McHenry County’s Bianchi wants 3rd term to build on successes
McHenry County State’s Attorney Louis Bianchi announced this week that he will seek a third term as the county’s top prosecutor.
The announcement comes just weeks after Bianchi was acquitted of felony charges that he gave preferential treatment in criminal cases involving a politically connected doctor and a staff member’s distant relative.
The trial ended before the defense could call a witness, and it mirrored the outcome of a March corruption trial in which Bianchi was found not guilty of using county resources for his re-election campaign. Some Bianchi supporters called the two trials a political witch hunt.
Now, the 68-year-old Crystal Lake Republican says he’s ready to seek another term.
“Every place I go, people come up to me and say, ‘We’re so glad you got through this. You need to continue to work for the people of McHenry County,’” he said in an interview with the Daily Herald.
Bianchi said he wants to build on what he’s been able to accomplish in his first two terms as state’s attorney. He pointed to cost-saving measures he implemented, such as handling more civil lawsuits in-house. He also said his office has helped collect $345,000 in fines and costs owed to the county.
“We returned the office of the state’s attorney to the people,” Bianchi said. “My goal is to ensure the office stays in the hands of the people.”
Bianchi defeated Democratic challenger Thomas Cynor in 2008 with 64 percent of the vote.
Bianchi’s campaign fund had $63,500 on hand at the end of June, according to a quarterly campaign disclosure report filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections.
He held a campaign kickoff fundraiser Thursday night in Lake in the Hills.