The primary will be the first step in deciding whether DeKalb County wants one of its state representatives to continue his work in the state senate.

State Rep. Bradley Burzynski, R-Sycamore, has decided to leave the 76th district and make a run for the state senate in the newly-formed 35th District.

“The fact that there are fewer senators than representatives gives me a more effective voice (than in the General Assembly),” he said.

Burzynski has spent much of his campaign time bringing attention to the Board of Regents issue. He currently is supporting a proposal to eliminate the board and make NIU directly involved with the Illinois Board of Higher Education.

NIU President John La Tourette said Burzynski’s attempts were merely “election year rhetoric.”

However Gov. Jim Edgar took Burzynski’s proposal quite seriously and praised it during his announcement of the release of Faraday II project funds.

Burzynski, who has been a representative for the DeKalb County area for one term, said local leaders have encouraged him to run for the vacant senate seat of the 35th District.

“I felt as a state senator I could have a better impact on the district,” he said.

Burzynski said he expects the senate to be controlled by the Republicans after the November elections. Education and the fiscal state budget are at the top of his platform, making students vital ballot casters, he said.

Burzynski, 36, has a bachelor’s degree in education from Illinois Wesleyan. He grew up in southern Illinois and worked for the DeKalb County Farm Bureau prior to serving as state representative.