December 21, 2024
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Election 2022: Lee County Board contested districts

Board to transition from 24 to 20 members

By Rachel Rodgers
Election 2024
Early voting at the old Lee County Courthouse in Dixon was steady all day as voters cast their ballots ahead of Tuesday's general election.

All four districts for the Lee County Board are contested for Tuesday's general election.

DIXON – All Lee County Board districts are contested for Tuesday’s general election.

There are five seats open for each of the four districts, as the board transitions from 24 members to 20.

Eight candidates are running for District 1, six for District 2, six for District 3 and six for District 4.

Running for District 1 are Republicans Mike Koppien, Angie Shippert, Bob Olson, Jim Schielein, Ron Gascoigne and Democrats Emily Rose, David Bingaman, and David McCarver.

Koppien, Olson and Schielein are incumbents.

Michael Koppien waits outside of the Lee County election department Monday, March 7, 2022 on the first day of filing for the primary general election. Koppien is running for a county board seat for District 1.

Michael Koppien waits outside of the Lee County election department on the first day of filing for the primary general election in this SVM file photo. (Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@shawmedia.com)

Republicans Katie White, Danielle Allen, Mike Zeman, Lirim Mimini, Reed Akre and Democrat Kasey Considine are running for District 2. All but Akre are incumbents.

Running for District 3 are Republicans Tim Bivins, Keane Hudson, Tom Wilson, Nancy Naylor and Democrats Dave Bally and Randy Lilly. All but Lilly are incumbents.

There will be seven names on the ballot for District 3. Former board member Doug Farster, who was running for re-election, died Oct. 14. He was 64.

Running for District 4 are Republicans Dean Freil, Tom Kitson, Michael Book, Jack Skrogstad, Chris Robertson and Democrat Deidre Thomas. Kitson, Book and Skrogstad are incumbents.

The board decided last year to lower its membership from 24 to 20 members after months of debate.

County boards have the opportunity to reduce members every 10 years after the U.S. census. Lee County went from 28 to 24 members a decade ago and introduced the topic of further reducing its size about two years ago.

[ 2022 primary election: 3 incumbents unseated in Lee County Board GOP races ]