Hear from the Soil and Water Conservation District Board Candidates

“It’s an overlooked board,” is how Ilena Hansel, the Soil and Water Conservation District Manager described the organization. And though there are residents in Cook County who don’t know what the SWCD does, Hansel said that the work is important.

Three of the five SWCD board seats are part of this year’s election season, and ahead of speaking with two of the candidates, WTIP spoke with Hansel about what her group does, and how the board fits into that work. She explained that the SWCD works specifically with land owners to help protect the natural resources on their properties. That work can include education efforts or offering technical assistance with projects that landowners are pursuing, like managing wetlands and waterways, or preventing soil erosion.

Hansel said that when it comes to the board, their main task is to decide how the SWCD’s resources are best used to support the landowners asking for assistance. She said that historically, board members have come from all different backgrounds. She said, “We’ve had farmers, we’ve had foresters, we’ve had people who were into mining, you know, just very different broad sweep of things. So that facilitates a really good, healthy discussion when we have these meetings.”

Though the current candidates are all running unopposed, Hansel said that the election is still important. She said, “We’re always told from the state agencies and from even landowners, we’re the boots on the ground, and it’s important that we have supervisors that understand the resources and the needs of the people.”

While candidates run in specific districts, the election is county-wide, so voters can vote for any or all of the candidates. Gregg Westigard is the incumbent in District 1, and Amber Humphrey is the incumbent in District 3. Both are seeking reelection. In the initial filing window there was not a District 5 candidate, but Cindy Oberg-Hauser has since registered as a write-in candidate.

Westigard and Oberg-Hauser spoke with WTIP about their candidacy and hopes for the SWCD board. Humphrey declined an invitation to participate in that conversation.

Audio of WTIP’s conversation with Ilena Hansel and with Gregg Westigard and Cindy Oberg-Hauser can be found below.

Kirsten Wisniewski October 18, 2024