Jan. 15--A member of the embattled Lincoln-Way High School District 210 Board abruptly resigned this week, a little more than nine months after being elected to the post.
Board member Christopher McFadden resigned by email "effective immediately" at about 8:40 p.m. Thursday evening. McFadden's resignation letter, obtained by the Daily Southtown, does not give a reason for his abrupt departure.
"Thank you for your support of Lincoln-Way, and best wishes," McFadden wrote to Superintendent Scott Tingley.
McFadden was elected to the board in April 2015. A few months after being elected in April to the Lincoln-Way High board, McFadden sought to leave it in favor of the Joliet Junior College Board.
The District 210 board has faced heavy criticism from parents who are upset with its recent decision to close Lincoln-Way North High School after this school year to save about $5.2 million per year and get off the state's watch list of financially troubled school districts.
In September, McFadden said his interest in the college board seat as well as a Will County judgeship was "not related to what is happening at Lincoln-Way."
McFadden, a federal prosecutor, said many attorneys aspire to be a judge, and he applied for the vacancy on the county bench created when Circuit Court Judge Domenica Osterberger was not retained by a vote of other judges. In an unusual development, Osterberger was later appointed to her judgeship by the same judges who had ousted her.
He was not appointed to the JJC board. Had he been appointed to the college's board, McFadden would have had to resign from the District 210 board.
Tingley said he appreciates McFadden's time and said he's a "very intelligent individual" who "brought some experience to our board."
Asked why McFadden resigned and if it came as a surprise, Tingley said it's a "difficult time" to be a board member as they're being "scrutinized for past events."
"It's a tough position now for individuals who are volunteering their time," Tingley said.
The vacancy on the board must be filled within 45 days of McFadden's resignation, so 210 expects to fill the position sometime in early March.
District 210 President Kevin Molloy said he wanted to thank McFadden for his time on the board.
"I am very certain that with a young family and a busy career that it was a very difficult commitment for him to maintain."
gpratt@tribpub.com, slafferty@tribpub.com
