Dupage Policy Journal

Noel Manley is celebrating the resignation of Reid McCollum from the campaign of Asma Akhras Hinsdale Township High School District 86.

Manley is assisting with the Drew Catton campaign. According to him, "a group of dedicated citizens rallied together to investigate and expose the truth behind the website" that was created to discredit Drew Catton.

“I am happy to report that dirty politics in District 86 just got exposed…again," Manley said. "Sean Casten operative, Asma Akhras campaign worker Reid McCollum admitted in a social media post that he authored and owned a website dedicated to smearing board candidate Drew Catton, The now deleted website www.Catton4d86.com attempted to smear Drew, as per the Left’s playbook, as an extremist."

Manley urged the public to weigh who truly has the ethic and deserve a seat on the school board. 

“This behavior is yet another warning to conservatives that to the Left, the end justifies the means, and that integrity is sacrificed for power," he said. "And their effect is to take over our schools. However, we need to fight back by supporting candidates like Drew Catton who are committed to removing politics from the schools and restoring academic excellence.”

McCollum noted he had lied about creating a bogus campaign website for Akhras’ opponent Drew Catton. He said in a social media post he had departed from the Akhras campaign after admitting to the political dirty tricks.

“Neither Asma Akhras nor anyone on her team were in any way aware that I created this website, which I did not do on behalf of her campaign,” McCollum said in a social media post announcing his resignation from the campaign. 

McCollum detailed the events, as well as his resignation, in his post.

“After previously denying it, on March 18 I told Asma that I created the website. Given her strong commitment to running a positive campaign and because I had previously denied my involvement, she has asked me to step down as a core volunteer. I completely respect her decision and her focus on staying positive and above the fray,” McCollum said.

Akhras acknowledges the situation in a Facebook post. She said she was "very disappointed" and such kinds of strategies "are not welcome" on her team.

Manley previously discussed the dirty tricks campaign undertaken by McCollum, noting the bogus website set up in Catton’s name was registered within hours of Akhras’ and used the same web design platform. Those “coincidences” were too much for him and others.

“I don't check my common sense at the door when you have when one of the candidates' websites being launched within hours on the same day is the bogus website,” Manley told DuPage Policy Journal. “There [are] some red flags. Adding to that, both are on the same hosting website. Both were developed with the same development tool since perhaps, but I don't check my commonsense at the door.”

Akhras is a 48-year-old resident of Darien where she lives with her family. She is on the D86 Cultural Equity and Leadership Team and was previously on the Board of Directors of Indian Prairie Public Library in Darien. Akhras holds a master’s degree in Education in Curriculum and Instruction and works as Implementation Leader of Curriculum at Great Minds through which she works with the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Akhras work with the Los Angeles Unified School District is notable. Workers in the school system went on strike after tens of thousands of school employees walked off the job on March 21. It is the nation’s second-largest school district. The strike affects around 420,000 students. “The union is asking for a 30% wage increase plus a $2 per hour additional raise for the lowest-paid workers,” according to the Los Angeles Times.