New candidate for Lake County State’s Attorney
A 21-year veteran of the Lake County state’s attorney’s office has joined the race to replace her current boss when Michael Waller retires next year.
Louise Hayes, 49, of Lake Bluff, will be the third candidate in the Republican primary next March and is the fifth candidate to officially enter the race.
Hayes, presently assigned to the felony review division, works in two of the special court systems operating in the 19th Judicial Circuit: Mental Health Court and Veteran’s Court.
In addition, Hayes is in charge of organizing and presenting felony cases during weekly meetings of the grand juries that decide if individuals will be indicted.
A graduate of Purdue University and John Marshall Law School, Hayes is a Lake County native who attended Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.
If elected, Hayes said she would reallocate funds to the office’s Cyber Crime division, which investigates and prosecutes computer crimes such as child pornography and identity theft.
She also said she would continue existing programs such as the Lake County Domestic Violence Council, Children’s Advocacy Center and Major Crash Assistance Team.
She said she will forge a strong alliance with the county board while in office.
“I will work with the county board and its budgetary constraints,” Hayes said in a news release. “Though times call for tough measures, but I will always ensure that justice is served in Lake County.”
Hayes has worked in all divisions of the state’s attorney’s office since joining it in 1990.
She joins fellow Republicans Bryan Winter and Mike Nerheim in the race for that party’s nomination, while Democrats Christopher Kennedy and Scott Drury are seeking their party’s nomination for the office.
Waller announced last month he won’t seek re-election to the post he has held since he was appointed in 1990. He mounted five successful campaigns for the office between 1992 and 2008.