DeKalb Times

DeKalb County Republican Central Committee Chairperson Tim Bagby sees Democrat Jim Luebke’s run for DeKalb Township Supervisor as a sign of the times.

“In the old days, you wouldn’t run people for office unless you had someone suitable for [the] position,” Bagby told the DeKalb Times. “Now, the mentality is we need to fill up the entire ballot so that [Gov] J.B. Pritzker will give us $100,000 for our local party. They’re building their little farm team so they will have a steady stream of liberal Democrats to run for office in [the] future.”

Luebke’s run as a write-in candidate comes after the longtime democrat was initially kicked off the ballot after failing to submit a receipt for his Statement of Economic Interest — a requirement needed to certify ballots.

Luebke’s write-in campaign means while his name won’t appear on the ballot, voters will still be able to select him by correctly spelling his name in the write-in spot on the April 6 ballot.

Despite failing to fully comply with the Statement of Economic Interest regulations, which, in part, are about transparency, Luebke highlights that very characteristic as one of his campaign platform items.

“I want to restore the integrity to the Office of Township Supervisor through increased transparency and communication,” he wrote on his Northern Star candidate profile. “When there is a lack of transparency, voters lose trust in their elected officials.”

Bagby said he would also be keeping close watch over the race for mayor in DeKalb, where Carolyn Morris is facing Owen Barnes, though he added he doesn’t think there is any “real Republican” in the race.

Elections take place on Tuesday, April 6.