Kane County begins process to fill vacant county board seat

The process to fill the Kane County Board seat due to the sudden death of Montgomery Democrat Jesse Vazquez last month has begun. Naming a replacement may involve an awkward dance between local Democratic Party officials and a Republican-majority county board.

Kane County Board members officially posted the vacancy Tuesday. That triggers a 60-day time frame to fill the seat. County Board Chairman Chris Lauzen said the eventual appointee must be a Democrat. That means the process will be initially fueled by the Kane County Democratic Party bringing forward a nominee.

Party Chairman Mark Guethle said he knows of at least two people, including one female, who are interested in the seat. But, Guethle emphasized, unlike the process the party used to elevate Anna Moeller into fellow Democrat Keith Farnham's state representative seat, local Dems don't have the final say. That power lies with Lauzen and the county board, which will ultimately confirm or deny any nominee. Republicans have a 14 to 9 majority on the county board.

"We really don't have any control," Guethle said. "I just hope they pick somebody who knows the district, and someone who, at least according to their voting record, is a Democrat."

Guethle said he will call a meeting of the party's central committee to select a nominee. However, he would prefer if Aurora Democrats did the initial screening.

"If the Dems in Aurora can agree on someone, that would be great," Guethle said. "But they have so many people with different ideas about how to do things right now."

Several Aurora-area Democrats and county board members from the Montgomery/Aurora area reached Wednesday said there have been informal discussions with people inquiring about the position for the past month. But no has campaigned in earnest for the appointment.

County board member Brian Pollock, an Aurora Democrat, said the attitude so far has been to urge people to lay back and allow for proper time to mourn the loss of Vazquez. With the formal vacancy announcement made, he expects the action to heat up. But, like Guethle, Pollock said the emphasis and power really lies with Lauzen, and his fellow county board members to make the appointment.

In declaring the vacancy, Lauzen said he invites recommendations from the public at large.

"We have large shoes to fill," Lauzen said. "As far as what we're looking for, it's really three things: Character, competence and independence."

Pollock pointed to that final descriptor, "independence" as evidence that maybe Lauzen and the board might break from a Democrat party nominee.

"I'm not sure what he means by 'independence,' but to me that means maybe you don't go along with what the party wants," Pollock said. "Chris (Lauzen) hasn't specifically said that, but we'll see."

Lauzen also lives in Aurora. Pollock is his representative on the county board.

The eventual appointee will serve the remainder of Vazquez' unexpired term. The seat is up for re-election in November 2016.