Conservative Group Gave To Hinsdale D86 Hopefuls: Report

HINSDALE, IL – A Hinsdale-based conservative political action committee gave money to two candidates for the Hinsdale High School District 86 board in the recent election.

The Concerned Parents PAC reported it gave $3,500 to Andrew Catton and $520.51 to Baron Leacock. It also donated $1,000 to the Downers Grove Township Republican Organization.

This is according to the required quarterly report that the group submitted to the state Board of Elections on Tuesday.

In an email to Patch, Leacock said he was working on his financial disclosures Tuesday night. He said the donation in question was received electronically as a personal contribution from one of the mothers at his son's school in January.

"I have not received any donations from any PACs, unions or political parties to my knowledge," Leacock said in the email. "Additionally, I’ve refunded the contribution to avoid any confusion."

Listed as the committee's chairwoman is Hinsdale resident Kristina McCloy. She also manages the "Concerned Parents of Hinsdale" Facebook page. She was the parent who gave the $520 to Leacock.

Last year, McCloy, a former Chicago Bulls cheerleader, asserted on the Facebook page that schools are hiding the issue of African American children attacking white children.

McCloy, who was appointed as a Downers Grove Township trustee in 2023, decided not to run for the office. African Americans make up 4.5 percent of the township's population.

In the April 1 election, Leacock won one of the available seats on the board, while Catton did not. Both are considered conservative. (Leacock is African American.)

Republican candidates for Downers Grove Township offices lost, a break from the GOP's long stranglehold.

Last fall, the Concerned Parents PAC advertised a gala at a top-tier Chicago restaurant to support "our mission of fostering a brighter future for our children."

As of March 31, the committee had nearly $10,000 in its bank account.