Kane Co. sheriff’s car show supports Special Olympics
In times of high stress, Kane County Sheriff Pat Perez either heads to the gym or the garage.
With the amount of budget scrutiny Perez has received the past few years, one might think the sheriff would be working on his third Mr. Olympia title and have built a car that can time travel by now.
Instead, it was his yellow Ford Torino and a fistful of money on display Saturday at his annual charity car and motorcycle show in Elburn.
Perez created the show to raise money for local causes. At its peak, the car show raised about $12,000 for the Craig Figgins Foundation.
On Saturday, weather reports threatening hail combined with sweltering heat to cut down on the crowd. Organizers estimated about 80 fewer classic cars turned out this year.
However, early projections indicated the show was on its way to raising about $6,000 for this year’s cause — Illinois Special Olympics.
“They are a great organization and make a difference in a lot of lives,” Perez said.
The question is what becomes of the car show when Perez’ tenure as sheriff ends. He won a second term as sheriff last year. But as a believer in term limits, Perez has pledged to retire when the office is up for re-election again.
“It’ll be up to the next sheriff to keep it going,” Perez said. “But I’d be more than happy to come out and help with it. It’ll give me something to do in retirement.”
Democrats are looking for a candidate to run for Kane County Board chairman. Perez said he’s not interested.
“I’m a cop,” Perez said. “No thanks.”