A number of primary races forming in the Fox Valley

For the first time in more than a decade, McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren will face an electoral challenge - not only from within his own party, but within his ranks.

Deputy Zane Seipler, who is in departmental purgatory while fighting his 2008 firing, filed petitions Monday to place his name next to Nygren's on next year's Republican Party primary ballot.

The showdown between boss and employee - also being waged in a federal courtroom and likely soon before a county judge - highlights the races Fox Valley primary voters will decide Feb. 2

In Kane County, the sheriff's race is promising to be interesting, too. Republicans Rob Russell of South Elgin and Donald Kramer of Geneva both filed Monday to challenge first-term Democrat Pat Perez, who announced his intent to run on Friday.

Nygren, who is seeking his fourth full term, has not been challenged in the GOP primary since 1998. That was also the last year he was challenged by a Democrat.

Nygren, of Hebron, on Monday was not shying away from the rare challenge and already was calling into question Seipler's credentials.

"He's been a police officer for four years and now he wants to run a department of 425 personnel," he said of his opponent. "That's a big stretch."

Seipler, a Woodstock resident, said his campaign will focus on fiscal responsibility, gang prevention and ideas to improve the work environment for sheriff's deputies.

He is suing the department and Nygren in federal court over allegations he was fired for complaining about racial profiling by his colleagues. Nygren said he dismissed Seipler last year over two incidents in which the deputy let off male drivers caught behind the wheel without a license, and instead issued tickets to female passengers. An arbitrator overturned the firing, however, and instead imposed a three-day suspension.

The winner of the primary likely will face a November challenge from Lake in the Hills resident Mike Mahon. A Cook County Sheriff's deputy, Mahon filed petitions Monday morning to run for sheriff as a Democrat. Blogger Gus Philpott also is running for sheriff as a member of the Green Party.

Kane County Board

Deborah Allan of Elgin was first elected to the 17th District county board seat in 2002 as a Republican. On Monday, she filed for re-election - as a Democrat.

She said the board primarily discusses nonpartisan issues, but from her experience it was the Democrats who asked more questions and discussed the issues.

"The people who want to talk about the issues have tended to be Democrats and I felt some kinship there," said Allan, who described herself as a centrist. "There will certainly be people who will wonder why I moved over. All I can say is I'm the same person. I really haven't changed and how I make decisions hasn't She will face Benjamin Bernal, also of Elgin, in the Democratic primary.

District 25 Kane County Board member Robert Kudlicki of Hampshire filed for re-election; he'll face Thomas Smith, who also filed. Kudlicki has served since 2002.

Cathy Hurlbut, an Elgin Republican, will seek re-election after having served for 16 years.

McHenry County Board

Early filing Monday left primary contests in three of McHenry County's six board districts, including the 2nd where incumbent Chairman Ken Koehler and incumbent Lyn Orphal face a challenge from McHenry County College Trustee Donna Kurtz for one of two open seats.

Elsewhere, former board members John Jung and Nick Provenzano will try to reclaim seats they lost in the 2008 election, while primary voters will decide from among at least four Republicans in the board's 3rd and 6th districts.

Judges

At least one judicial race could be a two-party affair next fall, as Democrat John Dalton of Elgin has filed for his party's primary. So far, five Republicans have filed for the same race: former Kane County state's attorney David Akemann of Elgin, Associate Judge Leonard Wojtecki, Robert Janes, D.J. Tegeler and Thomas Rice.

Besides being the lone Democrat to file for a judicial seat so far, Dalton is also the first to indicate in campaign material that he is homosexual. Dalton's campaign Facebook page indicates that he is married to a man, and that he has recently attended an event for the Stonewall Democrats organization, a political group concerned about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues. Dalton downplays this. "I don't want to run as the gay candidate," he said. "I don't think that is pertinent."

He hopes voters will consider his 22 years of legal experience, including being a mediation chairman, running a firm and working as in-house counsel for corporations such as Sears, Roebuck and Co.