Sycamore resident Jonathan “Cole” Regnery announces plans to run for school board in 2025

SYCAMORE – Jonathan “Cole” Regnery, the Sycamore Pumpkin Festival committee president, has announced plans to run for Sycamore Community School District 427′s school board in 2025.

Regnery, 29, said he’s served on various Sycamore organizations and is ready to move into what would be his first stint in a publicly elected position. The Consolidated Election is April 1, 2025.

“I’ve done a lot of local things, and I thought political representation, like representing my fellow Sycamore citizens in a political capacity might be a good way to continue to serve, as opposed to just on a volunteer committee, or something like that,” Regnery said. “I really believe in the purpose of education. I think it’s one of the most important things we do as a collective group of people, and so I thought that seemed like a natural place to dip my toe in.”

In June, Sycamore school board members approved a resolution that could have significant impacts on the next election.

“I like to give back. I like to help make Sycamore a better place. I think it’s a great place. I grew up here. I think the school district is really great, and I like serving.”

—  Jonathan “Cole” Regnery

Sycamore voters will be asked on their November election ballots to decide whether anyone in the district can run for a spot on the Sycamore School District 427 Board, regardless of the township in which they reside.

A statewide policy prohibits any more than three board members living within a single township inside district boundaries from serving on the school board. The board is unable to change that policy without a voter approved referendum, officials have said.

If the referendum is approved by voters in the November election, Regnery and other candidates won’t have to fret over who lives where when the results come in on election night come spring.

“I’m running because I want to serve my community,” said Regnery, a Sycamore township resident. “I like to give back. I like to help make Sycamore a better place. I think it’s a great place. I grew up here. I think the school district is really great, and I like serving. I was on Pumpkin Fest, as part of the Rotary Club of Sycamore, and I thought ‘What’s someway I can continue to serve?’ and the school board is an option for that.”

Regnery earned his bachelors of science in mathematics and masters in pure mathematics from Northern Illinois University. He attended Sycamore District 427 schools.

“I think that Sycamore schools do an excellent job, so my primary focus would be making sure they continue to do an excellent job,” Regnery said. “I think things like a five-year vision, and goal setting at a really high level are very important. It seems like the board lately has been talking about a five-year vision and goal-setting, and I just want to make sure that I can help push those ideas forward.”