Cohen Barnes (and family), Candidate for District 428 Board of Education
Background: I am a proud beneficiary of the DeKalb school system. I attended Littlejohn Grade School (and can still sing the fight song), Rosette Middle School, and DeKalb High School. During those years I also achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. I went on to earn an Associate of Arts Degree at Kishwaukee College and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Northern Illinois University. I served my country as a U.S. Paratrooper on active duty for 3 years in the United States Army, and I answered my country’s call in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. Today I own two local businesses that employ 20 people.
I have been a member of the Ben Gordon Center Board of Directors and was Chairman of the Board for the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce. I continue to Co-Chair the DeKalb County Tribute to Heroes. I am a member of the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation’s Board of Directors, as well as the Facilities Planning Committee for the DeKalb School District. I have also served on a number of other boards and committees.
I see the roles I have played and the positions I have held more as privileges than personal achievements, and I mention them only to emphasize that volunteerism is work that I love and a path I hope to follow for the rest of my life. My affection for and dedication to the people served by District #428 are central to my life, and by sharing my feelings with you I hope you will better understand my motives for running for the School Board and vote for me in the coming election.
Why should people vote for you?
Three broad reasons to vote for me: I am from this community and understand it very well; community service has taught me the tremendous value of our public resources; and business experience has honed my decision-making abilities.
Three more reasons to vote for me: I believe in Student Achievement, Responsible Spending, and Positive Problem Solving. These core ideals would guide my service as a member of the School Board.
Above all, Student Achievement is my number one priority. I believe that test scores alone are not the single evaluation of an individual. An excellent education in academics, although highly important, constitutes only part of a quality education. Access to the Arts, Athletics and Community Involvement make a whole student, and I will work to ensure this balance is present in our schools. After graduation, I want each and every student to be able to look back on their experience in District #428 positively and with pride.
Lastly, I am the father of two elementary school children in the district, and my wife is a teacher at DeKalb High School. My family is a constant source of strength and support for me, and I love them dearly for this. They help keep me grounded and are a very real reminder of what’s at stake in the management of District #428.
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7 Comments
Kerry, the Chronicle and CityBarbs are great resources for an informed vote. I know only what I’ve read of Tatum and Engh and look forward to reading their and all of the candidate’s profiles here and to the candidate forums to learn more about them. I only know Williams from FPC meetings he attended. His property is adjoining to the new high school.
If I implied ALL then I goofed. Intended point was that the combination of small communities and elected volunteer policy makers makes conflict more prevalent to contend with. Specific to this race and discussion I don’t know that there are four candidates left after incumbents, ReNew Our Schools, and 428 employment relationships are removed from the list.
As we try to select the best from this field, here’s what I’m looking at:
–Competence/qualifications
–Policy views
–Past records, if any
–Potential conflicts of interest
–Assessment of ethics
Anybody paying attention knows that Mr. Barnes is extremely competent, has experience, and is stressing fiscal responsibility in his campaign.
He also:
— was active on a school referendum committee that accepted a contribution from the architect that got the high school job (as well as a bond company, if memory serves)
— was part of a Facilities Planning Committee that was hell-bent on super-sizing the new high school despite demographic information that called for the opposite
— disclosed work for a unit of government, but did not specify the unit, leaving questions I’d like to know the answers to, such as did his company lay fiber optic cable at the high school (and if so, does a larger, more spread out high school mean more cable laid)?
Maybe he will address these parts of his record here, Mac. I hope so.
Mark, it could be that the community is reaping big rewards from Mrs. Barnes’ efforts. The salary posted is slightly above or at average teacher pay in 428 which is at or slightly below state average. It is certainly not in the upper echelon.
But you and Steve are hitting on a point that my one vote (or 4 in the case of school board) is hanging on and that’s conflict of interest. Would a spouse of a 428 employee need to recuse him/herself from voting if the decision could be of financial benefit to their household?
Cohen is not the only candidate this question applies to. And that brings up another point…
In smallville USA how to avoid voting for conflict of interest? In the 428 race if you 1) don’t vote for incumbents who ignored critical data and promises when voting for debt expenditure on school construction, 2) don’t vote for referendum committee members because of broken promises, 3) don’t vote for candidates with potential conflict of interest then you ain’t voting for anyone in the school board race.
Yet 4 seats on that board will be filled with or without your vote. Hmmmmm…
Mac, this is the sort of discussion I had hoped would arise out of my brief comment. I have no doubt that Mr. Barnes is a fine man, and has considerable financial expertise. Indeed, I am a happy and satisfied customer of one of his companies.
When I was a graduate student at NIU, I was fortunate to have been given an excellent background in the ethics of public administration by the entire faculty in the Public Administration Division, but especially by Irene Rubin, James Banovetz, and Jerry Gabris. So, I am sensitive to the ethical dimension in local government. Consequently I raise this issue in the hope that Mr. Barnes would respond and clarify his position on he would handle it.
And, Mac, you are indeed correct that this sort of potential conflict is a real problem in a small town. I once asked Mayor Judy King Bechdolt how she handled the requirements for the Open Meetings Act when the same small group of people who were on the city council, school boards and the like also found themselves frequently together at social occasions. She told me that they were very careful to not discuss any business matters or public matters together outside of the meetings of their formal legislatures. This is a prudent way to handle the problem, but it does not rule out indiscretions.
This upcoming school board election is especially important because the District is facing some considerable difficulties, both financial, and in the public relations area when the schools are closed, or re-purposed, and their students are shuffled and moved around. Consequently, I would be much happier if the candidates would offer more of their views on how this might all be better approached, rather than their ties to the District. Some rather tough decisions are coming down the pike swiftly, and we are going to need the very best expertise on the school board we can get in order to avoid fiscal implosion and default.
It would appear that Mrs Barnes is reaping the Big benefits of taxpayer dollars: Data from the Family taxpayer website
2010 Teacher Details
Name: Barnes, Amy
Salary: $71,101
Position: High School Teacher
Full/Part Time: Fulltime
Percent Time Employed: 100%
Assignment: English (Grades 9-12 Only)
Years Teaching: 12
Degree: Baccalaureate
School Name: De Kalb High School
District Name: DeKalb CUSD 428
With this in mind, I have a great concern as to whether mr Barnes will be able be an impartial member of the school board as a result of his wife’s employment in the upper salary echelon of teh school district. In the event there are teacher contract negotiations, I am concerned that Mr Barnes will be a impartial voice
It would seem that this gentleman would have a rather severe conflict of interest being on the governing board of the school district when his wife is an employee of that district. To be ethical, he would have to recuse himself and not vote on many of the important issues facing the district.
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Mac, Steve,
Some great comments here. Steve, I especially agree with your assessment of Cohen. He’s a good guy, Tom Matya as well…but both have numerous local government connections. I would certainly like to elect people that don’t need to sit out important votes. Mac, in your third point, you seem to indicate ALL candidates have potential conflicts. I’ve seen Lynn’s post on disclosed conflicts over at citybarbs.com and from my own observation see that many candidates have significant 428 connections. Do you also see conflicts for Tatum and Engh? Or Williams (besides his wife’s occasional income from the court system)? Could it be a few of the new candidates are not so conflicted?