Candidate Profile: Maureen Lynn For Heights Board Of Education

Maureen 'Mo' Lynn

Age (as of Election Day)

48

Position Sought

Cleveland Heights Board of Education

Party Affiliation

This is a Non-Partisan position

Family

Husband (Kevin) and 3 Children

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

BS Industrial Engineering - Penn State University

Occupation

Sales Consultant (7 years) Previously VP Sales.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

None

Campaign website

www.newvoices4chuh.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

CHUH has the highest property tax in all of Ohio. The current School Board have no real solutions to address the financial accountability and overspending. Their only solution is to pass Levy after Levy. This has had significant impact on the community especially those in most need (fixed income, retired, young families, impoverished, low income, etc.) With the generous taxes that is provided to the schools, I would like to see a balanced (5) year forecast with no deficits. I would also like to address the frustration of the parents with children with Special Education. For many of them, the administration red-tape hinders their ability for these children to get the services that they need and deserve.
The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Lack of Transparency. Citizens of CHUH have been asking the current School Board to have a State Performance Audit to find the inefficiencies, over-spending and financial accountability for at least (2) years. The Board and Admin refuse to have one conducted and insist that the only solution is to pass another Levy.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

My focus is on more accountability and transparency with the generous funding that the CHUH Schools receive. We need to make sure that the money is spent is student focused and maximizes the educational experience. Having a top-heavy exceptionally paid Administration is a burden on the District.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

They have failed to be transparent with the funding that they receive. In the past 20 years, we have had 7 Levies and a $135 Million Bond. Our taxpayers have been very generous but are now exhausted in paying the highest property taxes in all of Ohio. We need to be more accountable to the entire community.

How do you think local officials are performing in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

Having the CHUH Schools closed and students going virtually has set many of the students back. I think it is imperative that the students have the educational experience in the buildings and this is able to be done safely.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Safety is another issue in the Schools. NO child should be fearful to go to classes. There needs to be greater attention to discipline and accountability. There needs to be a comprehensive program to address safety for everyone in the buildings... teachers, students, staff, etc.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I have an Industrial Engineering degree from Penn State University. I have been on the School Board of NDCL High School. I have been President of a National Educational Foundation that awards scholarships to Engineering Students from 20 Universities. I am active on an Advisory Board for the Penn State Industrial Engineering Dept. I sit on the St. Ann’s Endowment Board. As VP of Sales for an Industrial company, I managed a $130 million budget. I have (3) children and have always been involved with all of their schools. I can bring perspectives from all of these experiences to better the schools for the entire community.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Always tell the Truth!

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I have led the past (2) Anti-Levy campaigns as Treasure of Tiger Nation 4 Lower Taxes PAC. We defeated the April 2020 (7.9 Mil Levy) and lost the November 2020 (4.8 Mill Levy) by approximately 130 votes out of 30,000 voters.