Smile Politely

Joan Dykstra is retiring from public office

Joan Dykstra, the sitting Village President of Savoy, is retiring from public office, according to the News-Gazette. She will not seek reelection next spring. Dykstra has spent 30 years in office, serving on the Champaign County Board and as a Village of Savoy trustee. She was elected Village President of Savoy in 2017; she has served one term.

Last year we named her the WORST Elected Official of the decade, for her conservative policies and explicit endorsements of people like Andrew Minik, a former University of Illinois student who was impeached by the Illinois Student Government with ties to Turning Point USA, a right-wing organization with ties to the Proud Boys and other alt-right and right-wing hate groups.

Screenshot from Joan Dykstra's Facebook post on August 11, 2018 wherein she speaks about how Andrew Minik is a dymanic speaker. A photo of Minik and another woman is below the text. Behind them a group of people are seated at a long table in a restaurant.Screenshot from Joan Dykstra’s Facebook page.

Just this June, following the protests surrounding George Floyd’s brutal murder, Dykstra shared the following dog whistle on the Village of Savoy’s Facebook page:

We ask that Savoy residents and businesses stay vigilant tonight, considering events happening in Champaign County the…

Posted by Savoy, IL on Monday, June 1, 2020

As Seth Fein noted in the WORST entry, “Oh Savoy… is this really the best you’ve got? I doubt it. Unseat this person, the next chance you get.”

Though she is technically unseating herself, you now have a chance to elect someone with a less hateful heart.

Top image from Joan Dykstra’s Facebook page.

Editor-in-Chief

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