Lincoln-Way teachers union makes endorsements

NEW LENOX – Area representatives for the Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 teachers union recommended four out of the 13 candidates running for the school board.

Tim Conway, Lincoln-Way Education Association president, stated in an email that area representatives – part of the legislative body for the union – recommend board President Dee Molinare and board member Christopher Lucchetti, as well as Beth Janus-Doyle and Aaron Janik.

The recommendation by the area representatives was done in a unanimous vote, Conway said.

“Each of these candidates have expressed a vision for the Lincoln-Way district that does not contradict the vision of the LWEA,” Conway said.

Kevin McCleish, LWEA member and co-chairman of the union’s eight-member political action committee, said the committee vetted the candidates that the area representatives voted on by talking to them one-on-one, attending their events and reviewing their campaign finance records.

The PAC based its recommendations on the needs of the community, students, teachers and parents, McCleish said. He said the candidates are independent instead of being part of a slate, and their skills cover finance, labor relations and education.

“We feel, with these four candidates, we feel it is very balanced for what is best for the students, community and teachers,” McCleish said.

For each candidate, McCleish said Lucchetti has shown knowledge of finance and ability to make independent analysis; Janik is a lawyer who’s been involved in labor relations for public sector unions and management; Molinare has shown she can make independent decisions and look at situations objectively; and Janus-Doyle is a public educator who works with a diverse student body.

The LWEA held a forum Wednesday for all 13 candidates who are vying for five seats on a board that has been subject to much controversy over the past year after its decision to close Lincoln-Way North High School in response to dire financial woes.

The teachers union was critical of the district last year when the board approved the dismissal of 31 staff members and three permanent substitutes by the end of the 2015-16 school year to cut costs.

Other candidates running for the upcoming April election include the Citizens For 210 slate – Karen Town, Lee Talley, Cathy Pleasant, Gus Yiakos and Ben Yomtoob – and board members Christopher Kosel, Joseph Kirkeeng and Joseph Kosteck.

Also running is Robert Ripp, former vice president for Lincoln-Way Area Taxpayers Unite, a watchdog group that tried to block the closing of North with a lawsuit.

Doyle, Town, Talley, Ripp and Kirkeeng are running for unexpired two-year terms. Janik, Kosteck, Molinare, Pleasant, Yiakos, Yomtoob, Kosel and Lucchetti are running for four-year terms.

LWATU also held its own forum Feb. 2, with only six of the candidates participating. Liz Sands, LWATU president, said in an email Saturday that her personal choices for the board are Ripp, Janus-Doyle, Lucchetti, Janik and Pleasant.

She praised Ripp’s financial acumen, saying it was above the other candidates’.

She also said Janus-Doyle will be a voice for educators and students, Lucchetti is willing to go against the grain, Janik will be able to guide the district during upcoming collective bargaining opportunities, and Pleasant knows auditing and has worked in the public sector.