Elburn village president eyes congressional seat, announces run

Elburn Village President Jeff Walter has thrown his hat in the ring for congress and running for the Republican nomination for the 11th Illinois Congressional District. Democrat Bill Foster currently holds the seat.

Walter began his public service at 18 years old when he joined the U.S. Navy. He served in active duty for nine years, and spent the next 13 years in the reserves. When he and his family moved to Elburn, he was elected to the village board in 2009, where he served as a village trustee for two terms before being elected village president. This April he was re-elected for a third term.

He is currently forming a committee for his campaign and setting up a website and a Facebook page. He said he is very comfortable talking to people, but that he will have to get used to asking people for money. In addition to building a campaign fund, Water must collect signatures to qualify him to run in the primary next spring. He will have to beat any additional Republican candidates to run for the seat in November 2026.

He thinks he can bring some of that middle-of-the road balance to the conversation, as well as looking at what’s best for the District.

He supports President Donald Trump, and said he is really happy with a lot of the things that are going on under his administration, such as the border closing. He said he believes the economy is turning around, and inflation is coming down. He said consumer confidence is high and it seems like a lot of jobs will be coming back to this country.

He said he likes seeing all the focus on bringing back the middle class, and he thinks there are a lot of commitments to bring more manufacturing back to the U.S.

He said he believes that the Republican Party has been leading the shift in focus of education toward junior colleges and the skill trades, and he “wants to be a part of that.”

Walter feels he can offer a lot, based on his skills and background, with his 16 years in public service at the local level, especially in his terms as mayor. He said he knows what it takes leading those discussions, bringing everyone’s views to the table and getting to a workable outcome.

He has worked in manufacturing, in IT, for small and large companies, and has run the family business. His education includes a finance degree and an MBA.

“I can offer a lot,” he said.

When asked how he felt about Trump’s “Big, beautiful bill,” he acknowledges that he hasn’t read the whole bill. He does want to see how it would affect farmers, who would be one of his major constituencies if he were to become the district’s representative.

“I’m not happy about the debt going up,” he said, “but then, I don’t know what the long game is.”

When asked what he thought about all of the cuts the bill proposes, his response was that he “agrees that we need to rid the system of fraud, waste and abuse.”

“The system should be there to help people who need it but it should not be a big government give-away,” he said.

But he said that he is new to government at this level, and that he will be digging into all of this.

“I have a lot to learn,” he said.

Walter’s parents were immigrants, who came here from Germany in the 1950’s after the war. His father did well, eventually owned his own business, and was able to retire comfortably. He was very grateful to the United States, where he felt he was given such great opportunities. Walter said he was taught to appreciate those opportunities, and to give back to his community and his country.

Both Walter and his wife, Carrie, have been involved in the Elburn community. Walter is a member of the finance council and a lector within their church. He’s coached soccer and baseball and was a den leader for the Elburn Cub Scout pack. He and his wife are members of the Elburn Lions Club and their two children are Leos.

The Walter family is also a foster care home for Safe Haven Rescue. He said there is always an extra puppy or two around the Walter home.