Kankakee Times

Running on a platform of prioritizing local issues and fiscal responsibility, Colton Ekhoff is challenging Kankakee County Board Member Jim Vickery for the District 2 seat in the upcoming Republican primaries.

Ekhoff is a Kankakee County native born and raised in District 2, according to his website. He graduated from Kankakee Community College, still lives and works in the county, and is now running to help lead the community according to conservative, local values, he said.

“I am very excited about the future and the possibilities in Kankakee County!!!” Ekhoff wrote on Facebook shortly after launching his campaign.

Colton Ekhoff | www.linkedin.com/in/colton-ekhoff-45450a138/

According to his website, one of Ekhoff’s key policy positions has been opposition to the Great Lakes Basin Railroad. The rail line would have allowed trains to bypass the bottlenecks in Chicago, but it garnered significant opposition at the local level with many communities concerned about a loss of farmland, safety and drainage, and other infrastructure concerns, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The federal Surface Transportation Board has now rejected plans for the railroad, earning a hearty congratulations from Ekhoff.

Elkhoff also opposes the Momence Marsh Refuge and promotes more fiscal responsibility on the County Board, including the opposition of county inter-fund borrowing and deficit spending and any property tax increases. Ekhoff has also pledged to work toward reducing the size of the County Board from its 28 to 21 members.

“I stand for conservative local values and promise to always vote my conscious and support action for my constituents in the most fiscally responsible ways, while still providing the support and service they deserve for your hard earned tax dollars,” Ekhoff wrote on his website.

Ekhoff has been working to meet his prospective constituents with appearances at local festivals and parades and other events where community members can ask questions about his policy positions and goals for office. Ekhoff will host a Coffee with the Candidate meeting at Yanni’s in Momence at 9 a.m. on Friday.

If elected, Ekhoff has pledged to host quarterly town hall meetings to hear from his constituents in the interest of transparency.

Local supporters have praised Ekhoff on his Facebook page, with Jordan Yeoman noting a recent donation to Sunday School classes at Zion Lutheran Church that allowed them to purchase art supplies, and Barbara Offill saying that he will make the county proud.

"I hope to have your support and confidence in the upcoming Republican primary election on March 20th,” Ekhoff said, according to his website. “I pledge to bring disciplined, responsible leadership to our county board and I will never forget who I work for, you."