LWV Candidate Forum Video and Coverage

Last night's Candidate Forum hosted by Champaign County's League of Women Voters, NAACP, and the News-Gazette is available to watch on the Champaign public access channel on-line here. WILL had an overview in their coverage today that focused on the County Board District 8 race. The current Democratic Chairman had one of the more shocking accusations of the night, comparing other County Democrats to Cuban communists:

Democrat Giraldo Rosales became chairman of the Champaign County Board a year ago, with the support of Republicans and a few moderate Democrats, defeating his own party’s nominee. Now Rosales, who ran for re-election unopposed four years ago, is being challenged by progressive Democrat Emily Rodriguez in the March 17th primary...

The two candidates also gave differing answers to a question about whether they would caucus with Democrats, and accept the caucus’ choice for county board chairman. The second part of the question described what Rosales did not do, when he worked with Republicans to gain the chairmanship...

Rosales, who once told an News-Gazette interviewer that he had left the non-partisan Champaign City Council because he wanted to work with Democrats on the county board, gave a more negative view of the caucus experience.

“When we get into these little enclaves, and it becomes very cutthroat, I have to voice my opinion,” said Rosales, who came to the U-S from Havana as a child, leaving behind what he called the “tribal” politics of Cuba’s Communist Party.

Full article here. The District 8 portion of the forum begins just after the 1:16 minute mark on the video here. The News-Gazette's coverage just focused on the judicial and Circuit Clerk candidates so far. Excerpt on Circuit Clerk candidates:

Also given a chance to tell voters about themselves were Democratic circuit clerk candidates Robert “Bob” Burkhalter and Susan McGrath.

Burkhalter, of Champaign, has worked in the Champaign County court system for 13 years, first as a clerk in the circuit clerk’s office and since 2011 as a courtroom clerk to various judges. He’s married and has a daughter.

McGrath, of Champaign, has lived in Champaign County since 1976. A graduate of the University of Illinois and the UI College of Law, she served on the Champaign County Board for 16 years.

That full article here. The Circuit Clerk candidates went first in the video here. The Judicial candidates' portion began at just before the 27:00 minute mark.

The fallout and repercussions of Chairman Rosales' remarks appears to still be playing out between the local Democratic Party leadership supporting the coalition with Republicans and those standing with the County Democratic Party's majority. Early voting and Vote-by-Mail for the Primary Election begins in less than a week. The regular Election Day is on March 17th.

Hold on to your hats. It's gonna be an interesting month and a half.