Vote for THREE)
- Kelly B. Nowak
- Taylor R. Egan
- Mary Stith
- Evelyn Schneider
- Michael T. McCormick
- Tina B. Yagla
- Ann E. Murtaugh
Elgin School District U-46
FOR MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO SERVE A FULL 4-YEAR TERM
(Vote for FOUR)
- Cody Holt
- Phil A. Costello
- Lawrence “Larry” Bury
- Jeanette Ward
- Jennifer Shroder
- Arisleyda Taylor
- Kai Rush
- Susan E. Kerr
- Ed Novak
- Brian Sauvageau
- Traci D. Ellis
FOR MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO SERVE AN UNEXPIRED 2-YEAR TERM
(Vote for ONE)
- Kai Rush
- Cody Holt
- Phil A. Costello
Batavia School District 101
FOR MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO SERVE A FULL 4-YEAR TERM
(Vote for THREE)
- Melanie K. Impastato
- Michelle Olache
- Cathy Dremel
- Ron Rechenmacher
- William “Bill” Gabriel
- John D. Dryden
- Christopher A. Lowe
- Ellen Knautz
Community School District 300
FOR MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO SERVE A FULL 4-YEAR TERM
(Vote for FOUR)
- Steve Fiorentino
- Joe Stevens
- Susie Kopacz
Central School District 301
FOR MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO SERVE A FULL 4-YEAR TERM
(Vote for FOUR)
- Mitchell Penar
- Laura W. Rabe
- Janet Marlovits
- Jeff Gorman
Kane County Regional Office Of Education
FOR REGIONAL BOARD OF SCHOOL TRUSTEES
(Vote for TWO)
- No candidates as of 5:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 22
Again, for the official information, Kane County Clerk’s Office website is a great resource to find out who has filed. And, just as a reminder, there are two election commissions in Kane County. The Clerk’s Office and the Aurora Election Commission. School board candidates for East Aurora School District 131 and West Aurora School District 129 must file at the Aurora Election Commission.
