Elmhurst Conservatives Trounced In Election

ELMHURST, IL – The lines were clear in Tuesday's Elmhurst school board election.

Supporters of the Elmhurst School District 205 administration knew which candidates to support – incumbents Beth Hosler and Courtenae Trautmann and newcomers Kelly Henry and Kelly Asseff. They were seen as progressives.

And opponents of the district's direction had their candidates as well – Tom Chavez, Linda Nudera, Lan Li and Jammie Esker Schaer. They were perceived as conservatives. (A ninth candidate, Ben Zulauf, who finished last, was in neither camp.)

Four seats were up for election.

By a nearly two-to-one margin, the progressives prevailed, according to unofficial returns.

A few weeks before the election, the local teachers union endorsed the progressives.

The conservatives got their own endorsement – from Awake Illinois. It was the Friday before the election.

In its endorsements for a number of districts, Awake Illinois cited falling test scores as its sole reason.

Despite that, the group is largely focused on cultural issues. It warns the public about the indoctrination and "grooming" of children. Last year, it took part in the fight against an all-ages drag show at the Downers Grove Public Library.

Additionally, Awake Illinois honored a minister who spoke against affirming "homosexuality."

In 2021 and 2022, Chavez also took on cultural topics. He spoke at school board meetings accusing the district of teaching critical race theory, but he did not provide evidence, other than a display titled "intersectionality."

Chavez also warned about Marxist ideology being taught in local schools.

By the time he launched his campaign, Chavez moved to more mainstream topics such as falling test scores and the district's tax hike.

None of the Elmhurst conservative candidates rejected Awake Illinois' endorsement. Chavez praised the organization in an email to Patch. He said the group was founded out of a need to defend students' and parents' rights during the pandemic.

"Were it not for courageous parents and advocacy groups like REOPEN D205, AWAKE Illinois and many others stepping into the breach and standing up for children, the damage to their mental health, wellbeing and academic education would likely have gone on much longer, and the damage been much greater," Chavez said.

Patch ran stories about Awake Illinois' endorsements in Elmhurst, Hinsdale and La Grange.

In a later email to Patch, Chavez indicated Patch's story about the endorsements was less than welcome. He questioned the purpose of such reporting.

"Was it to try, desperately, I might add, to connect the four candidates you don't support to 'far-right extremism'...was it to try to insert 'grooming' back into the equation?" Chavez asked. "Did you ask the other candidates directly, and specifically, what their thoughts are on explicit sexual content being introduced to grade schoolers?"

Chavez also formed a group called Elmhurst Parents for Integrity in Curriculum, or EPIC, which had close ties with then-state Rep. Deanne Mazzochi, an Elmhurst Republican.

In the 2020 election, Mazzochi won with 54 percent of the vote in a community where Democrat Joe Biden prevailed. Last November, she lost by a few hundred votes out of more than 40,000.

Her loss was after she had spoken at a few school board meetings questioning the district's lessons in American history and English. She called for the superintendent to "clean house."

Mazzochi never publicly conceded her election loss.

Patch left a message for comment with Chavez on Wednesday.