Dennis Killian for County Board, District 01

08/11/2026

Next Monday at the Davis Lodge!

08/11/2026

I visited the headquarters of Connect Transit with Julie Hile in late May. Julie is chair of the Connect Transit board.

Many of the elderly in our community have been familiar with the Show Bus, a county funded service that provided transportation for the elderly in rural parts of the county. Many fewer people are familiar with Connect GO, the replacement service.

Connect GO provides rural public transportation and launched July 1, 2025. Nearly 2500 total trips were provided in the first 11 months. 26% of all rural trips originated in District 1, the north part of the county that stretches from Carlock to Colfax and north Normal to Chenoa. Over 80% of these trips were from either Lexington or Chenoa.

This is a door-to-door service for any McLean County rural resident, and was initially free, paid for by state and federal dollars. As of August 1, the cost is $4 one way within McLean County, and $8 one way for rides originating outside of the county.

This service is used for work trips, medical appointments, shopping, education, and other essential needs.

Rides need to be scheduled 1 to 7 days in advance, and are first come first served. Hours of operation are Monday to Friday 8 AM to 5 PM.

For more information, please go to connect-transit.com/connect-go or call 309-828-9833.

08/11/2026

Good to see the results of this audit. Perhaps this will convince the City and the Town that the shared sales tax revenue is being used appropriately.

The fund came under scrutiny in 2024 when town and city elected officials learned of a $20 million balance, leading to calls for an audit. Normal and Bloomington temporarily paused sharing the tax revenue from April 2026 through June 2026.

08/10/2026

07/28/2026

Interesting forum last night.

Bloomington-Normal unions hosted a forum Monday night to hear from candidates for McLean County Board and several countywide positions, including clerk.

07/28/2026

Proud to receive the endorsement of the Bloomington & Normal Trades & Labor Assembly!

Labor welcomes candidates, votes endorsements

On Monday, July 27, the Bloomington & Normal Trades & Labor Assembly (AFL-CIO) and the Livingston & McLean Counties Building & Construction Trades Council hosted a forum for all local candidates. After the session, delegates voted on endorsements.

“We were very pleased with the response,” said Trades & Labor President Jason Pascal. “We wanted to create an open opportunity to hear from each candidate and create the space where they could address our concerns directly.”

Of the ten McLean County board races, all ten Democratic candidates appeared, along with three Republican candidates. In the contested County Clerk race, both incumbent Republican Kathy Michael and her challenger, Democrat Joshua Crockett, spoke. Unopposed Republican Sheriff candidate Jon Albee and incumbent Treasurer Rebecca McNeil appeared.

Two specific questions were asked in advance, which most candidates addressed favorably. Currently, local governments have Project Labor Agreements in place for governmental construction projects. These agreements require local hiring through programs with federally certified apprenticeship programs. The candidates were asked if they would extend PLA provisions to include Tax Increment Financing or other subsidies to private development. The second question was whether, if public employees were trying to organize a union, they would oppose using tax dollars to fund anti-union campaigns. Most candidates from both parties supported both concepts.

“When it was endorsement time, the delegates really considered incumbent voting records,” said Building & Trades President Mike Raikes. “We appreciated that the majority of candidates were favorable toward labor concerns. In the final estimate, we wanted to support those who have voted for labor-friendly measures during their term.”

Democratic candidates for county board were endorsed, including Dennis Killian (district 1), Raul Martinez (District 2), Rick Perez (District 3), William Bessler (District 4), Buck Farley (District 5), Beverly Bell (District 6), John Poling (District 7), Lea Cline (District 8), Jennifer Brown (District 9), and Corey Beirne (District 10). Joshua Crockett was endorsed in the clerk’s race.

For more information, contact Trades & Labor President Jason Pascal at 309-530-4000 or Building Trades President Mike Raikes at 309-827-4868.

07/27/2026

Great turn out for Bloomington-Normal’s Pridefest! Honored to share space with the other incredible democratic candidates from McLean County and excited to work alongside McLean County residents through election season and beyond!