Several seats are up for grabs April 1 on the Normal Township board. The slice of McLean County encompassing most of the Town of Normal—and a little bit extra—has elected officials overseeing services for unincorporated areas. Most of Normal Township is serviced by Normal’s municipal public safety and public works departments. The role of township supervisor includes financial management of the Activity and Recreation Center [ARC] and two financial assistance funds which serve as a social safety net for residents in need.
Township supervisor candidates Chad Berck, a Republican, and Democrat Krystle Able are familiar faces in McLean County politics. Able is a first-term county board member representing District 4, which covers West Normal and a small portion of Bloomington. If elected as supervisor, she intends to do both.
“This is not something new or unheard of,” Able said in an interview with WGLT.
Catherine Metsker, the former McLean County Board chair, has been the White Oak Township supervisor serving Carlock for nearly 15 years. Able was initially denied a seat on the county board despite being the only candidate to apply after Matt Coates stepped down a few months before the November 2022 election. She ran for and won her seat in that election.
Able is a lifelong McLean County resident, mom to three kids and executive director of the Illinois Alliance for Retired Americans. She said she sees the township as being the part of the government that is closest to residents. Its role is not about building houses, she said, but keeping people housed.
“We provide a service to people to help them stay in their homes by making sure that their rent is paid, that their utilities are not disconnected—and that they can also get help with other needs," Able said.
Running for township supervisor wasn't initially on Able’s radar.
“Some of my colleagues and friends in the community came to me when we heard that Jess Ray had decided he was going to go ahead and retire and enjoy that life,” she said. “We really needed to make sure that someone who had experience standing up for seniors and retirees was going to get elected because the ARC, our senior center, is a really big deal to our township."
Serving seniors a priority
The ARC was similarly part of what drew Berck to run for supervisor. He’s a transplant to Normal, where he lives with his wife and three children and has twice run for the county board, most recently defeated by its current chair Elizabeth Johnston. Republican trustee Floyd Aper, who is seeking re-election, encouraged him to run for supervisor.
“Evidently, Floyd really liked the message I brought to that race and he approached me afterwards,” said Berck. “As the trustees were filling that team up, he thought I was going to be a good fit.”
Berck is a military veteran and former nursing home administrator from Taylorville, so the chance to support seniors has been central to his desire to serve in politics. Prior to researching the position, he saw a township's role primarily as maintaining rural roads and ditches. And they do: Republican Arin Rader is running unopposed for his fourth term as highway commissioner maintaining about 25 miles of road in unincorporated Normal.
Berck said he'll use prior experience with large budgets to take a fine-toothed comb to the financials. But he's not planning to change what he sees as working, including the ARC.
“The ARC—the crown jewel of this township—is phenomenal,” he said. “Not many townships I’ve found in Illinois or the nation have… a center for the retired community.”
Berck, who identifies as a conservative, also supports the general and emergency assistance funds. He said he grew up "on the wrong side of the tracks,” where such a social safety net makes a big difference for families in need of help.
“Stuff happens,” he said. “You hear all these horror stories. You can come to us, do an application, and everything’s taken care of. There’s no judgment."
That's where Berck and Able's similarities appear to end. Both are outspoken candidates on opposite ends of the political spectrum. Online supporters have dialed up the temperature in the comments section in what is typically a low-profile race.
“It’s OK to argue your views,” Berck said, but he’s disappointed by some of the personal attacks he’s seen online. “I have a family. She has a family. I would defend her family from someone trying to do harm.”
“I can say that I’m glad that the voters are able to see, very transparently, where both of us stand because we are so outspoken,” said Able. “I’m going to keep being authentic. I’m going to keep talking about all the issues that matter to me.”
The Republican ticket also includes Karl Sila for township clerk, Kent DePew for assessor and trustee candidates Randall Schaab, Ron Ulmer and Mary Cottier. Democrat Dayna Schickedanz aims to maintain her position as township clerk. Nayoka Griffis, Dylan Hile-Broad, Tanner Starr and Natasha Syed are running as Democrats to become trustees.
Election day is April 1. Early voting is underway.
