Knox County Board District 1 candidate Dylan Sage says he is focused on practical leadership, bipartisan communication, and local engagement in his bid for the seat.
Sage, a former Democrat, is running alongside incumbent Democrat Cheryl Nache, Democrat Jaclyn Smith-Esters, and Republicans Anthony Weiss and Tammy Weiss, both of whom are currently facing ballot challenges.
“I’m running because I believe Knox County deserves elected officials that will put residents before politics,” Sage told the Galesburg Reporter. “Having been a small business owner, and with experience across multiple industries, I have seen a broad cross-section of American life, which shaped my belief in practical, people-focused leadership. My goal is to continue the good work already being done by the county board, to be a voice of opposition when needed, and to serve as a conduit for dialogue between both parties. I want to strengthen relationships, not break them.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the 29-year-old co-founded Sage Handcrafted, a candle and wax-melt business that reached international customers through viral marketing, he said.
Now a videographer and volunteer firefighter, Sage describes himself as “liberal at heart and conservative by necessity.”
“I would love to serve as a conduit between both sides of the aisle, and in 2026, I hope to see no more political spin from any of my colleagues,” he said. “My first priority is to facilitate honest dialogue.”Sage’s personal political journey reflects broader shifts in contemporary American politics.
“What political parties stand for today is changing,” Sage said. “If you listen to a typical Democrat speech, it is not rooted in common sense but in emotion and disinformation. Today’s Republicans focus on common sense and working-class issues because there is a void of that on the left, which the right has been filling. National politics naturally evolves over time as culture shifts.”
Following Donald Trump’s 2024 re-election, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders criticized the Democratic Party for abandoning working-class priorities. Some young voters who backed Sanders in 2016 later supported Trump, drawn by populist, anti-establishment messages rather than party loyalty, according to PBS.
Sage began in politics volunteering for Sanders in Knox County, later serving as county coordinator for Mike Halpin’s state Senate campaign and as a Democratic precinct committeeman in Warren County, a role he resigned from in 2021.
“Most of my job during [precinct committee] meetings was to try to bring those individuals toward the center because they were too far left, but that didn’t work out,” he said.
In recent years, Sage has shifted focus to Republican campaigns, supporting Matthew Rauschert’s 2022 Illinois House bid and volunteering for John Pritchard’s 2025 mayoral campaign. He’s currently assisting Republican Dillan Vancil’s 17th Congressional District campaign.
“Hopefully, we’ll get Republican leadership in the near future to bring common-sense conservative policies to the table,” he said.
Sage also now serves as secretary of the Forgottonia Young Republicans chapter covering Knox, Fulton, McDonough and Warren counties, a newly formed group aimed at engaging young voters and strengthening rural GOP infrastructure ahead of the 2026 elections.
“We are trying to host candidate forums for the Republican primaries and have that in the works,” he said. “We went to the Western Illinois University campus and set up a table to recruit participants. Most recently, we held a bowling night in Mammoth, which drew a great turnout of diverse young people.”
He said running for the Knox County Board as a Republican is part of a political evolution.
“I’ve always been involved in politics, and this is a natural step toward pursuing my calling and what I believe I can do best,” Sage said.
Sage expressed optimism about the Board’s work while promising to contribute constructively.
“My general impression is that the County Board is doing a fine job serving the people, and I look forward to continuing to work with them to conduct the business of the people,” he said.
Sage outlined several priorities driving his candidacy including local issues like emergency management, homelessness, business support and cultural revitalization.
“I want to do a personal review or a whole countywide audit of our emergency management,” he said. “I’ve taken a look at it, and I believe there are a few modern issues that need to be addressed, such as prolonged month-long blackouts, extreme weather events, or modern threats like terrorist activities. I think our emergency management should be updated or at least reviewed.”
Turning his attention to the city’s vacant properties, Sage called for a shift in how these spaces are managed and repurposed.
“Some of our local officials may be too laissez-faire when it comes to vacant commercial and residential properties,” he said. “We should not have a ‘whatever goes’ attitude toward the fate of sites like the old library, mall, or other strategic lots and buildings. We need to take a more proactive approach and cannot afford to be too laissez-faire with our buildings and cultural sites.”
“I would like to see an artistic revival, especially in Galesburg and the surrounding townships,” Sage said. “We have so much talent in this city, and I’d like to see our alleys become safe spaces for artists. They could rework some of the building facades to help preserve our historic structures. I’m really hoping for an artistic revival.”
On social issues, Sage said practical solutions and immediate action are needed to deal with homelessness and drug addiction in the county.
“Too much time has passed with people sleeping outside the library in Galesburg. It’s unacceptable,” he said. “There are real actions we can take.”
Sage said fiscal responsibility is a guiding principle in his campaign.
“I’m running because I want to serve the people of my community, especially when everyone says they want to leave Illinois or they don’t like it here,” he said.
A recent WalletHub report found that Illinois households pay the nation’s highest combined state and local tax burden, totaling $13,099 on the median U.S. income, more than 16.5% of earnings. This burden is about $4,472 higher than the national average, making Illinois significantly more expensive than neighboring states.
The report suggests that dissatisfaction with high property taxes and perceived low value in public services underscores the need for structural tax reforms to retain residents.
Illinois lost 56,235 residents to other states from July 2023 to June 2024, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates cited by Illinois Policy. Over the decade from 2010 to 2020, IRS migration data show the state lost more than 787,000 residents, with its heavy tax burden—including the nation’s highest average effective property tax rate at about 1.83 %—cited as a key factor driving the exodus.
“Our property taxes are too high as it is, and I believe they may become unstable,” Sage said. “Our residents cannot endure higher taxes. There are ways to adjust the budget, and there are solutions we can implement.”
Sage said Illinois is worth saving.
“Count your blessings,” he said. “We live in one of the most polite societies in the country.”
