7-30-2024 1:31am

Meet Leslie Blackburn, Democratic Party Candidate for Lodi Township Trustee

Leslie Blackburn is one of six candidates for Lodi Township Trustee in the Aug. 6 Democratic Primary. Four candidates will be elected to move on to the November votes.

Blackburn, Janet S. Rogers, Carly Rose, Alex Matelski, Steve Marsh and Finn Roberts are the Democratic Party candidates. Rogers is the line incumbent. She was appointed in February to fill the spot of William Lindemann.

On the Republican side, the candidates are Donald Rentschler and Jacob Schaible, incumbents, and David Naebeck and Samantha Mamarow.

Meet Leslie Blackburn

Biography

I’m a passionate advocate for community empowerment, bringing a unique fusion of technical expertise and nature-inspired wisdom to my campaign for public office. I have a robust background and over fifty years of life experience including a BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering, fifteen years in corporate engineering and management, and another fifteen as a successful entrepreneur in empowerment, healing and body sovereignty work. I’ve honed problem-solving skills, community facilitation, and strategic planning abilities, offering efficient solutions to intricate challenges.

I come from a long line of rural farmers, and my relationship with my ancestors fuels my commitment to stewardship of the land and community preservation, reflecting my passion for environmental sustainability and honoring tradition alongside progress.

Why are you running?

The three pillars of my platform are: Protect the Land, Share the Process, Empower the People. I am following my calling that has led me to be of service to care for our collective human family and our relationship with nature and the land.

Problems I see in our area include: Development pressures that are not in balance with the land and the neighbors. Difficult to access public information, lack of transparency in governance, repeated errors on the website. Lack of support to navigate confusing legislation. Public noticing is ineffective and often broken, meetings that don’t support ease of public access.

I have years of community building, facilitation and conflict resolution experience. Yet I can’t do this alone. It takes a community. What’s crucial is to start by listening. I've been talking with residents on the campaign trail, and making a list of their concerns which include: well depletion and water quality, road sealing and maintenance, encroaching noise and light pollution.

We need to build trust together. I will work with my fellow board members, community experts, regional partnerships, and collaborate with the public with fairness and transparency to come up with the right solutions for our area.

Please feel free to visit my website leslieforlodi.org to learn more about my campaign.

Why should Lodi Township residents choose you?

I bring authentic, compassionate relating to my work in the world and to my campaign. On the board, I will bring kindness, fairness and transparency, with honest, consistent, reliable communication in my interactions.

I have been walking and biking all over the township to meet our residents. I've knocked on hundreds of doors and have been the most present and accessible to voters, many of whom have also reached out to ask questions and learn more. I am committed to meeting voters where they are, please feel free to reach out if you’d like to share a conversation.

As a mom, my vision emphasizes care and connection, aiming to create governance that is equitable, transparent, inclusive, and prioritizes the needs of all residents. My approach is characterized by a blend of joy, wisdom, and a commitment to care — for our bodies, each other, and for the planet we call home.

What approach would you take to growth?

Balance of “Protect the Land” and affordable housing:

Our greatest assets: land and people, including people-led small businesses & farms.

We have a rare gift of land undisturbed by settlement: native, intact forest & wetlands. However it, including trees over 200 yrs old, is at risk of destruction by development of luxury homes. Nature and our connection to it are crucial for our well-being & survival. We must protect this land & ecosystem and support public access to it so folx can remember and experience the healing properties of breathing & being inside an intact forest.

The gift of our people should be supported with equitable decisions. There’s a housing crisis in our county. Instead of more luxury homes, let’s collaborate with neighboring municipalities & developers willing to explore creative options for affordable housing in the right areas.

I support our right to farm & to preserve farmland for future generations, including sustainable practices & ways for new farmers from underrepresented communities to access land & mentoring.

What should the township do about fire protection services?

I don’t have enough information to comment on this. Much of the recent discussion about fire protection services and the Saline Area Fire Board that Lodi Township is a part of has been in closed session and inaccessible to the public. If elected, I will research to be sure I am well-informed before making any decisions. In particular, I will seek a meeting with the area fire chief and personnel to get updates on how they service the community and build relationships with the departments.

How do you plan to balance the wishes of residents who enjoy lower taxes and quiet rural communities with those who live in more developed areas and may want more services?

This is about balancing our two greatest gifts in our township: the land and the people. I plan to bring conscious planning choices by starting with our green infrastructure to support intact ecosystems to remain so, support restoration of native species, and get creative with urban planning options that are appropriately placed to connect with existing infrastructure rather than continuing to sprawl. I believe we can bring the right balance if we consider all of our neighbors.

How do you think being a Democrat will influence your decisions on the township board?

It’s about community care and listening to all voices, creating accessibility and support for our residents to bring their voice to the process: “Share the Process”, “Empower the People”. Regardless of political party, I pledge to listen and offer fair, kind, transparent, consistent and reliable relating so we can collaborate together on the township board and planning commission with the public and local experts, to make the best decisions together. We need to honor our differences, not avoid them, listen, co-create trust and equitably make choices together to support our future. Township decisions and local issues are largely non-partisan, so the letter next to my name does not determine the kind of responsible and people-focused decisions I'll make on the board.

How many township board meetings have you attended in the last year?

I have attended most Lodi Township Board meetings, Planning Commission meetings and special meetings including: Noise Ordinance working meeting, WCCD Land Preservation meeting, HRWC Green Infrastructure workshop over the course of the past few years. I have separately learned more about public rights and Township governance over these past three years than I ever expected. Through collaborations with other local expert groups and legal council, I have acquired a strong, broad understanding of ways we can move forward to better leverage the rights of Township governance as well as collaborate with the public to make balanced, fair decisions together as a community.

I am also one of the founding members of Livable Lodi, a passionate group of neighbors, advocating for responsible land use decisions in our township. "Our mission is to support a community-driven, sustainable and holistic approach to land use in Lodi Township which preserves our natural resources and rural character and enhances the quality of life for all residents human and other than human."