While a party mindset and overall jovial atmosphere enveloped the household of Cliff and Marilyn Cleland on Friday night, it was the brief, yet candid speeches of five DeKalb County Democrats that highlighted the evening.

The second-annual DeKalb County Democrats “TGIF” Spring Fundraiser came this year on the cusp of Tuesday night’s election. Spearheaded by DeKalb County Democratic Central Committee Chair Eileen Dubin, the fundraiser gave citizens and fellow DeKalb County board members an opportunity to meet and greet Democratic candidates running from within DeKalb.

Current 3rd Ward Alderman and candidate Steve Kapitan spoke first, describing the current stability on the council as fundamentally important in dealing with critical city issues.

“As you know, it’s a delicate balance on the city council in terms of important issues in which we’ve had 4-3 votes,” Kapitan said.

Kapitan added that he’s been dedicated to seeking out support by going door to door throughout the ward, even on proprieties displaying signage of his direct competition Christine Vesta.

Current 1st Ward Alderman and candidate Andy Small spoke on how difficult running the ward can be if the alderman isn’t a student, but that it hasn’t stopped him from achieving much success during his first four years as alderman.

“There are a lot of positive things happening in the 1st ward,” Small said in reference to the Greek Row Revitalization project he helped create. “There are good things we’ve gotten done because it is a good mix on the city council.”

Fifth Ward Alderman and sole candidate Patrick Conboy shared his appreciation for the fundraiser as a good means of showing how dedicated democratic citizens and colleagues are to good government in DeKalb.

Conboy cited an independent city council he described as not buying into what it’s told, but thinks on its own without always deferring to the mayor and other city officials as a critical component to how the council should function in the future.

Seventh Ward Alderman hopeful Matthew Kapustianyk said he was wary of a tightly contested race that may come down to the final vote.

“I won’t just be the one to nod to the mayor, but have a prominent voice,” Kapustianyk said. “And with a ward basically made up of apartments, someone needs to be out there to make sure landlords aren’t taking advantage of the students.”

Park district candidate Larry Lundgren also spoke on his behalf, stating primarily the positive aspects he has brought to the average DeKalb resident in the past years and denouncing how this particular race has been more about digging up dirt than looking at the real issues.

“We believe in what’s going on, and we’re serious about DeKalb,” Lundgren said. “This county is changing and we’ve got to keep it going.

Lundgren made mention of the conflict with developers, or as he called them, “land speculators.” He said the difference is that developers want to make the community better, whereas “land speculators” want to buy land cheap without taking into consideration the ripple effect development may have on the community at large.

He said it is the “land speculators” who are within the good graces of his and candidate Carol Chesler’s competitors.

With the future of DeKalb very much uncertain in terms of growth-related issues, Kapitan summarized the importance of voting logically because of what decisions lie ahead.

“This next city council is going to make some very important decisions on issues of growth,” Kapitan said.