For McHenry County sheriff, Republican: Nygren

The Republican nomination for McHenry County sheriff should come down to one thing: experience. But what's created a race in the first place is revenge.

The election pits 13-year incumbent Keith Nygren of Hebron against currently-deposed Deputy Zane Seipler of Woodstock, whom Nygren fired and whom an arbitrator reinstated and whom Nygren is now suing to keep off the force. And Seipler has solicited every agency he can find to say Nygren has broken the law in his campaigning, but he so far has struck out several times.

Their mutual animosity has dominated the headlines. Here are the facts: Nygren has been sheriff for 13 years - a capable one at that. Before that, he was Crystal Lake's police chief and a cop in a variety of capacities during his 42 years with a badge. Nygren is endorsed.

Seipler was a correctional officer in Cook County from 1999 to 2004 and has been a deputy in McHenry County since then. He has no supervisory experience.

Nygren fired him in 2008 after an investigation revealed two incidents in which Seipler allowed two men driving without licenses to switch seats with female passengers. Once the women shifted into the driver's seats, Seipler issued them citations. That lapse in judgment alone is enough to make us shy away from Seipler.

Beyond their personal animosities, the two candidates also differ on the county's need for a public safety building, the necessity of the sheriff's department earning a national accreditation (Seipler says no to both) and Seipler's contention that the department has an inordinate number of supervisors with fat salaries.