Candidates for Will County Board’s third district, which covers areas of Crete, Monee, Green Garden and Frankfort townships, say issues on the minds of district residents right now include property taxes, solar developments, infrastructure and affordability.
Three candidates are running for two, four-year terms, including incumbents Daniel Butler, a Frankfort Republican, and Sherry Newquist, a Steger Democrat.
Campaigning with Newquist is Democrat Marc McKirdie, chair of the Frankfort Township Democratic Organization and a Realtor and real estate investor from Frankfort.
McKirdie, 31, said affordability is one of residents’ top concerns and home ownership is out of reach for many young buyers. Eastern Will County is one of the fastest growing areas of the county, yet there are food and service deserts, he said. Trying to handle county services, such as obtaining a birth certificate or paying property taxes, requires a trip down Interstate 80 to Joliet, and satellite offices would benefit the district, he said.
Newquist, 70, a small business owner, agreed that bringing more county services eastward, such as a satellite clerk’s office, would satisfy a need for the area. She said fostering economic development is also important. The region has several assets, including Governors State University, as well as plentiful land and a good workforce, and she wants to ensure there are good-paying jobs closer to home. She said the county should balance growth with open space and preserving its rural character while addressing traffic flow and transportation needs.
Butler, 61, who owns a construction company and a martial arts school, said property taxes and the budget are among the county’s top issues. The county needs to work to restore wetlands, protect its aquifers and address flooding, he said. The number of solar facilities that the County Board has been approving in recent years is concerning, he said.
Solar farms
Butler said solar developers have been targeting the eastern portion of Will County, citing Earthrise Energy’s plans for a 6,100 acre solar farm stretching across 45 miles in Green Garden, Wilton and Manhattan townships. Known as Pride of the Prairie, the project was approved in a 12-8 vote in May with Butler opposing it. He also voted against the Plum Valley solar farm near Crete, a 2,400 acre project, in April.
Butler said he has concerns that these projects are taking up valuable agricultural land and that the soil will not be fertile again if the solar plants are decommissioned.
State law precludes the board from turning down solar projects if they meet state standards, and board members were ordered by a Will County judge earlier this year to approve projects they previously rejected. Butler was one of three Republicans to vote against the court order.
“How can you elect people to represent you, and then a judge tells you (that) you have to vote this way or else,” Butler said. “It felt wrong, and I wasn’t going to cave to it.”
Butler said he has to vote to represent the people in his district’s wishes, and they are very worried about the growing number of solar projects.
Newquist said she sympathizes and understands residents’ concerns on solar farms, but the County Board’s hands are tied. She said the state’s attorney’s office provides legal guidance and says the board must follow state law regarding solar energy siting, which was confirmed in an appellate court decision. She said she voted in favor of the large solar projects “with a lot of misgivings.”
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Newquist, who is a member of the Land Use and Development Committee, said she expects developers and petitioners to follow the county’s laws, and she, in turn, will follow the state’s law.
“People have legitimate concerns and are asking legitimate questions,” Newquist said. “However, I really and truly do not believe the state siting law offers me any alternative other than to vote yes right now. I have definitely made my displeasure known to state senators and state representatives.”
“Every time we get sued, it is coming out of the taxpayers’ pockets,” Newquist said.
McKirdie said solar energy is important as energy costs continue to rise, but the state’s regulations are misguided, and he would weigh projects on their merits.
“We need to be looking at renewable sources of energy,” he said. “Fuel and energy costs have soared over the last couple weeks and months. The one thing I am very, very upset about is that I don’t like Springfield taking away local control. I get why they did that; counties were just blanket voting no on these projects. I don’t think the solution is forcing them to blanket vote yes. I think there has to be some kind of middle ground.”
Budget
Newquist, the chair of the Finance Committee, said County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant’s proposed fiscal year 2027 budget with no increase in the property tax levy represents a lot of hard work by the finance staff.
She said her previous experience as a Steger-South Chicago Heights Library Board trustee and a Steger village trustee as well as having an MBA in finance has helped her ask the right questions to lead budget discussions.
While the budget process can be contentious, Newquist said she believes the County Board wants the best for its residents.
Butler said Bertino-Tarrant’s 0% levy increase was the counterproposal to the Republican’s request to make additional cuts to the levy the month before. Butler said Republicans had asked to lower the levy by 2% without cutting services and employees, and there is more money in reserves than is needed.
McKirdie said the county should work to save taxpayer money, but any cuts would have to be thoughtful, noting that the biggest part of the budget are salaries. A flat-level cut could be “a recipe for disaster,” he said.
People make government work, he said, and if employees are cut, then wait time for services rise and institutional knowledge is lost.
Data centers
McKirdie said he would support a moratorium on tax benefits for data centers and would work with municipalities to ensure data centers do not raise taxes, impact watersheds or adversely affect residents.
Butler said artificial intelligence has become an important tool. Data centers should not be located near neighborhoods and should work to recharge the aquifers.
The county should continue its studies on the aquifers, Newquist said. One of the concerns surrounding data centers are the amount of water they use, she said.
The county could be a leader in developing guidelines for data centers, Newquist said.
Other
Butler, a County Board member since 2022, said as chair of the Public Health and Safety Committee he helped promote a pilot food-as-medicine program with the county’s health department. He said he has been an advocate for his constituents.
“I feel I did a good job defending the budget,” he said.
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Newquist, a County Board member since 2019, said she has been pleased with the county’s efforts to expand the Will Ride program that provides transportation for senior citizens and individuals with disabilities. She said she would like to continue to expand access to the program.
Newquist said the County Board helps makes a difference in people’s daily lives.
“I enjoy figuring things out. I enjoy getting people to work together, and I like problem solving,” she said.
McKirdie said before returning home to Will County, he worked in Washington D.C. for the Department of Defense on a project to reduce wait times for injured veterans to receive benefits. He said government and the County Board needs to be accessible to people, and he wants to give a voice to residents who can’t make meetings.
“I think that when government runs very well, it can lift people up,” McKirdie said. “My goal is to win a seat at the table and then do my best to make things just a little bit better everyday.”
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.