Linda Slabon, DeKalb County Board District 5 representative, resigns early from seat

SYCAMORE – DeKalb County Board member Linda Slabon, who represented District 5, resigned from her seat this week.

Slabon offered parting words to her fellow board members during this week’s county board meeting after formally announcing her resignation in November.

A Democrat elected to the seat in 2018, said during the Wednesday county board meeting serving as an elected official was not easy. She compared her work for more than 30 years as a minister and therapist attending hundreds of funerals, weddings, worship services and thousands of therapy sessions.

“Listening, healing emotional pain, raising questions that support equity and providing respectful compassion – that’s my work,” Slabon said. “But no matter what our jobs are out there, the work we do here includes listening, raising thoughtful questions, healing wounded feelings and demonstrating respect and compassion for our people.”

DeKalb County Democratic Party Chairwoman Kori Rempfer confirmed Friday the party is in the process of nominating a candidate to be appointed for the vacancy. Slabon’s term expires November 2022.

Echoing her Nov. 10 letter of resignation, Slabon on Wednesday said her resignation comes amid several travel commitments which were pushed back into 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She said the plans would mean she’d miss four board meetings, four committee of the whole meetings and 11 committee meetings between January and October 2022.

“As we know, according to our county board rules, missing more than three meetings is unacceptable,” Slabon wrote in her letter.

Slabon thanked county elected officials and staff for helping her learn the ropes of her seat.

“These people, and others, serve this county with excellence,” Slabon said.

Slabon called her board experience rewarding.

“When I began service on our board, I was encouraged to ask questions – ask privately to learn more deeply and ask publicly when thorny issues present themselves,” Slabon wrote. “Ask, because we make decisions that impact the people of this county that we care about.”

Slabon told county board members that they may not always agree on how to handle issues facing the county.

“But I trust that you will continue to care deeply about the health and safety of DeKalb County – her land and her people,” Slabon said. “It has been an honor to serve.”