Democrat Buck Farley is making his first bid for political office, looking to represent northeast Normal on the McLean County Board. He's running against Republican incumbent Randy Knapp for a seat representing District 5.
Knapp was appointed to the McLean County Board in 2023, when John McIntyre stepped down and now looks to retain his seat.
“I see it as being a speaking voice for the district,” he said. “My personal goals are to listen to them, but at the same time, look for interactions that would enhance the local economy.”
Knapp works in logistics and serves on the county board's transportation and health committees. He was prompted into service by a big snow storm a few years ago that kept him home bound for days. Since joining the board, he's worked with the highway service, public transit for rural McLean County and capital improvements on the county nursing home. He's also been involved in juvenile detention, the county jail and behavioral health.
“I’ve put forth effort in meeting the department heads, getting tours of the different facilities, trying to understand what they need, and what the future needs might be for those departments,” said Knapp.
Farley grew up in Knox County. He moved to Bloomington-Normal nearly 30 years ago to attend Illinois State University and stayed. He's logged two decades at State Farm and is the insurance giant's archivist.
“My grandfather raised me to be —no better terms — a Roosevelt Democrat,” said Farley. “He always told me, when you see that things don’t seem to be going the right way, you should never stay silent. You should always speak up.
Farley is especially passionate about green energy and mental and behavioral health. He’s fostering two nephews following his sister’s death following a drug overdose in Knox County. Farley said lack of county resources for substance abuse and mental health contributed to the situation.
Ultimately, Farley’s children are what prompted him to run for county board.
“I want a community I remember living in the past 30 years here in McLean County, and I want to ensure that my children have that kind of stability as well,” he said. “And I’d like to see this county prosper.”
Farley is concerned by rhetoric brought before the current board about immigration.
“I really didn’t understand why they were bringing it before the county board,” he said. “We have no say on immigration laws. To me, it was just a political ploy to get somebody political points as they tried to run for state office.”
The board ultimately rejected Republican Chuck Erickson's proposal to oppose tax-supported services for refugees sent north from the southern border. A similar symbolic measure passed in Woodford County in May.
Erickson was unsuccessful in his bid for a seat in the Illinois House of Representatives and will vacate his county board seat in the 10th district. Knapp voted against the measure, breaking from party lines with two other Republicans in what is currently a 10/10 split.
“In all honesty, I don’t see it as a Democrat versus a Republican,” Knapp said. “I see it as a spectrum on how to solve problems.”
One way, Knapp said, is more free market while another is “central control.” Knapp is decidedly free market but acknowledges the delicate balance between social services attractive to residents and a free-market economy attractive to businesses.
'Free market' vs. 'central control'
Knapp believes a free-market approach will address Bloomington-Normal's housing shortage by attracting business and jobs — raising wages thus empowering constituents to afford housing. With the housing crunch primarily in Bloomington and Normal, Knapp said those municipalities need to take the lead.
Farley sees the county as taking a more pro-active role in coordinating solutions.
Similarly, Knapp sees the potential for revenue through tax benefits offered by allowing carbon sequestration to run through the county. He and Farley both want to know more about potential hazard posed to drinking water. The carbon-capture technology is currently under a statewide moratorium after Illinois' first pipeline near Decatur leaked.
A more possible solution for staving off climate change, according to Farley, is to lean into vetted green energy sources.
“I’m hoping we can bring farmers to the table as well as some solar organizations to see what we can bring to this county to sustain our family farms and also make us that green energy leader in the state of Illinois,” he said.
Elected auditor referendum
Farley supports a referendum to eliminate the elected county auditor position. He said voters can't adequately assess a candidate's ability to do a skills-based or technical role, as opposed to a political one. More than 85% of Illinois counties no longer elect their auditor.
“It’s usually a third-party appointed group that they bring in,” he said. “It’s a part-time position. They come in, get the bills paid, assess the county budget and we give them their check.”
Farley also wants to see the county move from a year-to-year budget plan to planning further out, with a 3- to 5-year plan.
Knapp said if the elected auditor is to continue, software has been implemented to create checks and balances on current and future auditors. Michelle Anderson won a third term as county auditor in 2020 and is running unopposed in 2024. In June, WGLT learned through documents requests that McLean County had violated multiple contracts, withholding or delaying payments totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars.
In essence, Knapp is letting voters decide if voters should decide.
“Let’s get that decided, and then decide how to move forward,” Knapp said.
He declined to share whether he personally will vote yes or no on the referendum.