Sergeant seeks Republican nod for Kane County sheriff post
Kane County Sgt. Kevin Tindall believes his 26 years in law enforcement and 20 years in fire service make him the best person to be the next Kane County sheriff.
Tindall formally announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination at a ceremony Monday afternoon on the steps of the Kane County Government Center in Geneva.
"In the fire service, we always had a term, we said 'BAG it' when we get to a fire," he said. That means asking, where's the fire been, where is it at, and where is it going.
Tindall would apply that principle to the sheriff's department. "I want to have clear direction for that," Tindall said.
That includes working with county board members, through budget planning, a department mission statement and goals, to move forward" Tindall said. Maintaining a cooperative relationship has been key to his success with multiple public-service agencies throughout his career, he said, and he wants to continue that with the county board.
Tindall, 51, has lived in Sugar Grove for 50 years. He has associate degrees in emergency medical services-paramedic and in fire science from Waubonsee Community College. He has attended law enforcement training and management institutes, including at the University of Illinois and Northwestern University.
Tindall is a patrol supervisor and commander of the bomb squad. From 1988 to 2008 he was a paramedic and firefighter for Sugar Grove Fire Protection District. In 2009, he was elected to a 2-year term on its board.
He describes himself in campaign literature as a fiscal conservative and said he would work with the county board to stay in budget, through multiyear planning of expenditures.
"We can get them on board, and we can say 'This is what we are going to need. Maybe this year we need a little bit more, maybe next year we don't need quite so much.'"
Ron Hain, also a Kane County sergeant, and Lt. Willie Mayes are seeking the Democratic nomination for the post. Mayes ran in 2014.
Sheriff Don Kramer said last Thursday he has not decided whether to seek a second term.
The primary is March 20.