02-04-2025
Fourth seat on Oak Park and River Forest School Board still in play after Tuesday election
The liberal status quo appeared to have scored a big victory in the Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 School Board race after Tuesday's election, although whether it was a clean sweep won't be known for a few weeks.
Incumbents Audrey Williams-Lee and Fred Arkin along with Community Finance Committee member Kathleen Odell, who ran as a coalition, appeared to have won easily over challengers Nate Mellman and Josh Gertz. But the official tally for write-in candidate David Schaafsma, who was also part of the coalition against Mellman and Gertz, won't be known until after April 15.
While Arkin, Williams-Lee and Odell are winning according to preliminary results, the fourth seat up this election looks like it will come down to Schaafsma or Gertz who is slightly ahead of his slate mate Mellman.
'I think the community showed its values,' said Arkin from the Avenue Ale House where and his running mates were celebrating with other progressive activists who make up the group Activate Oak Park.
Odell, a first time candidate who is an economics professor and associate provost at Dominican University, led the field Tuesday night with 8,382 votes with all 39 precincts reporting. Williams-Lee, who was appointed to the School Board in 2023 and is the only Black member of the School Board, received 8,028 votes to apparently win her first full term. Arkin, who was appeared to be elected to his third term on the School Board, received 7,677 votes.
Gertz and Mellman ran together as a slate. They trailed far behind, with 4,843 and 4,696 votes respectively. They didn't support the detracking of the freshman curriculum, known as Honors for All, had said that OPRF was not a very safe school, and were more skeptical about the benefits of restorative justice as a discipline measure.
Schaafsma's write-in votes won't be counted until later but the large gap between Arkin and Gertz means he has a chance although a number of voters Tuesday said they did not write in Schaafsma name despite voting for his coalition partners.
Arkin said that voters were receptive to his group's message.
'They liked what they heard from us and, you know, we kept the high road, they liked the direction of the current board and current administration,' Arkin said.
Arkin said that he was hopeful that Schaafsma received enough write-in votes to claim the fourth seat up in Tuesday's election.
'I would not count David Schaafsma out yet,' Arkin said.
Odell said she was honored by the support for her candidacy.
'I think the voters made a strong statement tonight about the values they want to see upheld by their community leaders,' she said.
Mellman was philosophical about his defeat despite putting a lot of effort and money into his and Gertz's campaign.
'It is what it is,' Mellman said. 'It's an election.'
