Candidates crowd Kane Co. ballot
Kane County voters will have a plethora of ballot choices that may create an entirely new dynamic in county elected offices come next November. The final day of candidate filing showed almost every race will give voters more than one candidate from whom to choose.
Indeed, only four of the 24 county board seats are uncontested. Barring any write-in candidates or a party slating another candidate in coming months, the incumbents who stand a good chance to win new terms are John Hoscheit, Barbara Wojnicki and Phil Lewis.
Joining them will be Joseph Haimann, an unchallenged Democrat who will take over the Carpentersville-based county board seat currently represented by Hollie Lindgren.
Mark Mossman, director of elections at Kane County, said either party could still nominate a candidate for an office within 75 days after the March primary. That candidate would have to take all the same steps as other candidates, such as gathering petitions and filling out a statement of economic interest, Mossman said.
Almost every other county elected office on the ballot has a contested race, thanks to new entries on the last day of filing.
Democrats Theresa Barreiro and Art Velasquez will battle each other to replace Donnell Collins in the District 2 race. Former county board member Jennifer Laesch will challenge incumbent Juan Reyna in the District 3 contest. Freshman board member Melisa Taylor, a Republican, won’t see a challenge in District 5 until the general election when she’ll face Democrat Norman Martin. First-term board member Monica Silva will have a primary contest in her first race as a Democrat against Charles Phillips in District 7.
In District 2, incumbent Myrna Molina will face a challenge from Syliva Leonberger for the Democratic nomination. Alexis D. Cervantes also will challenge incumbent Bonnie Lee Kunkel for the Democratic nod in District 4.
District 11 incumbent Mike Donahue has the most challengers of any freshman board member. Fellow Republican Robert Janura will challenge Donahue in the primary. The winner will go on to face the winner of the contest between Martha Hanna and Kate Bennett.
District 20 incumbent Cristina Castro will now have a primary race with fellow Democrats Jose Sifuentes and Penny Wegman. The winner will face Republican Henoch Fuentes in November.
In District 9, Theresa Wrzala will challenge incumbent T.R. Smith for the Republican nod.
In District 18, Republican incumbent Drew Frasz will face a challenge from Democrat Kerri A. Branson.
Democrat Brenda Rogers also will give incumbent Kane County Recorder Sandy Wegman a challenge. That means every countywide elected office on the ballot, except for state’s attorney, will have a contest. In addition to the recorder, those offices are: circuit court clerk, auditor, coroner and county board chairman.
So far, Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon is running unopposed for the office county board members appointed him to in 2010.
Ÿ Staff Writer Harry Hitzeman contributed to this report.
Heres a look at those who filed to run for office in the state legislature and Kane County. A primary will be held, where necessary, on March 20.
State House
43rd House
Democrats: Keith Farnham
49th House
Republicans: Mike Fortner
50th House
Democrats: Andrew Bernard
Republicans: Kay Hatcher
65th House
Republicans: Tim Schmitz
70th House
Republicans: Robert Pritchard
83rd House
Democrats: Linda Chapa LaVia
84th House
Democrats: Alex Arroyo, Stephanie Kifowit, Ken Maurice, Carole Cheney
Republicans: Patricia Fee
State Senate
22nd Senate
Democrats: Tim Elenz, Michael Noland
26th Senate
Democrats: Amanda Howland
Republicans: Dan Duffy
32nd Senate
Republicans: Pamela Althoff
33rd Senate
Republicans: Karen McConnaughay, Cliff Surges, Craig Powers
42nd Senate
Democrats: Linda Holmes
Republicans: Peter Hurtado
Countywide offices
Auditor
Republicans: Karl Regnier, Laura C. Wallett, Terry Hunt
Democrats: None
Circuit Court Clerk
Republicans: Karin M. Herwick, Catherine S. Hurlbut, Thomas M. Hartwell
Democrats: Edmund James Nendick
Coroner
Republicans: Robert Nicolas Bob Tiballi, L. Robert (Rob) Russell
Democrats: Tao Martinez
County Board Chairman
Republicans: Kevin R. Burns, Chris Lauzen
Democrats: Bill Sarto, Sue Klinkhamer
Recorder
Republicans: Sandy Wegman
Democrats: Brenda Rodgers
States Attorney
Republicans: Joseph H. McMahon
Democrats: None
County board seats
District 1 (1 seat)
Republicans: None
Democrats: Myrna Molina, Sylvia Leonberger
District 2 (1 seat)
Republicans: Will Passalaqua, Sal Abbate
Democrats: Theresa E. Barreiro, Arthur Velasquez
District 3 (1 seat)
Republicans: None
Democrats: Juan Reyna, Jennifer Laesch
District 4 (1 seat)
Republicans: Beth C. Goncher
Democrats: Bonnie Lee Kunkel, Alexis D. Cervantes
District 5 (1 seat)
Republicans: Melisa Taylor
Democrats: Norman D. Martin
District 6 (1 seat)
Republicans: None
Democrats: Angie Greviskes, Ron Ford
District 7 (1 seat)
Republicans: None
Democrats: Monica Silva, Charles Phillips
District 8 (1 seat)
Republicans: Gregory W. Nelson
Democrats: Jesse B. Vazquez
District 9 (1 seat)
Republicans: Thomas T.R. Smith, Theresa Wrzala
Democrats: None
District 10 (1 seat)
Republicans: Thomas Raleigh Van Cleave, Susan Starrett, Darren G. Delgado
Democrats: None
District 11 (1 seat)
Republicans: Michael J. Donahue, Robert L. Janura
Democrats: Kate Bennett, Martha Hanna
District 12 (1 seat)
Republicans: John J. Hoscheit
Democrats: None
District 13 (1 seat)
Republicans: Philip Lewis
Democrats: None
District 14 (1 seat)
Republicans: Mark Davoust
Democrats: Nadia BlancDaley
District 15 (1 seat)
Republicans: Barbara R. Wojnicki
Democrats: None
District 16 (1 seat)
Republicans: Robert Sauceda, Michael J. Kenyon
Democrats: Jennifer Barconi
District 17 (1 seat)
Republicans: Jeffrey Albert Meyer
Democrats: Deborah Allan
District 18 (1 seat)
Republicans: Andrew E. Drew Frasz
Democrats: Kerri E. Branson
District 19 (1 seat)
Republicans: Victor LaPorte, Kurt Robert Kojzarek
Democrats: None
District 20 (1 seat)
Republicans: Henoch Fuentes
Democrats: Christina Castro, Jose Sifuentes, Penny Wegman
District 21 (1 seat)
Republicans: Rebecca Gillam, Lee Barrett, Don Rage
Democrats: Darren Parochelli
District 22 (1 seat)
Republicans: Douglas J. Scheflow, Debbie Miller
Democrats: Bob Getz
District 23 (1 seat)
Republicans: Margaret Maggie Auger
Democrats: Kevin S. Smith
District 24 (1 seat)
Republicans: None
Democrats: Joseph Haimann
16th Judicial Circuit
Colwell vacancy (1 seat)
Democrats: None
Republicans: John A. Barsanti
2nd subcircuit vacancy (1 seat)
Democrats: John G. Dalton
Republicans: John F. Hurlbut, John M. Walters
2nd District Appellate Court (OMalley vacancy, 1 seat)
Republicans: Joe Birkett
Democrats: None