Are Political Party Endorsements A Bad Idea For D15 School Board Candidates?

PALATINE, IL — The incumbent school board vice president for Community Consolidated School District 15 is worried that party politics could muddy the waters of April's election to fill the system's five open seats.

Jim Ekeberg told the Daily Herald his concerns stemmed from the support the five-candidate Engage D15 slate is seemingly receiving from the Palatine Township Republican Organization, a move that the political group has avoided in the past.

But Palatine Township Republican committeeman Aaron Del Mar disputes Ekeberg's claim, saying while the GOP group might endorse some candidates, it wouldn't be backing the entire slate, the report stated. However, the organization's website does list the candidates favorably, and the slate's upcoming fundraising events are on the site's calendar, the report added.

RELATED: Consensus Candidates Announce Campaign Kick-Off for District 15 Board of Education

The candidates on the Engage D15 slate include Frank Annerino, Barb Kain, Mike Smolka, Lisa Szczupaj and Anthony Wang. Other D15 candidates on the ballot include incumbents Ekeberg, Peggy Babcock and Gerald Chapman, as well as independents David Border, Asad "Sid" Aman and Adam Bauske.

While Del Mar said the group won't support the entire Engage D15 slate, it does support the candidates' opposition to last year's $130 million district bond referendum, which voters rejected in November, the report stated. Despite that, Del Mar told the Herald there's a simple reason why his organization won't officially endorse all of the Engage D15 candidates: Kain and Szczupaj are Democrats.

RELATED: New District 15 Community Committee to Meet; Will This Group Rebuild Parents' Trust?

Officially endorsing school board candidates is an idea that also troubles Palatine Township Democratic committeeman Matt Flamm, according to the Herald. He doesn't think partisanship belongs in school board elections, and he believes the Palatine Township Republican Organization set a bad precedent when it endorsed board candidates in 2015, the report added. (Del Mar claims Flamm's group has backed Ekeberg in the past, the Herald reports.)

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Is it a bad idea for political parties to officially endorse District 15 school board candidates? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section. Plus, take Patch's poll on the topic.

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