Examining Klinkhamer's 'anti-campaign' for Kane chairman

On an average day, Kane County voters can find Sue Klinkhamer baby-sitting her grandchildren, or perhaps, on a Friday, enjoying a night out at the Old Towne Pub in Geneva.

The St. Charles resident has a chance at becoming the first Democrat to sit in the Kane County Board chairman's seat in more than a century.

And while that might motivate some people to spend all day knocking on doors, making calls to collect campaign contributions and plunging signs into their neighbors' front yards, Klinkhamer won't be doing any of that.

And the reasons behind her “anti-campaign” are inspired as much by her political black eyes as her belief in what she's already contributed during her time in politics.

While running for her second term as St. Charles' first female mayor, Klinkhamer had the shadow of a lawsuit hanging over her. Former St. Charles Police Chief Don Shaw accused Klinkhamer of having him fired for pursuing charges against people he perceived as Klinkhamer's political allies.

In the filing, Shaw said he was pressured to drop a citation against the owner of a local tavern accused of selling alcohol to a minor and kill a traffic ticket written against another local businessman. The suit eventually was settled with more than $300,000 going to Shaw.

“That's one of the reasons I don't want to raise any money during the primary,” Klinkhamer said. “Two of my friends gave me money and got hauled into federal court by a disgruntled employee who got fired because the city administrator recommended that he not be reappointed. None of what Don Shaw said was true, but nobody wants to admit the reason they were fired was because they weren't doing their job.”

Klinkhamer also suggested the suit stemmed in part from the relationship her husband, then a commander in the department, had with the department. Now retired, Dan Klinkhamer works security for the Kane County Cougars.

Shaw did not respond to an interview request.

The lawsuit became a major issue in Klinkhamer unsuccessful bid for re-election in 2005. The loss sent her into a bout of depression.

“I had tears in my eyes on like a daily basis,” Klinkhamer recalled. “It was only a $15,000 a year job, but being mayor was my life. And I was learning a lot about people then. That's why I don't ever want to get that invested money-wise because I will never forget how once you weren't mayor anymore that people just moved on from you.”

Klinkhamer is a third-generation Democrat, but some have made ties between her and the Republican party.

Unemployed after her 2005 loss, Klinkhamer applied for a job as an administrative assistant working for Republican Kane County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay. If she got the job, it would've nearly doubled the salary she received as mayor.

McConnaughay's assistant at the time, Jean Weems, told Klinkhamer she was overqualified, but she'd be considered if she couldn't find a job elsewhere. She ended up being a transportation lobbyist for former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley in Washington, D.C., and then working for Bill Foster when he won the 14th Congressional District seat.

“But I never, ever forgot that,” Klinkhamer said of her brush with working for McConnaughay. She now counts McConnaughay as a friend and “what a woman in politics should be.” But Klinkhamer said she'd never work for a Republican now.

“Republicans said to me before I got into the race, ‘Why don't you run for Kane County Board chairman?' At the time, I said a Democrat doesn't have a chance,” she said. “So they asked me why don't I run as a Republican. Well, because I'm not a Republican. There's nothing about being a Republican I could even pretend I could stomach. And don't ever say I voted for Bob Dole and George Bush. That's the worst.”

But, knowing she'll have to work with Republicans if she wins, Klinkhamer wouldn't mind getting some Republican crossover votes in the primary. In fact, she's counting on it.

“If a Democrat wants to prevent Chris Lauzen from being the candidate, and knows the only way they can do that is to cross over and vote for Kevin Burns, then I think you'll see some of that,” Klinkhamer said. “Conversely, I think you may see some of the Republicans who would vote for Kevin Burns vote for me. I know some Republicans think that if Lauzen gets to the general election, I would have the best shot to beat him. That's not why I'm doing it, though. I just think I'm more qualified than him. And I know I can do the job.”

If she makes it through the primary, Klinkhamer said she'll pay more attention to raising money and running a more traditional campaign. But if not, she's OK with that, too.

“I'm Type B,” Klinkhamer said. “I like having low blood pressure. I like baby-sitting. I like going to Florida. If I win, I win. If I lose, I win.”