Nine candidates for state and county elected offices met for a forum Tuesday, Oct. 13, sponsored by the Rock Island County branch of the NAACP at the King Center, Rock Island.
Moderator Alisha Hanes directed questions to the candidates for Illinois House and Senate, and Rock Island County Clerk and Sheriff, on issues of affordable healthcare; public education; equal pay for women; support for data centers; public safety; voter misinformation and mail-in ballots, and restoring trust in government.
While the candidates for U.S. House District 17 were invited (current Democratic Congressman Eric Sorensen and Republican challenger Dillan Vancil), they did not attend, nor did current GOP Illinois State Rep. Ryan Spain (73rd District).
Each candidate Tuesday talked of their qualifications and challenges facing the region and state.
“People are losing jobs. The economic situation in the country right now is far from ideal,” said State Sen. Mike Halpin of Illinois 36th District. “And the reality is we need to work as hard as we can here in Illinois to push back against those efforts, to provide healthcare for our residents, provide quality education for our children, provide service for our veterans and our seniors so that they can retire in dignity and security, and really just get the focus back on you here in the community and not on the big corporations or the folks, the 1% at the top.
"We need to focus on everyday, average people because they're the people that make this country possible. So I'm humbly asking for another term.”
Republican Brad Beekman, who’s challenging Halpin, lives outside Bushnell, Illinois, and is a 28-year veteran of Illinois State Police, retiring in 2023.
“I served on the Governor's Executive Protection Detail. I served for all four years of Gov. Rauner's detail. I overlapped with Gov. Pritzker for about a year,” he said Tuesday. “During that time, I was in charge of the Governor's Mansion, the Illinois Capitol Building during business hours, the Governor's private residence, the types of duties. Now that I'm retired, I enjoy spending time with my family, my grandchildren. I work at a local bank.
"I enjoy farming, and I serve in my church, and I also serve on the Bushnell Prairie City School Board. My time in law enforcement gave me the opportunity to witness firsthand the challenges that our families face and our communities face, and I also seen how much stronger we can be when people are willing to work together, listen to one another, and work towards a community where everyone has the opportunity to succeed," Beekman said. "Our state is suffering from a supermajority, one-party rule, and I'm so sad to see when people needlessly suffer from the consequences of that.”
Beekman wants the state to give more time for school districts to get funded, and improve incentives to train and hire teachers, to address teacher shortages.
“I'd like to help local school boards to have more power over the agendas that are pushed down to schools. Not a state where policies are made, have another community where it doesn't affect— where they don't know our small town, our community,” he said. “So let school boards have the power to look at the regulations or the policies that they need for their school district. And then beyond that, I want to look at career opportunities for the students.
"Focus on those ag jobs, the welding jobs, the nursing jobs, the hands-on trades. Not everyone's going to go on to college, so give the school district and students the tools so that they can focus on that part of education.”
Halpin and Nicole Dopler (running for 73rd House District) are Democrats who support evidence-based school funding formulas, and taxing the wealthy more to boost funding. Halpin wants to keep increasing teacher salaries.
“The fact that we have disincentivized teachers to go into the pipeline has hurt us over the past 20 years with our financial troubles, skipping pension payments, changing to a Tier 2 that doesn't offer the same opportunity for new teachers,” he said.
“We've got to get back to a place where people want to be teachers again, and it's by supporting them so they can do the very best they can for each of our, each of our kids. The last thing I would say when it comes to public education is that to get these teachers and get these administrators, we have to make sure we continue to fund higher education, our four-year universities, to get these teachers into the pipeline, into the classrooms.”
State Rep. Dan Swanson (71st District) wants the state to better fund education mandates.
“We have not lived up to our obligation to fund the mandates we put on our schools. That's why we see our property taxes increase, because of the mandates we pushed onto our schools,” he said. “One of the things I did support this past year, we passed in the House but didn't make it over the Senate, was to fund student teachers. Student teachers spend time going through education, going to become a teacher, and all of a sudden now they need to do student teaching. They're taking money out of their back pockets to be able to pay for their costs and their needs during that student teaching period.”
Swanson also wants to expand career technical education and apprenticeship, like with Black Hawk College, in careers including welders, electricians, and nurses.
Health care needs
Nicole Dopler, a Democrat running for Illinois House District 73, has worked in health care for 30 years, and is a mother of five who has personally navigated systems like Medicaid.
She has health insurance but said their deductible is $8,000, about 10% of their household income. She’s running against Republican Ryan Spain (who was not at Tuesday’s forum), who has served as 73rd District Representative since 2017.
“That just means the middle class doesn't get to use their insurance,” Dopler said Tuesday of rising health costs. “That means that some of us have jobs that aren't awesome enough to get to go to the doctor. That's not right. We need to do things that protect people, and that's what I'm going to do.”
“Most people do not feel like they have any access because, I can't go to the doctor, I can't pay that much before the insurance kicks in,” she said. “So that's not accessible. Universal healthcare, as a healthcare worker, we already see that happening. State aid pays for the poor to see the same doctors, the same hospitals as our representatives get to see. And guess what? They all pay about the same thing— nothing.
"So that's again not fair to the rest of us who are paying through the nose for healthcare. We need to do things that make sense for all of us. As far as affordability, we again pay enough in taxes. We pay a lot in our premiums, deductibles, and co-pays. We shouldn't be getting denied of the things that we need.”
“As a prior healthcare worker, I, Nicole Dopler, will represent District 73 in a way that is different than we are being represented right now,” she added. “I am a mom of 5. I am about to lose probably my healthcare insurance myself. I understand what it means. to lose those things. I understand what it is to be part of the community that isn't going to be taken care of. I will take care of every one of us. I will provide and plan to work towards healthcare, education, and jobs for the next generation that makes sense for the majority of us, not for the special few.”
Halpin said federal cuts to health care are devastating.
“The reality is that most of these plans are governed at the federal level, and they have not taken the actions they need to do to control costs for all of you. Instead, they've passed a bill that's going to result in cuts to Medicaid, cuts to Social Security, cuts to rural hospitals,” he said. “When you talk about cutting Medicaid, those are cuts to rural hospitals because the bulk of those patients are on Medicaid. And it's not just strictly rural hospitals.
"We talk about hospitals right here in the Quad Cities that have high Medicaid rates. We need to address the problem. And unfortunately, not to be too partisan about it, this is a political forum, the Republicans in D.C. are doing that to us. And there's only so much we can do to push back.”
Closure of mental health facilities and privatizing care has hurt also, Halpin said.
“The mental health services in the state were privatized, and what we've seen is that when companies couldn't extract enough money out of us, and it became unprofitable, the providers stopped providing,” he said. “It would be a massive cost to the state of Illinois to build that up from scratch again. But we need to look into what those options are. Even as we sit here today, we're seeing closures. We need to go in the other direction and start providing for the least among us, the folks that need this help the most. And so I'm committed to doing that. I have already done that.”
Swanson said nursing scholarships should be improved and licensure made easier.
“We always have a backlog at that time getting those licenses. And I think those licenses, we need to work, as I worked before, on the transferability of those licenses from state to state,” he said. “Why can't a nurse who works in Iowa also have a license in Illinois and have some reciprocity with that? We do reciprocity with our driver's license. Why not do that with nursing license too? And I've been on that legislation, just can't get it across the goalposts. But I think that's a big piece of legislation that would help with nursing.
“And also, we need to start treating mental health care as health care. It should be treated the same,” Swanson said.
“They both receive and should receive the same attention as what that 5-year-old child going in to see a nurse because they have a runny nose. That 5-year-old child, if they're having some mental health issues, they should be able to go in and receive that care too from those nurses and doctors.”
Democrat Kermit Thomas (running against Swanson) said as a pastor, he counsels people, but they need access to mental health care.
“I feed the homeless. I see so many of them that are suffering, and I'm not trying to diagnose anyone, but in my opinion, a lot of them are suffering from different mental illnesses that go untreated,” he said. “We need to put provisions in place, even when the police officers get called to a lot of the houses, and sometimes they realize once they get there, they're not dealing with a crime, they're dealing with a mental health emergency. So we need to put those systems in place so people can get the right treatment and not just be put in jail because you're dealing with a mental health crisis.”
Both Thomas and Swanson are 27-year Army veterans. Thomas is currently pastor of Central Church of Christ in Davenport, and is first vice president of the Rock Island County NAACP.
“When I talk to families across the district, I hear concerns. Can I afford my groceries? Can I pay my utility bills? Can I afford healthcare? Can my children afford to live here upon graduating from college? Will there be good-paying jobs for them?” Thomas asked Tuesday. “These are the issues I want to work on in Springfield. My priorities, they're straightforward, no ambiguity: affordability, quality healthcare, affordable housing, strong public education. And again, I've worked in public education. Good-paying jobs, veterans. I am a veteran, 27 years.”
County Sheriff Office needs
Democrat Marcus Herbert, running for Rock Island County Sheriff, is 21-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office. He started as a correctional officer before becoming the Deputy Sheriff. He has served as commander of the Quad City Bomb Squad.
“Being sheriff requires much more than law enforcement experience. It requires understanding how to manage personnel, oversee a multi-million-dollar budget, negotiate labor contracts, making difficult decisions in the agency responsible for safety in this entire county,” Herbert said.
“These aren't responsibilities I simply study or talk about. They're responsibilities I've actually carried out," he said.
"As an administrative sergeant, I'm directly involved in budgeting, personnel matters, and day-to-day operations of the Sheriff's Office. I've served on negotiation committees, helped negotiate collective bargaining agreements, and supervised deputies who work to keep our deputies safe. I believe the next sheriff needs to understand every side of this office. From the correctional officer working inside of the jail to the deputy responding to the emergency to the administrative assistance of the safety supervisor.”
“For 21 years, I've been doing this work. I know this agency. I know our employees,” he added. “I know our strengths, our challenges, and where we need to improve. I'm not learning to— I'm not running to learn how the Sheriff's Office operates. I'm running because I already know how it operates, and I have the experience to lead it forward.”
Republican Jamie Shoemaker, who’s also worked for Rock Island County Sheriff’s, has been with Geneseo Police Department since 2021. She became a certified Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) member and launched the IMPACT (Integrated Model Police and Crisis Team) Program. This innovative initiative provides critical resources to individuals experiencing mental illness, substance use challenges, and crises. Under her leadership, IMPACT has raised over $12,000 to support community members in need.
In addition to her work in Geneseo, Shoemaker contributes at the state level as a partner with the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board CIT program, where she helps train and mentor officers across Illinois in effective and compassionate crisis response techniques. Beyond IMPACT, she has championed dementia-related initiatives in Geneseo. She created a Dementia Task Force in collaboration with police officers and community members, and she’s also an FBI-certified crisis negotiator.
On Tuesday, Shoemaker noted she was asked to run for sheriff. “I care about Rock Island County, and I think I can make a big difference,” she said. “I stand for integrity, and I will do everything I can to help vulnerable populations, and that is what I'm passionate about. That is why I am running, and that's why I agreed to run, is because I want to help people who can't help themselves.”
Elections issues
Maggie Crouch, a Democrat, has worked 19 years in the Rock Island County Clerk’s office and sees a need for more election judges.
“I can tell you one thing: elections involve a whole lot more work than most people know,” she said. “Most people shouldn't have to know every detail of how elections are administered. That's our job. But when misinformation starts circulating, we have a responsibility to address it with facts, explaining the process, and make sure every voter has access and reliable information. I'm a firm believer in following the rules. Election laws and procedures exist for a reason, and I take that responsibility seriously. But I also believe in taking the time to explain those rules so people understand the process.”
Republican Steven Rugh, running for county clerk, wants to limit the number of people eligible for mail-in ballots.
“I believe that it should be limited to special cases and needs, such as the veterans, our service people that are overseas that cannot vote locally, and also seniors that are not able to get up and go, and for special cases,” he said. “There's still loopholes and taking risks of having fraud with the mail-in ballots. Right now with the law, there's certain things that you can do with mail-in ballots. It's— the county clerk doesn't get to say we're not doing mail-in ballots in this county. It's set by the state. So it's not like you get to just choose what you want to do in each county or each area. So that's just my opinion, but I would follow the laws for whatever the state requires.”
“One of the things that I want to address when I become clerk is the voter rolls. We need to get those cleaned up,” Rugh said.
“There's a lot of voters that are outside the state that are still on the voter rolls, and we also have to make sure that those that have passed away are not on the voter rolls still as well. This makes a big difference if they're getting mail-in ballots sent to them. and they've already passed away. Being an Eagle Scout, I learned a lot of things— how to get things done, leadership— and I think that with new eyes going into the County Clerk's Office, I can make a big difference and make everything a little bit more efficient.”
“Voting by mail is not merely a convenience. For some voters, it's an essential way to exercise their constitutional right,” Crouch said. “In Illinois, vote by mail is established is established under state law. The county clerk doesn't get to decide who should or shouldn't have that option based on personal opinions or preferences. Our job is to follow the law, administer our elections fairly, and protect every eligible voter's rights.”
Swanson, among others, noted how important it is to work with people regardless of their political background.
“During my tenure in Springfield, I've been fortunate to pass 45 pieces of legislation, counting House bills, Senate bills, House joint resolutions, Senate joint resolutions, and 66 House resolutions,” he said. “Those don't happen by sitting on my hands because I need to pick up votes from across the aisle. And it's through hard work, determination, respect, and honesty do you earn the votes of those people across the aisle.
“When I was in the military too, I had a battalion commander tell me, Dan, I don't expect you to know everything, but I expect you to know who to go to for the answer,” Swanson said.
“Because of that, I have many different groups that I rely on often. If it's a piece of legislation dealing with education, I have my core of superintendents, I have my core of schoolteachers, I have my core of regional offices of education I can call to get their views on that piece of legislation. Same with veterans -- I have a core of people who I can call on because I didn't go to Springfield knowing everything. I went to Springfield with a 27-and-a-half-year Army background, a lifetime of farming and growing.”
“I think it is one of the most fundamental tenets of the system that I represent each and every constituent that is in this district, whether they voted for me or not,” Halpin said. “It doesn't mean I'm always going to agree with every constituent. that is literally impossible. But my office is always open. I always keep an open mind, and I try to do what's best for the district and the state of Illinois.”
Positions on data centers
Candidates also spoke on controversial AI data centers, which have sprouted up across Illinois, though none have been proposed in northwest Illinois.
Thomas said state and local governments have offered “massive tax breaks to data centers, but families should not have to pay a higher electric bill or water costs. These things should be transparent and we should know what we should be doing,” he said. “And the cost shouldn't go to us, it should go to the corporation and it should be transparency. I will sponsor legislation requiring data centers to pay their own way. There's no reason that our bills should go up and they making more money.”
“The full cost of grid upgrades they should pay for, water use, infrastructure, no cost shifting to residential ratepayers. Residents should not have to pay for this cost shift,” Thomas added. “The residents should not have to pay for any of these data centers that are coming in, and water and power usage.”
Swanson said the Illinois General Assembly must address this hot topic, and there are two sides to the issue.
“The lovers of the data centers are those who see the property tax benefits. Imagine having a $400-million building or $700 million added to your property tax roll. That goes a long ways to funding schools,” he said. “The lovers see the dollars. The lovers see all the union work, all the contract work being performed in the construction of a building that can be sometimes as large or on property of 1,000 acres. Huge, massive buildings that generate a great lot of revenue and tax base.”
“The haters are the ones who see it as they hear the noise, they see the environmental impact of it, they see the electricity costs going up, they see the water possibly being destroyed as part of that environmental impact,” Swanson said. “In Springfield, I will support legislation that puts guardrails on the data centers. That the water systems must be closed-circuit water systems. They're not draining from a river or lake or pond or something like that and then pumping that water back in there.”
“They should bring in their own power supply,” he added. “Lovers look at the tax revenue. The haters look at the sound, the noise, the environmental impact, and the cost it may cost in their home community.”
“When it comes to data centers, we need guardrails and not incentives,” Halpin said. “These AI companies and the other tech companies have invested so much money in this technology already that they need to have these data centers. They're going to build them no matter whether we give them incentives or not.”
“We need to make sure that they are not forcing on us higher utility rates, higher water rates, and they are not coming to our neighborhoods and imposing environmental catastrophe on us,” he said. “We need to make sure we are holding those folks accountable. I agree with the premise that we need to make sure local governments do have control over these. We also want to make sure we have a state that supports those local governments so those local governments aren't overrun by the money and the lawyers and the developers that are going to be trying to push these onto our communities.”
“I look at it with great caution,” Halpin said. “And with every new technology, we sometimes are a little slow on bringing regulations. We think that this business is coming in, it's going to provide jobs, provide property tax revenue, we need to embrace it. And then later on, we realize all the negative impacts that have happened. This time around, I want to be of the generation that says we recognize the power and the possibility these structures, but we are getting in on the ground floor to make sure you are accountable for the things that you can possibly cause.”
“I don't want this to be able to pop up in my neighborhood that's already being affected by many of the things from the nuclear power plant, from 3M,” Dopler said. “I'm not a lover of the AI data centers. I don't want one in my backyard. Most people don't. And it's because of the way that it's going to affect the people, the things that it's going to strip away from the community. So yes, I would put as much legislation in place as possible to make sure that the work is going to the right people when it comes, that that's union work.”
Registered voters can vote early at the county clerk’s office (1504 3rd Ave., Rock Island) or request an absentee ballot by Oct. 29 for the Nov. 3 election. You can also vote early (Oct. 19-30) at Silvis City Council Chambers, Milan Municipal Building and Moline Public Library.
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