2013 Election: Richard Marron

Name: Richard Marron

Position Sought: Summit Hill – District 161 School Board Member

Campaign Contact Information: 

Website: buildabetter161.com,
Email: info@buildabetter161.com,
Facebook Page: Build A Better 161

What will be your single most important priority if you get elected?

Creating a comprehensive, multi-year plan for the school district that encompasses education, finance, and policy. This plan, and the corresponding goals, can then be used to help guide board actions and monitor progress. The plan will also help provide transparency of the board direction to district parents, residents, and tax-payers, allowing for a better understanding of the motivation of board decisions and the use of district resources.

Home Address: 

7431 Ridgefield Lane, Tinley Park, IL 60487

Family Members:

Christine Marron - wife
Children:
D.J. – collage junior,
Noah – 6th grade,
Connor – 4th grade,
Mia – 3rd grade,
Cole – pre-kindergarten

Education: 

B.S. in Economics from Northern Illinois University,
B.S. in Accounting from Governor’s State University

Current Occupation and Employer:

Senior Manager (Accounting/Finance), Capgemini America

Political Party Affiliation: Independent

Why are you seeking office?

Being a father of five, I want the schools that educate our children to be top notch. Being a homeowner, I want a school district that supports our home values. Being a tax payer, I want our tax dollars managed well. I believe that I have the necessary skills and motivation to help improve the Summit Hill School Board and am ready to work tirelessly to help achieve goals that will benefit all of us.

What sets you apart from the other candidates?

While I posses many skills, obtained through business and volunteer experience, important to the position, I feel that my communication and team building abilities set me apart from others. It is impossible for me, or anyone, to have all of the knowledge necessary to guide a school district. However, I am aware of what I do not know and can work to build teams, which may consist of a variety of resources, to enhance or supplement my knowledge base.

In your opinion, what are the primary challenges facing this district?

Like almost all local government entities, District 161 is dealing with the task of supplying quality services with a shrinking pool of available resources. This places competing directions or goals in conflict and can cause divides within the community. In the case of District 161, these divides can be exaggerated as the care and support of children is involved. The limited community resources are used without focus and the services provided are not maximized.

How will you address those challenges?

Creating a multi-year plan for the district and engaging in fact-based discussions, allows for compromise and the inclusion of as many varying goals as possible. While emotion can never be eliminated from discussions about schools, the focus must be on facts, where available. Creating an environment where all interested parties can put forth facts and ideas for consideration will assist in closing divides within the community and maximize the benefit derived for the limited resources available.

If elected, what will be your philosophy as a board member?

I believe that a School Board should accept varying ideas from all stakeholders without the influence of personal agendas; Provide direction, guidance, and policy for the school district but not directly manage the day-to-day operations of the district; Maintain conservative fiscal oversight to insure that the district's resources are maximized for students today and into the future, while minimizing the impact to tax payers; Support education programs which lead to increased academic achievement and growth, as well as a comprehensive offering of extracurricular activities.

Please add any other information pertinent to your campaign.

In addition to myself, I support the election of Pamela Kohlbacher and David Faber to the Summit Hill School Board. Together, we bring years of combined experience in the areas of finance, accounting, management, administration, contract negotiations/management, and education. These are the core skills that are needed to address District 161’s current and future issues. While all of the district’s issues and problems will not be immediately solved by our election, the experience will be in place to put District 161 on the path to success.