Hartwell earns GOP nod for Kane circuit clerk

Thomas Hartwell emerged from a three-way race Tuesday night to secure the Republican nod for Kane County Circuit Court Clerk.

According to unofficial results and with all precincts reporting, Hartwell garnered 17,648 votes. Cathy Hurlbut and Karin Herwick trailed with 9,340 votes and 7,951 votes, respectively.

“People were looking for a change in direction,” said Hartwell, who also cited his background as an attorney, experience in the public sector and education with a master’s degree in business administration as qualities that resonated with voters.

Hartwell will face Edmund James Nendick, an Aurora Democrat, in November for a four-year term.

Circuit Court Clerk Deb Seyller, who filed a lawsuit against the county board over personnel costs for her office, is not seeking another term.

One of the biggest issues during the campaign was replacing the county’s aging and inefficient case management system, a task that some said could come with a price tag as high as $12.6 million.

Hartwell, an Elgin resident and former Kane County Board member, doesn’t know if it will cost that much and prefers to have vendors come in and run pilot programs before the county made any significant expenditures.

Hartwell also campaigned on a platform seeking to make public access to court documents easier and more efficient and to cut office costs.

“Government is here to provide services for people that they can’t provide for themselves,” he said.

Herwick, the office’s chief deputy court clerk, said she knew how the circuit clerk’s office works and could hit the ground running.

Hurlbut, an Elgin attorney and Kane County Board member since 1994, said during the campaign the office had to control its budget and upgrade the case management system.