There’s not exactly a new sheriff in town, but there are a couple of new deputies.

Two of the new Carpentersville School District 300 school board members openly opposed the “Vote Yes! Vote Yes!” tax hiking referendum crowd last year.

And, they ran 1, 2.

That means issues will be debated in public that might not otherwise see the light of day.

All it takes is one member to make a motion and another to second it!

Both elected Republican precinct committeeman John Ryan, who lives in Algonquin, and insurance agent Monica Clark, a Hampshire resident, got enough votes to gain seats on the District 300 school board.

Both received assistance from Jack Roeser’s Family Taxpayers Network.

The other two with enough votes to gain a board seat were

• Joe Stevens, an appointed board member and former Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Rotary Club President and
• Chris Stanton.

“Thank you to the voters of District 300 for the confidence you have placed in me,” Ryan told McHenry County Blog.

“I an deeply humbled and grateful.

“I would also like to thank all those who helped to spread my message of the need to restore integrity and accountability to this Board. Rest assured, I will do my best to live up to your expectations.”

Leading the pack, Ryan received 4,412 votes, while Clark came in second with 4,389.

The race for Ryan was a head-to-head against District 300 School Board President Mary Fioretti.

Because of school board election laws for unit districts, only three board members may be elected from each township, if there are three or more townships. That’s to ensure that less densely populated townships are not completely overwhelmed by those with much more population.

Because two District 300 board members not up for election are from Algonquin Township, only one candidate from Algonquin Township could be elected.

That meant a face-off between Ryan and Fioretti, a GOP precinct committeeman appointed by Harvard resident Bill LeFew, the McHenry County Republican Central Committee chairman.

In Kane, Ryan beat Fioretti 3,074 to 2,895.

In McHenry Ryan beat her 1,338 to 1,009.

Ryan was attacked unmercifully by Advance 300—the name of the District 300 tax hike group—for refusing to answer its questionnaire. Its spokesman, Nancy Zettler, savaged him for his refusal to answer her group’s questionnaire on the Northwest Herald’s comment section, as well as his being a homeschooling Dad.

District 300, like Huntley’s District 158, overlaps into both McHenry and Kane Counties.

Here’s the vote in McHenry County:

John Ryan – 1,338
Monica Clark – 1,377
Mary Fioretti – 1,009
Chris Stanton – 1,004
Dave Alessio – 811
Joe Stevens – 808
Dennis Cleveland – 619
Al Douglas – 362

In Kane County, here’s how it went down:

Ryan – 3,074
Clark – 3,012
Fioretti – 2,895
Stanton – 2,833
Stevens –2,706
Alessio – 2,319
Cleveland – 2,027
Douglas – 1,037

And, the grand totals?

Ryan – 4,412
Clark – 4,389
Fioretti – 3,904
Stanton – 3,837
Stevens – 3,514
Alessio – 3,130
Cleveland – 2,646
Douglas-1,399

= = = = =
John Ryan can be seen in the top right photo. Mary Fioretti, the District 300 School Board President he beat is on the upper right. Appointed school board member Joe Stevens’ photograph is below.