Editorial: Roscoe Township does not have a partisan election

Based on appearances alone, you would think Tuesday's election in Roscoe Township is a partisan battle between two ideologies: between the Republicans (we all know what they believe, or do we?) and the Independents (who are suspected of all being Democrats).

But what if it wasn't that simple? What if the Independents (except one) were also Republicans? What if our cast of characters included:

• A township that is two-thirds Republican, but where a Democrat got the most votes of any candidate for trustee in 2021
• A Republican candidate who says he really isn't a big Trump supporter
• A fiscally-conservative Democrat who spoke at Tea Party meetings
• A Republican who'd rather not be endorsed by a pro-family website
• A Republican candidate who wrote, "Local elections should focus on practical solutions for community issues rather than partisan politics," but then wasn't sure about saying that or not
• A Republican voter who leads the Independent ticket
• A Republican voter who leads the Republican ticket

To complicate things, the head of the Republican ticket this election was head of the Independents ticket last election. And it's true, all but one of the Roscoe Independents are Republicans. In fact, I believe that every candidates on both tickets would agree with the principles of "Why I am Republican" even if they're not Republican.

A major point of contention between the slates: the cost of the multi-purpose pavilion at Founders Park. What if the disagreement between the two slates comes down to a disagreement over budgeting strategies? Or accounting principles? Or office politics? Or personalities? There may be good reasons to vote for someone on one slate rather than another, but there are bad reasons too.

Really, this is a hilarious campaign, because anybody who wants a Republican Supervisor can simply vote for the same candidate as when they wanted to elect an Independent Supervisor. Or they can vote for this year's Independent candidate, and they will still get a Republican Supervisor.

What is a Republican anyway? When lifelong Republicans can be accused of not being true Republicans, we may need to work on our definitions. Is a Republican anyone who would have voted for Lincoln? Or Reagan? Or Trump? If someone would have voted for Lincoln but not Trump, does that mean they are not a Republican? Would Lincoln have voted for Trump? Would Trump have voted for Lincoln? It gets confusing.

At least one Republican candidate has told me he's really a Reagan Republican, and I suspect that's true of most of the slate. Is a Republican anyone who believes in lower taxes? Though the federal deficit billowed under Ronald Reagan and Abraham Lincoln signed the first income tax into law.

And what is an Independent anyway? I thought the voters (as I say, mostly Republicans) chose the Independents because they wanted a "clean slate." One of the candidates says, "Eight years ago, our community sent a message to the self-dealing political machine of the past and voted for change." I wasn't here then, but whatever lessons the past can teach us, let it teach us. Just because a group calls themselves Republican doesn't mean they need to stay in office.

None of this means that I'm telling you who to vote for. I will not express a preference, if I even had one, and I have about five good reasons for that. We have high quality candidates on both slates. I simply disagree that partisanship does anything but cloud the air in Roscoe.

Yes, choose the best candidates for Roscoe Township. But I'm sorry, saying "I will choose a Republican" won't make the decision easier - because they are all Republicans.

Let me address the one exception. Elizabeth Lindquist is not a Republican. She is a Democrat. She has never hidden that fact, yet she received more votes than any other candidate in the last election. She was one of the Roscoe Independents who "sent a message to the self-dealing political machine of the past." She is perhaps best known for her campaign promise that no taxpayer money would be spent for the restoration of the Cross house. Doesn't that sound like a Republican?

But besides Elizabeth, all the other candidates are Republicans, and fairly conservative ones as far as I can tell. I'm thinking of a certain write-in candidate for Township Board who has served Roscoe Township for 43 years. He also served his country during the Vietnam War, and it shows. Do some people say the Independents are "all Democrats"? I shudder to imagine them saying that to his face. He's a man of peace and a faithful churchgoer, but still.

But electing a very conservative veteran to the board for 40 years didn't summon the Anita Bryant or Ronald Reagan team to Roscoe Township. Electing Elizabeth Lindquist didn't summon Bernie Sanders. By electing a Republican candidate with a R next to his name rather than a Republican candidate with an I next to her name, Roscoe will not summon an Elon Musk task force to save the day. National government is different than local government.

What does partisanship mean, and party loyalty? I have been avoiding using names, but I will mention two now. The current Road Commissioner, Steve Schreier, says, "Once again, I am running as an Independent because I refuse to put party over community." So his opponent John Guevara put that in a campaign graphic, charging that "Schreier refuses to put party over community." I asked Guevara, "Did you really say that?" He seemed oblivious to any problem with it.

But... if John Guevara is elected Road Commissioner, will he put party over community? Of course he won't! How is a road commissioner even supposed to do that? No, he will send snow plows to clear the roads of the entire community in a timely fashion. He will not tell his drivers to plow the streets first if they have red yard signs instead of blue. He would do an excellent job, just Steve Schreier has (I must not pick favorites.)

When asked "What importance should political party affiliation have in local elections?", here's what other candidates say:

Dawn Cassady
I don’t believe party affiliation matters at this low level. The Village is non-partisan and I think townships should be also. Our township operations affect nearly every resident at some point in their or their family’s lives, but those operations aren’t influenced by partisan politics. I’m a lifelong Republican, but Roscoe Independents is a bi-partisan group and, as unusual as it sounds, we work really well together. So if we’re going to run as a slate, we’re not going to run on a partisan ticket, we’re going to run together as Independents. I’m proud of the way we’re able to cooperate and work as a team.

Dave Benjamin
I believe party affiliation is tremendously important. I'm a Republican and I don't see any reason to hide it. Voters need to look at each candidate individually for what they bring to the table. Are they honest and transparent? Do they have a background that is commensurate with the job at hand? Those questions above all should be on the minds of voters.

Elizabeth Lindquist
Illinois state statute defines township elections as partisan. Village elections can be non-partisan. The Village of Roscoe candidates do not have any party affiliation listed on the ballot. The incongruity doesn’t make sense as the statutory functions of township government are more limited than municipalities. 
We all, regardless of our party affiliation, want the same thing from our local government — quality services at a reasonable cost. The Roscoe Independents are a bipartisan group of local leaders who are dedicated to working together to improve Roscoe Township. We set aside our party affiliations to benefit the people of Roscoe. Running as Independents has allowed us to unite and campaign together as a team, just as we did in 2021. We put Roscoe families first, not partisan politics. Roscoe Township voters want their leaders to focus on keeping Roscoe Township government efficient and effective in performing township services. That’s what the Roscoe Independents do.

John Guevara
I’m a proud Republican. I have no reason to hide it. I’m Chairman of the Roscoe Township Republican Central Committee. I think party affiliation also means more accountability. A party candidate has to run in a primary or caucus before they run in the general election. That means they have to answer to the voters twice every election cycle. I like that.

Justin Plock
Honestly, it shouldn’t matter. This is about what’s best for Roscoe, not political parties. The great thing about a nonpartisan election is that it allows us to focus on real issues and not party agendas. It also makes it easier to work with all of our state representatives to get things done for our community. I’m here to serve the people of Roscoe, not a political party.

Stacy Mallicoat
While it may help to see where a candidate may be coming from, it's best to stay nonpartisan so that the Village wins. We must work with all sides to get things done and acquire funding for the Village. We need support from all parties when trying to get grants and advance programs.

John Broda
Personally I feel party politics is dividing our communities more than ever. In small local races it’s about the needs of the people and not party.  However I know many feel that your party is your value system. I have no problem stating that I have been a registered Republican since I was 18. I am fiscally conservative, socially I lean liberal and I fall more in line with Libertarian values. I vote as an independent and have supported Libertarian, Republican & Democratic candidates in the past.

Charlie Hart
Some offices are partisan positions, and having party affiliation can be a short hand for values and ideas that can be useful to voters with have many competing demands on their time. Ideally at the local level most offices should not be partisan in nature and thus the need for the political shorthand is less useful and even harmful.

Paul Gorski
The position of Rock Valley College Trustee is a nonpartisan political position. Our primary focus is our fiduciary and policy responsibility to the educational mission of the college, and as such doesn't lend itself to local or national party labels. Some people might use the Trustee position as a stepping stone to partisan politics, but I like the nonpartisan realm at the college.

Jenna Goldsmith
For voters, party affiliations can provide added context as they make their choices for who to vote for. A party's platform can help voters determine if their values and hopes for the future are represented by the individual running. My race – the RVC Board of Trustees – is a nonpartisan school board race, and so party affiliation does not technically factor into how candidates run their race.