Democrat takeover in Kane County?

GOP has lost its way. So said Kane County Board member John Noverini of Carpentersville two weeks ago in tendering his resignation from the party to seek a judgeship as a Democrat. He's one of at least four Republicans in the county who have changed their stripes for the 2008 elections. Former Republican committeeman Tom Sandor, who served one term on the Elgin City Council, is running as a Democrat for county auditor. Fellow Elginites Jeanette Mihalec and Keith Farnham, both of whom have stumped for GOP candidates, said they now identify more closely with the Democratic party. Mihalec is running for the Kane County Board's 18th District and Farnham for state representative in the 43rd District. "The (Republican party) leadership has lost touch with the average voter," said Noverini, a staunch fiscal conservative whose license plate references a Bible verse. Noverini said he believes the party has had a hard time recovering from Gov. George Ryan's racketeering and fraud conviction and the sex scandal that forced former U.S. Senate candidate Jack Ryan to drop out of the 2004 race. "You look at this in its entirety -- it's a train wreck," he said. Kane County has historically leaned to the right. But as opposition to the Iraq war and other decisions of the Republican administration grows, county Democratic party leaders hope to see somewhat of a local repeat of the midterm elections that saw Democrats regain control of Congress. Democrats have been racking up more and more votes here over the past few years, said Mark Guethle, chairman of the Kane County Democratic Central Committee. In 2004 Sen. Barack Obama earned more votes than President Bush in Kane County. Voters also elected two Democrats -- Mike Noland and Linda Holmes -- to open state senate seats previously held by Republicans."Up until very recent times, if you wanted to be involved in Kane County politics you involved yourself as a Republican simply because that was the party that had the activity," Sandor said. "In the last 10 years that has been changing."Still, Republicans hold most of the top countywide offices and almost all of the county board districts outside Aurora. Kane County Republican Central Committee Chairman Dennis Wiggins isn't worried about the county turning from red to blue. "It's still a Republican county," Wiggins said. "Republicans still have a large advantage in Kane County. It is possible for a Democrat to win, of course, but even with the sheriff's race, there was a tremendous amount of Republicans who voted for (Democrat) Pat Perez because they knew him. He could never have won if not for that." At the local level, voters are drawn more to a candidate's qualifications and experience than his or her party affiliation, Guethle, Sandor and Noverini believe. Not many people vote strictly along party lines. That's particularly true for the office Sandor is seeking. "The auditor isn't a policy-making office. There is no Democratic way of auditing book just as there is no Republican way of auditing books," Sandor said. "Although you have to run on a partisan basis the job is not a partisan position."While Noverini framed his campaign announcement in anti-GOP terms, he admitted that wasn't the only reason behind his decision to run as a Democrat. This is the county's first subcircuit judicial election since legislators ordered the 16th Judicial Circuit -- which encompasses Kane, Kendall and DeKalb counties -- to break into five subcircuits, including one in the Aurora area and one in the Elgin area. In the Elgin subcircuit, Republican incumbent Patricia Golden plans to seek re-election. She is expected to face former Kane County State's Attorney David Akemann. Both would prove formidable foes for Noverini; by running as a Democrat, he will only have to face one of them. "This is going to be a tough race," Noverini said. "Part of it is strategy. I don't get into a race unless I believe there's a good chance of winning." 398512Tom Sandor 379512John Noverini