Glendale Heights village president: Jackson

There was a time when politics in Glendale Heights was as down and dirty as it gets, where contests were so heated that on one occasion they sparked an Election Night brawl outside one losing candidate’s house.

That all seems a long time ago now, and at least part of the credit must go to longtime Mayor Linda Jackson, who has brought quiet stability to village government since first being elected in 2001.

But Jackson is not without her critics, including Ed Pope, who is running against her for the second time on a platform that suggests that “stability” may have turned into “inertia.”

Pope, a former trustee, says Jackson has been in office too long, that village government has become a good old boys club and that too many residents are excluded from the process. If elected, he says he’ll create a multicultural panel to involve more residents, reinstate programs and events that once pulled the community closer together, and work to revive economic development efforts.

Jackson says she’s worked to give residents multiple ways to communicate with the village, including hosting monthly Saturday morning coffees. She says she is a consensus-builder and the board and administration are working hand-in-hand to improve the village. The village has worked hard and effectively, she says, to bring new businesses to town, including several restaurants and a developer with plans for the village’s vacant Dominick’s.

Glendale Heights is not perfect, but it has become a much better and more peaceful place under Jackson’s quiet leadership. Jackson is endorsed.

Dist. 25: Johannesen, Olejniczak, Page, Patel

In the race for the Arlington Heights Elementary District 25 school board, we find several areas of debate emerging: building capacity to serve climbing enrollment, full-day kindergarten, “teaching to the test,” school choice, and the district’s and even board’s transparency and communication with residents.

All seven candidates running for four seats this year on the District 25 board have impressive qualifications and have done their homework to offer ideas.

Denise Glasgow is a college professor, instructing teachers, who has served on the board for 12 years. She believes the district is running well and recently served on the district’s strategic plan committee. Erin

Johannesen is a homemaker who joined the board in 2014 and who has represented the district on the Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization governing board.

Richard Olejniczak works in business analytics and has been on the board since 2013; he believes in exploring all options to solve problems, such as building capacity and the question of school choice.

David Page, the board president, has served for 14 years; he’s a financial adviser who keeps a keen eye on the district’s money, budget, and governing processes.

Anisha Patel is running for public office for the first time; she has worked in education as a teacher, administrator, adjunct professor and now as a consultant, volunteered in education and youth development overseas, and worked for the district helping to shape its curriculum.

Chris Salituro is a high school teacher challenging the board, in particular criticizing how it communicates with residents and aiming to improve transparency.

Joseph Selbka is an attorney challenging the board to, among other things, consider school choice, in part to encourage healthy competition among schools.

Page and Glasgow have long been good stewards of District 25.

Olejniczak’s often differing viewpoints are reasoned and valuable. And the relatively new Johannesen has been a quick study and brings good perspective. Among the challengers, Salituro and Selbka, more or less running together, have passionate differing views but perhaps not yet the best-thought-out ideas for improving district operations.

With a nod toward diversity and her deep experience in education, Patel is endorsed over the still very qualified Glasgow to bring new perspective and ideas to the district, joining Johannesen, Olejniczak and Page to form a team that has different viewpoints but still a sense of collaboration.