Objections Dismissed for St Charles School Board Candidates

On January 8 the Kane County Electoral Board held a public hearing to read their decision regarding the objections filed by Mrs. Penman. All three candidates, Mrs. Hewell, Mr. Manheim, and Mrs. McCabe, will be allowed to remain on the ballot for the April 2nd election. This was the statement made by the Electoral Board with regards to Mrs. Hewell’s dismissal of objections. “The motion to dismiss the objection by the candidate was taken under advisement at the hearing and the motion to dismiss will be granted. Just by way of discussion and deliberation the Electoral Board has limited authority jurisdiction and it does not have jurisdiction to delve into matters outside the election code to go into the intricacies or questions that may arise in this case District 303 ordinances. We simply don’t have the authority to do that.” As for Mr. Manheim the Electoral Board reiterated similar statements. “I think you probably know where this one’s going. The same way too Mrs. Penman and that is exactly the situation we don’t have the authority: the jurisdiction. The State hasn’t given us that authority to look into those matters it’s not part of the process. The Election Board overruled all of the objections set forth in the objection of Danielle Penman of the nominating papers of Nicholas Manheim for St Charles School District 303 Board Member.” Mrs. McCabe’s objection was of a different nature. These are the statements made by the Electoral Board. “Again, we don’t have the jurisdiction to review the types of issues you raised. And that is a comment on neither a plus or a minus on anything just simply we can’t do anything with this.”
While this election process has been a huge lesson in civics, it also has given the D303 Community a time to pause and reflect on the story the press has overlooked for the last 20 years. The story being the ongoing issues with the School Board’s lack of accountability, transparency, and communication with the public. The responses of the current Board Members as candidates who were challenged help the public understand their approach to governing District 303. Mrs. Hewell stated in the Kane County Chronicle, https://www.kcchronicle.com/20... "we are all pleased that Danielle Penman has failed in her personally motivated ridiculous and false attacks against three excellent candidates". Then quickly remarks, “I will continue my best efforts on behalf of the children, community and taxpayers of D-303". On the other hand, Mr. Manheim in his defense stated he felt "validated" "I don't believe that my signatures were invalid" "I feel confident that I had the proper amount of signatures required and that they were done correctly." Voters in the D303 Community will have to decide for themselves where they stand on April 2nd.
The D303 Community must take a pause and think about these facts. The Kane County Chronicle mentioned that Mrs. Hewell served 4 terms and Mr. Manheim served 2 terms. Twenty four years combined of experience and governing. Roles as President and Vice President; positions of power and examples/mentors for new Board Members. These are long standing members who are provided with training and guidance to manage taxpayer dollars in a budget of approximately $280M, create policies (rules) for the superintendent, staff, teachers, and students to follow and create consequences if those policies are not followed by the superintendent, staff, teachers, and students. They are expected to know the rules by which they govern the district. This election is all about knowing and understanding the facts and history of the D303 School Board. This election is a time to ask the questions and start thinking about the future of the district. The April 2nd decision will chart the future educational experience for close to 12,000 students. Citizens for D303 Accountability was born out of the need for the community to know, understand, and communicate with each other for the benefit of all students. Take the time to do so this election season. Join us at https://www.facebook.com/group...