Louis Bianchi: Candidate Profile

Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: Crystal LakeWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: McHenry State's AttorneyAge: 68Family: I've been married to my wife Jean for 38 years and we have three daughters, and three grandsons.Occupation: McHenry County State's AttorneyEducation: Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from St. Joseph's College in Renssellaer, Indiana. Juris Doctor from Notre Dame, in South Bend, Indiana.Civic involvement: St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Turning Point, Italian American Club, McHenry County Notre Dame Alumni, Speakers Bureau, Justinian Society, Chambers of Commerce (Crystal lake, McHenry, Huntley, Cary-Grove, Richmond-Spring Grove)Elected offices held: McHenry County State's Attorney since December 2004.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: I was charged twice, both indictments led to two directed verdicts (where the Judge acquitted me on all charges before a defense was even presented). The Judge found that there was no legal or factual basis to bring charges in the first place. A civil lawsuit against the special prosecutors responsible for charges is imminent.Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Continuing to keep McHenry County a safe and healthy environment to raise a family.My office will continue to vigorously prosecute criminal offenders in order to keep our community safe.Key Issue 2 Minimizing costs and expenses.We will continue to handle most lawsuits brought both against the county and on behalf of the county in-house by our own lawyers at an estimated savings of $10,000 a week to taxpayers.I initiated this when I came into office and will continue with this cost saving program.Key Issue 3 Continuing to maintain and develop programs that are beneficial to seeking justice and rehabilitation.A few that we have developed since I took office are: a. The mental health court and drug court.Our office played a significant role in the initiation of these courts.We will continue with our efforts to return those individuals charged with crimes to society as productive, law-abiding citizens. b. Check enforcement program.Our office created a check enforcement program returning over $250,000 (to date) to our local businesses. c. Collection of judgments.We initiated a collection of judgments and court costs returning over $375,000 (to date)to our county in old and previously uncollected judgments and court costs. d. First Offender Program.We started a First Offender Program which allows first time non-violent felony offenders an opportunity to have the charges against them dropped if the agree to and execute their individual plan for restitution and rehabilitation.Questions Answers It has been a tumultuous four years for the sitting state's attorney. Now that those legal issues have been settled, what will you do to ensure the factors that led to indictments are not repeated?Various office meetings were held, as well as circulating instructions and memos to make sure that attorneys and staff were made aware of appropriate policies and procedures.These actions were taken as precautions so that nothing improper is created, circulated, or disseminated in the office in the future.The Judge found that there was no legal or factual basis to bring charges in the first place. Furthermore, all attorneys were reminded that our goal and our duty is not only to prosecute but to seek justice.Does the state's attorney's office provide adequate pay to retain good lawyers' Bearing in mind the county's need to toe the line on spending, what would you do to improve retention?The salaries we provide to our attorneys are adequate but far below the compensation levels in private practice.I am convinced that because of the high level of skills of our attorneys that many would be able to hired for double or triple (in some cases) their current salary by private firms. Most often, they stay because of their commitment to public service.Our goal is to increase salaries with a portion of the cost savings and recoupment measures we have taken that is returning and increasing the county's revenue.Describe the state's attorney's office's conviction rate. Are you satisfied with the number of convictions versus the number of plea deals' Why or why not?The best way to make sure that those who deserve to go to the penitentiary go there is by going to trial.We have elevated the entire system by increasing the number of cases that go to trial.The year before I was in office 5 criminal cases went to jury trial.Last year there were 50.Whenever plea deals are made, we get dispositions that are appropriate because the defense bar knows that we are capable and are ready and willing to go to trial.Describe efforts the state's attorney's office has or should make in the area of crime prevention.1. We have a Speaker's Bureau covering over 12 topics.We reach out to the public on these topics and other topics and go to libraries, schools, churches and other convenient locations to give these presentations to various groups. 2. We have training seminars for police officers on topics such as search and seizure, elder abuse and domestic violence.These presentations are held at our office and at police departments throughout the county, often three times a day, at each roll call. 3. Our Check enforcement program has an education component to teach abusers to balance their account and help manage their finances. 4. We have accredited in-house continuing legal educational programs and seminars for our attorneys and staff. 5.We have enhanced our prosecution efforts by focusing on"evidence based" prosecutions, specifically in domestic violence cases.Evaluate how well the state's attorney's office has addressed the issue of elder abuse and protection from scams.We take elder abuse and financial crimes very seriously, and take a hard line with our prosecution of these matters.We look for restitution and jail time where warranted.Elder abuse and Identity Theft are two of the most requested topics that we present through our speakers bureau.