Democrat William Bessler is running for the McLean County Board seat he's held for almost a year. Representing northwest Normal, Bessler is being challenged by three-time Republican candidate Jerry Klinkner, a nursing home counselor.
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Though he's no stranger to campaigns, Bessler also is a first-time candidate. He announced he was running shortly after Krystle Able resigned, and was later appointed to fill the seat until the November election.
“Public service has really been my North Star my entire career and life,” Bessler said in an interview on WGLT’s Sound Ideas. “My mom ran for school board when I was a kid, so I got to see her go through that process, which was really neat and it showed me to focus on local issues and serving your community.”
Bessler’s experience lies largely in social services, and he now works as the community development manager for the City of Bloomington. He said he's worked on several campaigns, but it's nice to finally have one of his own.
"You don't have to look to somebody else for their vision," he said. "You can create your own vision based off of what you've learned from the people you serve."
Bessler credits himself as the architect of the plan that delivered a Democratic majority to the county board in 2024. The plan was a slow and steady trend showing the county leaning more blue than before. He said fighting for housing, collective bargaining and equal and fair treatment for all inform his decision to not just run, but run as a Democrat.
Klinkner worked for 25 years in a Chicago hospital as a discharge planner and now is semi-retired working as a counselor in area nursing homes.
The Minnesota native and his wife moved to McLean County to be closer to family.
“I’m obviously most concerned about my family and especially my grandchildren,” he said. “I’d like to see them grow up in a world or a society that they can flourish in and that they can be responsible citizens. And, of course, I want to see that for other people.”
Also no stranger to politics, this is Klinkner’s third shot at a seat in District 4.
“Our neighbors are affected by what the government does and what we spend our tax money on. And so that’s basically … my reasons for getting involved in politics,” he said.
Bessler: Housing and childcare
Along with his personal experience, Bessler said housing is one of the top priorities of his campaign.
“Obviously, we have a housing shortage; that’s pretty evident, and when I talk to voters out in District 4, knocking on doors and going to things, housing is absolutely one of the top issues that I hear about,” he said.
“So, for me, bringing that experience of being a housing counselor and working to get people into housing, keep their housing, making housing repairs throughout my career, I think helps me have a basis of understanding of how the housing issues work, and allows me to make better policy…"
Bessler said his first job out of college was as a that housing counselor.
“So, I’ve always been involved in housing in some way or another…” he said. “It’s always been a very important issue to me. I believe everyone deserves a safe, accessible, affordable place to live.”
Bessler said childcare is another focus of his as he hears about it from families in his district.
“Childcare is a crisis in this community,” he said. “People need to have access to childcare, especially affordable childcare options.”
Bessler said recent closures facing parents adds another hurdle for those already working hard for their families.
“If we want to see our county grow, we have to and be able to attract the workforce that we want,” said Bessler. “We have to have a space where people can raise a family, so childcare is the other issue that has really come up knocking on doors.”
Government cannot fix the problem instantly, he admitted, but added the county board should play a role in finding the solution amid changing state and federal landscapes.
“I think local government needs to step and right now and fix some short-term gaps, and the other issue that I think everybody across the country is facing, but, you know, we’re facing it here in McLean County, is rising costs,” Bessler said.
Bessler said he has also been a strong advocate for wind and solar energy alternatives to address rising energy bills.
Klinkner: Financial responsibility, law and order
Klinkner said financial responsibility is one of his top priorities, also with the goal of reducing costs. He said he wants to see the county board have more financial restraint.
“In other words, that we need to balance our budgets,” he said. “You and I can’t go and just borrow all kinds of money to pay our bills and so that’s a big reason I’m part of the Republican Party.”
Klinkner said he has seen neighbors and met with voters who are leaving the state to live somewhere else less expensive, a trend he would like to see stop.
“[Republicans] had much more of an emphasis on not increasing taxes, being financially responsible…having financial restraint," he said. "All of us only have a certain amount of money and we have restraint as citizens. And I think the county board should have, and government in general, should have the same restrains that we do.”
He also said he would like to see the board explore ways it could help reduce property taxes on residents.
“The Democrats seem to just think that we have a unlimited amount of money, and that they know how to spend the money better than our average citizen,” Klinkner said. “I do not think that is true. I think that our average citizens know better how to spend their money than the government does.”
Klinker also prioritizes a strong relationship with the McLean County Sheriff’s Office in his possible term.
“I’d like to see our neighborhoods safe, that we put criminals in jail, that we support our sheriffs and our police departments,” he said. “I think there’s been a move towards not putting criminals in jail or not cooperating with the police department.”
That includes not working closely with agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE], he said. [State law limits local law enforcement's abilities assisting ICE in immigrant enforcement.]
“We’re allowing those people into our state, into our country, into our cities and often that just means to them that they can basically do anything, that they don’t have to obey our laws and that is not the way to protect our citizens and keep our constitution whole,” he said.
Klinkner said as a Republican, he supports upholding the U.S. Constitution and prioritizes supporting citizens first.
"I am all in favor of immigrants, as long as they come the right way.”
Klinkner described his other top issues as ensuring the county has solid infrastructure and supporting the McLean County Nursing Home.
The midterm election is Nov. 3.
