College of DuPage (COD) Candidates (April 7, 2015 Election)

COD has 12 candidates for 3 Trustee positions.  It has been all over the news recently!

Background

The Wikipedia entry for College of DuPage has an excellent summary of COD including events of the last year.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_of_DuPage

Three candidates are running together as the “clean slate” – Charles Bernstein, Frank Napolitano and Deanne Mazzochi.  They have been endorsed by Kathy Hamilton – the one current trustee who has voted “no” to the $763,000 Golden Parachute – the one trustee that the Chicago tribune did not list when they wrote “Board Chairwoman Erin Birt, co-Vice Chairman Joseph Wozniak, Dianne McGuire, Kim Savage, Nancy Svoboda, Allison O’Donnell, it’s time to resign.” Chicago Tribune

 

Candidates (in ballot order):

Nancy Svoboda

• Incumbent (2009 – 2015)
• Campaign webpage: http://www.nancysvoboda.com/
• 2009 LWV candidate profile: http://www.lwvelmhurst.org/2009Candidates/Svoboda.html
• Voted for Dr. Breuder’s $762,868 Golden Parachute
• Watchdog’s take on Savage / Svoboda: http://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2015/04/savage-svoboda-the-real-story-ask-you-people-have-you-didnt-listen/

 

Sandra M. Pihos

• Campaign webpage: http://www.electsandrapihos.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sandy.pihos
• Sandy served in the IL house for 12 years (2002-2014)
• Sandy served on the Glenbard High School District 87 school board (1993 – 2002)
• She voted for 2014 FOIA bill (HB3796), which makes it more difficult for citizens to hold their public bodies accountable.
• District 87 was spiking teacher salaries the entire time she was on the school board. That policy is a root cause for today’s TRS pension mess.
• Looking at the donors to Sandy’s last primary campaign, we find her largest contributor was IL Education Association IPACE $102,600.00  illinoissunshine.org
• The Watchdogs dig into Ms. Pihos’ record  http://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2015/04/cod-political-endorsements-fail-the-public-part-iii/

 

Matt Gambs

• Campaign webpage: http://www.mattgambs.com/bio/about-matt-gambs/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Matt-Gambs/924464200920327
• Bank executive
• Ultimate power ultimately corrupts – or how many boards are too many?
  Gambs is or has been (from web search) a
  – chairman of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce,
  – trustee of his alma mater, Regis University,
  – chairman of the Heritage YMCA Group serving Aurora, and Naperville,
  – chairman of the Board of Trustees at All Saints Catholic Academy in Naperville,
  – and part of the leadership team of DuPage Business Council.
• Matt Gambs & the ‘cease-and-desist’ order http://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2015/03/cod-political-endorsements-fail-the-public-part-ii/

 

Kim Savage

• Incumbent (2009 – 2015)
• Campaign webpage: http://www.kimsavage.org/
• Voted for Dr. Breuder’s $762,868 Golden Parachute
• Watchdog’s take on Savage / Svoboda: http://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2015/04/savage-svoboda-the-real-story-ask-you-people-have-you-didnt-listen/

 

Claire Ball

• Campaign webpage: http://www.claireballforillinois.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClaireBallForIllinois?fref=ts
• Libertarian
• Accountant

 

Charles Bernstein

• Campaign webpage: http://cleanslateforcod.com/?page_id=32
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charles.bernstein.77?fref=ts
• Retired businessman
• Running as part of the “Clean Slate”

 

Frank Napolitano

• Campaign webpage: http://www.franknapolitano.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Frank-Napolitano/280221069771
• Served as village trustee in Bartlett.
• Reformer on U46 school board, resigned when he moved to Bloomingdale
• Running as part of the “Clean Slate”

 

Deanne Marie Mazzochi

• Campaign webpage: http://votemazzochi.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CitizensforMazzochi
• Deanne is a Patent attorney.
• Running as part of the “Clean Slate”

 

Roger J. Kempa

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Roger.K13
• Frequent commenter at COD board meetings – does primary research into COD issues.

 

Joseph M. “Joe” Wozniak

• Campaign webpage: did not find one
• Daily Herald Bio: http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20150301/submitted/303019846/
• His son, Joe Wozniak is a current member of the COD board

 

David “Dave” Carlin

• Campaign webpage: did not find one
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carlin
• Former COD board member (2007 – 2013)
• David Carlin was on the board that hired Dr. Breuder (January 2009), gave Dr.  Breuder contract extensions, and presided over the opening of the Water Leaf Restaurant.
• COD – Dave Carlin participates in illegal meeting? http://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2015/03/cod-dave-carlin-participates-in-illegal-meeting-2/

 

Dan Bailey

• Campaign webpage: http://www.danbailey.org/about.php
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dan.bailey.397
• Dan is on the steering committee for Turn DuPage Blue

http://www.turndupageblue.com/who.php

Dan Bailey Ran for office multiple times as a Democrat and an elected committeeman of Milton 64 since 1992 acting since 88. Former union local president, BLE Division 184 (Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers Division 184, founding president.) 

 

Runing as the “Clean Slate”

• Charles Bernstein, Frank Napolitano and Deanne Marie Mazzochi
• Clean Slate for COD: http://cleanslateforcod.com/
• Clean Slate – facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3forCOD/

 

Endorsements:

Board member [Kathy Hamilton] endorses College of DuPage candidates running as slate  http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/western-springs/news/ct-gle-cod-election-slate-tl-0226-20150223-story.html

 

Former congressman Joe Walsh also endorsed Charles Bernstein, Frank Napolitano and Deanne Marie Mazzochi

 

Dr. Darlene Ruscitti. DuPage GOP Chairman sent an email to all DuPage GOP precinct committeemen:

“…As an educator, a university trustee, and DuPage GOP Chairman, I encourage you to join me in voting for Sandy Pihos, Matt Gambs, and Deanne Mazzochi for College of DuPage (COD) Trustees on April 7th, Election Day. They have the best shot at winning and beating the incumbent and Democratic candidates…”

Illinois Review: Robling: DuPage GOP Fails Reform Test At Community College http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2015/03/robling-dupage-gop-fails-reform-test-at-community-college.html

 

Daily Herald: endorsed Matt Gambs, Deanne Mazzochi and Sandra Pihos http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20150321/discuss/150329738/

 

COD faculty association posted on their facebook page:

“The Daily Herald has posted its endorsements. We agree on 2 of the 3. As would be expected, we believe in voters doing their own research, think before you vote, but VOTE. We are recommending that you vote for Sandy Pihos, Deanne Mazzochi, and Dan Bailey. A truly non-partisan selection of candidates who will have to form a coalition to move CoD forward with a college driven agenda.”

 

The Courier [COD student newspaper] editorial board endorses former state Rep. Sandra Pihos, attorney Deanne Mazzochi and businessman Matt Gambs. http://codcourier.org/2311/opinion/our-endorsements-for-the-board-of-trustees/

 

COD Follow-Up: Pihos Now On Democrats’ Literature For COD Election  Illinois Review

 

COD in the news

A web search will find  many articles.  Here are a few of the better ones:

• Chicago Tribune, Editorial: It’s time to clean house at the College of DuPage http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-dupage-0402-20150401-story.html
• On January 15, COD made the front page of the Chicago Tribune  “College of DuPage employed radio engineer despite theft conviction”  http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/ct-college-of-dupage-wdcb-radio-met-20150115-story.html#page=1

• On January 22, COD board voted to amend COD president Dr Breuder’s contract, giving Dr. Breuder a $762,868.77 Golden Parachute when he retires on March 31, 2016. They re-voted at a special meeting on 1/28/2015 to do it again after realizing that their original vote was done illegally.  https://dupagewatchdog.org/2015/02/cod-in-the-news-cod-president-dr-breuder-to-leave/
• November 2014, Trustee McGuire compared the “Tea Party” and watchdogs to Nazi’s. In December, two rebuttals.  https://dupagewatchdog.org/2015/02/cod-nazi-speech-rebuttals/ 
• August 2014 – A censure for speaking out (Chicago Trib) http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-college-dupage-edit-0828-20140827-story.html

 

More information

• The official COD Board meeting notices, minutes, etc. can be found on the COD Board of Trustees’ page.  http://www.cod.edu/about/board_of_trustees/
• Much of the investigation of the College of DuPage has been done by the “Edgar County Watchdogs.” http://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/category/college-of-dupage-2
• Summary of “For the Good of Illinois” findings  http://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2015/04/wheres-bottom-at-college-of-dupage/