GL_031617

glenviewlantern.com Election 2017
the glenview lantern | March 16, 2017 | 11
local
Stamatis
D31 Board of Education (5 candidates, 4 seats)
Name: Peter S. Stamatis
tional political scene.
Age: 48
Residence:
Glenview
Occupation:
Attorney
Past
government/rela-
tive experience: Current
member of West Northfield
District 31 Board
of Education; member of
Village of Glenview Comprehensive
Plan 2015-
2016 Committee; practicing
attorney; father of six
children
What do you think is the
biggest issue facing District
31 and how would
you address it?
The more significant issues
currently facing the
District include:
• Managing the School
District’s finances and
balancing the proper
management of scarce
resources with our obligation
to provide our children
with a world-class
education. This management
requires foresight in
that small expenditures or
pay increases today could
be substantial three, five
and 10 years down the
road.
• Ensuring that the interests
of the District are
properly represented in
property tax appeal matters.
• Maintaining constructive
working relationships
within and outside
of the board of education
while maintaining the
proper focus — the education
of all the children
within our District — despite
noisy acrimony and
divisiveness on the na-
What makes you a top
candidate for this position?
My wife, Kathi, and I
have been blessed with six
children. We have had at
least one child in District
31 for more than a decade
and have a long-standing
knowledge and understanding
of both Field
and Winkelman schools.
I am a current District 31
school board member and
seek to continue what the
District does well while
assisting in the improvement
of the District where
warranted.
Equally important is
that there is a fairly steep
learning curve for new
members on this board.
Matters of public finance
are often Byzantine and
complex. As a board
member for the past four
years, I have acquired
much knowledge of these
processes and have established
positive working
relationships with both
District 31 Superintendent
Dr. Alexandra Nicholson
and Business Manager
Cathy Lauria. This experience
and knowledge will
add to my ability to serve
the community.
Also, working as an attorney
for more than two
decades provides me another
skill set to offer the
community. Legal considerations
come into play in
almost every board decision,
whether education-,
governmental- or employment-related.
Also, attorney
presence on the board
is imperative in light of
Allstate property tax appeals,
which must be managed
on a continual basis.
Lady
The Peters family, of
Glenview
Lady is a Cavalier
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Spaniel who is
celebrating her
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bananas. Her
favorite activity is
snuggling. Lady
loves everybody!
HELP! The Glenview Lantern is in search of more pets.
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Name: Jeffrey
Steres
Age: 41
Residence:
Northbrook
Occupation:
Senior
Director — Stamatis
Technology,
McDonald’s Corporation
Past local government/
relative experience: I
have years of experience
in management and leadership
positions. In these capacities,
I’ve been responsible
for organizations of
hundreds of individuals
and large multimilliondollar
annual budgets. I’ve
also been involved in an
advisory capacity on nongovernment
boards.
What do you think is the
biggest issue facing District
31 and how would
you address it?
Learning environment. We
have some challenges, particularly
in the lower grades,
which impact the desirability
for teachers and staff to
join our district. We have
old facilities and are close
to capacity at Winkelman,
which could cause an increase
in class size. We have
students requiring additional
attention and we need to
figure out how to best serve
those students while also
providing opportunities
to challenge our strongest
students. This all impacts
the learning environment
for our students. To address
the situation, we first need
to pay salaries that attract
top talent for teachers and
aides. We need to ensure we
have enough aides to assist
our teachers and provide a
strong atmosphere for both
academic and social growth
of our children. In addition,
we need a comprehensive,
multi-year facilities plan to
address the capacity concerns
and the aging schools
in our district. To achieve
these objectives, we need a
detailed review of the budget
to ensure we are appropriately
focusing our spending
on the students and
learning environment.
What makes you a top
candidate for this position?
I am an ideal candidate for
this position. I have two
daughters in the district (first
and third grade) and will for
the entirety of the four-year
term. I am a long-standing
resident and intend to remain
in the community for
many, many years. This provides
me lots of incentives
to work hard on creating a
positive educational experience
for our students. Plus, I
want to raise the reputation
of District 31 and make us
a more desirable community
for potential residents,
resulting in higher property
values. On the professional
side, I’ve been with one of
the largest companies in
the Chicago area for more
than 20 years. Every day, I
make fact-based decisions
by assessing available information
and evaluating the
likely impacts of both action
and inaction. My experiences
have taught me how to
work with many stakeholders
and get things done even
in challenging situations.
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