Kane County Bar Association makes recommendations in judge races

The Kane County Bar Association is "highly" recommending three candidates for two local judge posts in the Feb. 2 primary.

The recommendations were made by the association's Judicial Evaluation Committee, which consists of 21 attorneys from DeKalb, Kane and Kendall counties. The committee reviews questionnaires, conducts interviews and decides whether candidates are "highly recommended," "recommended," or "not presently recommended."

"Members of the bar association are the prosecutors, the defenders and plaintiffs' attorneys who appear before judges every day in the 16th Judicial Circuit," Association President Julie Cibulskis said. "Our experience provides a good foundation for evaluation. In my experience, the public has a limited interaction with the court system."

This election, the association is "highly recommending" Associate Judge Kevin Busch of Batavia, who is running against Aurora attorney and fellow Republican Fred Morelli in the race for a circuit-wide position in the 16th Judicial Circuit. Morelli is "recommended."

Also "highly recommended" are Associate Judge Robert Janes of St. Charles and private practice attorney David Akemann of Elgin, who each are seeking the Republican nomination for a Kane County judge seat.

Janes and Akemann are squaring off against fellow Republican attorneys Thomas Rice of Batavia and D.J. Tegeler of Geneva, who are "recommended" along with Democrat Michael Funkey of Aurora. Also in the running are Associate Judge Leonard Wojtecki, a Geneva Republican, and attorney John Dalton, an Elgin Democrat, who are "not presently recommended" by the association.

Candidate recommendations are based on confidential ballots completed by the association's Judicial Evaluation Committee.

"Highly recommended" candidates receive 80 percent or more of the vote, while "recommended" candidates receive between 60 and 80 percent. Candidates who do not participate, or receive less than 50 percent of the committee vote, are "not presently recommended."