Endorsement: Provenzano for McHenry County clerk, GOP

Longtime McHenry County Board member Nick Provenzano is up against first-term McHenry County Board member Mary McClellan for the McHenry County clerk Republican nomination. Provenzano displays a strong knowledge of the county and its operations, and he appears to be intelligent about a variety of subjects, including technology, which he (as well as McClellan) says is key to the clerk's office. McClellan has both business and law degrees and is well-versed in county operations herself, and she comes well-prepared with thoughts and ideas for the office. Provenzano now works for Congressman Randy Hultgren and was former Congressman Joe Walsh's campaign manager. He claims this work, and the connections it has gotten him, as well as his work on the county board, will better enable him to get things done in the clerk's office and the county. McClellan's views on raises for county personnel, a recent controversy, are more realistic than Provenzano's. These are two impressive, well-qualified candidates, but with McClellan still relatively new to politics and Provenzano having plenty of political experience, Provenzano would provide better leadership as McHenry County clerk and is endorsed.