COD Board Candidate Was Fired from College After Sexual Harassment Charges

Frank Flores, Jr. was terminated from the College of DuPage for a disorderly conduct incident; he claims the investigation was “cursory” and the charges “malicious and unsubstantiated.”

A candidate in the contested election for College of DuPage Board of Trustees was previously fired from the college’s aquatics department after multiple people alleged incidents of verbal and/or physical sexual harassment, the Daily Herald reports.  According to the paper, Frank Flores Jr. was employed as a temporary assistant aquatics manager in fall 2010 until a female lifeguard reported verbal sexual harassment, a claim corroborated by another female student, and a male student who also alleged physical harassment. A patron filed a separate complaint that Flores had made comments to her like, “I want to taste you” and “I peed in the pool,” the paper said.  No criminal charges were filed, but after an investigation, Flores was fired on …

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Jim Court

9:13 pm on Thursday, April 11, 2013

Danielle, Somehow you slipped passed the sensors. Was it a Freudian slip or???? Take care   more ›

Staff Endorsements a Factor in College of DuPage Election

The Friends for Education COD Faculty Association PAC is endorsing challengers over two incumbents; the incumbents warn of the danger of a faculty-endorsed Board.

A College of DuPage faculty political-action committee has endorsed challengers Ed Agustin and Frank Flores Jr. for the COD Board over incumbents Dave Carlin and Joe Wozniak (and other candidates Kathy Hamilton and Mike Lanners). The endorsement has become a bone of contention between the candidates, the Daily Herald reports. According to the paper, the endorsements made by Friends for Education COD Faculty Association PAC are notable, contentious and perhaps a double-edged sword in an election coming after 16 months of negotiations that led to a teachers' contract imposed on faculty without union approval last May. Both sides worked out a new deal that was unanimously approved in June. "The board is elected by the community. It's not …

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Dan F.

11:40 am on Saturday, April 6, 2013

If there were D's and R's behind their names at least there would be more honesty and information for the voter. As for the "Faculty Association" http://www.codfaculty.org/ It's a union.   more ›

Election Results: DuPage County Board, Forest Preserve

DuPage County voters elected eight newcomers to the county board, along with the the first Democratic forest preserve commissioner in a decade.

DuPage County voters rejected a proposition Tuesday that asked whether elected officials should be able to hold more than one office at a time. With all 748 precincts reporting, unofficial results show that a resounding 90 percent (332,657) of DuPage County voters rejected the proposal. Only 36,571 voted "yes." The question was placed on the general election ballot after Elmhurst Mayor Peter DiCianni and Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso announced their plans to run for DuPage County Board seats in Districts 2 and 3, respectively. Both DiCianni and Grasso were declared winners Tuesday. DiCianni plans to resign his current position to serve the county board. Grasso has said he wants to hold both offices. Winner: Chris Kachiroubas (R) Republican …

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DuPage County Officials: Voter Turnout on Par with Previous Elections

No major issues were reported as of 4 p.m., according to Bob Saar, executive director of the DuPage County Election Commission.

As DuPage County enters its final hours of voting, election officials said they are expecting turnout to reach levels seen in the last three presidential elections. "We checked in with polling places around 2 p.m., and from what we can tell turnout was around 55 percent," said Bob Saar, executive director of the DuPage County Election Commission. In previous general elections, the voter turnout in DuPage County ranged from 74 to 77 percent, Saar said. "We're still expecting the after-work crowd, so there's no reason to believe we won't reach that level—or maybe even exceed—by the time the polls close," he said. Prior to Tuesday, about 80,000 DuPage County residents had taken part in early voting, Saar said. Counting absentee, military and …

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Sunday Cartoon: Campaign Litter-ature

Coming soon to a mailbox and yard near you!

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Under the Tower

Paulette Delcourt: My Dog Ate My Column, Then the President Ate My Dog

Dog "crate gate" deflects attention away from pressing issues and towards a now infamous Irish Setter.

More than an average sized poodle-bomb hit the fan for both Romney and Obama when the “crate gate” scandal broke. The story hinges on a personal story Romney shared as an example of his ability to manage a crisis. In 1983, Romney strapped his dog Seamus’ crate to the roof of his car and headed off on vacation with his family. Seamus thanked the Romney family for taking him along by dumping the contents of his intestines all over the family vehicle. Romney did not comment on whether or not the windows were open. “Served him right” you say? Not so fast. 1983 was the same year Chrysler introduced the first minivan, but most moms and dads still drove station wagons or large sedans. With five sons, the Romneys probably had a wagon. With Ann …

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Letter to the Editor

Letter: Elmhurst Will Reap Benefits if DiCianni is Elected to DuPage County Board

Washington Street resident says Elmhurst's flooding issues call for county assistance.

The city of Elmhurst has been a wonderful place to live and raise our children. It’s a safe environment with good schools and city services. We've lived in our home for more than 15 years on South Washington Street. Although we have many fond memories, they do not come without dark periods of living with the ever present potential of high water problems. We have lived through floods during our time on Washington Street without any viable solutions forthcoming from the city of Elmhurst. Mayor Pete DiCianni, who I’ve had the pleasure of knowing for many years, lobbied for state and federal funding resulting in $2 million from FEMA after the last devastating storms. For Elmhurst to address the flooding issue in earnest, we need Dupage County …

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Letter to the Editor

Letter: As She Begins Her Next Term, Diane Gutenkauf Says She Wants to Hear from You

Voter turnout in 1st Ward was higher than average in Elmhurst.

Dear Friends, My thanks belong to residents of Elmhurst's 1st Ward. Although overall voter turnout was low, almost 28 percent of eligible 1st Ward voters cast ballots—the highest turnout in town. I am humbled and gratified by this and am excited to move forward.  I will remain your voice on City Council and look forward to four more years as your representative. Thank you again for the phone calls, e-mails and text messages. Please keep contacting me with your concerns, kudos and ideas. I want to hear from you; it's the only way I can truly represent you. —Diane Gutenkauf

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Election 2011

All Elmhurst City Council Incumbents Will Return to the Dais

Incumbent Diane Gutenkauf celebrates at Angelo's Ristorante.

In a private dining room on the second level of Angelo's Ristorante, Alderman Diane Gutenkauf was thrilled with the news that she will retain her position as 1st Ward alderman. She earned 61 percent of the vote to beat her opponent, John Raniere. "How am I feeling?" says Gutenkauf, flushed with the recent news of her win. "The adrenaline that was pumping through me earlier today because I was concerned has sort of mellowed out. I'm grateful that we've got the results—and the voters came through." Gutenkauf says her campaign operated on a meager budget. "I don't think it's responsible to spend a ton of money for a position like this," she said. "I walked the whole ward myself. I think people respected that." Also returning to the council …

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