Concerned Parents of IL Founder: Democratic activist Will 'Haskell hijacks public meetings in districts he doesn’t even live in, spewing gibberish and resorting to childish name-calling'
Kristina McCloy, founder of Concerned Parents of Illinois, said Oak Brook resident and Democratic activist Will Haskell is "carrying water for the left-leaning members" of the Community Consolidated School District 181 (D181).
"Will hijacks public meetings in districts he doesn’t even live in, spewing gibberish and resorting to childish name-calling," Kristina McCloy told DuPage Policy Journal. "At the last D181 board meeting, after his rant, Board Member Kleber actually praised him. It’s clear he’s carrying water for the left-leaning members of the boards he targets."
McCloy, said her frustration with Haskell—whose three children are students in District 181 alongside McCloy's—isn't with debating issues like curriculum opt-outs, but what she views as Haskell's hypocrisy.
Haskell has been a vociferous opponent of McCloy, prompting her attorney with Judicial Watch to file FOIA requests with the school district seeking information on Haskell’s communications with board members and administrators. Someone within the district reportedly tipped Haskell off to the FOIA request, which he addressed at a board meeting.
“I am now being targeted,” Haskell said at the Oct. 20 board meeting. “It's recently come to my attention that FOIA was administered from a group by the name of Judicial Watch. Which is also a group that supported Ms. McCloy in her full attempt to change the opt out policy in books taken from the library.”
Haskell said Judicial Watch was “targeting fathers in small Illinois towns for exercising their First Amendment rights to speak freely,” calling the inquiry a “gross violation of privacy.”
Margaret Kleber, Secretary of the Community Consolidated School District 181 school board, responded to Haskell’s comments by saying “I'd like to thank you for exercising your First Amendment rights and for your courage.”
Notably, Kleber's husband, Dale Kleber, sparked outrage following allegations that he posted harassing and threatening content online aimed at conservatives, including McCloy, who Haskell publicly addressed at multiple school board meetings.
Before Haskell said he felt “targeted” by Judicial Watch at the District 181 board meeting, his email and social media activity involving conservative figures had already been brought to the attention of the DuPage Policy Journal.
In public comment at a Sept. 21 school board meeting, Haskell spoke at length about McCloy and her bid to opt out her children, as well as others in the district, from sexualized and politicized content in schools—a move that was assisted by Judicial Watch.
“I want to be very clear on this, it's not about the opt-outs,” Haskell said at the meeting.
Haskell’s remarks shifted to McCloy personally.
“They're hiding behind their little Facebook page and their little Facebook group and their stochastic terrorism and the rhetoric,” Haskell said. “And they can't have the nerve to come out here and speak to everyone tonight.”
Following the remarks, McCloy's Judicial Watch attorney Michael Bekesha independently sought more information on Haskell through a FOIA request seeking his communications with school board members. Prior to the opt-out win, Bekesha said he received threatening emails from an anonymous account.
One of the emails obtained by Judicial Watch showed a cordial exchange between D181 Board President Bill Cotter and Haskell.
While Haskell’s talking points from the Oct. 20 meeting were repeated in an article published by the Hinsdaelan, McCloy described the inquiry in a different light.
“They're nervous for my safety,” McCloy said in reference to Judicial Watch’s inquiry. "People in the community are concerned."
Haskell’s remarks have included political terminology and references like the term “stochastic terrorism.”
During remarks directed at McCloy, Haskell referenced the term and explained its meaning.
“It is essentially rhetoric that is aimed at targeted groups, understanding that there is a statistical probability that that rhetoric could somehow incite violence,” Haskell said at a Sept. 21 school board meeting.
Haskell’s explanation came a week and a half following the political assassination of conservative Charlie Kirk, allegedly by a leftist who expressed admiration for Antifa and was in a relationship with a cross-dressing man.
He also repeated the term in an email to the Oak Brook Park District Board and directed at GOP precinct committeeman Noel Manley.
“Mr. Manley’s involvement with Awake Illinois, a documented hate group associated with stochastic terrorism,” Haskell said in an email revealed in an unrelated FOIA request.
In another email, Haskell accused Manley of engaging in aggressive behavior toward a child while he was a candidate for the Hinsdale Township High School District 86 school board.
Manley rejected the allegation.
"[H]is assertion that I engaged in inappropriate behavior with a teenager is a complete lie," Manley told the DuPage Policy Journal. "It is important to note that I have been smeared before by the likes of Mr. Haskell. Mr. Haskell’s irresponsible and dangerous rhetoric has gone well beyond the point of defamation.”
Manley went on to defend his record.
“I stand for good government," he said. "And by good government, I mean transparent and accountable government that serves the taxpayer and spends the taxpayer’s money in a responsible manner."
Haskell’s take on Awake Illinois echoes the discredited Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which has been found to include conservative parent activist groups like Awake Illinois on its “hate map” alongside militant white supremacists while exempting leftist organizations like Antifa.
In previous comments to Prairie State Wire, Mark Herr, co-founder of the Center for Self-Governance, criticized the SPLC for targeting conservative groups including Kirk's Turning Point USA, arguing that the organization uses its influence in law enforcement and government to marginalize political opponents under the guise of combating extremism.
“The Southern Poverty Law Center believes that our system of government is structurally defective and needs to be either dismantled or completely changed,” Herr said. “Their strategy for doing that includes labeling their political opponents, whom they think are living in illusion and deserve to be treated this way.”
Similarly, conservative activist and journalist Chris Rufo said the term “stochastic terrorism” has been used in contemporary leftist politics to persecute conservatives.
“This accusation was used to purge conservatives from social media, and, during the Biden administration, contributed to the F.B.I.’s decision to monitor conservatives, including parents who opposed critical race theory,” Rufo said on his SubStack. “The Left sought to use the stochastic terrorism construction as an all-purpose censorship tool.”
Conversely, Rufo described contemporary leftist behavior online, such as celebrations over the assassination of Kirk or United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, as an integral part of what he has termed the “left-wing terror memeplex.”
Haskell’s commentary comes at a time of heightened concern over such leftist violence, including the multiple assassination attempts on President Donald Trump and repeated attacks on Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, including in two instances by radical leftist militias.
Haskell has also taken aim at Hinsdale Township High School District 86 school board candidate Andrew “Drew” Catton, who characterized him as a “person threatening violence" on social media.
“I'm blocked by Mr. Alpha Catton, as are many of you. If he continues to make threats against Bret Conway, please let me know. As my kids would say, ‘fuck around and find out,’” Haskell said in a social media post.
Catton noted Haskell’s interaction.
“Maybe Admin should look into him. Real levelheaded member of the community. Clearly ‘triggered’ as you say or can't handle simple ridicule,” Catton said on Facebook. “Then again, it's sad there are those here who support this sort of manufactured bravado. A good example of tolerance from the Equity and Inclusion crowd.”
A social media post by Democrat activist Will Haskell
shows him responding to former Hinsdale Township
High School District 86 school board candidate Andrew
“Drew” Catton. (Facebook / Drew Catton)
Haskell's emails obtained through the separate FOIA requests reflect the tone of his public comments, including communications to Oak Brook Park District Board members Tina Chan and Mario Vescovi.
“She has publicly engaged in Christian Nationalist and White Supremacist rhetoric at meetings outside her own community,” Haskell said in one email referring to Chan.
Chan, who has pointed out Haskell does not reside in the Oak Brook Park District, is notably of East Asian descent while Haskell is a white middle-aged male.
“Unfortunately, it appears that Will Haskell is used as a pawn by former and current Park District Commissioners, Executive Director and Park District Attorney in their collective political game to attack Mario Vescovi and me," Chan told the DuPage Policy Journal. "They use individuals like Haskell to attack their political adversaries, putting public safety at risk. They make false statements about me and intimidate me so that I will stop asking questions, especially those for financial transparency and accountability.”
Manley also weighed in on Haskell's behavior at the Oak Brook Park District Board, defending Chan and Vescovi while criticizing Haskell’s actions.
"Commissioners Tina Chan and Mario Vescovi have stepped up to the Oak Brook Park District Board to serve the Oak Brook community and, in so doing, are unafraid to exercise their fiduciary duty to the taxpayer," Manley said. "Sadly, people like Mr. Haskell have taken it upon themselves to harass and smear Commissioners Chan and Vescovi as they challenge the Board by demanding transparency and accountability. As for Mr. Haskell, he is clearly a far-left firebrand who engages in slander with malicious intent."
At a recent Oak Brook Park District Board meeting Chan said Haskell also called Oak Brook Trustee Mike Manzo “racist” during public comment.
Rufo's article also discusses behavior such as applying the label “racist” to political opponents.
“The party’s ‘progressive’ faction deploys these carefully crafted narratives in part to activate the radical elements within the broader coalition, including, most notably, anti-fascist and transgender activists,” Rufo wrote.
According to LinkedIn, Haskell is currently a corporate development executive with Americord Registry, a position he has held for only four months. His previous two roles, as Vice President of Business Development at AlignMed Partners and, before that, Vice President of Business Development, Midwest at myOrthos, lasted nine months and 16 months, respectively.
Prior to that, he was Director of Business Development at Ivy Rehab Physical Therapy for two and a half years.