Getting along with NIU staff is hard enough as a student; Mary Sindelar, however, is out to give the knockout punch to at least one staffer who sits on the DeKalb County Board.

Sindelar, a Douglas Hall resident, is running on the Democratic ticket for a seat on the board against incumbent Republicans Margaret Phillips, Neptune and Gilbert residence hall area coordinator and Tim Bagby, Neptune Hall graduate assistant.

Sindelar said she believes she can make a difference for NIU and area students through the board.

“The university has had trouble getting money from the state. Maybe with student influence the county can help out,” Sindelar said.

However, Bagby said this statement was “absurd.” The board has little or no control over what funding is going to NIU from the state, he said.

But, Sindelar said she believes the board does not address the fact that students are in the county.

“More students need to get involved in the process. We have problems in the county,” she said.

Property and sales taxes are major problems within the county, Sindelar said.

“A lot of students don’t live on campus. (Students on) the board will keep a check on property taxes,” she said.

Sindelar believes her edge in the elections lies in the outcome of student voting in the county. She feels she is in closer touch with the students’ needs than either of the present incumbents.

Sindelar, 20, is an NIU sophomore political science major. She comes from Niles, a northwest suburb of Chicago. She attended St. Louise de Marillac High School in Northfield, Ill.