See also: Meet Sanford Hess, Democratic candidate for Champaign County Executive
CHAMPAIGN – Democrats in Champaign County will decide who will be the next County Executive in the primary election. Early voting begins Thursday, with the primary election set for March 17.
Democrats Michelle Jett and Sanford Hess are seeking their party’s nomination for the role. The winner of the Democratic primary is presumed to be the next County Executive, since there are no Republican candidates. The new County Executive will replace current Champaign County Executive Democrat Steve Summers, who has been in office since 2022.
Jett has over a decade of experience in government, including state politics and local public administration, most recently as a director of administration for more than six years in the County Executive’s office.
She said her main motivation to run for the position is to improve the work culture for over 500 employees in Champaign County – and ensure the county spends the remaining federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act before the end of the year.
“We’ve made a lot of progress in the last three years – I don’t want to see it go backwards,” she said.
Jett said she also wants to respond to actions being taken at the federal level.
“My biggest commitment is that we are doing everything on the local level to keep that out of Champaign County: to protect our immigrant friends and neighbors, to protect our social services, to protect our freedom and our right, to make sure that our elections are fair and accessible.”
The Champaign County Executive is responsible for day-to-day operations of the County administration.
The role of County Executive is relatively new to Champaign County. Champaign is one of only two counties that holds elections rather than appointing the role.
While other local government roles are responsible for delivering one type of service or being part of the decision-making body, the County Executive is an operational role responsible for day-to-day, logistical processes that support all of county government.
Jett said her experience in state and local government, including four years as chief of staff for a local state representative, makes her a great candidate.
“Politics does not set the trend. Politics follows the trend,” she said. “And so the voters, the constituents, the people who are concerned, they need to be the ones going to their elected officials and saying, ‘I want this addressed. And here’s what I want the outcome to look like,’ and really demanding a place at the table to make that happen.”
According to Jett, the county currently faces resource capacity challenges due to a population surge.
“Champaign County is a growing community, which is not the norm kind of right now, but our population continues to grow. We continue to build new homes, and all of that increases the demand on the services that the county provides,” she said.
County government provides services no one else provides, Jett said, and the growing demand for services is coupled with a greater “complexity of laws,” she added.
The County Executive is also responsible for county-owned facilities, which includes the Brookens Center, which previously housed countywide offices. Champaign County administrative offices have since relocated to the Bennett Administrative Center in downtown Urbana.
The Brookens Center has been put on the market for $3.5 million, leaving its future unclear. Jett said she wants to see it used as a community resource center.
“I think that there is a real opportunity for us to provide a space for like-minded community organizations to be co-located to foster their collaboration, to make it easier for the public to access multiple services,” she said.
Converting Brookens into a community center would be a big project.
“And those conversations are happening,” Jett said. “But I don’t know that that’s something that we’ll be able to pull off in time.”
Jett said the Champaign County courthouse could also be faced with overcapacity challenges in the future, which will need to be addressed in the coming years.
“I do know that it’s crowded at the courthouse – everyone’s doing the best they can, and we appreciate that,” she said. “But I do see a scenario in five to 10 years where we are at a capacity level where something has to give at that point.”
Jett said she is committed to fostering a safe environment in Champaign County, regardless of the federal government’s approach to policymaking.
“Whoever is in this position should be very clear, very transparent, and very upfront on where they stand on those issues, because those are really important, crucial issues right now,” she said. “And the voters have a right to know if they’re voting for someone that considers that stuff to be critical and a priority or they don’t – and I do.”
Jett cites a number of endorsements on her website, including those from current Champaign County Executive Summers, Champaign County Board members, City of Urbana Mayor DeShawn Williams and a number of unions.