Keeping an eye on growth, making road improvements two topics in District 1 Kendall County Board race

County growth and infrastructure improvements were two of the topics discussed by Kendall County Board candidates for District 1 during a meet and greet event on Oct. 7 hosted by the Oswego Area Chamber of Commerce and the Kendall County Bar Association.

Along with being a meet and greet event, candidates were given two minutes to speak to those attending the event, held at Bauman Family Funeral Home in Oswego.

The board has partisan elections. Five Republicans are in the race along with five Democrats and an independent.

Three seats with four-year terms are open in District 1.

Democrat Ben Schmidt, who is running for one of the seats in district one, said dealing with the county’s growth is one of his priorities.

“We have an opportunity here in Kendall County to design the future,” he said. “We’ve got people coming into Kendall County in droves and we need to make some decisions. We need to build a framework to support those people and support our businesses so we can all keep the county what we want it to be and not let other people make that decision for us. If we stand still, we’re going to get run over. If we don’t do anything, we’re going to get run over.”

Scott Gengler, a Republican, was originally appointed to the Kendall County Board in 2019. He currently is the vice chair of the Kendall County Board.

Gengler noted the accomplishments of the Kendall County Board since he has been on the board, including building a bridge across Eldamain Road.

“That helps to alleviate traffic off Route 47,” he said.

Gengler said the county board wants to make sure the county’s infrastructure is up to date.

Incumbent Kendall County Board member Seth Wormley was not able to attend the event because he had a County Board planning, building and zoning committee meeting that night. He had someone else read his comments at the event.

“The reason I joined the County Board in 2022 was the same reason that I ask for your support in reelection,” he said in his comments. “When it comes to county business, I am someone that will fight for what is right for the future of Kendall County. I do not support solar farms in prime development areas. These projects need to be placed in an appropriate area.”

Democrat Jamal Williams, who has been on the Plano City Council since 2017, noted the economic growth Plano has seen in his time on the City Council.

“One of the things that I feel that we can address due to my health care experience is the mental health services that we provide to our residents here in Kendall County,” he said. “That’s one of the things that I want to focus on.”

Williams has been a health care provider for more than 25 years.

Republican Brian DeBolt, who has been on the Kendall County Board since 2020, is running for reelection. He did not attend the event.

In comments he made prior to the March general primary election, DeBolt said he saw growth as the biggest challenge facing the Kendall County Board.

“People are pouring into this county,” DeBolt said. “Plano is inundated, Yorkville is inundated, Oswego is inundated with new housing. And so now we have to deal with that housing. So that’s going to be one of the biggest challenges.”

Democrat Zach Turnbow, a Kendall County Township trustee who is running for a seat on the Kendall County Board, also was not at the event. According to his Facebook page, Turnbow’s priorities include lowering taxes by bringing in new businesses, expanding senior services and mental health services and controlling growth.

Todd Milliron also is running for a District 1 seat as a Kendall County Party candidate.

“My passion is to fight hard for more transparency and accountability in the Kendall County government,” he said on his website. “I continue to educate the Kendall County Board in ethical conduct to attain my goal of bettering the county and achieving lower taxes by eliminating waste, fraud and abuse.”