Bob and Lisa on the Issues
Read below for Bob and Lisa's stance on the issues. For a more direct comparison of their positions with their opponents, see our Compare the Candidates" page.
Racial Equity
Kirchner and Bell will push for restoring the disparity study approved by the county board in November 2004. They believe the county's construction contracts should be independently reviewed for racial disparity by a recognized authority, in a study that would recommend legally effective remedies for fairness in hiring minority contractors. Without a competent disparity study, the county is legally prohibited from taking affirmative race-conscious steps to increase minority participation.
The Incumbent Record: Wysocki and Beckett have blocked all efforts to obtain a racial disparity study, despite the public promise made in November 2004 when Barb Wysocki told the News Gazette that "The study is going forward. I intend to give it every bit of support I can." In April 2005, she and Steve Beckett voted for amendments to the contract that would keep study results from the public, then joined Republicans to kill the contract. In August 2005, public outcry forced them to drop their plan to use the $50,000 budgeted for the study to remodel county offices.
Since Wysocki and Beckett killed the disparity study, only 1.6% of spending on the new county nursing home has gone to minority contractors. They have tried to mask this disparity by telling everyone that 20% of the project went to "minority and women-owned" contractors, without mentioning that very little of it went to minorities.
Opposing Efforts to Spend Up to $30 Million on Unnecessary Jail Expansion
Kirchner and Bell do not support current efforts to spend up to $30 million on a jail expansion project. They also believe that any study on this issue should be led by the county board instead of a closed committee without any county board representation. The satellite jail is just ten years old and the downtown jail was built in 1980. These two jails provide 313 available beds for inmates. Last December, the average jail population was just 228 inmates--and has been trending down due to low or no-cost efforts.
The Incumbent Record: Last summer, Beckett expressed support for jail expansion (the June 2006 Facilities Committee minutes state that Mr. Beckett "believes a new jail is in order."). A county board committee was to be appointed to study the jail issue. But Democrats started questioning the need for a new jail, so Wysocki decided not to appoint the committee. Instead, she held closed meetings with advocates of jail expansion to which no other County Board members were invited. Then, in March 2006, the News-Gazette quoted Beckett as suggesting use of the quarter-cent public safety sales tax to pay for it.
Under Wysocki and Beckett's plan, the combination of decision making in private combined with keeping the quarter-cent tax on the books to pay for it (a tax which was passed in order to pay for the now complete courthouse addition) could result in a go-ahead for jail expansion without public input or a public vote on its funding.
Fair Funding of Important County Roads
Kirchner and Bell disagree with the recent board resolution that limits county funding of heavily-used "fringe" roads closest to the cities, like Curtis Road. The withdrawal of funding could hamper development and future tax-base expansion in Urbana. The county should continue to allocate highway tax revenues fairly to pay the county's share of funding these more heavily-used county roads.
The Incumbent Record: Against the interests of their constituents, Wysocki and Beckett joined board Republicans to pass the resolution, which also refuses to provide funding for any new joint road projects. The majority of other board Democrats opposed this resolution, which unfairly allocates county highway funds.
For more detailed information on this topic, read Urbana Mayor Laurel Prussing's recent commentary , which outlines the many ways in which the incumbents' recent decision goes against their constituents, 93% of which live within Urbana's city limits.
Balancing the Budget
Kirchner and Bell believe that fiscal responsibility requires the county to have a balanced budget and will work toward that goal as a priority. Better financial oversight is needed and budgeted expenses should not exceed revenues. They point to the recent mold problems on the nursing home project (now being covered by county taxpayers at a cost of $1.4 million and rising) as an example of financially poor decision making.
The Incumbent Record: The 2006 budget enacted under Wysocki and Beckett's leadership turned a balanced budget into $10 million deficit. Previously, the Democratic majority passed balanced budgets every year for the past five years, 2000 through 2005&emdash;and operated without a deficit. Further stretching the budget, facilities chair Beckett has squelched discussion about the mold problems at the nursing home while county taxpayers pay the $1.4 million dollar bill.
Board and Caucus Leadership
Kirchner and Bell respect Democratic principles and values as a foundation for good government. They believe that effective leadership seeks to build consensus for governance goals, and values full participation from all fellow board Democrats. In selecting a caucus leader, (or if majority party, the county board chair), the principle of majority vote indicates a consensus of support. Majority rule should be honored, as it is in all elections. The caucus has the right to elect its Democratic leaders.
The Incumbent Record: The incumbents did not honor the principle of majority rule within the Democratic caucus, where their bid for board chair and vice chair nomination earned only three votes of fifteen. When they failed to gain endorsement and votes from their fellow county board Democrats, Wysocki and Beckett joined with the 12 county board Republicans to vote themselves in as chair and vice-chair of the county board in December 2004. Their voting record on key issues is often aligned with board Republicans, in opposition to the majority of board Democrats.
Incumbent Voting Record
District 9 incubments Wysocki and Beckett have a record of voting with Republicans to create an unelected Republican majority that works against key Democratic issues:
| County Board Vote | Majority of Board Democrats | Barbara Wysocki | Steve Beckett | Majority of Board Republicans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The vote to elect Wysocki county board chair and Beckett county board vice chair (December 2004) | NO | YES | YES | YES |
| The majority of board Democrats vote to commission a $50,000 disparity study to evaluate and remedy racial discrimination in awarding county construction contracts (November 2004) | YES | NO | NO | NO |
| The (failed) motion to approve the final contract to conduct the disparity study (April 2005) | YES | NO | NO | NO |
| The vote to cut cooperative funding for important county roads on the fringe of the cities (May 2005) | NO | YES | YES | YES |
Read more about the issues on our "Compare the Candidates" page.