Half of the McLean County Board seats are up for election this November, including one representing parts of Bloomington in District 7.
Republican incumbent Geoff Tompkins is seeking a second term on the county board. He serves on the property and health committees. Outside of county government, Tompkins is a bodily injury claims adjuster for State Farm.
Prior to his current position, Tompkins worked with multiple political campaigns, including serving as treasurer for former Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner’s campaign in 2012. He was also a city liquor commissioner.
“I try to stay active and approach each and every issue with a pragmatic, open mind to evaluate each and every piece of votable, actionable items on the county board on their merits,” he said.
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He is being challenged by Democrat John D. Poling, who has lived in Bloomington for six years. For about 20 years prior to that, he lived in Clinton.
Poling teaches history and social studies courses at Parkland College in Champaign. This is his first campaign, though he sits on Bloomington’s zoning board of appeals.
Poling said part of his desire to run came from time spent in the Decatur Jaycees civic group when he was younger. Part of the group’s creed is “that service to humanity is the best work of life.”
“Serving the constituents of District 7, or what have you, that's what I want to do because that's the best work of life,” he said.
Agreement on data center opposition
Both Poling and Tompkins seem to agree on their opposition to data centers.
Poling said he was convinced data centers weren’t a good fit for the community after attending a joint panel on the subject from the Town of Normal and the City of Bloomington in August. There he said he learned just how much more electricity a hyperscale data center uses compared to the 200 megawatts the county typically uses every day.
“Can you imagine for McLean County needing to have 600 megawatts every day and what kind of strain that would put on the grid? What kind of pricing that would do to energy as well?” he said.
“I also learned that there really are no industry standards yet for what a closed-loop system will be for the water,” he continued, and said even that would not account for leaks in the system.
Tompkins doesn’t want the tech to hurt the county’s natural resources or people.
“I don't want it located within the county, any facility that you can see, hear, smell or feel the harmonic or electronic emissions from,” he said.
Over the summer, the board passed some of the strictest data center regulations in the state. As part of those regulations, facility owners would need to identify potential impacts to infrastructure and public services such as roads, emergency service and utilities. They also will to list measures to address those impacts.
That would include planned water use amounts, sources, treatment and effect on local groundwater sources, as well as plans for handling wastewater volume, disposal and environmental impacts. Electricity consumption would have to be monitored and documented, as well as sources and impacts on electrical infrastructure. Data center owners also will have to provide any specialized training or equipment for the fire protection district responsible for emergency response for the facility. Also, they’d be required to provide a decommissioning plan explaining how the site will be restored, including cost, when the data center closes.
Both Poling and Tompkins said they are happy with those regulations.
It is possible a developer is able and willing to meet the county’s demands. How would the candidates vote in that instance?
Poling said if a developer is able to meet those demands, it could be a sign that those harmful impacts are mitigated.
“If they've met all of the requirements, I don't see how I don't vote for it. Because, I mean, they've done what the county required of them to do,” he said.
What if the residents of McLean County oppose the project regardless of it meeting the county’s requirements? Poling said he would still likely vote yes, because he would be legally obligated to.
When it comes time for the county board or a city council to vote on a development project like this, it isn’t typically a vote of conscience, he said. Rather, the board must vote based on whether the proposal meets and follows the county’s requirements.
Tompkins was skeptical that any developer could pass that bar. Even if they did, he said he would likely vote against the project.
“I would probably vote no, especially if that facility in any way drew natural resources or consumed any electricity off our grid,” he said.
“I think it never hurts to err on the side of caution, especially when it comes to our natural resources, our natural environment and our animal life,” he said.
Holding county officials accountable
Two Republican McLean County officials have faced scrutiny over their performance.
McLean County Clerk Kathy Michael is up for reelection in November. She's faced criticism over budget overspending in her office. Democratic County Board Chair Elizabeth Johnston said there have been multiple overages in the last several years: $95,000 in 2023, $386,000 in 2024 and $400,000 in 2025.
Her office has also made a series of tax miscalculations dating back to last year. Near Hudson, an error occurred when the county clerk’s office incorrectly taxed 612 nearby properties as if they were in located in the Village of Hudson. That spread the bill among more properties, meaning some within the village didn’t pay enough, resulting in a $81,000 shortfall. The county is loaning that amount to the village, which will have to collect enough to pay that loan back in 2027. It's one of at least three such miscalculations.
Poling said Democrats on the board have been putting pressure on Michael and her office.
“The explanations aren't particularly forthcoming in terms of why they have been over budget, why there was an error in the Hudson bills, that sort of thing,” he said.
If elected, Poling said he would continue to apply that pressure.
“I would just make sure I was vigilant and still holding feet to the fire of why these things are happening and that they must stop,” he continued.
Poling said he is focused on affordability in his campaign.
“That means making sure that every dollar that is being spent by the county … is spent in the proper manner and getting the most bang for the buck, if you will,” he said.
Thompkins said he's "not that familiar" with the inner workings of Michael's office.
"I'm one member of 20 on the county board, but I am a treasurer and I am involved with finances and I know there's certain deadlines that need to be met and certain diligence that needs to be performed and if that office holder's not doing it, then they need to be held to account," he said.
Tompkins said there are some legal avenues the board could take, like charging someone with malfeasance or misfeasance of duty.
“It’s incumbent primarily upon the officeholder that sought the office to maintain the job responsibilities and the performance metrics that go along with it,” Tompkins said.
He continued to say that often once the board learns of an issue, it’s too late and the error has already occurred.
County Auditor Michelle Anderson is also under scrutiny, including from her own party. In August, the McLean County GOP called for Anderson to resign, saying her office is responsible for a wide range of problems linked to county finances, like delayed grants and bill payments. Anderson’s position is not up for reelection until 2028.
As both of those positions are elected, the county board does not have the authority to remove them from office. Two attempts to make the auditor an appointed position failed, including the latest in 2024.
Tompkins, also a Republican, agreed with his party that Anderson should resign.
“I think she should be the one that knows how she’s performing the job,” he said. “I've had numerous complaints from elected officials, the judiciary and other branches of our county government on the performance of that office time and time again. I've attempted to reach out to her myself; I don't get calls back.”
Tompkins said the finance committee should be the county’s first line of defense against financially related problems like this, and the executive committee the second. However, he said the way committees are siloed from one another can make communication difficult.
“[It] often prevents communication and transparency between all members of the board, and it makes it difficult to communicate that with your constituents when you’re the last to know,” he said.
About District 7
The district covers portions of Bloomington, including the east side. It’s abstractly shaped like the profile of a four-legged animal.
The northeast corner is bordered by Airport Road and College Avenue, but cuts off at Route 9 near the airport. From there, the eastern border follows Hershey Road south to Oakland Avenue.
The northwest corner is bordered by College Avenue and Veterans Parkway. The border expands further west at G.E. Road toward Towanda Avenue.
The district line follows Towanda Avenue until the Ewing Manor property, then expands further west until meeting the Constitution Trail near Division Street.
The western border follows Constitution Trail until it reaches Croxton Avenue. District 9 butts into District 7 in the Founder’s Grove neighborhood.
It’s a district that includes a lot of residential and commercial property. It includes Tipton Park, GE Park, the Lakewood Hilcrest neighborhood, the Davis-Jefferson historical district and the Bloomington Country Club, among other neighborhoods.
Veterans Parkway cuts through the middle of the district, and alongside that road is a large shopping area.
Eastland Mall, Eastland Shopping Center, OSF St. Joseph Medical Center and State Farm headquarters all reside in District 7.
