Russ Clark (Sangamon County Board District 25, Illinois, candidate 2024)

Russ Clark

Libertarian Party

Candidate, Sangamon County Board District 25

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Montana State University, 2000

Personal

Profession

Engineer

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Russ Clark (Libertarian Party) ran for election to the Sangamon County Board District 25 in Illinois. Clark was on the ballot in the general election on November 5, 2024.^[source]

Clark completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Russ Clark provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on October 15, 2024:

• High school: Billings (MT) West High
• Bachelor's: Montana State University, 2000
• Profession: Engineer
• Incumbent officeholder: No
• Campaign website
• Campaign Facebook
• Campaign Twitter

Elections

General election

General election for Sangamon County Board District 25

Jennifer Merritt, Jennifer Ghesquiere Deaner, and Russ Clark ran in the general election for Sangamon County Board District 25 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Jennifer Merritt (D)
	Submit photo	Jennifer Ghesquiere Deaner (R)
		Russ Clark (L)

---

	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Clark in this election.

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Russ Clark completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Clark's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Russ Clark moved to Springfield in 2021 with his wife, Kristen, and children Jacquelynn and Madeleine. His son, Ian, lives in Champaign. His family quickly grew to love the area and was excited to make it their home. Russ is originally from Montana and has been an engineer and project manager in the private sector for over 20 years. He has a passion for building things and believes a successful project is one that accommodates both current needs and can easily accommodate future growth.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Property taxes continue to rise and impact everyone in our community. I will fight to keep Sangamon County's portion in line with what you currently pay. I will not vote for a budget deficit. 2/3rds of your property tax bill is set by the school district and their board is independent of the County Board. It would be unethical for me to promise to lower your property taxes with this in mind.
• Springfield's airport has lost 2/3rds of its daily flights in the past 2 years. Our businesses and citizens are being underserved. I will push to pursue grants and programs to restore service between Dallas/Fort-Worth and Springfield. These flights were full and profitable and were lost due to a change in business practices at the airline, not Springfield. I believe we can restore this service and also attract one other flight to another airline hub outside of Illinois.
• I will work with other county board members to send a recall referendum for all county elected officers, not just Sheriff. While current board members push for a Sheriff only option, it ignores the issues that arose with former Sangamon County Coroner Susan Boone. As Coroner, Boone falsified large numbers of death certificates during her time in office in the early 2000's. She only left office when her elected position was threatened to be made an appointed position (Sheriff cannot as it must be elected per Illinois Statute).

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am personally passionate about planning and zoning and infrastructure. As an engineer, I'm very familiar with these topics. Proper planning can allow counties to maximize their full economic potential by eliminating rework of civic projects which lowers costs and helps keep property taxes low.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

It is a representative of a county government.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity - Following the law and avoiding conflicts of interest.

Accountability - Being accountable to the voters who elected you to office.

Flexibility - Listen carefully to all sides and look for solutions that solve the issue.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To work in committees on ordinances and estimates for projects. To vote and approve budgets, zoning changes and board appointments in county board meetings.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I remember the Challenger disaster when I was 9. I attended an elementary school where one of the teachers was a semi-finalist in the competition to be the first teacher in space. It was shocking for all of us to see. After about 20 minutes, we went back to our schoolwork.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

The board approves appointments to 29 different boards in Sangamon County including the Airport Authority, drainage districts, fire districts and the Health Dept.
https://sangamonil.gov/departments/a-c/county-board/boards-and-commissions/county-board-appointed-boards-and-commissions

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

No. The county has a professional administrator and several department heads that manage the day to day business of the county. The Board should act as an independent check on administration and be the voice of the voters of Sangamon County.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

I have been an engineer and project manager for over 24 years. During that time, I have developed several greenfield sites which required road improvements, zoning approvals, and right-of-way management on top of building the site. I am very familiar with issues that can arise from planning and zoning. I can identify concerns or ask questions of staff that are technical in nature that will avoid negative consequences in the future.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the local government?

We are representing the voters of Sangamon County to ensure that critical services are maintained and the county can have a growing economy.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

I am in favor of financial transparency in government. The County Auditor publishes the salaries of employees and contracts are available for review. Employees and officials are required to file Statements of Economic Interests that can be reviewed by the public.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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