Among the contested races in the upcoming Nov. 3 election is the McLean County clerk.
McLean County Democrats see an opening in the race for county clerk as incumbent Republican Kathy Michael has faced scrutiny about her budget and tax errors. If successful, Joshua Crockett would be the first Democrat elected to a countywide office in decades.
A McLean County native, Michael touts her experience as the primary reason to reelect her for a fifth term. Before becoming clerk, she spent eight years working in former state treasurer Judy Baar Topinka’s office. As clerk, Michael oversees the office that holds vital records, calculates tax bills, issues licenses and permits and administers local elections. [Bloomington has a separate election commission for voters registered within city limits.]
Crockett is also a longtime McLean County resident and Illinois State University alum. He is a Bloomington-based staffer for state Sen. Dave Koehler and an elected Heartland Community College board member.
The candidates each say McLean County's elections are secure and they are prepared to handle federal scrutiny of the process. But they differ in how to administer certain clerk's office services, including elections.
Crockett's platform is aimed at expanding access, including universal polling places and “Clerk on the Go,” a mobile service bringing services closer to McLean County residents who might live up to 30 minutes from the clerk’s office at the Government Center in Downtown Bloomington.
“It’s certainly wanted and needed,” Crockett said. “I’ve talked with folks who say they have to take a few hours off of work. And so, we should be going to them.”
Crockett did not put a price tag on the program, suggesting it could be accomplished through satellite offices, popups or deputizing township government staff.
“It’s a great idea,” Michael said, but doubted the county would agree to pay for such a program based on demonstrated need.
“I think it’s an unneeded expense. It’s a wonderful thing, but we’ve never had anyone say that they’ve not been able to get services,” she said.
Crockett replied they “might be talking to different people.”
As Crockett seeks to shape up clerk operations, Michael has proposed a “business as usual” approach.
Asked about her vision for the clerk’s office in a new term, Michael said it will be “very much the same as it has been for the last 16 years."
“Each year we strive to learn new things, implement them, try to keep within the budget,” she said.
Not Michael's first rodeo
Michael has faced Democratic challengers twice before.
She beat political newcomer Laura McBurney handily in 2022, earning 60% of the vote.
Her win in 2018 was harder fought. Michael and Democratic opponent Nikita Richards, then a City of Bloomington human resources official, faced dueling ethics complaints over alleged use of their government-owned computers to do prohibited campaign work.
The McLean County Democrats said they had proof Michael used her county computer for political purposes, then tried to cover her tracks by trying to conceal evidence of having done it. A McLean County ethics panel sent the complaint to then-State’s Attorney Don Knapp for review, who said he would likely request a special prosecutor because of a conflict of interest.
Contacted early this month, a representative from the Illinois Appellate Prosecutor's office told WGLT the case was not referred to their office because Illinois State Police declined to investigate.
Michael beat Richards by a 12-point margin. She ran unopposed in the 2014 and 2010 general elections after defeating three Republicans in the 2010 primary.
Crockett’s campaign has been cordial but tough. During WGLT’s Oct. 14 candidate forum, he did not shy away from a series of recent tax calculation errors and budget overruns as reasons McLean County deserves fresh leadership in the office. Michael said consecutive years of overspending were attributed to expenses tied to state mandates. Crockett did not take issue with how the money was spent, but with her failure to keep the county board apprised. The board holds the purse strings for Michael’s budget and has said her failure to communicate has put other county department budgets at risk. In its meeting last month, the county Finance Committee declined to pass the clerk’s budget, saying Michael added a salary line she had previously agreed to cut. Michael has suggested the level of scrutiny is politically motivated by the board’s Democratic majority.
“You have not heard about any other countywide elected Republican in this situation, because when they have unexpected costs come up, they call the county administrator. They call the county board. They get proper approval before they spend the money. That’s what we’re talking about,” Crockett said.
Michael also noted a new accounting system intended to keep the county board better apprised in the future.
Cross-party endorsements
Crockett has made inroads with some Republicans, earning cross-party endorsements from former two-term sheriff Mike Emery, former county GOP chair Mike O’Grady, Hudson Mayor and Republican precinct committeeperson Mark Kotte and Lexington Mayor Spencer Johansen, who previously ran for sheriff as a Republican.
Crockett also has significantly more money to mount an offense, part of a fundraising advantage for the McLean County Democrats that’s been turbocharged by large donations from Gov. JB Pritzker.
Michael has repeatedly urged voters to consider her entire career, attributing four tax errors to abruptly losing a veteran employee. Yet another mistake affecting a rural McLean County fire department has resulted in that taxing body proposing a significant increase to its tax levy for the coming year to fill an unanticipated financial gap.
As for the budget [which has amassed about $900,000 in overspending over the past three years], Michael encouraged people to look at years she was under budget and not just the times she was over.
“Our integrity is of great importance to me,” she said. “We do everything we can and hopefully I’ve proven that over 16 years.”
Michael has heralded the endorsements of McLean County Circuit Clerk Don Everhart, county coroner Kathy Yoder, former sheriff Jon Sandage, former county board chair Catherine Metsker [all Republicans] and various local elected officials, including the mayors of LeRoy, Downs, Colfax and Gridley. The McLean County GOP called for county auditor Michelle Anderson to resign but is standing firmly behind Michael.
“The fact that mistakes can be made and honestly owned, which they have — everyone in office at some point in time, you’re going to be making mistakes,” said Republican Party Chair Connie Beard. “I think going back four years to pull out a mistake made four years ago, and suddenly it’s important now, in the midst of an election, is highly suspicious. If it was important four years ago, then why not have brought it up then?”
Tax errors occurred in 2024, 2025 and 2026.
Beard and Michael both said the county board ultimately signed off on the budget. Beard called it “political theater.”
“Interesting that it’s timed at this juncture in the middle of an election to bring this to what they consider to be high importance when it was not even addressed or looked at in previous times," Beard said.
GOP candidates seeking seats on the county board have been more muted as their Democratic counterparts say reining in the clerk’s office is one reason to elect them.
Jeffrey Lord is pushing for strong fiscal oversight but did not address Michael directly. Incumbent GOP board member Geoff Tompkins said he’s “not that familiar” with the inner workings of the clerk’s office, saying “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."
Matt Steinkoenig, challenger to Democrat Corey Beirne in District 10 [Bloomington-Normal’s east side], said if elected he’d “make sure the right people are in place and hold them accountable for their decision,” he said.
Michael acknowledged the Democrats can easily outspend her and only recently restarted her campaign fund needed to report donations totaling more than $5,000.
“I’m very glad and proud to continue to represent my county, and I, too, get great comments and compliments. So, it’s up to you voters to decide who will continue on as your county clerk.”
