Two Geneva residents with very different résumés are squaring off for the Kane County Board's District 11 seat, and the contest is shaping up as a referendum on how the county should handle rising taxes, a tightening housing market and the rapid arrival of data centers. Democrat Julie Forbes, 68, and Republican William Collins, 63, will face Fox Valley voters on the November 3 general election ballot.
Forbes earned her spot on the ballot the hard way, unseating incumbent Leslie Juby in the March 17 Democratic primary by a decisive 2,093 to 1,205 margin, according to Shaw Local. Juby had served on the county board since 2022 after a dozen years on the Geneva Board of Education. Collins, meanwhile, is the Republican nominee.
As reported by the Aurora Beacon-News, Forbes has identified the economy, affordable housing, the environment and proposed data centers as the concerns she's hearing most from voters. She told the paper that food prices, fuel costs, health care, housing and rent have all risen substantially and that voters fear no end is in sight.
Housing Squeeze Hits Home in Dense Geneva
Forbes has pointed to Geneva's unusually dense population within District 11 as a root cause of the district's housing crunch, telling the Beacon-News that the area lacks affordable housing in general and has a very low vacancy rate, leaving residents struggling to find homes to buy or rent. That complaint lines up with countywide numbers: a June Kane County Housing Readiness Action Plan report found vacancy rates had fallen to 3.5 percent while median home values climbed 30 percent over four years, according to Kane County Government. That same report estimated the county will need more than 46,000 new housing units by 2050 to keep pace with population growth.
Forbes brings 41 years in the retail food industry to her campaign, including 17 years in executive management, according to Kane County Democratic Women. She began her public service career as a park ranger with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after graduating from Iowa State University, and she has corporate budgeting experience. If elected, she says she wants to focus on the budget, transparency, revenue and improving how the board itself operates.
Data Centers Raise Utility and Environmental Worries
Forbes has also flagged data centers moving into the area without, in her view, a full understanding of their effects on utility bills and the environment, per the Beacon-News report.
Forbes says she wants to protect the Fox River Valley, forest preserves, open spaces, farmland and water quality, and argues the board needs to work better together across party lines.
Collins Zeroes In on Taxes and Veterans
Collins is campaigning on a different set of priorities: financial stability, tax bills, funding for veterans' programs and community mental health initiatives, the Beacon-News reported. He has said Kane County has raised taxes every year and that residents want programs run efficiently so annual increases aren't automatic. He also said residents want veterans' programs funded and that the county already runs good programs for that population, while arguing mental health programs need more funding because community needs have grown.
On land use, Collins says he wants to secure all available funding for the farmland protection program and strike a balance between farms and urban growth, and he's called for continued funding of roads and bridges. He brings a municipal government background to the race, and like Forbes, he's said the board needs to communicate better, act more bipartisan and meet in the middle to resolve funding fights and improve the county overall.
A Forum Appearance and a Divided Board
At a candidate forum on September 22, three Republican candidates were absent, Shaw Local reported.
Both candidates are campaigning against a backdrop of real friction inside the county government they hope to join. The Kane County Board voted 13-7 to censure Chair Corinne Pierog on September 29 over the disclosure of confidential details tied to an investigation involving a board member, Hoodline reported in its coverage of the censure vote.
Budget pressure is also part of the conversation both candidates are having with voters. In May, the board approved 2.5 percent raises amid budget pressure; a separate motion for 2.7 percent raises matching consumer inflation failed in a split vote. Kane County voters will decide the District 11 race, along with the rest of the county board, when they head to the polls on November 3.
