Save Hoover Recommends Westemeyer, Woltman, and Eastham for School Board

To prepare for the September 12 school board election, the Save Hoover Committee asked candidates: If you are elected, will you support amending the long-term facilities plan to keep Hoover Elementary School open? You can read the candidates’ responses here. Based on those responses and on our evaluation of the candidates, we recommend voting for Laura Westemeyer, Karen Woltman, and Charlie Eastham, for these reasons:

For the four-year terms:

Of the candidates for the four-year seats, we support Laura Westemeyer and Karen Woltman, both of whom expressed clear support for keeping Hoover open.

Laura Westemeyer wants to see Hoover, a multi-million dollar asset, stay open to continue serving its thriving community. Beyond the Hoover question, Westemeyer’s professional experience, community involvement, and forthright nature will help her be an especially strong advocate for all children in the district.

Karen Woltman understands that school buildings are large capital investments and that destroying valuable capacity in a growing district will make it more difficult to meet capacity needs. Woltman’s legal training, extensive experience on state-level education committees, and professional demeanor position her as someone able to work effectively with the administration and help bridge divisions at the board table.

There are three open seats in this category; we take no position on how people should use their third vote. Candidates JP Claussen, Ruthina Malone, and Janet Godwin indicated either support for the closure or an unwillingness to reconsider the issue.

For the two-year term:

For the two-year term, we support Charlie Eastham. Eastham said he was undecided on the closure issue but indicated an openness to considering the question. He has a strong record of community involvement and independent thinking. His opponent, Shawn Eyestone, indicated a lack of interest in reconsidering the Hoover issue.

PLEASE VOTE! You may request a mailed ballot until Friday, September 8. Requests must be made by 5 p.m. that day.

Election Day is Tuesday, September 12. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. You can find your school polling place here. School polling places may different from your regular polling place.

Or, vote early at the Auditor’s Office, 913 South Dubuque Street, between 7:45 and 5:30 on weekdays. Monday, September 11 is the last day for in-person early voting at the Auditor’s Office. The Office will have weekend hours on Saturday, September 9, from 8 a.m. to noon, and Sunday, September 10, from noon to 5 p.m. Satellite locations for early voting are shown here.

Thank you for considering Laura Westemeyer, Karen Woltman, and Charles Eastham for ICCSD school board.