DeKalb Candidate Forum
Event date: March 9, 2025
Location: DeKalb Public Library, Yusunas Room
The forum was organized by DeKalb Election Group and co-sponsored by DeKalb Public Library, 309 Oak Street, DeKalb.
The audience was invited to submit written questions for the candidates on-site at the event. The event was moderated by WNIJ's Susan Stephens.
Special thanks to WNIJ's Mike Lundgren for production assistance.
Additional voter information: The Consolidated Election is on April 1. Early voting begins on March 17. Information about the role of each office was compiled by the DeKalb Election Group and is provided below.
Candidates appear in alphabetical order:
FORUM 1 - DEKALB MAYOR
The DeKalb Mayor is a paid part-time position and serves for four years.
DeKalb has a council-manager system of city government. The City Manager is hired by the council to oversee day-to-day operations, and to advise the council, which is the city’s primary legislative body with final decision-making power.
Note: This information was summarized from the Municipal Code and can be found at cityofdekalb.com under the Government tab.
Major responsibilities of the DeKalb Mayor:
• Conducts City Council meetings as the presiding officer;
• Assists the council in setting goals and advocating policy decisions;
• Appoints people from the community to serve on city commissions, advisory boards and committees with the advice and consent of the City Council;
• Assigns agenda items to committees and facilitates communication between elected and appointed officials.
• Approves intergovernmental agreements;
• Serves as spokesperson and booster for the city.
The following four candidates are on the ballot for DeKalb Mayor and agreed to attend the March 9 forum.
Cohen Barnes (incumbent), Linh Nguyen, Kouame M. Sanan, John B. Walker
FORUM 2 - DEKALB CITY CLERK
The DeKalb City Clerk is a part-time unpaid position and serves for four years.
On July 22, 2024, the DeKalb City Council voted to change the compensation of the part-time City Clerk from $8,000 per year to zero.
On November 5, 2024, voters decided by more than two to one that the City Clerk should continue to be an elected (not appointed) position.
Note: This information was summarized from the Municipal Code and can be found at cityofdekalb.com under the Government tab.
Major responsibilities of the DeKalb City Clerk:
• Records and prepares minutes of the City Council’s proceedings, including the results of resolutions, ordinances and other actions approved by the council and oversees the review, approval and release of all executive session minutes;
• Keeps office hours for the transaction of the city’s business;
• Keeps one of the city’s corporate seals and affixes the city’s corporate seal to a variety of documents;
• Receives and tracks legal notices sent to the city;
• Administers oaths;
• Oversees the election process every two years; and notifies all persons elected to offices of the election within five (5) days after the result of the election is declared.
The following three people are running as write-in candidates for DeKalb City Clerk and agreed to attend the March 9 forum.
Lynn Fazekas, Bradley Hoey, Steve Kapitan
Voters will not see these names printed on the ballot, as all are write-in candidates.
FORUM 3 - DEKALB SCHOOL BOARD, DISTRICT 428
School Board members serve four-year terms and are unpaid.
Note: This is an abbreviated list of the major responsibilities of the members of the DeKalb School Board. The complete list is at dist428.org under the School Board tab.
• Employ a superintendent and other personnel and direct, through policy, the superintendent in his or her charge of the district’s administration;
• Approve the annual budget and other aspects of the district's financial operation; and make available a statement of financial affairs as provided in state law;
• Enter into contracts in accordance with applicable federal and state law, including using the public bidding procedure when required;
• Provide, construct, control, and maintain adequate physical facilities;
• Establish an equal educational opportunities policy that prohibits unlawful discrimination;
• Approve the curriculum, textbooks, and educational services;
• Evaluate the educational program and approve school improvement plans;
• Present the District Report Card and School Report Card(s) to parents/guardians and the community; these documents report district, school and student performance;
• Establish and support student behavior policies designed to maintain an environment conducive to learning;
• Establish attendance units within the district and assign students to the schools;
• Establish the school year;
• Communicate the schools' activities and operations to the community;
• Represent the needs and desires of the community in educational matters.
The following 11 people are on the ballot to fill three seats on the DeKalb School Board:
Nicholas Atwood, Kristin Bailey, Brandon J. Elion, Erin Grych, Jose Jaques, and Howard Solomon agreed to attend the forum.
Marilyn D. Parker, Twangie Smith were unavailable to attend.
Stephen Gaffney, James W. Mitchell, and Derek Shaw did not respond to the invitation.
Mark Charvat is a write-in candidate for a fourth seat that is a two-year unexpired term; he did not respond to the invitation.
FORUM 4 - DEKALB TOWNSHIP SUPERVISOR
The DeKalb Township Supervisor is a paid full-time position and serves for four years.
This information is from dekalbtownship.org; this and more can be found under the government tab; click on transparency.
DeKalb Township is a government body that covers more than 35 square miles and serves the residents in DeKalb County, including the city of DeKalb, unincorporated DeKalb and the southwestern corner of Sycamore.
Major responsibilities of the DeKalb Township Supervisor:
• Manages the General Assistance Department that serves residents in 17 of the 19 townships in DeKalb County and provides financial assistance to people facing emergencies. Budgeted expenditures for general assistance funding in the 2024-25 budget were more than $475,000;
• Awards human service grants for local non-profit organizations;
• Organizes community events to provide information about resources, and prepares and updates an online community resource guide;
• Organizes a program that provides employment assistance and job coaching;
• Oversees the maintenance of two cemeteries.
The following candidates are on the ballot for DeKalb Township Supervisor; both agreed to attend the March 9 forum.
Mary Hess (incumbent), Jim Luebke
