Shaunta Gray

“I’m a realtor and a real estate appraiser, so I’ve seen how property taxes is a big issue. In 2021, I was appointed to be a school board member, and in 2023 I won an election to stay on the school board, so this is my first full term as an elected official.”

“In that process, I’ve learned quite a bit about governance. I see major concerns in terms of accountability. With everything that’s happening in Dolton, Harvey, Sauk Village, even Chicago, it prompted me to do a little more research because I wanted to find out where the accountability is coming from.”

“I filled out the Illinois Policy transparency checklist for my community of Lynwood, and we did have a failing grade.”

“It seems like the accountability is going to be primarily left up to the citizens, because the taxing bodies themselves are offering no transparency.”

“They are not helping with the work of checks and balances. They are missing certain documentation, or at least not offering it to the public. You almost have to do a [Freedom of Information Act] request for every document.”

“What I’m finding is people are very unaware of what their government is doing. They don’t know who their officials are. They don’t know much about the voting process. And because of that, no one is holding the local government accountable.”

“I’ve heard people say they aren’t very concerned about the school board because they don’t have kids in the public schools anymore. They don’t understand how all these things tie together.”

“The schools – and every other part of local government – either help communities grow or stop it from growing. It affects property taxes, the business climate, crime.”

“If you don’t have transparency, you slip into the point where the political part and the personality part starts to play a bigger role than governance does. I’m very worried it could get to a point where we end up with a pay-to-play type system.”

“I have tried to raise these concerns with the elected officials themselves, and so far, that has been met with hostility.”

“If your policies are foundationally strong, fair, transparent, those are the building blocks for economic growth and great communities. But if the policies are unfair or unclear, the community feels off. Even if people can’t put their finger on what is wrong exactly, they may decide it’s not a place where they want to build a life for the next 30 or 40 years.”

“It’s hard for people to hold government officials accountable when they aren’t sure what good governance looks like. I ask so many people, ‘What does an ideal government look like to you?’ And most people don’t have an answer.”

“I’ve even asked people who are officials themselves, people who are our leaders: ‘What does a good school district look like to you?’ And they’ve said they honestly don’t know.”

“If you don’t have that vision, you can’t hold your government accountable. And that is up to you, even if you’re afraid of being seen as a troublemaker, because there isn’t an organization that is going to hold your government accountable for you.”

Shaunta Gray
Real estate broker, board member, Sandridge School District 172
Lynwood, Illinois