Election Day is now past. And while most often we find local elections invigorating, too often the final days of a contested race are disturbing as the most base emotions erupt. Vile fliers turn up, social media gets too personal.
And it has happened again, not surprisingly in the race for the school board at the District 209 Proviso High Schools. Over the weekend a flier denigrating Kevin McDermott and Della Patterson, the only two candidates endorsed by the Review, began turning up in the district.
“Don’t let these rats into our schools!!” read the headline. A horrific illustration, charges of bigotry and a raft of unsubstantiated charges followed. Altogether a hateful smear.
This is the level we have sunk to as we elect people to the board of a failing school district. It tells us a great deal about the fix that we are in.
