[0:00] Welcome to the candidate forum put on by
the League of Women Voters of Elmherst.
[0:05] My name is Patty Lackman and I am from
the League of Women Voters of Central
[0:09] Kain County. I will not have a vote in
any of these upcoming elections here in
[0:14] DuPage County. No skin in the game. The
League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan
[0:20] organization that neither supports or
opposes candidates or parties for any
[0:26] office. The league's purpose is to
promote political responsibility through
[0:32] the informed and active participation of
citizens in government. Providing this
[0:37] forum allows citizens to become better
informed about issues facing their
[0:42] community and to become better
acquainted with the candidates running
[0:46] for office. The League of Women Voters
is not responsible for the accuracy of
[0:52] statements made by candidates. We're
happy to provide this service for the
[0:57] community. At this time, I would ask
that you please turn off cell phones and
[1:02] other electronic devices. I would also
ask that you refrain from applauding or
[1:08] in other ways demonstrating support or
opposition of a candidate. No campaign
[1:14] literature may be passed out in this
room. The audience is encouraged and
[1:19] welcome to submit questions. Note cards
and pencils have been provided on which
[1:24] to submit your questions. Questions will
be reviewed only for duplication,
[1:29] clarity, and appropriateness for the
office being discussed. Please signal a
[1:35] league volunteer.
When your question is ready for
[1:38] submission, can you anybody raise your
hand? We have one right here.
[1:45] Excuse me. Please uh also signal a
volunteer if additional note cards are
[1:50] needed. Realize that we might not get to
all questions and in the event of
[1:55] duplication, they will put questions
together to make the best question.
[2:01] The League of Women Voters of Elmherst
invited all three candidates for the
[2:05] Democratic DuPage Forest Preserve
District 2 for this forum. Candidates
[2:10] Jacqueline Jax West and Dana Maro did
not respond by the deadline date. It
[2:17] should be noted that the League has an
empty chair policy which prohibits
[2:22] a forum with only one candidate
participating,
[2:26] but League of Women Voters of Illinois
does have a policy allowing the
[2:31] candidate that did accept to give a
threeinut statement. Candidate Tina
[2:37] Tyson Dunn will be given the opportunity
to give a statement no longer than three
[2:42] minutes. We will continue with those
seeking to be the Democratic candidate
[2:46] for district 1 for DuPage Forest
Preserve. All candidates running in a
[2:51] contested race were invited. The
candidates have agreed to abide by the
[2:55] rules set forth prior to this forum.
Uh, candidate Tina T T T T T T T T T T T
[3:02] T T T T T T T T T T D D D D D D D D D D
D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
[3:02] D D D D D D D D D D,
you have your three minutes.
[3:05] » Good afternoon. My name is Tina Tyson
Dunn and I'm running for reelection as
[3:10] your District 2 Forest Preserve
Commissioner. I want to thank the League
[3:13] of Women Voters for giving me this
opportunity to connect with our
[3:17] residents. I am driven by a deep care
for people, our environment, and a
[3:21] steadfast commitment to protecting both.
Caring for others has always been second
[3:26] nature to me. As a child, I stood up to
bullies and stepped in when others
[3:30] turned away. Growing up a part of the
Chicago Chicago's Native American
[3:34] community, I was raised on the front
lines of activism, marching for
[3:38] indigenous rights before I was old
enough to fully understand their scope.
[3:43] But these roots helped grow and shape me
into someone who cannot stay silent in
[3:47] the face of injustice. Whether it's
environmental protection, human rights,
[3:51] or women's rights, I've always been
compelled to act. Today that resolved is
[3:56] focused on protecting environmental laws
from relentless attacks from out of our
[4:01] white house, safeguarding environmental
protections we have here in Illinois and
[4:05] being a voice to help strengthen those
laws when needed. And I am looking ahead
[4:10] as we are working on a new strategic
plan for our agency, ensuring our core
[4:14] mission, values, and visions hold true
to the road ahead. For the past five
[4:19] years, I've served as your forest
preserve district commissioner and dis
[4:23] forest preserve commissioner in district
2, earning the highest vote totals
[4:27] across all county board and forest
preserve districts. I've run competitive
[4:31] races in a district 30% larger than a
state house district twice. I am the
[4:36] first Democrat and the first woman to
hold this seat, the first Democratic
[4:40] woman to chair multiple meetings as
president promp, and I've served as our
[4:45] board treasurer since 2020. I'm not
afraid to work hard, knock doors, and
[4:50] engage voters directly because I know
they they always will put they know I
[4:55] will always put their interest first.
I've earned a bachelor's degree and two
[4:59] graduate degrees. I am a certified
master natural naturalist through the
[5:03] University of Illinois Extension program
and hold financial certifications.
[5:08] As a third generation Lombardian, I've
thrown myself into building democratic
[5:12] strength here in DuPage County. I've
served as an election judge, a precinct
[5:17] committee person, and past chair of York
Township Democratic Organization. All
[5:22] while running and winning my own two
running two of my own races as past
[5:28] president of Democratic Women of DuPage
County and past vice chair of community
[5:32] engagement for our county party. I've
continued to lead as an executive
[5:36] committee member at both the township
and county level. Local candidates know
[5:41] they can count on me for strategy,
support, and resources. And I take pride
[5:45] in helping them not just win, but
succeed once in office. This is not just
[5:50] politics for me. It's personal. It's
about honoring where I came from,
[5:54] protecting what we've built, and
fighting for the future we all deserve.
[5:58] To find out more about my campaign, you
can go to votina.org, and you can find
[6:02] me on both Facebook and Instagram.
Together, we can build a greener DUP
[6:06] page. Thank you so much.
>> Thank you. And now we will move on to
[6:11] the two candidates um for district 1.
They are Quinn Fulmer and Susan SMC. And
[6:19] we will they will each present a one
minute introductory statement. The order
[6:23] determined alphabetically by last name
within each ward. Then questions will be
[6:28] asked and each candidate will have one
minute to respond in alternating order.
[6:34] Closing statements will continue in
alpha rotation and will also be one
[6:38] minute. League of Women Voters of
Elmherst will keep time. Timekeepers,
[6:44] raise your hand.
And candidates will strictly adhere to
[6:49] the time limits. I will afford you the
opportunity to finish your sentence, but
[6:54] let's let's not go on to another
paragraph.
[6:57] Please notice the timers and when you
see the stop sign, as I said, you may
[7:03] finish your sentence. Okay, we will go
with candidate Fulmer with your one
[7:08] minute opening.
>> Thank you. I'm currently sitting on the
[7:13] Rosel School Desist 12 board and working
at Lake Park High School. I received my
[7:18] degree in wildlife ecology from the
University of Wisconsin Stevens Point
[7:22] and since then, I've really been putting
that degree to work. Not only have I
[7:26] been spearheading the habitat
restoration efforts at both of Lake
[7:29] Par's campuses, but I've also taken what
I've learned about soils and hydrarology
[7:34] to address some of the district's
flooding concerns by combining the
[7:38] natural policy or properties of the soil
with the ecology of our endangered
[7:43] wetland plants. Not only was I able to
solve the flooding problem and prevent
[7:48] costly property damage, but I was also
able to provide a biodiversity hotspot
[7:53] for some of the rarest plants on Earth.
Admittedly, I'm newer to the political
[7:58] landscape, but I'm not running to join a
political circle. I'm running to add a
[8:02] naturalist touch to a board of the
Forest Preserve that is already full of
[8:07] respected and accomplished
administrators.
[8:10] Thank you.
>> Thank you, Candidus.
[8:14] your opening.
>> Good afternoon and thank you to the
[8:17] League of Women Voters for hosting this
forum. My name is Susan Sment and I am
[8:21] running for DuPage County Forest
Preserve Commissioner District 1 because
[8:25] our forest preserves matter to our
families today and to future
[8:28] generations. I've spent more than 20
years working full-time in parks and
[8:33] recreation. I'm a certified parks and
recreation executive, an Illinois master
[8:38] naturalist, and I serve on the Elmherst
Park Board. I also manage the Glenn
[8:42] Ellen Parks Foundation and I'm the
treasurer of the Glenn Ellen Chamber of
[8:46] Commerce. For nearly 30 years, I've been
right here in our community listening,
[8:50] showing up, and helping turn ideas into
action. That includes creating new
[8:54] parks, replacing aging playgrounds, and
planning major new recreational
[8:58] facilities that people will use every
day. I'm running to protect and restore
[9:02] natural habitats, make sure our
preserves are safe, welcoming, and
[9:06] accessible for everyone, and to be a
responsible steward of public dollars. I
[9:10] believe I have a strong vision, clear
priorities, and the experience necessary
[9:15] to make things happen.
>> Thank you. First question, candidate
[9:20] cementic,
what do you see as the three top
[9:24] priorities within the forest preserve
district?
[9:29] The three top priorities that I see in
the forest preserve district are to
[9:34] continue with the master plans that they
have put in place and they are
[9:37] continuing to make future master plans
and those plans encompass encompass
[9:42] habitat restoration um accessibility
issues. Some of the things that are
[9:47] happening in the Heric Lake master plan
towards accessibility are really
[9:51] wonderful and I'm very excited about the
new building, the natural resources
[9:56] center and that we can be on the
forefront uh of sustainability showing
[10:00] that we can build things to a net zero
level. So restoration, safety,
[10:07] accessibility, continuing with plans and
you know being a leader in sustainable
[10:12] issues. Thank you.
Candidate Fulmer, same question. Three
[10:19] top priorities.
>> All right. Well, looking at the parks
[10:23] and preserves today, uh we do have quite
the issue with invasive species, which
[10:28] does also play into the accessibility
issue because in an area that is clogged
[10:34] out with invasives, you can't really
access it. You can't walk more than 2T
[10:38] into it. Additionally, I believe
education is another priority because
[10:44] when you have parks and preserves that
are clogged with invasives for so long,
[10:48] a lot of members of the public come to
expect that as how it's supposed to be.
[10:53] So when you finally do get around to,
you know, having a controlled burn or
[10:57] cutting down some of those invasive
trees, you'll find some backlash that,
[11:01] you know, if they had been educated, had
there been some signage out there
[11:05] previously, they would understand the
process of what's going on and not be so
[11:10] alarmed by, you know, having a fire in
your prairies or seeing big trees cut
[11:15] down.
>> Thank you.
[11:20] Next question. We'll start with
candidate Fulmer.
[11:24] Describe the opportunities you see to
continue green initiatives within the
[11:28] forest preserve system.
>> All right.
[11:34] So, we have plenty of endangered some
critically endangered wildflower species
[11:41] that can be found in DuPage County. For
example, one of them, the the cane malow
[11:47] is only found on one island. Um, we have
the opportunity here in Dwage County to
[11:54] bolster our efforts to protect these
endangered species and put them in
[11:59] accessible, visible spots for our
parkgoers to enjoy. Additionally,
[12:06] uh the removal of aquatic invasives such
as curly leaf pondweed and the Eurasian
[12:13] mil foil will also make our waterways
more accessible and advantageous to uh
[12:21] anglers and other people that are
looking to either have a relaxing day
[12:26] out on the water or feed their families.
>> Thank you, Kenned. Same question. Could
[12:33] you repeat the question? Sorry.
>> Describe the opportunities you see to
[12:37] continue green initiatives within the
forest preserve system.
[12:42] » Opportunities that we have taken
advantage of include uh solar energy
[12:47] project projects um and solar on our
golf courses for instance and the
[12:52] netzero building and the wildlife
center. So we have the opportunity to
[12:56] keep doing that with the natural
resources center. Um, I also am have
[13:02] been part of some stream restoration
projects here in Elmherst and was very
[13:07] excited to see the stream restoration
project at the Growi Dam, the dam go
[13:12] away. Uh, so as we continue to keep
restoring the waterways and the species
[13:18] that we are working to support,
including our freshwater muscles,
[13:22] cleaning up our water is a very high
priority for me.
[13:27] » Thank you, candidates. Mennec, how
should the Forest Preserve District
[13:32] solicit public input for its ongoing
projects?
[13:37] » The Forest Preserve District, I believe
they actually are really doing a great
[13:41] job of soliciting input. Right now, they
have a survey online that you can view
[13:45] the Heric Lake plans and you can go in
and comment. So, typical ways that
[13:50] districts and park districts will do
this, uh, public surveys, statistically
[13:54] valid surveys, promotion on social
media, on websites, postcards, mail to
[14:01] people who live within, uh, certain
amount of distance of those particular
[14:05] parks. So, I think that they're very
well geared to receive uh, lots of input
[14:10] on their projects.
>> Thank you. Can candidate Fulmer, same
[14:16] question. Might you repeat it, please?
>> How should the Forest Preserve District
[14:21] solicit public input for its ongoing
projects?
[14:27] » So, in addition to uh conducting surveys
and looking at the social media replies,
[14:33] I would plan to be the most visible
commissioner out in the parks
[14:37] themselves, talking with the people that
use them on a daily basis. Uh, I find
[14:43] that my career already lends to me being
out outside basically every day. And
[14:50] while you're out there, you encounter
people, whether they be fishing, whether
[14:55] they're hiking or walking their dogs,
and you can strike up a conversation
[14:59] with them, see what their thoughts are
on the ground over what's happening with
[15:04] their parks. because at the end of the
day, the people that are out in the
[15:08] parks are going to have the strongest
voices about them. Thank you.
[15:20] Next question.
[15:24] Candidate Fulmer, please address the
opportunities for volunteers within the
[15:28] Forest Preserve District.
[15:32] Well, uh, off the top of my head, I am
aware that they have a fantastic
[15:37] breeding bird survey program where
volunteers go around and conduct citizen
[15:42] science amongst our preserves, seeing
what species of birds are nesting in our
[15:47] wetlands, prairies, and forests. And
through that, we gather valuable
[15:51] information to see if our restoration
efforts are indeed working.
[15:57] uh because if we don't have those eyes
out in the field,
[16:03] we don't really have that great of an
idea of what's going on. Additionally,
[16:08] uh I am aware that there are plenty of
litter pickups, uh highway adopt a
[16:15] highway programs, uh in which you're
able to go out and pick up and beautify
[16:21] the environment.
Thank you.
[16:25] » Thank you.
Candidate Semantic, same question.
[16:30] » Uh, volunteer opportunities that do
exist include signups to um clear uh
[16:36] invasives from the parks, from the
preserves. The friends of the forest and
[16:41] the other nonfor-profit groups that are
associated often have sign up uh for
[16:46] park cleanup, the trail cleanup, the
depage river sweep days. There are also
[16:51] citizen science projects that people can
take part in if they want to do a a
[16:55] short but fun project. Uh where I work,
we have a project uh I work in Glenn
[17:00] Ellen and our natural resources
department that I'm part of has a a
[17:06] volunteer signup thing that we call
habitat heroes. Uh where people can help
[17:10] us keep track of pollinators and bees
and monarch butterflies and do bird
[17:14] watching walks. Uh so I think we have
lots of opportunity to advertise to get
[17:19] people involved if they would like to
volunteer.
[17:23] » Thank you.
>> Candidate Cementic, how will you protect
[17:29] the wetlands in DuPage County?
>> That's a really big uh issue for one
[17:36] person to tackle.
How can I personally in a minute
[17:40] » I know in a minute. Um well, as we all
know, the wetlands and our watershed
[17:45] areas are critically important to us.
And one of the things that the forest
[17:49] preserve is doing uh besides the dam
removal and the stream restoration
[17:54] projects is the freshwater muscles um
project. And I would just be an advocate
[18:02] for reducing runoff. Uh where I also
where I work, the runoff prevents a lot
[18:09] of the water from freezing. So people
that are used to saying, "Hey, we always
[18:12] ice skated on that pond. The ponds don't
freeze." So working with local
[18:16] municipalities to see if we can do
things to be salt smart, uh to educate
[18:21] the consumers about what you're
releasing into the waterways and to just
[18:26] stand for strong environmental
protections legally.
[18:31] » Thank you. Candidate Pulmer, same
question.
[18:36] looking at a lot of the wetlands within
the forest preserve district,
[18:40] specifically one close to where I live
and work. Uh the Madina wetlands are
[18:45] currently a pretty neglected portion of
forest preserve property. But if you
[18:50] take a look at what's actually growing
there, most of it is invasive, but it's
[18:55] not long established invasive. Most of
it is less than that big in diameter and
[19:00] could easily be removed with a pair of
loopers. And going off of the previous
[19:05] questions about uh volunteer invasive
removal,
[19:10] uh Lake Park High School has plenty of
volunteer opportunities. We have days of
[19:14] action. We have uh civics in action
where service hours are required. Uh
[19:20] perhaps the Forest Preserve could foster
relationships with uh educational
[19:25] foundations and other local
organizations like the Boy Scout troops
[19:30] to get some of our volunteer labor out
there and put a big dent in our
[19:36] problems. Thank you.
>> Thank you.
[19:39] Next question. The Forest Preserve
District recently had its first
[19:44] referendum to increase funding in many
years. What projects will you
[19:50] uh want to see initiated to use these
funds and what should the priorities be?
[19:57] Kind of a two
>> okay
[19:59] » point thing.
[20:03] » Well, from what I've gathered, the uh
increase was 5%.
[20:10] And the
increase in expenses is also expected to
[20:15] rise 5%. Which, you know, kind of
cancels out. But looking at the master
[20:22] plan that has been approved, uh I think
that the Maple Meadows golf course
[20:29] improvement would take priority because
not only is the forest preserve property
[20:35] enhanced, but you're also solving a
residential flooding issue and providing
[20:41] habitat for wetland plants and animals
at the same time. Everybody wins with
[20:46] this project.
Thank you. Candidate Smantic. Same
[20:51] question.
>> One thing that we that that what a board
[20:57] does is
manage an executive director who manages
[21:02] staff. And one of the great things that
the passing of that referendum allows
[21:06] the Forest Preserve District to do is to
hire and maintain retain the best
[21:12] employees that manage our parks and run
the facilities and treat the wildlife.
[21:18] And so just having that referendum money
to help support staff with salaries and
[21:25] benefits is a great thing. Um and then
because I do live in District One, I
[21:30] also agree with Mr. Fulmer that the next
great project, especially in our
[21:34] district, that I would like to see move
forward is plans for the Maple Meadow
[21:38] Golf Course to turn it into the same
kind of golf preserve that we already
[21:42] enjoy at Oak Meadows.
>> Thank you.
[21:51] What is one of your favorite forest
preserves in DuPage County? Kennedy.
[21:58] Okay, when you ask this question, this
is like asking a parent, which one of
[22:02] your kids is your favorite? So, um I I I
I would say that my current favorite
[22:08] forest preserve or my children, two out
of three of my kids would say Blackwell
[22:12] because they like to kayak and tube down
Mount Hoy, but my favorite one right now
[22:17] is Wooddale Grove. And that is because
the people in that neighborhood, there
[22:22] are lots of higher density housing
around it. And this really is a place
[22:27] where a lot of people in that
neighborhood, they're picnicking. If you
[22:30] go for a walk there on a weekend, you
will see family picnics and people just,
[22:35] you know, playing frisbee and fishing
and walking the paths. But the last time
[22:39] I was there, there was a gender reveal
party and it's a boy. Uh, so I just
[22:44] really I have that really fond memory
now of being at the Wooddale Grove.
[22:50] » Thank you. Candidate Fulmer,
favorite forest preserve.
[22:55] » Again, that is a hard question, but I do
have an answer because there is one
[23:00] forest preserve in District 1 that I
have a closer connection to than none
[23:04] other. That being Mechum Grove. Uh if
you look back in time at the maps from
[23:10] the 1860s, you will see that the
original forest that the Meechum Grove
[23:15] woods is still a part of uh was
connected to part of the woods that I
[23:20] managed today. That being the Lake Park
East Campus Woods. Uh and then through
[23:25] development and
uh isolation, they got separated. But
[23:32] for the last 5 years now, I've been on
the ground restoring that section of
[23:37] woods that was originally part of the
same forest. And in that time, I've been
[23:42] able to see the animals come back, see
the pollinators rebound, and we're even
[23:47] getting some pretty hard species to
find, like the eastern whipperwill made
[23:52] a comeback last year, and that was
pretty interesting to see. So, I got a
[23:55] pretty deep connection to that land.
Thank you.
[24:00] Last question.
What makes you qualified to run for this
[24:05] office? And I want you to expand a
little bit on what you said in your
[24:11] opening statement,
>> Ken Fulmer.
[24:15] » Well, uh, I come with a specialist
naturalist touch. Uh, I've been managing
[24:22] species specific wildlife plans for 11
years now across nine states with proven
[24:28] results. Uh, additionally, I've been
serving on the District 12 school board
[24:34] overseeing their multi-million dollar
budget which has been balanced.
[24:40] Uh with that being said,
this time
[24:44] uh at this point in time, many of our
local species are in population
[24:49] freefall. And with my experience in
wildlife management, seeing these
[24:55] species come back to areas that were
previously invasive, silent, and
[24:59] lifeless, I think that I would be able
to uh bring a positive net benefit to
[25:06] all the residents of DuPage County with
healthier, more biodiverse ecosystems.
[25:11] Thank you.
>> Thank you, candidates.
[25:16] Through my excuse me through my
experience, education and activities, I
[25:20] do possess a knowledge about local
governmental agencies, ecosystems
[25:24] natives to Illinois, listening to and
responding to residents, planning,
[25:29] budgets, policies, bid processes,
legislative initiatives, program and
[25:33] fiscal accessibility,
board functions, and community
[25:36] relations. As I said before, I work
professionally in the parks and
[25:40] recreation industry and I am responsible
for a large fundraising initiative in
[25:46] Glenn Ellen to provide a brand new park
in their downtown. Here in Elmherst, as
[25:52] a board commissioner, I helped us pass a
referendum to provide new facilities. Uh
[25:57] we have opened two new parks without any
additional funding. We have also
[26:02] successfully uh I have personally
through my work and my commissioner
[26:06] duties successfully written and managed
OLAD grants, DECO grants um and also I
[26:12] used to work in nonforprofit arts and so
the National Endowment for the Arts is
[26:15] another grant that I'm used to running.
Um so thank you.
[26:21] » Thank you
those evil timekeepers.
[26:25] » That was the end of my sentence so it
was
[26:27] » sorry. Okay, now we go to your closing
statement and we will start with Miss
[26:34] Candidate Cementic.
>> Thank you again to the League of Women
[26:38] Voters for hosting this forum and to
everyone who's taking time today to be
[26:42] engaged in this conversation. My love of
nature is lifelong and it began early in
[26:48] family camping trips. And today, as a
mom of three, it is deeply personal. I
[26:52] want our natural spaces to be protected
and cared for, not just for today, but
[26:56] for the legacy that we leave behind.
This race isn't about one community over
[27:01] another. We are one district in one
county. And our forest preserves connect
[27:06] all of us. That's why my priorities are
to champion land conservation and
[27:10] habitat restoration, enhance safe and
accessible recreational opportunities,
[27:15] and lead with sustainable operations and
fiscally responsible stewardship. I am a
[27:20] relationship builder. I listen. I
collaborate. I bring people together to
[27:24] move good ideas forward. I believe that
I'm the best candidate because I bring
[27:29] experience, passion, and a clear vision
for our forest preserves. I invite you
[27:35] to join me in that vision with your
vote. Thank you.
[27:39] » Thank you, Candidate Filmer. You're
closing.
[27:43] Right. We've talked a lot today about
policies and years in service, but more
[27:47] than that, we're talking about the
legacy of Dwage County. The forest
[27:52] preserves are the lungs of our county.
It's where our children might see their
[27:55] first bald eagle. It's where our
families go to picnic and unwind on the
[28:00] weekends.
And critically, they serve as a crucial
[28:04] first line of defense against natural
disasters like flooding. I see our
[28:09] preserves as more than a line item on a
budget. I see them as a promise to the
[28:13] future. I'm running so that 50 years
from now, our kids can go out and see a
[28:19] greener, healthier, more resilient park
system than we have today. I'm not a
[28:25] career politician, but I am a career
conservationist with 11 years of
[28:30] fieldproven results.
I'm asking for your vote to be your
[28:35] independent voice, your field
naturalist, and your watchdog for our
[28:40] public lands and our tax dollars. Let's
build a greener due page of tomorrow
[28:46] together. Thank you.
>> Thank you.
[28:50] Our time is up. For more information,
please visit the nonpartisan voter
[28:55] guide, vote411.org,
org the candidates websites as well as
[29:00] the League of Women Voters of Elmherst
website. Your participation as a
[29:05] candidate and as a voter is essential to
preserving doc democracy that we hold
[29:11] dear. Please remember to vote on or
before March 17th as one vote can decide
[29:17] the election and that vote could be
yours. Let's give the candidates a round
[29:22] of applause.