Cook seeks Republican nomination for lieutenant governor

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PRINCETON — A school board president from Chicago’s southwest suburbs is seeking to represent the Republican party in next fall’s election for lieutenant governor.

Dennis Cook of Orland Park will face state Sen. Matt Murphy, R-Palatine, Springfield attorney Don Tracy, Carbondale Mayor Brad Cole, businessman Jason Plummer from Edwardsville, and Hancock County Commissioner Randy White of Hamilton in the Republican primary, which will be held Feb. 2.

Cook said his role as president of the District 230 Board of Education, one of the state’s largest districts, has helped prepare him to be lieutenant governor.

“My school district is a lot like what the state is seeing today,” Cook said.

The district had a construction project that went $28 million over budget, an operating deficit of nearly $7 million, was on the financial watch list, and had unimpressive test scores.

“People had zero faith in what the district was doing,” Cook said. “It was just a complete and utter mess.”

Cook, 32, said he and the board opened the lines of communication, cut spending, put a cap on bids, and it worked.

“I’m proud to say, we’ve turned it around fiscally,” he said. “We’ve had six consecutive years of a balanced budget with surpluses.”

If elected, Cook said education would be one of his priorities.

“I’ve seen time and time again how the state has paid attention to education,” he said. “Education gets attention at the end of a budget cycle, when it can be used as a political pawn.”

Cook said he would work with the state board of education to look at ways of improving education.

One way might be by looking at the number of districts.

“We have 800 school districts in this state,” he said. “Some would say that’s too much. Some would say that’s too many layers of government, and I would agree.”

Cook said he would propose the 65 percent solution, in which schools would be mandated to put 65 percent of their operating budget in K-12 spending, as opposed to the current average of 59 percent.

“Before you give it to pay and administrative pay, put it in the classroom where we need to focus,” he said.

Cook said his experience gives him an edge over his opponents.

“I’m the only one in this race who has inherited a crisis situation and turned it around,” he said. “I’ve managed. I’ve made tough decisions, and I’m the only one who’s operated over a $140 million annual budget.”

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