Kyle Patterson, a lifelong resident of Champaign-Urbana, has announced that he will seek the Democratic nomination for the District 7 County Board seat. Incumbent Rachel Schwartz will not be seeking another term.
Patterson is a graduate of Central High School and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has spent five years working with Parkland College’s Migrant Education Program as a tutor and administrative assistant and is involved with the Champaign County Young Democrats. He has received endorsements from Board members Joshua Hartke, Sam Shore, and Pius Weibel.
I recently spoke with him about his experience and views on the issues facing the County Board.
Smile Politely: How would you describe your political philosophy?
Patterson: I consider myself to be a progressive Democrat. I see the role of government as helping people. And I see the role of government as leading the way on certain social issues.
SP: What political and professional experiences do you have that have prepared you to serve on the County Board?
Patterson: Politically, I’ve volunteered with various political campaigns in Central Illinois. I currently serve as the Communications Director of the Champaign County Young Democrats. In college, I served on the Illinois Education Association Student Program executive board as the political action coordinator. I traveled all around the state, going to different chapters on different campuses to educate members about how politics affect education and labor.
Professionally, I am a former educator at a daycare center. I currently work in the Migrant Education Program based at Parkland. It’s a summer youth education program for migrant youth workers who are under the age of 21. I work with toddlers to people 20 years old who haven’t acquired a GED or a diploma.
SP: What are your goals for your potential time on the County Board?
Patterson: There are two main issues facing the County Board. The first is about what to do regarding the county jail. There are concerns about overpopulation. Many people want to build a new jail, which would cost tens of millions of dollars.
For me, it’s vital that we address the issue of overcrowding and solve the structural deficiencies of the facility. We need to have a safe jail. But I don’t think the best first step would be to start building a brand new and very expensive jail. I think we should look to diversion programs, including drug courts and alternative sentencing. I would advocate for increasing the scope of drug courts. There used to be a mental health court in this county; I’d like to see a discussion on whether that should be reinstituted. That’s something we need to look into.
In our current system, you get out of jail by paying bail. I think we could look into using a point system similar to what other communities use, which makes it easier for people to go out on bail if they are from that community or have ties to the community. Systems like that one make it possible for people to bail out without spending any money. A lot of people in our county jail are there just because they can’t pay for bail. In the long term, when they have to stay in jail through the court process, we end up spending a lot more money on their time there than the money received from the bond itself.
The second main issue is the county nursing home. Some people would like to see us sell it. I am adamantly opposed to selling the county nursing home. Private nursing homes take a smaller portion of applicants who are covered by Medicaid. I think having a public nursing home is an extremely vital resource. If we have a system where not many people on Medicaid are admitted, that system would discriminate against poor people. People with family in the twilight of their lives may have to travel long distances to visit them if they aren’t placed in the county nursing home; if the family is living in poverty, they might not be able to afford traveling to see their loved ones at all.
SP: What do you see as the role of the County Board?
Patterson: There are certain agencies and boards that the County Board is in charge of. The Board also has a relationship with other countywide agencies that are independent, such as the sheriff’s office, the state’s attorney, and the courts. I think it’s important that the County Board controls spending and focuses on the responsible expansion of facilities. It’s also important that it has close working relationship with other county insinuations to get things done.
SP: What is your favorite thing about this community?
Patterson: If I could narrow it down to one word, it would be “culture.” I was born and raised here. There was a time when I thought I would leave. But then I sat back and reflected on how amazing this community really is. The university adds so much in terms of arts and culture. This place is big, but it’s not too big. It’s a great place to live.