Republican Jacob Beard defeated incumbent McLean County Board member Victoria Harris in District seven.
Beard praised Harris for running a positive issues-oriented race and said he believed his own message of reducing taxes and being fiscally sound resonated with voters in the east side Bloomington district.
"I said time and time again as I talked to folks that I wanted to do local government well, and I wanted to really be not just low taxes, but also really look for solutions at a local setting," said Beard.
Beard noted that Harris had a tough race because the district leans Republican.
Beard works at State Farm. He has three children ages one to nine.This was his first run for office.
The District Seven race pitted a newcomer who comes from a prominent Republican family against a Democratic incumbent who first came on the board concerned about fracking and water quality issues and has evolved to focus on other services and issues.
Beard is the son of GOP activist and party stalwart Connie Nord. Incumbent Democrat Victoria Harris is a retired professor who says she has embraced the complexity of budgeting and learned how such investments in such things as juvenile offender programs may be a smart bet for society.
