Endorsement of Davis Schneiderman: Letter

Written and submitted by Kelly Haramis

Davis Schneiderman has my vote. Since Davis is from the East Coast, I wanted to share my thoughts about him because I’ve known him since 1995 when we first met at Penn State. He is intelligent, hard-working and the most caring, collaborative person I know. I know this first-hand because we’ve been married since 1999. Yes, like Bill Clinton and others before him, I'm publicly supporting my spouse for political office. And yes, I certainly supported Hillary too! You may think that naturally I would endorse my husband in every category possible, but that’s not true: He’s terrible at washing dishes. Luckily, that’s not one of the qualifications of Highland Park City Council. I can tell you that Davis is a terrific husband and a wonderful father to our two children. Right now, as I write this, he’s navigating a complicated math worksheet with our 5th-grader while listening to our 4th-grader sing “Hamilton” songs.

Some people have questioned why Davis is running for Highland Park City Council. Why didn’t he throw his hat into the ring earlier? He didn’t get involved in local politics when we moved here in 2005 because he was helping me mourn my mother’s death after she was hit by a car in Pennsylvania months earlier. He was also helping my dad sell his restaurant, buy his house and navigate the world without my mother. Davis spent 6 weeks on the phone with a mortgage company to add my dad’s name to the house he and my mother had put a down payment on before her death. Davis also persuaded the hospital to lower the bill significantly because my parents didn’t have health insurance at the time of her death. Why am I sharing this? I’m sharing because when there’s a problem, Davis tackles it with energy, persistence and intelligence. Davis will do the same if he's elected to City Council.

Life didn’t slow down for us in 2005. Two weeks after we moved to Highland Park, Davis’ father was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and was given months to live. Once again, Davis dove in and tackled this life event. He spent hours on the phone with the insurance company until they agreed to cover life-saving medicine for his father. Davis spoke with doctors, researched treatment, and helped his parents navigate the complexities of this terrible disease. His father beat the odds and lived for 9 more years, and spent his final years with Davis’ mother in Highland Park (the Highlands).

In 2007, Davis and I were very busy but under much happier circumstances. We became parents twice in 6 months. I was three months pregnant when we went to China to adopt our daughter. Our daughters are now 9 and 10, and students at Ravinia Elementary. We live in a multi-ethnic, multi-religious household. I’m Puerto Rican, Greek and German (and Catholic), Davis is Jewish, and together we celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Chinese New Year, and more. Davis is committed to diversity and inclusivity, not only in our family but in his teaching and community outreach.

As you can see, the first 10 years of living in Highland Park were filled with many life changes from birth to adoption to deaths (in addition to my mother's death in 2005, my father died in 2010 and Davis’ dad died in 2015). Life has luckily slowed down for us, and Davis has time to dedicate to city politics. In the last several years, Davis has spoke in favor of beach improvements with Friends of Rosewood Beach; he publicly supported the 113 referendum; he’s been involved with issues involving District 112. First, opposing the $198 million referendum with the 1,800 student middle school campus, then leading the steering committee of Reconfiguration 2.0 at the insistence of then-superintendent Dr. Bregy.

As for experience, as a college professor and associate dean, he’s a critical thinker committed to a tradition of asking questions and collaborative decision making. He's served on numerous committees that deal with everything from budgeting to strategic planning to marketing. He is part of the college's senior staff, and his skills will translate immediately to City Council. Davis has devoted his life to working in a not-for-profit environment, and his values are expressed through his excellent record of service.

He is also deeply committed to the city of Highland Park. Both of our parents were from New York City and were nomadic moving us from state to state. For Davis, with teacher parents, that meant living in Delaware, Pennsylvania and upstate New York. For me, with restaurateur parents, that meant living in upstate New York, Pennsylvania and Florida. Unlike our parents, Davis and I knew that we wanted to raise our children in one community. We’ve lived in Highland Park longer than anywhere else. We’re here to stay, and one of Davis’ goals is to help attract new families as well as maintain multi-generational families through business development and as an advocate for collaboration with schools and park district.

Vote for Davis Schneiderman for City Council. The more meetings he’s at, the less time he has to wash the dishes.

For more information about Davis Schneiderman, visit the Friends of Davis Schneiderman website.

Kelly Haramis, Highland Park resident