TAZEWELL COUNTY, Ill. (25 News) – The Tazewell County Board is experiencing a significant number of vacancies, as six members are not seeking re-election, almost a third of the board.
25 News reports that half of the county board members had decided to step away for personal reasons, with one incumbent changing their mind and filing last minute. The other three members were not available for comment.
Members Russ Crawford, Mark Goddard, Greg Longfellow, Greg Menold, Aaron Phillips and Max Schneider will all leave the board at the end of their current term.
“The primary reason is personal,” Schneider said, “My wife and I have a young family, my real estate business has really taken off and it’s hard to do everything well.”
Schneider said that the job of a county board member should be done well, as the role entails major financial and personnel decisions that take time to make. For him, it was time to step down, but he encouraged young people to run for the position after serving for almost four years.
“I think it’s important that folks who are specialized, [whether] you’re an accountant, or you’ve been a manager, or you maybe have a background in construction, or real estate, those are the folks that the county really needs to step up,” Schneider said.
Menold, who has served on the board for nearly 11 years, echoed Schneider’s statement.
“We need more young people to run, get a different perspective,” Menold said.
In the last few years, Tazewell County has struggled with a high turnover rate for elected officials. It is something that Schneider said might be related to disillusionment, unfamiliarity with the position of being a board member, or people being single-issue front runners.
“When they come to the county, they realize ‘Oh, that one issue I have a lot of passion about is not what we’re talking about all the time,’” Schneider said, addressing those curious about the board, and that it covers a wide range of issues.
The Tazewell County Board acts as a legislative and executive branch of the county government. They are responsible for enacting ordinances, resolutions, administering activities of the county departments and offices.
Illinois’ primary elections are scheduled for March 17, 2026. Those looking for a full list of candidates running in Tazewell County can find it HERE.
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