12 Vie for 3 Seats at College of DuPage

When voters go to the polls April 7, they will have a number of candidates to choose from for the College of DuPage board of trustees. Twelve candidates are vying for 3 seats on the board. Two incumbents will be on the ballot:

• Nancy Svoboda
• Kim Savage

The challengers include:

• Charles Bernstein of Wheaton
• Frank Napolitano of Bloomingdale
• Deanne Mazzochi of Elmhurst.
• Claire Ball of Addison
• Roger Kempa of Darien
• Dan Bailey of Wheaton
• Matt Gambs of Naperville
• Joseph Wozniak of Naperville
• Dan Carlin of Naperville
• Sandra Pihos of Glen Ellyn

The challengers come to the table with a variety of political experience. Pihos is running for the COD board a year after a rejection for re-election to the House. Carlin is a senior adviser in the Illinois treasurer’s office and formerly served as the chairman of the COD board.

Wozniak is the father of the current board member by the same name. Gambs is chairman of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce.

The COD election will be a closely-watched one. The school has been embroiled in controversy recently.

• In January, school board members voted to send the community college’s president Robert Breuder away with a $762,000 buyout. That was funded by taxpayers.
• Then there were the business dealings at the college radio station and a move tocensure a board member.
• Earlier in March, it was revealed that nearly $200,000 was charged in food and liquor costs at the college’s fine dining restaurant, Waterleaf.
• By the end of March, the college allegedly awarded signage contracts to a foundation member without going to bid for the jobs.
• Then, on March 31, it was revealed that there are three active subpoenas against the college.
• Finally, in April, academic numbers were questioned.