Allan wins Democratic nod in Kane County Board's 17th District

The hat is back.

Deborah Allan, known locally for her vast hat collection, has won the Democratic nomination for Kane County's 17th District, beating challenger Benjamin Bernal with 70 percent of the vote.

According to unofficial vote totals with all precincts counted, Allan had 240 votes to Bernal's 91.

Allan, 60, has held the office for eight years and is completing her second four-year term.

It was her push to interact with as many neighbors as possible on the campaign trail that kept her in office, she said.

"I think in this district, it's got to be personal, trying to meet everyone and letting them know you're accessible," she said. "I have the most generous, thoughtful neighbors in the whole world,"

Allan, who recently switched parties, says she ran to bring more transparency to the Kane County Board.

Bernal, 30, an Elgin native, criticized Allan's switch said he would be more aggressive when it came to delivering resources to the district, which covers the east side of Elgin.

But now that he's out of the race, he will now throw his support behind Allan to snuff out any Republican opposition.

Although no Republican ran in the primary, the party might still put someone up for the general election, he said.

"I've got to tell all the people who voted for me to vote for Deborah Allan," he said. "As Democrats, we unite and take it all the way to the general election in November."