By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The first time Tamir Bell knocked on Michael Dillard’s door the conversation was short-lived.
Bell, an 18-year-old who was canvassing the neighborhood while seeking his first political role, was shut down.
“He said ‘no,'” Bell said.
But Bell didn’t give up, and Dillard eventually gave him a chance. Earlier this summer, on the eve of the election that would earn Bell his first elected position, they sat in Michael and Phyllis Dillard’s backyard and had a wide-ranging conversation about crime, political promises, the city’s future and more.
“I think he needed to see some consistency, and I came back,” Bell said.
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In an age where social media and the internet often shapes political campaigns, and where geo-fencing allows candidates to bombard voters with digital advertisements, Bell is somewhat of a throwback. The youngest local candidate in the June primary has displayed a commitment to old-fashioned, shoe leather connections that the Dillards and others find refreshing.
They said the west side needs an advocate willing to listen to the people, and that’s precisely what Bell sets out to do.
“I want to rebuild the trust between the residents and the local leaders, specifically on the west side,” he said.
Bell has also set out to reshape the way a traditional elected party role has been handled, and he hopes to inspire more young people to get involved in their community. He was elected June 28 as the Democratic Party precinct committeeperson for the 13th Ward, 2nd precinct.
It’s a lower-profile role that helps pick party leaders and determine how the county’s Democratic Party central committee spends its funds to support candidates. Bell ran uncontested, and in dozens of precincts the job is unfilled. Winnebago County Democrats meet today to determine party leaders.
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Bell said the role was explained to him as being an advocate to get out the vote.
“I thought to myself, that’s not all it’s going to be,” he said.
Instead, the teen who has been involved with the party since before he was old enough to vote is reshaping the role so he can be an advocate for the west-side community where he was raised.
“I want to advocate for my neighbors,” he said. “I want to rebuild the trust between the residents and the local leaders, specifically on the west side, and I want to connect my neighbors with the resources that are available.”
You will often find Bell with a camera in his hand working as the head of visual content for Evolution Digital Marketing. The Rock Valley College student is also an assistant football coach at Guilford High School, a freshman basketball coach at Jefferson High School and last year he was named the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association eighth grade boys junior high coach of the year for his efforts leading Eisenhower Middle School.
In between all that, he’s attending community events, public meetings and other activities to stay involved in Rockford.
“He is really what you want as a model for other young people,” Mayor Tom McNamara said.
Aside from coach-of-the-year honors, Bell has also been recognized as the 2021 NAACP’s Young Advocate of the Year, the 2021 Rockford Area Arts Council’s Ambassador of the Year and the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
McNamara said Bell did grunt work for campaigns for years before he moved into more meaningful roles and then eventually pursued his own elected role.
“He’s really worked hard over the last couple of years to be known now as someone who really cares, someone who works really hard and someone who’s incredibly active,” McNamara said. “I think that’s what we want in all of our young people.”
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McNamara has submitted Bell to City Council for an appointment on the Historical Preservation Commission for a three-year term. That goes for passage next month. The mayor said Bell has long been attending City Council and committee meetings to learn the ropes.
It’s given Bell a lot greater understanding of the role of local government than most 18-year-olds have.
“It’s not just 18-year-olds that don’t know as much as Tamir, it’s a lot older than that that don’t know exactly how local governments operate,” McNamara said. “He puts in the work. He comes to board meetings. He comes to committee meetings. … He actually comes and sits down and he listens and he watches and he sees the entire process.”
Bell said he wants the people he serves to know they have someone willing to speak up and try to get problems they’re facing fixed. He plans to host meetings to hear from the people he represents.
“I grew up in the same neighborhood my whole life and I’ve seen nothing change,” Bell said. “I’ve always known I wanted to make some sort of change in my community, but I felt if I didn’t do it right now, then who would?”
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Bell aspires to bigger elected roles in the future, but he said this is the right spot for him now.
“Before jumping up there’s work to be done where I grew up, and that is the west side,” Bell said. “If I cannot help the west side grow in the capacity of a precinct committeemen, how could I take another step up without doing my job where I’m at now.”
Charlie Laskonis, chairman of the Winnebago County Democratic Party, said Bell’s approach to connecting with people in person will serve him well. He said many precinct committeepersons will attend neighborhood meetings to connect with residents.
“Still, the best thing you can do is knock on a door,” Laskonis said.
Laskonis said the Bell has a promising future.
“He’s a go-getter,” Laskonis said. “He’s definitely the future of the Democratic Party if we can keep him here.”
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas