• Michael McDevitt
    OCT 29, 2024
    rating
    UNLOCKED

    Four-way race to represent Southwest to Far Southwest Side district on school board features big spending by charter school, school choice groups

    article-image
    From left to right, Therese Boyle, Lanetta Thomas, La'Mont Raymond Williams and Miquel Lewis. [Campaign social media and websites]

    Therese Boyle, Lanetta Thomas, La'Mont Raymond Williams and Miquel Lewis are seeking a two-year term on the partially elected Chicago School Board next year in District 9, which includes Auburn Gresham, Beverly, Washington Heights, Mount Greenwood, Roseland, West Pullman, Canaryville, West Englewood, and parts of Ashburn, Chatham, Greater Grand Crossing and Chicago Lawn.

    The ninth district race is one of the eight school board races in which contribution limits have been lifted as a result of levels of spending. Contribution limits were lifted by the State Board of Elections earlier this month as a result of spending by the Illinois Network of Charter Schools (INCS) Action Independent Committee and the Urban Center’s committee on behalf of Lewis’s candidacy.

    As of Oct. 28, INCS Action Independent Committee has spent over $252,000 to back Lewis through digital media and campaign mailers and $47,317 to oppose Thomas. The Urban Center’s independent political expenditure committee has spent over $53,000 on campaign text messaging to support Lewis.  

    Thomas, the candidate endorsed in the race by the powerful Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), has reported raising $14,359 in individual and in-kind contributions and loans as of Oct. 28. 

    Thomas, an assistant promotions, marketing and external relations director at Governors State University’s College of Arts and Sciences, has reported loaning her own campaign committee $3,773.50. CTU PAC has reported giving her committee $4,335 in in-kind contributions in the form of staff salaries, and the progressive Our Schools Chicago’s political committee, Our Schools Action PAC, has given her campaign $4,000 in-kind for staff salaries. 

    Thomas has also reported $2,250 in direct contributions, the vast majority of which was a $2,000 contribution from the California-based Theresa Preston-Werner, married to GitHub co-founder and angel investor Tom Preston-Werner and who herself co-founded a progressive, climate-oriented philanthropic organization called the 128 Collective Foundation. 

    As of Oct. 28, Boyle’s committee has reported raising at least $55,750 in direct and in-kind contributions and loans. Boyle has lent her own campaign $18,000. 

    Boyle, a retired Chicago Public Schools (CPS) psychologist and teacher, has also directly donated to her own committee. Of the $17,750 in individual contributions reported by Boyle’s committee, Doyle has donated $12,000. 

    Some of the other significant individual contributions to Boyle’s committee includes $1,500 from Evergreen Park resident Terry MacDonald, $1,000 from Mike Strzykalski, a building engineer with CPS, and $1,000 from Mary Dixon, according to State Board of Elections records.

    Boyle has also reported $20,000 in in-kind contributions, consisting of $10,000 for digital advertising from Direct Access Strategies and $10,000 for digital advertising from the Chicago School Board Elections PAC, both Direct Access and the PAC are owned and run by Robert Tebbens, a former firefighter who has worked as the Chicago firefighter union’s political and legislative director in the past. 

    Lewis is currently acting director of the Juvenile Probation and Court Services Department of the Circuit Court of Cook County. 

    Lewis’ committee has reported $27,300 in individual contributions as of Oct. 28, including $6,900 from INCS Board of Directors member Jim Frank, $2,000 from his wife Karen Frank, $5,000 from INCS Board Chair David Weinberg, $6,900 from trading firm DRW founder and CEO Don Wilson and $1,000 from Perspectives Charter Schools CEO Deborah Stevens. 

    Williams is the chief of staff and general counsel to Cook County Comm. Bill Lowry (D-3) and unsuccessfully ran in the Democratic primary for Illinois State Senate District 16 in 2022. 

    Williams’ committee has raised more than $10,700 since April for his school board campaign in individual contributions. Williams began the reporting period from April 1-June 30 with $23,392 left over from past campaign activity.  

    Williams’ largest donation since April 1 has been a $10,000 contribution from Lowry’s campaign committee. 

    The school board is phasing in an all-elected board member model. In January 2025, 10 elected board members and 10 mayor-appointed board members will take office, and the mayor will appoint a board president. Early voting is ongoing in the school board race. 

    Following the 2026 elections, all 20 board members and the board president will be elected by voters and seated in January 2027.

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