5 Republicans Vying For Livingston County Board Seats
Posted on: Saturday, 18 March 2006, 06:00 CST
By Karen Walters, The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.
Mar. 18--PONTIAC -- Building a new county nursing home and the best way to use fees generated by Livingston Landfill are central issues for GOP primary candidates seeking Livingston County Board seats.
Four incumbents and one newcomer are seeking to represent District 3, which includes Flanagan, Strawn and Cullom.
Carl Borngasser, Jon Goembel, Ronald L. Deany and Stanley R. Weber are all current board members, seeking re-election. Mark E. Runyon is looking to unseat one of them in the March 21 Republican primary.
Voters in District 3 will be able to cast ballots for four of the men because there are four available seats.
There is no one running on the democratic ticket, so the winners of the primary likely will be elected to fill the seats.
Runyon, 45, of Fairbury, said more needs to be done to build a new county nursing home.
"The nursing home is the main issue. Some people don't seem to want to do what the voters asked," he said.
In a 2004 referendum, Livingston County voters overwhelming supported building a new nursing home and a slight tax increase to support the current home, Livingston Manor.
Livingston Manor, located south of Pontiac on Old Route 66, was built in the 1960s and now is outdated.
The four incumbents agree a new county nursing home and law and justice center are priorities for money raised from landfill user fees.
Allied Waste Inc. pays the county an annual fee for Livingston Landfill. Livingston County ended 2005 with $14 million in its landfill fund.
Borngasser, 68, of Fairbury said there will be a clearer direction on the home after the board hears an upcoming report from a consultant. He also said the landfill money should help pay for a 911 call and emergency dispatch center.
"We should use (the landfill money) for the benefit of all the people of the county," he said.
Goembel, 66 of Fairbury, said the landfill money should be committed to a purpose, rather than just sitting in a bank.
Deany, 68, of Chatsworth also supports funding for the 911 center.
"The landfill has been a blessing," he said. "We wouldn't be able to talk about a new nursing home (or other projects) without it."
Weber, 65, of Pontiac said the landfill money should be used to improve the county's infrastructure and assets.
He said roofs of some county buildings and the courthouse elevator should be repaired.
He also said funding the county's Pro-Active Unit police officers should be a priority.
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Copyright (c) 2006, The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.
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Source: The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.
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