Hinsdale D86 Leader Not Running Again

HINSDALE, IL – The president of the Hinsdale High School District 86 board said Wednesday he would not run for a second term.

Elected in 2019, Erik Held said he sought permission from his work, UBS, to seek another term in the April election.

"I went through an approvals process," said Held, a financial adviser. "Based on the results of that, I'm not going to submit to run in this particular election."

He said though conditionally approved to run, a further evaluation ruled it out both from a compliance and team standpoint.

UBS bids on government bonds, including in District 86.

In 2020, UBS won a competitive bidding process in District 86. But Held said the process was open and the board had nothing to do with it. Additionally, he said the bidding was handled by an entirely separate division of his company.

He said he and his company wanted to avoid any conflicts of interest.

"Conditions are different than they were four years ago," he said. "This is my day job."

Held, a Hinsdale Central High graduate, said he loves serving on the board and would not rule out a future run.

The board elected Held as its president last spring.

He said he hoped the election would bring forward the "best voices" of the community, rather than activists and ideological partisans.

"I would like to see people running who are open-minded," he said.

The other two incumbents up for election, Cynthia Hanson and Kathleen Hirsman, have not publicly indicated whether they are seeking re-election.

Patch left messages with both Wednesday.