SYCAMORE – The DeKalb County Board officially welcomed seven new members Monday, including four Democrats, resulting in a 12-12 split along party lines for the 24-member body that got off to a divided start.

The even split made it necessary for a bipartisan advisory group of County Board members to come to a compromise on how the chairmanship and committee leadership positions would be filled, but those agreements caused division among members that caused some heated debate.

Ken Andersen, R-Sycamore, and Jeff Metzger, R-Sandwich, were both nominated for chairmanship, which surprised Charles Foster, R-Shabbona, because he believed there was an agreement for Andersen.