Two incumbents who have served in Republican leadership positions are seeking reelection in Will County Board District 4, but face challenges from two Democrats who call themselves community members who want to make a difference, not politicians.
The district covers areas of Mokena, Homer Glen, New Lenox and Lockport. Voters will select two candidates to serve four-year terms.
Incumbents Jim Richmond, a board member since 2022, and Steve Balich, on the board since 2012, face Democrats Sheri Boniecki-Cooling, of Lockport, and William Pratt, of Mokena.
Richmond, of Mokena, has been Republican Leader since 2024, succeeding Balich, of Homer Glen, who held the position from 2022 to 2024.
Both Republicans said they want to keep property taxes low, a position also supported by the Democratic challengers.
Property taxes/county budget
Pratt said overtaxation is one of the biggest issues and more accountability and management is needed.
“If there is a surplus, instead of continuing to raise taxes, give the homeowners a tax holiday,” Pratt, 68, a retired electrician, said. “Give them a tax credit at the very least. Don’t continually raise taxes. It’s becoming unaffordable in all of Illinois and in Will County.”
Boniecki-Cooling, 47, a home health aide, said fiscal responsibility and transparency are important, and the board should ensure the public understands how funds are being spent.
Last year, the board had to reconcile an unbalanced budget with cash reserves. Boniecki-Cooling said she is not against dipping into cash reserves responsibly, but said board members need to better explain the budget to their constituents and need to be better prepared for their votes.
Richmond, 65, a business owner, said property taxes are some of the highest in the country.
““We need to make this an inviting environment for not only people who want to move here, but young people to stay here and have businesses flourish here,” Richmond said. “We have the roads. We have the rail; we have the airports; we’ve got the waterways. Plus we have the best workforce in the whole country. We should be on top of things. We have to stop, think about the long term and how we can right the ship so we become a place where people want to live and want to grow their businesses.”
Balich, 75, who is retired, said government should continually be looking for budget cuts. He said too often, the county underestimates its revenue and overestimates its expenses, leading to larger surpluses.
“I’ve been fighting taxes my whole life,” Balich said.
Balich said the county has too much in reserves. The board’s Republican caucus proposed a 2% reduction in the levy, which Balich said should be lowered further. For fiscal year 2026, the board’s Republicans and one Democrat voted for no increases in the property tax levy, and County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant proposed no increases in the 2027 levy, which will be voted on later this year.
Boniecki-Cooling said the Republican’s push for a 2% reduction in the property levy is not a legitimate proposal, but rather one party “trying to one-up” the other.
Top issues
Pratt said he is a moderate Democrat, a newcomer to politics and did not receive the support of the Will County Democrats organization, which promotes candidates on its website. He said he has common sense solutions and said partisan politics have become too divisive. County Board members should vote for what is right for their constituents and the county and not what is right for the party, he said.
“Why do you have to be a career politician or in a clique,” Pratt said. “I would like to see what I can do to help people and lessen the tax burden.”
Pratt said he wants to help senior citizens and individuals with special needs. As a father of a daughter with special needs, he has been active in advocacy and has been a volunteer at Misericordia Homes in Chicago and Park Lawn, whose programs help individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. There are not enough programs to help the county’s most vulnerable populations, he said.
Pratt said other concerns include addressing growth and the strain on police and emergency services and a lack of affordable housing.
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Boniecki-Cooling, a founder of the Homer Township Democratic Organization and member of the Homer Township Open Space Committee, said responsible, controlled growth is needed.
She said she opposes large data centers that affect energy and water supplies, noise and long-term land use. She is also opposed to license plate reader cameras, commonly known as Flock cameras, saying she has serious concerns over abuse and privacy violations. The cameras should be shut down until strong safeguards are in place, she said.
Boniecki-Cooling said she supports renewable energy and the investment in solar plants, but it has to make sense. Farmers are well within their property rights to lease and sell their land to solar developers, she said.
Boniecki-Cooling said she would offer a fresh set of eyes to the County Board. When politicians stay in their positions for too long, they become disconnected from the residents, she said.
“I’ve always been very connected to my community, volunteering and going to events,” Boniecki-Cooling said. “I love where I live and that’s where I want my focus to be.”
Richmond said affordability, transparency and public safety are among his top priorities.
He said the area is losing a lot of agricultural land to solar developments. Both Richmond and Balich voted against a 2,400-acre solar farm near Crete and a 6,100-acre solar project in Green Garden, Wilton and Manhattan townships.
When the fertility score of agricultural land is low and there is no pushback from adjacent residents and municipalities, Richmond said he would consider a solar project.
“When it impacts residents and municipalities, that’s not good,” Richmond said. “The state mandates we vote yes for it, that it has to go through, but you’re not taking care of the residents.”
Richmond said addressing growth, business, housing and infrastructure will be important issues.
Balich said the County Board shouldn’t be mandated by the state to approve solar projects and he will continue to vote against them. He said the technology will be obsolete and replaced.
“Why waste excellent farmland?” Balich said. “We should have the authority to say no.”
Balich said he will also continue to vote against using county rights of way for license plate reader cameras, which can be misused.
Balich also said he wants to ensure semi-trucks do not travel on roads that weren’t built to accommodate their weight or travel into residential neighborhoods. Fines should be stricter for truck drivers who look for short-cuts on roads that aren’t designated truck routes, Balich said. Weight limits shouldn’t be increased on county roads because that would lead to more costly infrastructure repairs, he said.
The County Board should also study data centers and micro nuclear plants to ensure the county writes its own ordinances and guidelines before any plans are submitted, Balich said.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.