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Name:
Jim Luebke
What office are you seeking?
DeKalb Township Supervisor
What is your political party?
(Democrat) but running as Independent in the Consolidated Election as is customary in DeKalb County Consolidated elections
What is your current age?
64
Occupation and employer:
Corporate Quality Manager SK Express Inc. DeKalb
What offices, if any, have you previously held?
DeKalb Township Trustee 2009-2013,
DeKalb County Board 2014-present
City:
DeKalb
Campaign Website:
Education:
Associate of Science Highland Community College 1988, Bachelor of Arts History NIU 1990
Community Involvement:
Westminster Presbyterian Church, Life Member VFW Post# 5768, DeKalb County Democratic Party
Marital status/Immediate family:
Married nearly 6 years to my wife Damarys, with three grown children
Questions:
What is your stance on township consolidation as a means of reducing redundancy in local government?
Local government consolidation is just one more attempt to reduce voters’ voice in local government. DeKalb Township performs vital services for the township residents, including property assessment, maintenance of Township roads outside of the city of DeKalb, maintenance of Township Cemeteries, Election Polling Place, Human Services grants, General and Emergency Assistance, the Committee on Youth, Township Officials of Illinois Scholarships, and employment assistance. All of these Township services are performed for only around 1.3% of the average property tax bill. Services like these, having such an immediate impact on township residents are best performed by a level of government as close as possible to the residents. Voters generally know and can readily reach out to their Township elected officials. Any consolidation would only remove that immediate connection to the voters and add more burden on other levels of government less suited to the task at a higher portion of the property tax bill.
Does the township have adequate funds for needed roadwork? If not,’what would you do to address that?
Township Roads fall under the jurisdiction of the Township Highway Commissioner. Out of respect for a fellow Township elected Official I would defer any answer to this question to him.
What are your top three priorities for the township, and how do you plan to address them?
Outreach. I would bring the Township Supervisor’s Office to the voters, by regularly reaching out to the residents on the issues before the Township at their doors, at community events, and through the local media.
Value for the tax Dollar. I would use my experience to ensure that residents get the most value out of the Township’s 1.4% portion of their property taxes by ensuring that the Supervisor’s Office follows good financial and accounting practices. To address the “deficiency in internal control” found in the process of the last annual audit, ( dekalbtownship.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/October-board-meeting.pdf ) I would notify the public of my proposed corrective action and work with the staff of the Township Office to review financial processes to better segregate “incompatible duties” in cash and other transactions. I would also investigate contracting with a local accountant to assist in preparing financial statements. Both of these actions should greatly reduce the chance of potential omissions or errors in the Township’s financial statements.
Transparency. I would increase the transparency that is crucial to good township government, both in my contact with the residents of our township and in the daily operation of the Office, never forgetting that I am accountable both to the voters and to my fellow Township elected Officials.
How will you ensure that township policies promote inclusion for all residents?
I would use existing Township resources to make the Township website and forms available in more languages than English, to better serve all of the residents of the township. Both in my face-to-face outreach and in the daily operations of the Township, I would emphasize contact with traditionally underrepresented communities within the Township. Together with the Township Trustees and other elected DeKalb Township Officials, I would encourage collaboration with the other units of local government and community organizations to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to have a voice in Township policy.
Do you support requiring government officials to publicly disclose potential conflicts of interest, and how would you enforce this?
Illinois Law already provides for this disclosure through the required filing of the Statement of Economic Interest by all candidates and office holders. I would ensure that the DeKalb Township Elected Officials take this obligation seriously and encourage them to file in a timely manner.
How will you make sure you are accessible to your constituents?
As I stated earlier, I would bring the Township Supervisor’s Office to the voters, by regularly reaching out to the residents on the issues before the Township at their doors, at community events, and through the local media. Personal face-to-face conversations are the most effective way both to get input from constituents and to actually be accessible to the constituents. During Township Office Hours, I would maintain an open door policy for my constituents, never forgetting that I am accountable to the voters of DeKalb Township.