McLean County Unit District No 5 elections (2017)
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Four seats on the McLean County Unit District No 5 school board were up for at-large general election on April 4, 2017. Three of the seats were up for regular election, and one seat was up for special election. In the race for the three seats with four-year terms, incumbent Joseph Cleary and newcomers David Fortner and Taunia Leffler defeated candidate Solomon Roberts-Lieb. In the special election, incumbent Meta Mickens-Baker won election without opposition.[1]
Erik Bush initially filed to run in the election for a four-year term, but withdrew his candidacy on March 15, 2017, citing personal reasons. His name still appeared on the ballot.[2]
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The McLean County Unit District No 5 Board of Education consists of seven members elected at large to four-year terms on a staggered basis every odd-numbered year. Although the district elects its board members at large, no more than three members from the same township can serve on the board. A general election was held on April 4, 2017. There were four seats up for election.[3]
To get on the ballot, school board candidates had to file a notarized statement of candidacy and notarized nominating petitions with the McLean County Clerk's Office during the filing period. The filing period began December 12, 2016, and ended December 19, 2016. Candidates could also file an optional loyalty oath at that time. A statement of economic interests also had to be filed by December 19, 2016. The nominating petitions had to include the signatures of 50 voters residing in the school district and could not be circulated until September 20, 2016.[4]
Candidates and results
At-large (Four-year term)
Results
| McLean County Unit District No 5, At-Large General Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Joseph Cleary Incumbent |
24.57% | 3,385 |
| David Fortner |
24.14% | 3,325 |
| Taunia Leffler |
23.56% | 3,246 |
| Erik Bush | 14.62% | 2,014 |
| Solomon Roberts-Lieb | 13.10% | 1,805 |
| Total Votes | 13,775 | |
| Source: McLean County, Illinois, "Election Summary Report, Official Results," accessed February 6, 2017 | ||
Candidates
Joseph Cleary 
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Erik Bush | David Fortner
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| Taunia Leffler
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Solomon Roberts-Lieb | ||
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At-large (Two-year term)
Results
| McLean County Unit District No 5, At-Large General Election, 2-year terms, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Meta Mickens-Baker Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 5,127 |
| Total Votes | 5,127 | |
| Source: McLean County, Illinois, "Election Summary Report, Official Results," accessed February 6, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Meta Mickens-Baker
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Illinois elections, 2017
The McLean County Unit District No 5 Board of Education election shared the ballot with municipal races across the county.[5]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for Illinois school board elections in 2017:[6]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| December 19, 2016 | Candidate filing deadline |
| February 27, 2017 | Initial campaign finance deadline |
| March 7, 2017 | Last day to register to vote by paper application |
| March 19, 2017 | Last day to register to vote by online application |
| April 3, 2017 | Final election campaign finance deadline |
| April 4, 2017 | Election Day |
Endorsements
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance
School board candidates in Illinois were required to file campaign finance reports if they did one or both of the following:[7]
- Accepted contributions or made disbursements in an aggregate amount of more than $5,000 during the calendar year
- Accepted contributions or made disbursements in an aggregate amount of more than $5,000 during the calendar year for communication via television, radio, or internet in support of or in opposition to a candidate, political party, or public policy
The first campaign finance deadline was February 27, 2017, and the second campaign finance deadline was April 3, 2017.[8]
No contributions or expenditures were reported as of March 2, 2017, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.[9]
Past elections
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What was at stake?
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About the district
McLean County Unit District No 5 is located in McLean County in central Illinois. The county seat of McLean County is Bloomington. McLean County was home to 173,166 residents in 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[10] The district was the 14th-largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 13,696 students.[11]
Demographics
McLean County outperformed the rest of Illinois in terms of higher education achievement from 2011 to 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 44.0 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 32.3 percent of all state residents. The median household income for the county was $62,211, while it was $57,574 for the entire state. The poverty rate in the county was 11.7 percent, compared to 13.6 percent statewide.[10]
| Racial Demographics, 2015[10] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race | McLean County (%) | Illinois (%) | |
| White | 84.3 | 77.3 | |
| Black or African American | 7.8 | 14.7 | |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.3 | 0.6 | |
| Asian | 5.3 | 5.5 | |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0.0 | 0.1 | |
| Two or more races | 2.3 | 1.9 | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 4.8 | 16.9 | |
Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms McLean County Unit District No 5 Illinois election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| McLean County Unit District No 5 | Illinois | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ McLean County, Illinois," Election Summary Report," accessed April 6, 2017
- ↑ NPR from Illinois State University, "Unit 5 School Board Candidate Exits Race," March 15, 2017
- ↑ McLean County Unit School District No 5, "Board of Education," accessed December 19, 2016
- ↑ McLean County, "Elections," accessed December 21, 2016
- ↑ McLean County, "Consolidated Election Overview," accessed December 21, 2016
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election and Campaign Finance Calendar," accessed December 19, 2016
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "A Guide to Campaign Finance Disclosure," accessed January 5, 2017
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election and Campaign Finance Calendar 2017," accessed January 5, 2017
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate Disclosure Search," accessed March 2, 2017
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 United States Census Bureau, "McLean County, Illinois," accessed December 29, 2016
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data, file ccd_lea_052_1414_w_0216161a, 2014-2015," accessed November 16, 2016
