Candidates face off at forum

The Committee of Springfield Illinois, a nonpartisan group, held two debates on Sunday, Sept. 27, bringing together candidates for the 48th Senate district and Sangamon County sheriff races.

Bernard Schoenburg, a former political journalist at The State Journal-Register, moderated the debates held at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Springfield. Schoenburg now serves on the board of directors for Local Journalism Matters, the nonprofit which oversees Illinois Times.

48th State Senate District race

Democrat State Sen. Doris Turner and Republican Sangamon County Recorder Frank Lesko seek to represent the 48th Senate District, which includes most of Sangamon County and portions of Christian, Montgomery, Macoupin and Madison counties.

Turner was first appointed for the seat in 2021. She previously served on the Sangamon County Board and the Springfield City Council.

Lesko was elected Sangamon County recorder in 2024 and is a former Springfield city clerk and member of the Springfield Park Board.

Through the debate, he emphasized his goal to reduce taxes and downsize government and reminded the audience of his campaign pledge when running for his current seat.

“On Dec. 1 of this year, I will fire myself and hand over the office to the county clerk’s office, and we’ll save the taxpayers $250,000,” Lesko said.

Lesko was elected to a four-year term in November 2024 by only 31 votes over longtime incumbent Democrat Josh Langfelder. Langfelder opposed Lesko’s plan to merge the recorder’s office with the clerk’s office, led by Republican Don Gray.

Lesko campaigned with a “hire me to fire me” slogan, but the Republicans initially didn’t plan to sunset the office until 2028. In January 2025, the Democrats on the County Board had a rare win and led a successful effort to get a referendum on the next ballot asking voters to decide whether to eliminate the office of recorder of deeds and transfer its duties to the county clerk, effective Dec. 1, 2026. It was approved by 57% of the voters.

The incumbent said education and affordability issues matter to her and highlighted her advocacy for lowering healthcare costs. 

“I think it’s critical that we address the rising prices that all my families are facing,” Turner said.

Regarding recent controversy around data centers, Turner said it’s a local issue. “It’s not one-size-fits-all and depends on the community,” she said.

The Sangamon County Board approved zoning in April to allow for construction of the area’s first hyperscale data center. Residents near the proposed site in Waverly have filed suit seeking to stop the project. It was strongly supported by local trade unions, which have also been significant contributors to Turner’s campaign.

Turner said she would support regulations to protect water and farmland, as well as restrictions on non-disclosure agreements.

Lesko said, “I’m not real hip to the data centers because of the environmental side of it.”

He would be open to listening to all arguments, “but it has to be good for the people.”

While data center development has become one of the few issues that doesn’t fall along party lines, the candidates’ positions on other topics aligned with their respective party’s stance.

Lesko referred to undocumented immigrants as “Illegals,” while Turner described them as neighbors and lamented the “us versus them” stance.

The candidates did agree on their support for downtown development in Springfield.

Turner introduced a bill in the Senate to create a Capital Area Tourism Authority that includes building a new hotel in the city center. Her bill did not pass before the end of the spring legislative session, but in light of the possible development, Sangamon County recently passed a 3% hotel tax to fund an expansion of the BOS Center.

“I don’t like any kind of tax increase for anybody, because I think it comes back to the people no matter what happens,” Lesko said, “but I do love Springfield and downtown.”

The crowd of around 100 people, which was diverse in age and racial background, provided their own commentary with loud gasps and murmurs throughout the debate.

When the candidates were asked who they would support in the Illinois governor’s race, Lesko declined to endorse the Republican frontrunner, Darren Bailey. It’s a significant position for Lesko to take as the Republican state party seeks to differentiate itself from President Donald Trump, while appearing unified for state and local races.

Turner said, “I am very proudly supporting Gov. JB Pritzker.”

Sangamon County sheriff race

Sheriff Paula Crouch, a Republican, debated Democratic challenger Marc Bell, who’s been endorsed by Crouch’s primary challenger and former employee David Timm. Bell spent his career with Illinois State Police before retiring more than a decade ago. He currently serves on Springfield’s Police Community Review Commission.

Bell told attendees the sheriff’s office needs to revise how it’s managed, but said he and Crouch have maintained a friendly demeanor.

“She is not my enemy, she is my opponent,” he said. “This race is about history – the history of how the sheriff’s department has not been run properly and been used to just satisfy the needs of the Republican Party… We need somebody that’s outside; I don’t owe them any favors. I am just here to be the head of that agency and to make it the best that it can be.”

Crouch, who was appointed by the County Board in 2024 following former Sheriff Jack Campbell’s retirement after calls for his resignation, said she had no prior connection to the Republican-led County Board.

“As far as nepotism, I didn’t know anybody on the County Board, really, before being appointed – I had never even talked with Chairman (Andy) Van Meter,” she said. “I believe that my hiring practices have been based on the backgrounds and the applications that have come in.”

Crouch mentioned that the Sangamon County Jail is understaffed by 14 correctional officers, but also shared the challenges that go into hiring for such positions.

“The problem is that oftentimes with the increased background – I had four applicants for correctional officers this last go around; two of them failed the psychological exam; one of them failed the background – that left me with one out of four. The process takes a very long time, so we are struggling to get the appropriate staffing into the jail,” she said.

Some questions referenced recent reporting by Illinois Answers Project, which found the Sangamon County Jail has failed all nine Illinois Department of Corrections inspections from 2017 through 2025, and an Injustice Watch story republished by Illinois Times which reported the Sangamon County sheriff’s office released an individual to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement in April 2025 despite no criminal warrant.

“I’ve pulled the reports from the last two years to see what other instances that may have happened with, so we’re in the training and auditing stages there to ensure that we are in compliance,” Crouch said. “That has been addressed, but we weren’t talking about going into anyone’s home. We were talking about people who were already in custody at the jail for state charges.”

Both candidates committed to working to install the sheriff-designated calls to action from the Massey Commission, but Bell’s opening statement included him reading an expanded ethics policy he said he’d implement if elected.

“It is essential that the employees of the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office follow the code of ethics for the office of the sheriff,” Bell said, including a commitment to “not tolerate nor condone brutal or inhumane treatment of others by my employees, nor shall I commit or condone inhumane or brutal treatment of inmates in my care and custody,” amongst a host of other pledges.

Future events

The Committee of Springfield Illinois, which hosted the event, recorded the debates and said they would be posted on the group’s Facebook page.

The nonpartisan group is comprised of more than a dozen organizations including the Faith Coalition for the Common Good, Springfield Urban League and local chapters of the League of Women Voters, the NAACP and the National Organization for Women. The group is holding other events leading up to the November midterm elections for voters to learn about varying candidates. 

The next one, Popcorn with Politicians, will take place from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1, at Union Baptist Church, 1405 E. Monroe St. Sangamon County candidates who will appear on the November ballot have been invited to attend. It is being advertised as chance to meet the candidates, with no speeches planned.