Endorsement: Mosser for Kane County state’s attorney

Democratic incumbent Jamie Mosser is running for a second term as Kane County state's attorney. However, the St. Charles Democrat must defeat a strong Republican challenger to get another four years in office.

Andrew Sosnowski, a longtime lawyer from Elgin who teaches at Aurora University, says he had considered running for state's attorney for years. This time, many of his students encouraged him to pursue the job.

Ultimately, Sosnowski said he decided to launch his campaign because he was concerned about crime in Kane County and what he believes are serious flaws with the SAFE-T Act and other “progressive laws” from Springfield “that don't represent the values of our community.” Sosnowski said he wanted to “stand up and do something that's going to make a difference.”

His legal background is extensive. During his more than three decades as a lawyer, Sosnowski served 16 years as a prosecutor, including a stint with the Kane County state’s attorney’s office.

Mosser says she ran in 2020 to bring true criminal justice reform to Kane County. She said she wants another term because she's “not done yet.”

The state’s attorney’s office stepped up its prosecutorial efforts during her term. For example, the county created a special unit that investigates child pornography and online sexual exploitation of children. Mosser also expanded deferred prosecution programs and created a pre-arrest diversion program in 2021. The “collaborative diversion” program gives police officers the option to refer low-level, nonviolent offenders to case managers instead of arresting them. The case managers help those individuals get resources, including substance use treatment and job assistance.

Sosnowski argues that the primary focus of the state's attorney's office is to prosecute cases. If elected, he said he would do a deep dive into some of the programs Mosser created to see if they are working. He has some ideas of his own, including starting a center focused on exploitation and human trafficking.

While Sosnowski is impressive, we cannot ignore what Mosser has accomplished during her first term. She brought innovative ideas to the state’s attorney’s office while keeping the county safe. Meanwhile, her progressive approach to combating crime appears to be getting positive results. Mosser is endorsed.