There will be a contested election for the office of McLean County Clerk after all.
The county Democratic Party has slated Joshua Crockett to run against incumbent Republican Kathy Michael who is running for a fifth term.
Crockett said it's time for a fresh face in the office and he wants to do innovative things other county clerks do, such as employ universal polling places.
"If a voter lives on the north side, works on the east side, has to drop their kids off to after-school care and go check on their parents after work, they would have the opportunity to vote at whatever polling place is most convenient," said Crockett.
Crockett works in constituent services for state Sen. Dave Koehler and has served on the Heartland Community College Board of Trustees since 2021.
He took aim at Michael’s performance in office and an ongoing dispute with some county board members over transparency in her office.
"With the mismanagement we've seen, McLean County deserves a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars, someone who will work collaboratively with the McLean County Board, who will be open and transparent in a public way, and I want to be that," said Crockett.
Democrats on the County Board have criticized Michael for overspending her budget by about $500,000 last year and for not giving the Executive Committee invoices on non-contractual services, overtime records and other requested documents.
“The announcement that I will have an opponent in the Fall lends further credence that some county board members might be motivated by partisan political concerns when they attack my office,” said Michael in a statement.
Michael has said she offered to meet privately with board members in her office. At the last two Executive Committee meetings, board members made it clear they expected Michael to be public about spending taxpayer dollars in her office.
Michael said she looks forward to another challenging election.
“I urge all of us to rise above the political mudslinging that has now reached our county. Let's lead by example and not be dragged down to the gutter which we see happening around America today,” said Michael.
Crockett said he did not run in the Democratic primary because he had some personal things going on in his life, but the opportunity is there now.
For decades it has been difficult for Democrats to win a county wide elected office. The last such victory was in 1978 when Steve Brienen won election for Sheriff. Brienen later changed his party affiliation to Republican and won four more terms.
Even though the rural areas of McLean County have remained solid GOP territory, Crockett noted Bloomington-Normal has gained Democratic votes in recent years.
“We've seen a changing tide and the landscape of our voter makeup here in McLean County, and so I look forward to going out and sharing the story about what we've done at Heartland [Community College] and sharing my story about why we deserve a responsible choice on the ballot,” said Crockett.
Crockett sits on the finance committee on the Heartland board.
He said the clerk has a larger role to play in registering and educating voters.
“We deserve a clerk who believes this role is about more than just administering elections. It's about empowering our community and voters to fully engage with the democratic process that we all hold so dear,” said Crockett.
He said being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars is not a partisan issue.
Election day is Nov. 3.
