Elmhurst D205 Nonprofit Deletes Candidate Posts

ELMHURST, IL – The Elmhurst District 205 Foundation over the weekend deleted Facebook posts that featured two candidates for the school board.

The foundation has a special IRS tax-exempt status that bars it from backing or opposing candidates for political office.

The two candidates are Kelly Asseff and Kelly Henry. Seven other candidates, including two incumbents, are also vying for four board seats in the April 4 election.

Screenshots show that the foundation reposted Asseff's and Henry's photos at the event from their campaign Facebook pages.

They were from the foundation's annual Showcase fundraiser on Saturday. Dressed-up participants had dinner, listened to music, and took part in auctions and raffles.

Asked about the posts, Kate Knicker, the foundation's executive director, acknowledged in an email that the candidate's photos were reposted.

"When we realized this, we immediately removed those posts to avoid any appearance of impropriety," Knicker said. "We do not endorse these, or any other candidates, for the upcoming election. No mention was made by us of these individuals' status as candidates, or of the election in general. Our event was open to any members of the public who purchased a ticket."

The foundation's office is in District 205's headquarters.

In an email to the foundation over the weekend, candidate Tom Chavez criticized the posts, which he said interfered with the election.

"There are thousands of followers on the Facebook and Instagram pages of the D205 Foundation, who were able to see these messages of support from an organization that is restricted by law and their tax-exempt status from behaving in this manner," Chavez said. "I understand the posts have been removed as of late this evening, but the damage is done... not just to my campaign, but to the other candidates running, who did not receive the benefit of support from the D205 Foundation with only a few weeks to go before early voting begins."

In her email, Knicker said, "For more than 4 decades, Foundation 205 has raised millions of dollars to support innovative educational projects in Elmhurst Public Schools. We look forward to continuing our mission following our successful fundraising efforts this past weekend."