Candidate for Open Seat on LW 210 Board Yanks Application

NEW LENOX, IL — An applicant for the open seat left by Arvid Johnson's resignation from the Lincoln-Way District 210 Board of Education had a change of heart Wednesday.

Just hours before Dr. Kathleen Casey's resignation, Jeff Ketchen emailed the board to say he'd be removing himself from the candidate pool.

Why? "I don't have confidence in the current board or administration," Ketchen wrote.

Amidst news of federal probes into district business and a fourth board member's resignation this year, many have questioned who would want to take a seat at the board table.

It won't be Ketchen, of Tinley Park, and he shared with Patch his letter explaining why:

I am currently one of the candidates being considered for the board vacancy created by Dr. Johnson's resignation. I am scheduled for a telephone interview on Thursday evening as I will be out of town. In light of the most recent developments including, but not limited to the Federal probe, I ask that you remove my name from further consideration. Please understand, this was not an easy decision to come to.

Several years ago, I was working as a Deputy Fire Chief of a Fire Protection District when I discovered some discrepancies in the finances of the organization. The culmination of my investigation was the removal of the Fire Chief, and the felony conviction of the department Administrative Aide, for theft. As a result, the Board of Trustees put their faith in my leadership and appointed me Fire Chief.

I worked hard to turn the organization around. In four years time, we progressed from essentially a zero cash surplus and the looming threat of defaulting on payments to the fiscally healthy state we're in today with appropriate cash reserves and a secure future. All the while, I never once jeopardized my integrity.

With all due respect, I don't have confidence in the current board or administration to stay the course of integrity and I simply cannot, and will not, sell out my values by association. I don't want to find myself being called before the Grand Jury to answer for the actions of others.

Until there is broad and sweeping change, I cannot affiliate with the organization. I had such hopes of offering a fresh perspective and ushering in an era of reform and rebuilding; but that's just not to be. I feel that the current board is tainted (at least in the eyes of the constituency) and therefore will forever be scrutinized and subsequently ineffective. The current superintendent is in over his head and unable to provide the leadership required to steer the district to calmer waters. Unfortunately, under Dr. Tingley's leadership it is quite evident that history will repeat itself.

I wish each of you well and sincerely hope you find the strength to make the right choices and the leadership to guide the school district out of the darkness we currently find ourselves in.