Replace Aaron with Alma

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Aaron Schock has announced that he is leaving the District 150 School Board. He denies that his exit is due to his full time job as 92 Dist. State Representative. Come on Aaron, all those trips back and forth to Springfield have got to be exhausting. Moreover, State Reps serve a two year term. Believe it or not, this means Schock will soon have to start campaigning again. With an unexpected $19 million deficit, and Peoria Public Schools tanking, now is the ideal time for Schock to get the Dist. 150 monkey off his back. Frankly, where the School Board is concerned, who wouldn't want to jump ship?

Alma Brown not only wouldn't jump ship, but in the darkest days the Peoria Public School System has known, she tried to hop on board. Brown ran and lost against Gorenz for School Board last April. Brown also applied for the last School Board vacancy, which was ultimately given to Gorenz. I like Gorenz. I also like Alma and think she would be a great addition to the School Board.

Alma Brown serves as Public Relations Director for the City of Peoria. She knows the ins and outs of local government. She has a relationship with both the Mayor and City Council. Brown could do a lot to bridge the relationship between these two bodies of government, which presently run completely independent of one another.

Alma Brown has a well known name and a reputation for being pleasant under pressure. Go to City Hall any time, and you will be hard pressed to find her not wearing a smile.

Alma Brown also happens to be African American. Given known racial tensions/accusations the school board has suffered in the last few years, it simply can't be overlooked that having a smart, calm black woman serving would be a huge plus. Alma Brown's present position requires her to work well with all different types of people - regardless of race, political leanings, or socio-economic factors.

Frankly, I was amazed that Brown didn't have more of a showing in the last election. However, Dr. Gorenz would be stiff competition for anyone. Gorenz had a huge "in" as he was already serving on The Board. It also may not have helped that both Gorenz and Brown are Republican. (Not supposed to matter in such elections, but please, who are we fooling?)

The decision process for Schock's vacant seat sounds very familiar to the process used to fill the City Council's recent vacant at-large seat. God help us if we have another big name and no experience (or even previous interest) fill the void. Hopefully the school board will pick someone who is obviously willing to do the hard work required, someone who can heal old wounds, and someone who knows how to run a campaign.

We have all these things in Alma Brown.