Our choices for Kane County Board
District 2: Burke
The race to represent Kane County Board District 2 for a 2-year term includes Batavia Democrat Ellen Nottke and Elburn Independent Kelly Burke. Both candidates live in unincorporated areas of the district and deeply value and understand the differences, and sometimes challenges, that come with that and would both bring distinctly different viewpoints to the board.
While Nottke cites the county budget and tightening the reins on spending as the most important issues facing the board, Burke says economic development, fiscal responsibility and energy security are her top priorities. Both share concerns about data centers, including that their development is moving way too fast without the impact being fully understood, especially in agricultural areas.
As a business owner who has worked with farmers, municipalities and state agencies and serves on the Kane County Community Development Committee, Burke has a passion for protecting the interests of agriculture versus suburbia and would be well-suited for serving on committees involving community development, agriculture, energy and jobs. Nottke cites prior experience advocating for transportation issues in the rural areas of the county and also shares interest in working on development, smart land use planning, public safety and mental health support.
While both candidates share obvious passion for serving their communities, Burke’s experience working with different levels of government and the community and her solutions-focused approach to balancing growth and infrastructure gives her the slight edge. She is endorsed.
District 3: Lewis
In the race for Kane County Board District 3, two-term incumbent Aurora Democrat Anita Lewis is being challenged by Aurora newcomer Guy Bodie, who is running as an independent.
Lewis cites affordable housing, economic development (she serves as Chair of the Jobs Committee), job creation and attracting more businesses that fit Kane County as the most important issues she wants to continue working on. She also wants to address inflation and ICE immigration enforcement as she knows those are major concerns in her district.
Bodie cites data centers (saying there’s not enough transparency) and taxes (which could be addressed by auditing the values of commercial properties) as the prominent concerns for District 3 voters. A small-business owner, Bodie wants to focus on affordable housing, adding a grant writer for the health department and sustainable development.
One area in which both candidates agree is the need to improve communication with their constituents, which Lewis plans to do with added forums and possibly a newsletter with District 3 residents.
While both candidates share a strong sense of civic duty in wanting to improve the lives of District 3 residents, we would like to see Lewis continue her work on the Board. She is endorsed.
District 5: Lenert
In the race for Kane County Board District 5, incumbent Republican Bill Lenert of Sugar Grove and Democrat challenger Philip Silagi of Aurora agree on many of the hot-button issues concerning voters. Data centers (and the potential problems ― water and energy consumption and noise pollution ― that come with them) and taxes top the list of issues for these candidates.
Lenert, who has served on the board for 12 years, cites his record of voting no to property tax increases during his terms and rather says the county has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. Over the past two years as the chairman of the Finance Committee, he says he has helped reduce spending by 15%. Lenert says the data centers and water issues are tied together. His other focuses include improving public safety by maintaining the jail and legal system and supporting the sheriff’s department. As president of the Forest Preserve District of Kane County, Lenert plans to continue improving the land owned and buying additional land to help improve the district.
Regarding tax fairness, Silagi, who served on the Sugar Grove Township Board for 12 years, says he thinks property owners are being asked to pay more than their fair share and plans to address this at the county level as well as with legislators in Springfield. Water management in the county and data centers are other concerns he would tackle.
Given Lenert’s long tenure on the board and success with reducing spending, he is endorsed.
District 9: Abbatacola
Republican Jennifer Abbatacola, who was appointed to fill the Kane County Board District 9 seat in February 2026 following the death of Gary Daugherty, is running against Democrat Marc Guttke in the Nov. 3 election.
Abbatacola said she is motivated to run to serve the residents of Kane County, filtering issues and ideas through the lens of how they affect the family, the taxpayer and the local business owners. When it comes to the county budget, she’s focused on efficiencies and not just cuts, through zero-based budgeting while not raising taxes. She also wants to help existing businesses grow while attracting new businesses to Kane County. Abbatacola is also focused on tamping down Springfield’s overreach, which she says is hindering local control. She touts problem solving as one of her strengths, which she says she’ll use to help the county board.
Guttke says the most important issues facing the district are budgeting and fiscally responsible spending, as he says tax dollars must be responsibly allocated so that they are used to benefit the majority. His focuses are on reasonable health care coverage, strengthening schools through updated curriculum, affordable higher education, and helping those in need through food banks. He believes that government is at its best when both sides come together and negotiate and compromise in good faith.
Given Abbatacola’s fiscal initiatives and her short time on the board, we’d like to see her continue her work. She is endorsed.
District 11: Collins
In the race for District 11, Geneva Democrat Julie Forbes is running against Geneva Republican William Collins.
Forbes says the county board needs stronger voices who will represent all community members, especially when it comes to the economy, affordable housing (especially given the population density of District 11), protecting the environment, public safety, the health department (mental health and services for seniors) and proposed data centers. She cites her long experience managing large financial budgets as a boon for the district, as well as her commitment to transparency, collaboration and communication with residents. Working together toward common goals as a board is her goal.
Collins, who has worked in municipal government for 34 years, says that his experience, including 20 years as a Director on the Kane County Farm Bureau, Farm Manager at Mooseheart, a small-business owner and as foreman for the Sugar Grove Road District, has shown him how collaboration, discipline and a commitment to taxpayers should inform every county board decision. He says his priorities would be bipartisanship, fiscal responsibility, affordable housing options, public health initiatives, infrastructure, operational efficiencies across county departments including streamlining processes, balancing farms and urban growth, agricultural initiatives and supporting public safety.
While both are strong candidates who cite reaching across the aisle and collaboration as goals, Collins' experience working in municipal government gives him a slight edge. He is endorsed.
District 13: Deniz
Voters in District 13 are choosing from a pair of political newcomers, but two who proved their mettle in winning their parties’ nominations in the March primary.
Democrat Nicholas “Nico” Jimenez of Geneva earned his way onto the ballot by defeating incumbent Michael Linder in March with a campaign focused on addressing the county’s mental health and housing needs.
Republican Ryan Deniz won the GOP nomination in March over Anthony Catella, focusing on economic development and fiscal conservatism.
A chiropractic physician from Geneva, Deniz said he sees promoting economic growth as key to increasing county revenues without further burdening taxpayers. He’s also suggested a hiring freeze and early retirement incentives to reduce county spending, and making more land available for development through zoning.
Jimenez has proposed the creation of a county-run mental health crisis response teams, addiction and housing-first initiatives, suggesting savings to fund them can be found elsewhere in the budget. He also proposes using the county’s zoning authority to address the housing affordability crisis faced by many in the county.
While we respect — and agree — with Jimenez’s push for more affordable housing and mental health care, we can’t ignore the county’s recent financial struggles that for years have been masked by the board’s willingness to dip into its reserves. A more cautious fiscal approach is called for, and we believe Deniz is the more likely candidate to bring it. We endorse Deniz.
District 15: Monteleone
Last fall, in the wake of horrific mass shootings at schools in Tennessee and Minnesota, and the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, District 15 board member David Young contributed to the heated discourse in one of the worst ways imaginable.
Speaking as a private citizen before three county board committees, the Elgin Republican blamed the killings on the LGBTQ+ community and his Democratic colleagues who support them.
“The Democratic Party embraces this LGBTQ+ group, including a lot of people here on this Kane County Board,” Young said at one of the appearances, according to reporting at the time. “They embrace the culture of death. They embrace evil. I want to know when — when — will this group, this evil group, be denounced by any leader of the Democratic Party.”
In the face of a firestorm of criticism, Young later attempted to tone down those remarks, stating that they were aimed only at those responsible for the killings, not the broader LGBTQ+ community or all Democrats.
Too little, too late, as far we’re concerned. Those comments make Young unendorsable. The only question is whether we can endorse his opponent, Democrat Kate Monteleone. We can.
Monteleone has no experience in elected office — the closest being an unsuccessful 2020 campaign for state house — but she has spent decades in leadership roles for nonprofits, including Neighborhood Food Pantries and the Delnor Foundation.
She promises to be an advocate for District 15’s agricultural corridor and a check on uncontrolled development, most notably data center projects. And while we’re typically reluctant to support adding layers of bureaucracy to government, we agree with her that hiring a full-time county administrator in Kane is at least worthy of consideration.
We endorse Monteleone.
District 19: Iqbal
The contest for the 19th District seat pits two-term Democratic incumbent Mohammed “Mo” Iqbal against fellow Elgin resident and Republican Steve Serafin.
Iqbal has long been an advocate for upgrading transportation infrastructure in northern Kane County, and points to improvements at the I-90/Randall Road interchange among the successes of the past eight years.
But, he acknowledges, more work needs to be done, especially at Randall Road and Route 20. If he wins a third term, Iqbal said he would make that a priority, as well as advocate for the forest preserve district to obtain and protect more open space in the 19th District.
Serafin says government accountability and taxes are his top issues. He’s been critical of cost overruns by the county sheriff’s office — an area where he and Iqbal have common ground.
We share Serafin’s concerns, but his lack of experience is evident when contrasted with Iqbal. We endorse the incumbent.
District 21: Surges
The District 21 contest also matches a two-term incumbent — Republican Clifford Surges — against a political newcomer, Deborah Chabi. And again, experience wins out.
Surges is a fiscal conservative, but has earned him the respect — and in some cases, the endorsement — of Democratic leaders, including State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser and fellow board members Michelle Gumz and Michael Linder.
The Gilberts resident has pushed for the county to dedicate more of its resources to its faster-growing northern communities, and was among the advocates for a new satellite office in Elgin. That’s spared his constituents long drives to Aurora or Geneva to access essential services.
Chabi, a semi-retired educator from East Dundee, is campaigning on platform focused heavily on environmental issues like protecting clean water and clean air, maintaining local biodiversity to mitigate floods and ensuring development — including data centers — has minimal impact on the county’s natural resources.
While all laudable goals, we see Surges as the more well-rounded and experienced option. He gets our endorsement.
District 23: Thomas
Another two-term incumbent, Democrat Christopher Kious of Algonquin, is seeking reelection in District 23. He’s challenged by Republican Emmanuel Thomas.
Thomas, an Algonquin resident and former Community Unit Community Unit District 300 board member, is a formidable opponent for Kious. He has public service experience that’s impressed us — we endorsed him for a second term on the school board, though voters ultimately disagreed — and he offers fair criticisms of the board’s tax increases and management of county finances.
Kious acknowledges that higher taxes are a concern, but believes voters will accept them if they are confident county leaders are spending their money reasonably. If elected to a third term, he said wants to focus on open land issues and ensuring that the county’s investments in public facilities are protected and maintained.
We appreciate Kious’ service, and endorsed his last election in 2022, but believe Thomas is more likely to hold the line on county taxes and spending, and are comfortable that he has the experience to replace an incumbent. We endorse Thomas.