Champaign County clerk speaks out against school board candidates

Yahoo

18-03-2025

Mar. 18—CHAMPAIGN — Is it appropriate for Champaign County's chief election official to publicly chastise candidates running for elective office?
Speaking on a March 8 WEFT radio show, Champaign County Clerk and Recorder Aaron Ammons responded in the emphatic affirmative. He said it is "deeply disturbing" that some candidates running for the Champaign school board have indicated they are unhappy with the district superintendent and, if elected, would like to remove her.
Ammons was referring to Superintendent Shelia Boozer. Depending on the outcome of the April 1 election, she could be in danger of losing her job.
Noting Boozer's 2021 hiring, Ammons said board members should give her "some space" to "work things out."
"That also means the broader community — or the White community — sort of has to have a hands off — like, you know — you better come up with some real stuff if you're talking about addressing this person, removing this person," he said. "You ain't coming with no frivolous stuff. You're not going to use issues that existed before I got here to say that this is what you're going to do to condemn me and not look at my whole record of what I'm trying to do. So give me some space and some time to work this out, like you do anybody else."
He continued, saying "it's deeply disturbing to me that five people will say — and two of them seem to have some ethnicity other than Caucasian ..."
"That doesn't mean they don't believe in White supremacy," program guest Imani Bazzell interjected.
"Exactly," Ammons replied.
He asserted that Boozer's critics "don't know" what's going on and don't know Boozer.
"That should be a red flag for anybody," responded his wife, state Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Urbana.
The Ammonses host the WEFT show. Bazzell, a Champaign resident long involved in school issues as an advocate for the Black community, was their guest.
The discussion was prompted by a phone call from Urbana Alderman Chris Evans, who sought their reaction to candidates' critical comments of Boozer.
Animated by the inquiry, Aaron Ammons, who in his role as county clerk will preside over the April 1 consolidated election, asked for their identities because "we want to put the names out there."
The candidates' statements, however, are not quite as definitive as Evans contended.
He identified them as Tony Bruno, Christy Arnold, Al Molina, Fatima Ahmed and Roselle Bhosale.
Bruno, Arnold and Molina are seeking three open four-year terms, while Ahmed and Bhosale are running to fill two two-year terms.
In responses to community members' questions published in The News-Gazette the past 15 weeks, the five expressed a lack of support for Boozer.
Arnold and Bruno have been the most vocal, with Arnold saying she would "immediately push to begin the search for a new leader" if elected. Bruno vowed to "bring a motion to terminate the superintendent's employment contract, double the salary and begin a nationwide search for top talent."
Both Ahmed and Bhosale have said they would oppose renewing Boozer's contract.
Molina joined them in that stance, saying: "I have firmly decided against supporting the renewal of her contract if elected as a board member."
During their lengthy conversation about Boozer, the Ammonses and Bazzell said the fourth-year superintendent is a victim of racism and constant "workplace harassment."
Aaron Ammons suggested Boozer's difficulties stem from White racism.
"If you want to do something right, you've got to get a White man to do it. That's the philosophy," he said.