I turned in nomination papers for County Supervisor (District 25) and School Board two weeks ago. I want to thank everyone who signed and endorsed me for the April ballot.
I believe that effective change happens at the local level. I decided to run for both positions because I observed that the two largest taxing authorities in the county have little cross communication and do not take advantage of potential cost saving synergies. But this isn’t the main topic of this essay.
As president of the Fox Valley Initiative, I want to provide a forum for timely and fact-based topics that impact our community. Today we live in a world where “facts” have become subjective if not verified against objective sources. You see this most prominently in social media algorithms where initial clicks and posting observations eventually lead you into content that best matches the formula created by the social media web site.
I personally came across this phenomenon when knocking on doors to gather signatures. The couple I encountered were in their mid-to-late fifties and down street neighbors. They invited me in (it was cold outside), I started to give my standard pitch. They listened and then asked me why I had a Charlie Kirk sign (We are all Charlie Kirk Now) in front of my house. I explained that the assassination was an evil and unprovoked act but that the left/liberal reaction to his killing was worse than the act itself. I further explained that I supported Charlie’s mission of engaging in public debate and discourse and that these were the reasons I put the sign out.
They told me that they hadn’t seen any of the reaction videos and were critical of what I told them. They did condemn the killing but gave a qualifier that he had said things that they claimed were offensive, implying that he had somehow been responsible for his own death. We discussed other topics (Obamacare, the shutdown, immigration, and Trump) and the pattern was the same. I’m not claiming to be the arbiter of facts, but I was shocked at the conviction they had discussing the topics using false information as facts.
In the end, we agreed that we had different political views and that they wouldn’t sign my paperwork. We wished each other a Merry Christmas and shook hands. I left the conversation stating that this was why I had a Charlie Kirk sign. We were able to have a frank exchange of ideas, not get upset with each other and still part on good terms.
They will have the same Democrat/liberal sign farm in their front yard this cycle (as they did in 2024) and I’ll have my Republican/conservative sign farm. We’ll smile and wave to each other when on walks and I will acknowledge that their beliefs and mine are opposites. What I won’t accept is a gap between truth and untruth.
I expect to be challenged in my statements and beliefs, and I will listen to counter arguments with respect and if proven wrong, I’ll acknowledge it. My hope is that this will be reciprocated and that as a group, a solution can be found to the problems of the day.