Will County Gazette

Plainfield Township Republican Organization chair Dale Fontana has no doubts about who the people his group seeks to support are.

“They’re activist and so are we,” Fontana recently told Will County Gazette. “I've been chairman since April of this year, and what we're doing is pretty novel. Our mission is to re-energize and define the Republican Party, especially locally, actually state that we're for something. Imagine that.”

During the recent Plainfield School 202 board elections, the group backed the Parents for Choice slate and saw Rick Todd, who ran on a platform that included reopening schools full-time, emerge victorious.

“During the course of trying to expand membership and so forth, we came into contact with several candidates that ran for school board last time,” Fontana said. “But it was kind of late in the game by the time we were aware of them and what they wanted. They started by wanting a platform which they could actually talk to some people. And we provided that. And the folks connected with that organization have been absolutely spectacular, great people.”

Fontana said there’s pretty much been a partnership ever since.

“We kind of share that our goal is to shake things up and change things,” he said. “The status quo and what's going on right now is totally unacceptable to both organizations. And right now we work together to help in their efforts and vice versa.”

Todd was joined on the Parents for Choice slate by Ray Pillai, Annie Klupshas and Nick Giannasi.