Age: 58Education: Columbia College 1983-85Job/role: Documentary filmmakerFamily: Married to Bob Colton; three children.Other elected positions: Trustee, Homewood Village Board 2009-2018; Trustee, Homewood Public Library Board 2006-2009 Issues:Community engagement is the biggest issue facing Homewood right now. Local government needs to do a better job of including residents in the decision-making process. We need to do[Read More…]
Tag: Meet the Candidates 2023
Meet the Candidates: Chenise ‘Cece’ Belue, Homewood (free)
Age: 43Education: B.A. Economics, Roosevelt University; M.A. Elementary Education, National Louis University; M.A. Educational Administration, Governors Sate University.Job/role: Assistant principal.Family: Four sons.Other elected positions: Trustee, Homewood Public Library. Issues:Supporting Homewood’s record of promoting and maintaining economic development within our community is a high-priority issue in my role as trustee. I would be honored to have[Read More…]
Meet the Candidates: Christopher K. Riedel, D233 (free)
Age: 48Education: B.A., M.A., M.B.A.Job/role: ConnectSx, CEO/Co-founderFamily: I am married with 2 children. Issues:A continued focus on educational equity for all learners; supporting and strengthening the educational excellence of H-F High School through strong collaboration with the administration, staff, and the community; ensuring the safety of the H-F environment for all students and staff;[Read More…]
Meet the Candidates: Gerald Pauling II, D233 (free)
Age: 55Education: J.D., University of California at Los Angeles School of Law; B.S., Business Administration, University of IllinoisJob/role: Partner and member of the Executive Committee, Seyfarth Shaw LLPFamily: Wife, Eugenia; three children. Issues:Academic achievement and performance; fiscal responsibility; continued staff growth and development; school culture and climate. Goals:
Meet the Candidates: Nathan Legardy, D233 (free)
Age: 51Education: B.S. Finance, DePaul UniversityJob/role: Wiz Kids Foundation – Executive DirectorFamily: Wife, Badia, two children.Other elected positions: Serving on the District 233 School Board since 2019. Issues: Goals:Continue supporting the administration by transforming the district to a more data-centric culture. Increasing alignment with feeder system schools with the end goal of improving the preparedness[Read More…]
Meet the Candidates: Pamela Jackson, D233 (free)
Age: 54Education: B.S. in HR ManagementJob/role: Executive relationship manager-UKG (Human Capital software company)Family: Four children; a niece and 95-year-old aunt.Other elected positions: Current District 233 school board member. Issues: Goals:
Meet the Candidates: Beth A. Larocca, D233 (free)
Age: 64Education: B.A. Accounting, University of Notre Dame; M.A. Reading, Texas Woman’s University; M.E. School Administration and Supervision, Loyola University of Chicago.Job/role: Retired educator.Family: Parents: Tom and Pat Larocca; four brothers and sisters.Other elected positions: District 233 board member 2017-2021. Issues:Safety and discipline, data-driven decisions, closing the achievement gap, residency, preparing every student for one[Read More…]
Meet the Candidates: Lisa Komorowski, Flossmoor library (free)
Age: 52Education: Robert Morris CollegeJob/role: Loulou Belle/OwnerOther elected positions: N/A Issues:I believe our library’s important issues are supporting literacy and education, promoting lifelong learning and serving as a community gathering space. Goals:One of my top goals is to supply our library with inclusive learning materials and services that reach every member in our community.
Meet the Candidates: Adrienne N. River, Homewood library (free)
Age: 63Education: B.A., Carleton College, and J.D., Northwestern University.Job/role: Appellate attorney for the Office of the State Appellate Defender, a state agencyFamily: Husband Dr. Philip River, and a daughter.Other elected positions: Currently president of the Homewood Library Board of Trustees; former trustee of the Village of Park Forest. Issues:The most important ongoing issues in a[Read More…]
Meet the Candidates: Thomas ‘Tom’ Popelka, Homewood library (free)
Age: 41Education: M.A. History, Rice University; M.A. Education, University of Illinois at Chicago; B.A. History, DePaul University.Job/role: Associate Director, Foundation and Corporate Relations, University of ChicagoFamily: Wife, Becky, and two daughters.Other elected positions: NoneIssues:The most important issue for me is the library’s continued commitment to being a community space for everyone. This includes a commitment[Read More…]