A national election is underway, and in McLean County voters in several districts are also deciding who will represent them on the county board. These decisions could wind up flipping the split board toward the Democrats or Republicans.
Voters of South Bloomington’s District 9 will choose between Democrat Sean Fagan and Republican incumbent Susan Schafer, who has held the seat for over a decade.
Susan Schafer
Schafer currently chairs the Board’s Health Committee and has served on several groups that steer behavioral health decisions and spending. She said her work in those fields has been her greatest source of pride, as McLean County is now recognized as a state and national leader for mental health and the county-run nursing home has also come a long way since her first term.
“We were losing quite a bit of money,” she said. “And we've got some different management in there, and we've really turned that around."
As some long-standing members leave and the board prepares to welcome in fresh faces, Schafer said her historical knowledge could be of use in the coming years.
“There's very few in the county that I think have a real good understanding of how complex that whole system is,” she said, noting that she's likely going to be the longest-serving county board member if re-elected. “So those of us that have been on the board for a longer time can mentor those (newer) individuals and help them understand how the county operates and things like that.”
Sean Fagan
Fagan said he’s done the work to understand county board functions, and that’s part of why he’s running. He said he’s noticed some “game-playing” that’s happened in the past and he’s “not a person who tolerates” that type of behavior.
He pointed out that when former Chair John McIntyre stepped down and a new chair was voted in, member Jack Abraham was not allowed a virtual vote.
“The practice up to that point was to allow people who could not physically attend to call in to vote,” Fagan explained. “Well, the Republicans decided to change the rules for that meeting and did not allow him to vote.”
That resulted in current Chair Catherine Metsker getting selected over Vice Chair Elizabeth Johnston, Fagan added.
As for his politics, Fagan said he’s a “common sense vote,” and he’s never voted a straight ticket in his life. He used to identify as an independent.
“Something would have to make sense for me,” he said. “It would have to be good for District 9 and for McLean County as a whole. I don't see myself voting for something just because it was a Democratic initiative.”
Policy
Fagan and Schafer agree on many policy issues. They both said they’re pleased with the county’s commitment to mental health, but they’re not sure about plans to run carbon sequestration lines through the county. They also think the county should participate in conversations about easing the housing shortage in the area and that the ballot referendum to eliminate the office of elected county auditor should be approved.
Part of that agreement is because they approach issues similarly too. For One Earth Energy’s proposal to develop carbon pipelines in the county, both candidates said they want to do more research and hopefully see more scientific articles published by the time a state moratorium lifts, putting the decision to build in the county’s hands.
However, Fagan said there are some changes he would make to the way the county handles its mental health work. Primarily, he said he wants to see more details from the county on operations and spending.
“Something like this that's using taxpayer dollars needs to be completely transparent,” he said, referring to the Public Safety and Mental Health Fund which is partially allocated to community behavioral health needs each year. “And I don't believe that the transparency currently exists.”
Fagan noted that Schafer has been a force on those initiatives since 2016 — when the fund was formed and county conversations on mental health started — but Fagan said “no one person is irreplaceable.” Fagan said he’d like to see more money going directly to community initiatives and for the county to potentially hire a grant writer or two who can dedicate time to applying for external funding streams.
Meanwhile, Schafer pointed out that a recent restructuring of groups within the county that make decisions on mental health should provide clearer objectives and focus. She pointed out that partners became “stuck for a while,” but she expects that will change. At the same time, she said improving mental health is not a cut-and-dry mission.
“When you're thinking about culture change and system change, it's very difficult,” she said. “You have to build trust, build relationships, and that takes a long, long time.”
She added that she’s excited about continuing that work if reelected.
Early voting is currently underway and the general election is Nov. 5.
