From Joseph Ricciardi of Crystal Lake
Writing in Defense of Kevin Werner:
Having served as President of D46 for 4 years, and having worked with Mr. Werner directly, I find your article extremely offensive and harmful both to Mr. Werner and the community he served as D46 CSBO and continues to serve as D155 Assistant Superintendent.
Your article barely passes as tabloid journalism, as both the premises and the conclusions presented are not only taken out of any acceptable level of context, but are for all intents and purposes, slanderous.
In my time at D46, Mr. Werner worked tirelessly to save taxpayer money, obtain grants to keep the school’s programs and facilities funded, and find ways to maximize district revenue to remain a school of distinction in McHenry County.
It is the job of a CSBO to research and provide solutions to financial issues WITHOUT bias, and to give those options to the Superintendent and the Board of Education. It is the Superintendent that sets the financial agenda and the Board that provides the oversight; making Mr. Werner the scapegoat is both misguided and unfair. If he acted with such maleficence, why would he volunteer to help solve a problem you claim (incorrectly) that he created? You also did not mention that Mr. Werner is a tax-paying member of our community, who will be sharing the pain right along with us.
A basic tenet of investigative reporting is “Get your timeline right”. The first series Alternative Revenue Bonds were voted on and passed by the BOE in December 2021, nearly 6 months after Mr. Werner left the district. The second series were settled in August 2023, over 2 years after his departure. Funny how you did not mention this fact. Please do a better job of collecting facts before assassinating a good man’s character in the community in which he lives and works
