Anne Ordway – Elected Barrington Area Library Board Member
“Dear Editor,
I’m hearing Book Banning is a topic of conversation in the upcoming April 4, 2023 elections for the Barrington School & Library Boards. In my time on the library board, no parent or patron has approached the Barrington Area library to ban a book. Parents with concerns about books in schools view a public library different than a school library.
I ran for the Barrington Area Library Board in 2021 and won a seat on that board. I ran because I am a frequent user of the library and closing it to the public for an extended period of time piqued my interest in library leadership. We have current Library board members who want to do something about misinformation. How exactly is misinformation to be defined? Labeling what one doesn’t want to hear as misinformation is censorship and has no place in a public library. At no time would we want a librarian to claim something is full of misinformation and then deny a book to a patron, or refuse to order a book for the library.
To assure The Barrington Area Library stays relevant, open, and with materials to offend everyone, I recommend voting for Chase Heidner, Kristin Cunningham, and Kelly Dittmann for the Barrington Area Library Board Trustee positions.
Barry Altshuler and Leah Collister- Lazzari share a quiet moment together as they reflect on the apparent campaign violations they’ve gotten away with so far…
District 220 voters elected Barry Altshuler (BA) and Leah Collister-Lazzari (LCL) to the Board of Education (BOE) in 2019. Despite their lack of experience, and one other vastly more qualified Board member, he was appointed Secretary of the Board and she to Vice President in 2021. Within months, they began displaying symptoms of delusions of grandeur, especially when their race for re-coronation began.
Some examples of their campaign violations include:
First: As we reported on February 10, BA failed to complete necessary paperwork required by the Illinois State Board of Elections (ISBE) by naming a Treasurer to his Campaign Committee. Yet, even though this publication has repeatedly pointed this failure to follow rules out to him, he ignored them until only recently.
LCL waited until last month to file her committee details (seen here), which revealed that she and BA share a common Committee Treasurer.
Second: Three weeks ago, BA sent campaign solicitation letters to, “… all the Dr’s in Barrington asking for their support for BOE.” It remains unclear how he obtained his solicitation mailing list, but his actions swiftly prompted the Patient Services President of Advocate Good Shepard Hospital to send the following message to area physicians:
Third: It came to our attention recently that BA is censoring comments made to his campaign Facebook page. This, despite the fact that courts have ruled that public officials cannot block critics from commenting on their Facebook page associated with their political office (see, “Court Rules Public Officials Can’t Block Critics on Facebook”). Yet this was revealed when people try to comment on his site:
BA is a practicing pediatrician. As such, with that level of education, he cannot in good conscience claim ignorance of these rules and laws.
Fourth: BA and LCL’s campaign signs are printed with the District 220 logo front and center (below). It’s unclear what, if any, permission(s) they sought or who, if anyone, granted it. What we do know is last week District 220 Superintendent Dr. Robert Huntannounced as a result, the District will incur the expense of copyrighting District 220 logo’s to prevent its unauthorized use in the future.
Fifth: LCL called in to vote on a controversial measure while working/vacationing in New Zealand in violation of the Open Meetings Act (OMA), prompting residents to bring OMA complaints to the State’s Attorney General’s office and the Policy Committee of the BOE to undertake review of the rules surrounding calling in to meetings while traveling.
Given all this, we strongly encourage voters to choose wisely at the polls. Consider the missteps of these incumbent candidates and how they have behaved (so far) in the 2023 District 220 election.
“Active Shooter Training Notice Friday, March 24, 2023 at Barrington High School
An active shooter training scenario is scheduled for tomorrow, Friday, March 24th at Barrington High School. Training for District 220 staff and officers from surrounding agencies will be participating. Please note that there will be increased police presence for this training.”
AND:
“TRAFFIC ALERT Hillside Avenue Closed Today at Union Pacific Tracks
Hillside Avenue is closed at the Union Pacific (Metra) tracks between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM today, Friday, March 24th while the Union Pacific completes track repairs. Detour signage will be in place during this work. Please plan accordingly.”
Note: Today is an, “In-Service Day,” and there will be no school.
After last night’s meeting, I want to take some time to express my belief that we need some change on the Board of Education. I have dedicated 8 years of my life to representing this District, its children and its shareholders, and while I’m not 100% comfortable writing my personal opinions about an election in an open forum, I feel I owe it to the District and the constituents who have trusted me throughout my service.
This election, I am supporting Katey Baldassano, Leonard Munson, and Matt Sheriff. These three invited me to their Meet the Candidate event—I attended, spoke with them all, and was impressed. They all have kids in District 220 schools—that is so important as a Board Member. As most of you know, Jim and I had to pull our kids from D220 schools when they stopped offering in-person learning for nearly two years. I am a mom first and so I will never regret that decision, but as a Board Member, it put me at a disadvantage. I lost my connection to and knowledge of the day-to-day activities inside and outside of the classrooms. As most of you also know, I initially filed my paperwork to run for reelection this year but withdrew my candidacy after an honest conversation with my husband and some soul-searching as to what makes a good Board Member. You need kids in the schools.
Last night at the Board Meeting the attacks on these candidates solely focused on their sources of funding. Katie Karam posted a great explanation of how the Action PAC was formed—I didn’t know a lot of this before but if you’re curious, please read about it here:
It sounds to me that those upset with the Action PAC funding are focusing on a $6000 donation from a former Republican candidate for Governor. While this Republican does not live in Barrington, he is dating a mom in Barrington with a child at a D220 school. This doesn’t seem that notable to me, considering that our current Democratic Governor made a $500,000 donation in support of various candidates in cities where he does not live. At the end of the day though, I think the positions of the candidates themselves are the important talking points.
In this regard, as a former teacher and current administrator, Katey fills a gap that has been missing in our Board since Joe Ruffalo left—an educator’s perspective. In our conversations, she is open-minded, well-informed, and balanced in her assessment of issues. Leonard’s connection to the District runs deep and he has volunteered as a coach (also coaching my son!), mentor, and board member on multiple District initiatives throughout the years. He is a straight shooter but he also listens and processes the way a real collaborator should. Matt is newer to the District and is (admittedly) the last person you would expect to run for office. He is a veteran and kind of shy…which is why I like him. He is not led by pride or political ambition but is experienced in safety and security and is an advocate for people with disabilities. I also want to clear up a few misstatements about these candidates—I do not believe that any of these three are looking to increase class sizes, decrease programming, ban books (more on that below) or engage in an overhaul of D220. THEY HAVE KIDS IN OUR SCHOOLS. Their motivation is to support our schools and as such, their children. These misstatements appear to be scare tactics to deter voters from believing that community members can run for office for the pure and simple reason that they love their children and community.
As to the other two new candidates, I wasn’t invited to their Meet the Candidate forums; however, both Diana Clopton and Nelda Munos also have children in D220 schools. I met and spoke with Diana Clopton after last night’s Board Meeting and she was lovely. I wish I had more time to talk to her before writing this, but we are leaving for Spring Break at 5am tomorrow.
As to the incumbents, I wasn’t invited to their Meet the Candidate forums either but I, of course, know them well after working with them for the past four years. I DO NOT agree with Leah’s philosophies or values as a Board Member; however, I do agree with Barry on these principles. When it comes down to the votes that matter to me though—Barry and I do not align. I admire and respect Barry though and because of that, I have spent hours drafting some of my best arguments to sway him on issues such as reopening schools, relaxing masking requirements, eliminating quarantines and providing a tangible way for parents to weigh in on their childrens’ access to sexually explicit material (remember the Love Actually argument?! THE BEST!). We are so close to agreement, but yet so far–the Barrington version of RBG and Antonin Scalia.
The last matter I want to address is that of the books. We have spent more time talking about books than I ever thought I would spend as a Board Member, and it continues to resurface. I am not going to even touch the issue of whether these books should be in D220 libraries or not—if you have an opinion on this matter, it is made and I respect that. I do want to clear up a couple of untruths though.
There are pictures circulating of the content of books that have been reviewed by both the District and BOE. Some (understandably) believe these pages and images are doctored by right-wing extremists because it is just too graphic. I have not seen any pages or images that have been doctored. They are accurate representations of the content within these publications.
The publications in question are at the BHS library and are accessible by children ages 14-18. The author of at least one of the publications in question lists the material as ‘mature’ and suitable for audiences of 17 and above.
The current option for parents who do not want their children to access books with content they may find too sexually explicit or objectionable is that the parent must contact the District with the name of the objectionable publication and request that their child be denied access to same. There is no listing of books with mature sexual content or an option to ‘opt in’ or ‘opt out’ of such access.
To my knowledge, families who do not speak English as their first language or do not have time to review publications for objectionable content really do not have any option to ascertain what publications contain mature sexual content or objectionable material.
The BOE discussion did not involve ‘banning’ books. We discussed whether these publications are age-appropriate, whether they should be labeled as sexually explicit and whether there is a means for families to ‘opt in’ or ‘opt out’ of their childrens’ access to such publications.
Thank you for reading this. I have cherished every minute of serving this community and I know I will miss it when my service is over. Please know that every person running or serving on the Board of Education puts their neck out there, puts in a ton of time and probably has a lot of sleepless nights associated with same. Please give them grace and let’s give ourselves a break from the bristling arguments that are dividing this incredibly amazing community. Jimmy and I did NOT make a mistake moving here 20 years ago. Barrington is still the best town in Illinois…and it’s going to be even better when the Bears move down the street!
Don’t forget to VOTE on April 4 and if you have any questions, please reach out!!
The Northwest Herald sent a questionnaire out to all suburban candidates seeking election in the upcoming 2023 Consolidated Elections. The only Trustee candidate who deemed Barrington Hills residents worthy of a response was Jessica Hoffmann.
When asked why she was running, Jessica wrote:
“I am committed to preserving the integrity of Barrington Hills for generations to come. Maintaining our community’s traditions and quality of life for our residents, taking special care of our village’s beautiful landscape and our pristine financial record, would be of top priority for me while serving as a Barrington Hills Trustee.”
To learn more of what Jessica had to say about her reasons for running, click here.
The two other candidates running for Village Board of Trustee seats are Darby Hills and John Carpenter Clarke, who apparently saw no need for residents to learn about or vote for them. Their presumptive election by default apparently speaks for itself but speaks volumes to this publication.
We’re very pleased to endorse Jessica Hoffmann for election to the Barrington Hills Board of Trustees, and we’re grateful to have learned a bit about her.
As for the other two candidates, we encourage residents to devote as much time to checking their names off on the ballot as they did in completing the information on the questionnaire. In other words, leave it blank.
It’s beyond time for Community Unit School District 220 to get back to the business of providing the best education possible for the vast majority of students. We believe Leonard Munson, Katey Baldassano and Matt Sheriff are the best qualified to set 220 back on that course.
In their own words, here is why they are running for seats on the CUSD 220 Board of Education:
Leonard Munson: “I love the Barrington Community and the District 220 school system. I’m here to support all the teachers and students, and I’ve been doing that since 2005 by coaching and talking with hundreds of parents. Unfortunately, most of them are not feeling confident with the current school board direction and the candidates up for Reelection. In my opinion, the board isn’t functioning properly or fulfilling the needs of the students, community, district administration or teachers. So, I want to restore balance to the board and make sure every student from kindergarten to grade 12 gets the attention and respect they deserve. Plus, I want to bring back excellence in education, listen to parents and be a responsible caretaker of taxpayers’ money.”
Katey Baldassano: “I am running for school board in District 220 to bring more voices into the conversation. The last several years has left many parents feeling like their voice and feedback has been disregarded and that has only divided our community more. A career educator, I love schools, I love teachers and I love seeing students learn. I am running to ensure that the Barrington School Board can work to serve all students, rather than make decisions based on individual board members’ personal agendas.”
Matt Sheriff: “I am running to be the voice of our community. I have witnessed extremely poor leadership and seemingly lack of common sense from some board members over the last few years. They push personal agendas and ignore the wants and needs of the community. I am motivated by a sense of community and a desire to represent the voice of our children and taxpayers.”
We wholeheartedly support these candidates in their desire to restore the CUSD 220 Board of Education set on one goal of always seeking the best for students, educators and parents.
We encourage you to learn more about Leonard, Katey and Matt here, and ask you to support them with your vote.
“11:07 AM … Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District firefighters and paramedics working at the scene of a house fire in the block of 0-99 West County Line Road Barrington. Report of a house fire with flames shooting up from the back of the house. Crew on arrival reports flames and smoke showing. Two people evacuated safely.
Command reports a fire on the second floor.
MABAS Division 4 Box Alarm on Box #38-1 to the Second Alarm by 11:19 AM.
Water on the fire by 11:28 AM. Operations going defensive at 11:45 AM.”
Chicago Morning Answer’s Dan Proft and Amy Jacobson weighed in on some of the issues voters are considering before voting in the April 4 District 220 Board of Education elections.
Their podcast, recorded yesterday, can be heard here.
9:30 a.m. Saturday, March 11, at the Depot, 319 N. River St., East Dundee. First- through third-place winners will receive prizes and be invited to march in the parade. Register at dundeestpats.org/pet-parade.
Thom McNamee Memorial St. Patrick’s Day Parade
11 a.m. Saturday, March 11, in East Dundee. Annual parade steps off at Rosie O’Hare’s Public House and travels down Barrington Road to River Street, ending at Bandito Barney’s Beach Club. Family-friendly activities and entertainment at the grandstand at The Depot starting at 9:30 a.m. dundeestpats.org.
Palatine St. Patrick’s Day Parade
11 a.m. Saturday, March 11, at Durty Nellie’s, 180 N. Smith St., Palatine. Durty Nellie’s, in partnership with Vicarious Multimedia, is hosting the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The day will begin with an Irish Breakfast at 8:30 a.m., followed by the parade kicking off at the corner of Wood and Oak streets at 11 a.m. Following the parade, there will be an After Party starting at noon. (224) 633-3120 or durtystpats.com.
Chicago St. Patrick’s Day Parade
12:30 p.m. Saturday, March 11, starting at Balbo and Columbus, then north on Columbus Drive, with a viewing stand in front of Buckingham Fountain in Chicago. It will also be live streamed at abc7chicago.com. Entry to the parade route begins at 11 a.m. at Jackson Avenue and Ida B. Wells (formerly Congress) Boulevard. Security staff will search purses and bags; coolers, alcohol, open beverages, camelbacks and personal water bottles will not be allowed. Theme is “Recognizing Workers Rights.” Grand Marshal will be Timothy Drea, president of AFL-CIO, and guest of honor will be Councillor Danny Collins, mayor of Cork County, Ireland. Free. chicagostpatricksdayparade.org.
“We’ve all heard about woke curriculum. However, the Barrington, IL District 220 is setting the woke bar to a new standard. Graphic sexually explicit content has been placed in the school libraries, and most of the school board is fully on board with it.”
Watch the enlightening and disturbing ten-minute video here.
