McLean County Board District 3 has a healthy mix of urban and rural residents. The two candidates who are running for the seat demonstrate that blend.
District 3 goes from south and west Bloomington to the McLean County border with neighboring Logan County to the south, Tazewell to the west and Woodford to the north. The district includes the towns of Carlock, Shirley, Stanford, and McLean.
Democrat Rob Ogborn figures the urban part of the district will be a key spot for growth as Bloomington-Normal tries to address a housing shortage.
“Because a lot of the different housing projects that are being currently built and/or proposed are going to be in the 3rd District. It’s interesting to me that from that perspective, having someone that is involved and present in the county board is going to be imperative for the future of McLean County,” Ogborn said, adding he would support economic incentives from the county to help spur development.
“Being present” is a reference to District 3's current county board members who he criticizes for a lack of attendance at board and committee meetings. Ogborn said that's a main reason why he decided to run.
“The representation of the third district doesn’t necessarily show up a lot and doesn’t participate in a lot of the things that are going on in the county,” Ogborn said.
The current board members in District 3 are Republicans Lyndsay Bloomfield and George Wendt.
According to an attendance sheet the county posted online, Bloomfield attended only one of 15 committee meetings in the first eight months of the year for the two panels on which she serves — property and transportation. Bloomfield has attended half of the full board meetings. George Wendt has a 75% attendance rate for all meetings.
Ogborn lives between Shirley and Funks Grove. Ogborn's opponent is Brian Loeffler, who did not respond to WGLT's multiple requests for an interview.
Loeffler is a farmer who beat Wendt in the primary. Wendt has been on the County Board for 14 years and is known as one of its most conservative voices.
Ogborn said he was surprised to see Wendt lose by a nearly two-to-one margin, but he took that as a sign voters are ready for a change.
“It just seemed that the time for contention and the time for maybe saying no to everything has passed,” Ogborn said.
Carbon capture
Ogborn said he plans to say "no" to carbon capture, once the state lifts its moratorium on those projects. Carbon capture injects climate warming carbon dioxide deep underground to keep out of the atmosphere. Ogborn said for now, the risks are too great.
“This is one of those decisions I don’t want to look back on 50 years from now or even greater and say that the county board made a poor decision in allowing this happen if there’s going to be a problem,” he said.
Ogborn is a software developer at State Farm. He said a lot of his work at State Farm these days involves artificial intelligence. He sees ways AI could help make certain county staff functions easier.
“Having someone on the board that understands those problems and understands when vendors come in or when people come in and have questions or want to present ideas about ways that they can make improvements, having someone there that understands that is vital,” Ogborn said.
Mental health
Ogborn said technology is a strength of his. Mental health strategy, not so much. Mental health is one of the county's top priorities as it collects tax money from Bloomington and Normal to help coordinate services.
Ogbon said for that, he plans to rely on the expertise of others.
“I pride myself on the fact that I don’t have to be a master of everything and I can rely on those I trust to lead me in the best direction,” he said.
The rural-urban split in McLean County largely follows the national trend. Democrats are more successful in the Twin Cities. Republicans have generally had a lock on rural board districts. Ogborn said he wants to give voters a choice.
“Sometimes getting someone to represent the smaller communities outside of Bloomington-Normal is difficult because they don’t have the time because they are working so hard and they have a lot of things going on, with kids and their jobs and the like,” Ogborn said.
Ogborn said he's in a good spot in his life now where he can represent the smaller communities in western McLean County.
Early voting is underway. The election is Nov. 5.
