Darien-Area PAC Still Keeps Donors Secret

DARIEN, IL – A political action committee is still keeping its donors under wraps in the effort to increase property taxes in Center Cass School District 66.

On Tuesday, the state Board of Elections told Patch that Diogenes PAC must reveal where it got $95,000 in seed money after it formed last month.

The elections board also said Diogenes must file an electronic report, rather than a handwritten one. That way, its information is searchable in the agency's online database.

On Tuesday, the elections board sent a letter informing Diogenes that it cannot list more than $5,000 as seed money. That means the group must reveal its donors.

Diogenes has not returned two messages left through its email address.

According to its elections board report, the committee is made up of Chairman Mark Safranski, Treasurer Lisa Donar and member Ali Beseth. All are Center Cass teachers. Diogenes has a Downers Grove mailing address.

On Tuesday, the Save Center Cass School District 66 committee reported getting another $15,000 from Diogenes. Save Center Cass is campaigning for the passage of a nearly 20 percent increase for the district's part of the property tax bill. The referendum is Nov. 8.

All total, Diogenes has given Save Center Cass $57,167 so far. That makes up 60 percent of the $95,000.

In its election board report, the Illinois PAC for Education listed giving $95,000 to the Center Cass Education Association, the local teachers union, on Sept. 9. Diogenes, which formed 17 days later, listed that same amount as its seed money.

It remains unclear why Diogenes was apparently created as a pass-through committee for union donations.

The school district says it would likely lay off teachers if the referendum fails. In the summer, it laid off other types of employees, cut programs and shortened the school day.

Last month, the school board said it lacks the money to get through a full school year.