Early voting for the first ever Democratic primary for the DeKalb mayoral election began this week. Here’s a profile of the only qualifying contender– write-in candidate Linh Nguyen.
Linh Nguyen has served as an instructor in NIU’s Chemistry Department and now works as a Coordinator in the University’s Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning.
She also serves on the Board of Directors for Rooted for Good, formerly known as DeKalb County Community Gardens, and is a member of the League of Women Voters.
Priorities
Linh Nguyen said street and road improvements and public safety would be some of her priorities if elected mayor.
“As a five feet one woman, mother of two young children, the rise in violent crime in the city is unacceptable to me,” Nguyen said. “So, I feel we must do something. We must fix it before more people get hurt.”
She said another important issue for her is government transparency.
“I want government fiscal responsibility to be more transparent as our economic development increases, the EAV, the equalized asset value of our property increases, which lead to property tax also increasing,” she said
Regarding the economy, she wants to encourage growth at all levels.
“I believe we need to foster a diverse economy with mixed big, giant and locally owned, small and medium sized businesses, so that we have long term sustainability.”
Primary voting
According to DeKalb County Clerk Tasha Sims, Linh Nguyen needs 20 votes to secure the Democratic nomination for mayor and be a candidate in April’s consolidated election.
While Nguyen is the only eligible candidate, success is not automatic. Voters will receive a blank ballot and they’ll have to fill it out properly for their vote to count. So, the candidate's name must be spelled correctly.
“Then after they've done that, they have to make sure that they vote by darkening or filling in the bubble that next to the line where they write in the name,” she said.
The move to a write-in candidate comes after the DeKalb electoral board voted to disqualify Nguyen as a mayoral candidate. Her lawyer argued the local government runs nonpartisan elections and thus she filed accordingly.
They ruled she filed her petition signatures too early for partisan elections. She’s appealing that decision.
“While I respected the city electoral board decision, it essentially silenced the voices of over 300 residents of voter who signed my petition,” she said. “Running as a write-in candidate is a challenging path, but it's allowed me to keep my message and my commitment to the community alive.”
Sims, who ran against Nguyen for her position in 2022, calls the primary “unprecedented” and estimates it will cost taxpayers $100,000 dollars. Nguyen disagreed but says that’s beside the point.
“I personally do not believe that this primary costs $100,000,” Nguyen said. “More importantly, I understand the concern about election cost, but how can you put a price tag on a functioning democracy?” she asked.
Despite the challenge to her campaign, Nguyen said she’s steadfast in her effort to become the next DeKalb mayor.
“I think there are two kinds of people who run for office,” she said. "There's people who want to be somebody, and there are people who want to do something. I am one of the people who want to do something.”
Voters can cast their ballot at the DeKalb County Administration building in Sycamore. Beginning on February 17, voters can also vote at the Red Roof Inn. The last day to cast a ballot is February 25.
If Nguyen succeeds in the primary, she’ll face incumbent Mayor Cohen Barnes, Alderman John Walker and NIU IT employee Kouame Sanan in April.
