Meet LTHS School Board Candidate Richard Ives

LOCKPORT, IL — The upcoming election is less than two weeks away, and early voting has already started. In Lockport, one of the contested local races is the race for the District 205 Board of Education. There are three open positions on the Lockport Township High School school board in the upcoming April 2 election. Richard Ives is one of four candidates running for a position.

Ives lives in Lockport and has two adult children. He has a degree from Plymouth State University in New Hampshire. Ives previously was on the board of the Lockport High School Foundation, a board member of Lockport Rotary, and a past president of Lockport Junior Miss Softball.

Ives is currently the executive vice president of NorthShore International Insurance Services, Inc. in Plainfield. He was appointed to the LTHS school board in 2017.

Ives believes the most pressing issue facing the board is school safety.

"...I will continue to work with the staff and administration to see that our student and staff population remain safe at all times. The scope of such an issue can have changes and as a board we will continue to see that these changes are monitored and addressed," he said.

Other issues facing the district include "teacher, staff and administration retirements, and financial management," Ives said.

"We are at a time where LTHS will have a new Superintendent, Head of Curriculum Development, East Principal and others in July 2019," he said. "LTHS does have a strong core in place, but these positions need to be filled by looking at internal advancement or externally, if needed."

Ives said he will continue to put forth his best efforts as a school board member.

"I am running to retain my position and it is my desire to be able to continue these successes and make LTHS an even better learning community for our students, as we prepare them for the years ahead; be it an academic or vocational path," he said.

There are three open positions on the District 205 Board of Education in the April 2 election. The other candidates are incumbents Michael Lewandowski and Veronica Tylka-Shaw, and newcomer Angela Adolf.

If you are a candidate in the upcoming April 2 election, you can email andrea.earnest@patch.com for a candidate questionnaire.