The McLean County Board will change to a Democratic majority next month. That hasn’t happened before.
Some Republicans worry about what will happen when they go into the minority. McLean County Republican Party chair Dennis Grundler highlighted the issue of property tax rates.
“If the Democrats don’t cross the aisle with this and work together with this, I think with the tax and spend that they are normally known for, people will finally get to a point where they can’t do it anymore and they would shift back,” Grundler said.
Democrats said that’s not going to happen. Board vice chair Elizabeth Johnston said the longstanding board objective of limiting changes in the property tax rate is among her top priorities.
“One of the primary areas of conversation when I am on doorsteps is property taxes," she said. "We do have very high property taxes here, so I think every member of the board is cognizant of that fact."
Some Republicans have fewer concerns. Board member Geoff Tompkins said he’s hoping for some bipartisanship.
“I’m counting on it," he said. "You know, this isn’t Congress."
And current GOP board chair Catherine Metsker said she doesn't think board dynamics will change a whole lot.
“The work of the county is operational, and it has to get done for the betterment of McLean County residents and both parties and all of our board members currently know that," Metsker said. "And I am sure that the new board members will certainly fall into lockstep with that direction."
To the victor goes the spoils, but Tompkins said the spoils — in this case — are not dramatic because everyone wants the best for their district and the county. Tompkins said he’s hoping meeting times will change to make it easier for people who work. But he’s made do for two years. So, not a big deal.
“Procedurally, I don’t see a lot of changes just because of the nature of the county board work itself," he said. "It pays bills. It maintains infrastructure. It funds departments. I think that part will remain the same."
That’s not to say everything will stay the same. Both parties said there will likely be different nuances in the kind of non-routine issues the board emphasizes.
“I think there will be issues in terms of housing availability and affordability," Tompkins said. "I think there will be issues in terms of immigration assistance and the overall immigration picture. I think those are two macro social issues that you might see brought forward that you might not have seen under a Republican administration."
McLean County has been dealing with a housing shortage for several years. It’s a shortage in several categories: workforce housing, affordable housing, shelter for the unhoused, upscale multi-unit complexes, and even in the numbers of bog standard suburban single-family dwellings.
Metsker said the county has been involved in conversations on the issue, but not much more.
“It hasn’t come forward," she said. "There was nothing that I have done to prevent it from coming forward. It may come forward. The outcome of it? I don’t know. I’m not sure."
The county has moved from a shortage of 3,000 housing units to roughly 9,000 in the last few years, Johnston said — and something’s got to be done.
“There’s been some hesitation to get involved in the housing," she said. "Typically, government gets involved with issues when the marketplace is not responding, and that was really what I was feeling, was a pushback on the housing crisis was that, we’ll let the marketplace take care of it. As we have demand skyrocket, the builders will come in. We just have not seen that happen."
Johnston said the county needs to get involved because she wants the entire community to speak with one voice on the issue. Though the county does not have a lot of sites that would be a great fit for new development to serve the metro community, Johnston said there are potential incentive packages the county can be part of.
Both political parties have emphasized mental health services in recent years. Metsker said providing a structure to decide how those services get delivered was a big priority for her as chair.
Johnston said Democrats feel there’s still more to do.
“We’d like to see some more energy put into tackling that issue,” she said.
Chair dispute
There is, pardon the phrase, an elephant in the room that could shape the way Democrats and Republicans get along after Dec. 1. Democrats feel the GOP stabbed them in the back the last time there was a vote to decide who would become board chair.
Johnston said in the last election cycle, then-chair John McIntyre foresaw the possibility for Democratic party gains and he wanted someone in place who had the experience and temperament to be chair. The deal was Johnston would be vice chair and Democrats would support McIntyre as chair. In the event of a 10-10 split in board membership, the two would flip seats — Johnston would be chair and McIntyre vice chair.
McIntyre left the board before the end of his term for health reasons. There was indeed a 10-10. A Republican was named to replace him. And then, Democrats said Republicans broke the deal. Johnston said there are reverberations and doubts about trusting some Republicans even now.
“That was a really tough meeting," she said. "I will say I am not the only one who is still feeling the effects of that meeting."
Johnston said she and Metsker were at a stalemate and had the vote been taken with no clear decision, the board would have continued with no chair and her as vice chair running the meetings. That’s not what happened.
Republicans overcame the even split by voting to disallow remote attendance of the meeting by a Democratic board member, giving the GOP the majority. Metsker won the chair position.
“I was unaware of any deals that were ever made," she said. "So, I can’t address that. I can tell you that I always felt that I was the most senior qualified candidate willing to lead."
Metsker also said she has long opposed remote attendance and her vote that day was consistent with that belief. Johnston pointed out Republicans were shy a member present when McIntyre was elected chair.
“So, at any point in that meeting we could have reneged on the deal," she said. "The Democrats could have. We chose to honor it."
And she said some Republicans have periodically used the remote attendance provisions and GOP members have voted to allow it on those occasions.
Metsker said there’s a caveat.
“Now, we need to be aware that that member who was not allowed, had missed nine meetings before,” she said.
That — who did what to whom — is still a sore point with Democrats. Johnston is the presumptive next chair. She said she is open to working with people in good faith.
"I’m not somebody that really holds grudges, but I am very aware," she said. "It’s about setting boundaries and understanding where is my boundary with this person? Maybe that got moved a little bit. But the reality is — as a board — we still do need to work together. Even in a 12-8, we will still need to work together."
Johnston said the board will have to change how it chooses committee leadership; 95% of county board membership has turned over in the last six years and she said the traditional way of using board seniority to pick committee chairs won't work well.
“Because we do have so many new people, one of the things we get to look at is what’s their experience in leadership outside of county board and what is their area of interest, their area of expertise?” Johnston said.
Metsker said the departure of experienced Republican board members Chuck Erickson, Susan Schafer, and George Wendt will erode the institutional memory on the board. Metsker said the board will have to lean on staff for some of that context and continuity.
Regardless of committee chair decisions, Metsker said all board members have a responsibility to the county. And there are still some Republicans with significant experience.
“I think you would certainly want to leverage them in some way, but just because you’re [not] the chair doesn’t mean you don’t have some impact,” Metsker said.
And Elizabeth Johnston said the change in control of the board does not mean Republicans will get no say in issues.
“I’m lucky enough that I have worked in spaces for my entire career that is focused on listening, that is focusing on collaborating," Johnston said. "I don’t anticipate to change that. And I hope that has earned some respect across the board."
And Democrats and Republicans alike say what has not changed is an overwhelming commitment to serve the county's residents.
