SYCAMORE | The DeKalb County Farm Bureau hosted Candidate’s Night to prepare community voters for the Nov. 4 election.

Fifteen of the 21 candidates attended Tuesday’s forum, open to all community members.

Most of the candidates agreed with future bipartisan policies and fiscal responsibility, especially in spending.

Ruth Anne Tobias, the DeKalb County chairperson of the 6th District, is an incumbent candidate.

“I’ve talked with some of the candidates and the county is already doing many of the things they are suggesting,” Tobias said.

Many candidates talked about the current economic crisis and spending the budget wisely.

“The thing we’re feeling the most is everyone hurting financially,” said Riley Oncken, Republican DeKalb County Board candidate for the 3rd District.

Some feel that other issues should come before economic problems.

“We need to keep the community safe,” said Matt Kapustianyk, Democrat DeKalb County Board candidate for the 11th District. “Even though the economy is hurting us, a safer community is important.”

However, the candidates did not agree on the developmental growth of the county.

Kevin Chambliss, Democrat DeKalb County Board candidate for the 5th District, has a desire to create incentives for NIU students to stay within DeKalb County borders to create and run businesses.

“We need economic development,” Chambliss said. “There’s a 25,000-student university, and we need creative ways for entrepreneurships to help them stay in the county.”

Pat Vary, DeKalb County Board member for the 10th District, said she has a fear of becoming a gridlocked county, similar to towns like St. Charles. Vary also attributes disappearing farmland to growth.

“The population keeps growing; the push is coming out here and we need to control it,” Vary said.

The DeKalb County budget was also a hot topic of discussion.

Scott Newport, Republican DeKalb County Board candidate for the 8th District, believes the county needs to face budget issues today, not in one or two years.

“One of the key issues is restraining growth on the county budget,” Newport said.

Paul Stoddard, Democrat DeKalb County Board candidate for the 9th District, does not want to increase the taxes of DeKalb County citizens.

“In order to spend taxpayer money wiser, just taxing people is not the way to go about it,” Stoddard said. “We need new sources of revenue; smart growth.”

Jerry Augsburger, Democrat DeKalb County Board candidate for the 7th District, stressed that the county board members need to work together, no matter what party affiliation.

“I won’t decide,” said Augsburger. “Each candidate won’t decide. We will collectively decide in a bipartisan manner.”