DeKalb Township Supervisor candidates talk importance of township government amid pandemic during virtual forum

DeKALB – With most Illinois township elections comes the question of whether they really are necessary or should be absorbed, and during a forum Thursday, both DeKalb Township Supervisor candidates emphatically agree township government will be more important than ever coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mary Hess, who is a current DeKalb Township trustee, said during a Thursday virtual candidate forum her main focus as township supervisor, should she be elected, would be to make data driven decisions while using the money currently available in the most efficient way possible, especially for low income resident general assistance. She said the township may even need to conduct a new assessment because of the COVID-19 pandemic, considering economic experts have been reporting the economy won’t fully stabilize until 2024.

“And so we’re going to have a lot of people in our community that are going to be needing the assistance,” Hess said. “And I want to be the face of the township and get out there and help people to improve the quality of life of my neighbors around me.”

Jim Luebke, current DeKalb County Board member, said township government uses a lot of social service grants to provide relief for low income residents. He said he could always look to expand those, should he be elected, and he would rely on community leaders to see where that money is most needed in the township.

Luebke pointed out related U.S. Census data should be coming out soon.

“That will give us a lot of information about where we stand on various ... portions of the township,” Luebke said. “That will be the key thing, to reach out … and publicize as much as is possible about our general assistance programs.”

The main purposes for township government are general assistance for low income residents, property assessments for taxing purposes and road and bridge maintenance that don’t fall under municipal, state or federal oversight, the candidates explained. Townships also provide at-risk youth service programs, senior citizens services and cemetery maintenance.

Hess said she believes she’s the most qualified candidate for the office because of her extensive background in social service and efficiently developing those types of programs from the ground up, including Camp Power for children within University Village.

“That’s what we’re going to need in the supervisor’s office as the makeup of our community changes due to the fallout of the pandemic,” Hess said.

Luebke, who chaired the DeKalb County Democratic Party until recently, said he believes he’s the best candidate for township supervisor because he has held elected office on the DeKalb County Board and served as a DeKalb Township trustee in 2009. He said he would do everything in his power to get the word out about what township government does for residents and why people should participate in it more.

Luebke also said he believes there is currently a lack of transparency within DeKalb Township, especially amid controversy surrounding the township supervisor race. He said he would help further address that transparency concern by being a friendly face , should he be elected.

“My firsthand experience with that lack of transparency is what transformed this race for me and for many of you voters watching tonight,” Luebke said.

Hess never explicitly addressed Luebke’s specific claims of a lack of transparency from the township during the Thursday virtual forum, which was hosted by the League of Women Voters of DeKalb County, Northern Public Radio and DeKalb Public Library.

A storied township supervisor election, abridged

Luebke’s comments during the forum came after his candidacy petition to be listed on the ballot was thrown out over a paperwork error. He previously alleged he heard about the error through the grapevine, not directly from township or election officials, and he eventually filed the receipt with the township more than a month after the December filing period.

Former DeKalb Township Clerk Lynne Kunde said she resigned over controversy surrounding the township supervisor race amid fears of a lawsuit. She wrote in her Jan. 13 resignation letter that she verified on Jan. 4 that Luebke’s receipt from his statement of economic interest – a disclosure document detailing who’s employed by whom, where a candidate gets their paycheck and how they spend it, or any professional or personal ties to entities that could denote a conflict of interest financially, according to the Illinois Government Ethics Act – was omitted from his candidate packet he filed in December.

Days later, on Jan. 6, Kunde decided to certify it anyway, she said in the letter. She wrote she based the decision on knowledge she’d confirmed that Luebke had filed his actual statement of economic interest with the DeKalb County Clerk and Recorder’s Office by the filing deadline and was simply missing the receipt.

In her professional day job, Kunde also works as deputy clerk and election judge coordinator in the county clerk’s office.

Before her resignation, Kunde alleged, she got the impression after talking with township executive administrative assistant Karen Gumino, who Kunde named in Thursday’s hearing, that members of the newly formed Barb City United Party – a political party formed by several members of the township board of trustees and others seeking reelection to get on the ballot as a joint newly formed party instead of individually – had threatened to sue her if she certified Luebke’s petition.

Hess is running for township supervisor as a member of the Barb City United Party, according to the DeKalb County sample ballot for the April 6 election.

The Daily Chronicle was not able to verify whether any threat of lawsuit was actually made by anyone affiliated with the party, as members of the party did not respond to requests for comment. Crystal Lake-based attorney Brad Stewart denied any allegations of a lawsuit on behalf of the township.

“I felt like there were steps being taken into bullying me to make a decision I was not happy with,” Kunde said during her witness testimony in court in January.

When pressed during her witness testimony, Kunde said she did not and does not know which member of the party had given the impression that there was a threat of a lawsuit. Gumino said during the court hearing she never made a statement to Kunde about members of the Barb City United Party possibly threatening a lawsuit but simply asked if the township could be subjected to a lawsuit if Luebke’s petition was filed without the receipt.

After Luebke and his lawyer brought the case to court, a DeKalb County judge later ruled to dismiss the case and that resulted in Luebke not having his name listed on the ballot for the upcoming consolidated election. Later, Luebke announced he would be running as a write-in candidate in the township supervisor race.