Meet Dawn Cassady: candidate for Roscoe Township Supervisor

Dawn Cassady is running against her boss, Bob Nowicki, hoping to snag his job as Roscoe Township Supervisor in the April 1 election. She is part of the Roscoe Independents slate. Check out all our candidate profiles in our expanded 2025 Election Guide for Roscoe, Rockton, and South Beloit.

Why did you decide to run?

I’ve been involved with Roscoe Township for 17 years. I started out attending meetings to try to convince the then board to allow the Stateline Mass Transit District (SMTD) bus service into the area. Over an 8 year period, I forced the issue to referendum twice, and achieved success in 2016 when the first annual contract between SMTD and Roscoe Township was signed.

I learned a lot about budgets, levies, and how townships operate, what their core functions are, and what their limitations are. I decided that change needed to occur, as the board at that time didn’t seem to be serving ALL of the residents, just a certain segment. I ran for Trustee in 2017 and lost. However, due to my vast experience, the newly elected board brought me on as Supervisor’s Assistant. I have served in that role for the last 8 years, under two different Supervisors. I have now decided to run for Supervisor myself because there’s still work to be done. The entire current board, except for the current Supervisor, agrees on what that work entails. I decided I could lead them in their future goals, and they agree.

Tell us about your background and accomplishments that you bring to the table.

I have a background in accounting, specifically financial forecasting and budgeting, and in the information technology sector. I secured nearly $1.1 million in grants for Founders Park, which includes the 3370 sf Community Center, a 1300 sf Multi-use Pavilion with 2 ADA baths and concession area, a 400 sf brick memorial plaza, sidewalks, 10 acres of prairie, and a mile of limestone walking paths. That process has taken over 6 years and a lot of work. I also brought the Township into the 21st century by getting a website built so residents can access information easily. I implemented secure Government Office email and document storage. Previously, board members used their personal emails and there was no website. With my IT background, I saved the taxpayers a lot of money by doing much of this work myself.

What do you hope to accomplish in this office in the future?

Now that the major construction is complete, I’d like to build on what we have. First and foremost, we need additional parking at Founders Park. We have the funds to do it this year. I’d like to see more daytime programming for seniors, and some sort of activities for kids after school. I plan to implement a bench sponsorship for the walking paths at Founders Park. We need pit toilets at Cross Park, as well as more picnic tables and benches. Some of our cemeteries have additional needs. They get a very small amount of funding each year and the demand has risen greatly in the last decade or so.

On the more mundane end, and not very interesting to the average taxpayer, are some house cleaning duties. We are bulging at the seams on document storage. There are strict rules that govern destruction of old records. That includes documenting an inventory of those items to be sent to the state for approval before any destruction can be undertaken. This has not been done since 2005. We do not have an employee manual – we have policies, but they need to be organized and consolidated into a complete document. We have other ordinances that need updating.

Why should people vote for you?

I understand the job of Supervisor inside and out. On my own, I am capable of budgeting, preparing levies, and overseeing office functions. I have a documented history of performing all of these functions while maintaining excellent relationships with all Township departments, as well as with outside vendors and our residents. I will not need an assistant. 

What importance should political party affiliation have in local elections?

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.