Incumbent Barreiro leads Catella for Kane County circuit court clerk

With votes still being tabulated, incumbent Theresa Barreiro led challenger Anthony Catella Tuesday night in the race for the Kane County circuit court clerk.

Barreiro had 108,723 votes to Catella’s 96,515 as of 9:20 p.m., according to unofficial totals.

Barreiro, a Democrat from Aurora, said she sought a second term as the circuit court clerk because her work improving the office is not finished.

She said challenges she has addressed include an outdated computer and file-management system, as well as employee turnover. The computer system has since been updated repeatedly and employee pay has increased under two union contracts Barreiro negotiated.

A former Kane County board member, Barreiro said she is proud of organizing clinics where people can receive help applying to have convictions for low-level crimes, such as cannabis possession, expunged from court records. She also set up a drop box outside the main office to accept payments for fines and child support.

Catella, of St. Charles, said he was running to ensure courts remain open and transparent to the public.

When asked during a League of Women Voters forum what policies he would implement to maintain the openness of records while ensuring security, Catella said he would do just as good a job as Barreiro. In addition, he said he would depend on the staff’s expertise since he has not done the job before.

Catella said his experience as a former Catholic priest, a teacher and a military veteran would be useful. He has a state teaching license and teaches classes at One Life Co-School in Geneva.

Catella previously ran for the Republican nomination for the 14th District Congressional seat and the Kane County and St. Charles library boards.