McHenry County voters to elect chairman, new state's attorney

Tuesday's election will be historic for McHenry County voters, who will elect their county board chairman for the first time.

In 2014, voters approved a referendum to make the chairman a countywide position with a 4-year term, elected by popular vote.

Now, in the first Republican primary for the spot, voters will choose between incumbent Joe Gottemoller, 58, and Michael Walkup, 66, both Crystal Lake residents and attorneys.

Both candidates want to lower taxes for county residents but offer different ideas about how to do it. Gottemoller says the county needs to broaden its tax base by focusing on economic development, while Walkup wants to focus on cutting costs within the county budget.

Walkup also is seeking re-election for a District 3 county board seat, which would allow him to vote on county issues brought to the board. Otherwise, state law prohibits the chairman from voting, even as a tiebreaker, because of the county's size.

Gottemoller, whose term as a board member is up in 2018, said he would resign from his District 3 seat because he doesn't believe the chairman should be “tied to a single district.”

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State's attorney

In the race for McHenry County state's attorney, Dan Regna, 51, and Patrick Kenneally, 37, are vying for the Republican nomination. Incumbent Lou Bianchi, who has held the seat since 2004, dropped his re-election bid in December.

Tackling domestic violence and substance abuse are priorities for Kenneally, who has been an assistant state's attorney for nine years. He also said he has experience in almost every role within the office.

Regna, a former assistant state's attorney, said his goals are to implement ethics reform in the office and reduce litigation and staff expenditures. He ran unsuccessfully against Bianchi in the 2008 primary.