Peotone’s youngest school board member will turn 19 on May 18. His campaign and election night were not typical of candidates seeking office. He said he did not have an election night watch party, but had dinner with incumbent and returning board member Tim Stoub at Game on Bar and Grill in Peotone. “We saw the results come in and went around to different precincts to see the results come in!”
Peotone School Board’s April 1 election saw some surprises, including the ouster of longtime member and former President Tara Robinson.
But the election of an 18-year-old college student, who garnered the largest vote total of five candidates, was an even bigger shock, maybe even to himself.
Newcomer Mark Jones II collected 1,317 votes, almost twice as many as Robinson (743), and topping Timothy Stoub (1,160), Ashley Stachniak (1,051), and Dawn Love (967).
With virtually no political experience, the Joliet Junior College freshman stuck to the issues and relied on advice from some election veterans to win his first-ever race.
He still is shaking his head over the election outcome.
“I truly don’t think it has fully settled,” he said last week.
“When I take the oath in May, I think reality will set in. We accomplished creating positive change in the Peotone School District. With a vision that looks towards the future, we can have a board that values constructive criticism, brings fiscal responsibility, and puts students at the front of mind.
“This election is a clear ask, not only for new elected board members but also those returning, that the community wants these changes.”
Getting across the finish line was no easy task.
“I had many doubts when running,” Jones admitted.
“As an 18-year-old, why would the community value my perspective as someone who does not pay property taxes? That was my biggest worry throughout my campaign. Now, I see a new calling, one for the next generations to make decisions.
“On election day, I remained optimistic and thankfully succeeded. I did not think I had a shoe-in during any point of my campaign. I feel incredibly humbled to receive the top number of votes and an incredible amount of responsibility comes with that.
“Campaigning was a lot harder than I imagined. As someone who is very young, 18, I have never felt like I used technology too much. Being very active on my social media campaign has been exhausting. Thinking about how to communicate my message correctly had to be executed perfectly, and I’m glad I was able to be successful in that regard.”
Communication, he continued, was, and continues to be, a major agenda item.
“The most important issue I saw was the lack of communication between the board and the community – students, staff, and families,” he said.
“When a previous student spoke at a board meeting about their experiences, they were met with resistance instead of assistance. At that point, I saw that there was a clear problem.
“The district recently voted down a policy to require standing committees of the board to report committee happenings during the monthly open board meeting. When the board would vote on big ticket expenditures, there was no discussion amongst the board. The taxpayers should be given the reasons why we are spending their dollars a certain way. When community members have to search for answers, that says we need to be more open. An open board that goes above and beyond in communicating is exactly what the district deserves. I always asked myself, ‘Why would the board not want their constituents to know about the decisions they make and happenings in the district from the board?’”
Looking ahead, Jones said he will continue his education, studying Agricultural Education at JJC.
“I plan to become a high school agriculture teacher. School was something and still remains something I enjoy attending.
“I would consider future service in politics. I have not thought that far. If I were, I would not be in politics very long. I don’t believe a career should be made out of it. I always value new perspectives in varying areas.”
He has, however, “always been interested in politics, but I’ve never thought of running for an elected position.”
“I started being engaged with the board when I was dealt with discrimination as a student and saw how the board completely undermined the building administration and mishandled discipline. After, I began strengthening my knowledge in other board topics when I graduated and saw more dire needs that need to be addressed.”
Jones said he is grateful to his family and friends for their encouragement.
“I’d just like to thank my family for supporting me in this new journey,” he noted.
“I feel a deep sense of responsibility and trust with this honor. They saw my message, and it touched them somewhere.
“I was thankful enough to have a campaign team that acted as mentors for me in this journey. I’d like to thank Billy Morgan, Michael Flanagan, Janet Blue, and Josh Snedden for being great mentors in this new adventure.
“I’d also like to thank Victoria Theodossopoulos for helping me with my social media campaign. Each of the above individuals have helped me tremendously with keeping my focus forward and optimism for a great outcome! There are so many others who have reached out to give me advice and educate me on various topics, as well.
“I am grateful for this opportunity. I will always work towards the promises I have made and deliver them to voters. I felt a great sense of responsibility to help shovel this deep path forward to allow more younger voices in elected positions.
“I am excited for the work ahead,” he added. “It is going to be difficult, but I am confident new and returning board members will roll our sleeves up and do the work the people elected us to do.”