It’s election time, again: Filing starts for April 1 races in McHenry County
This spring, McHenry County voters will pick who will serve on local village boards, city councils, and township, park, library and fire protection district boards.
Candidates for local races began filing their paperwork on Tuesday. The last day they have to file is Monday.
The filing period for the April 1 election is nearly three weeks earlier than previous years when local candidates had until early December to turn in their candidate packets, McHenry County Clerk Joe Tirio said.
School board candidates are dropping off their packets at the clerk’s office in Woodstock. Tuesday was “a little crazy … one election ending with another beginning,” Tirio said.
At the same time his office is finishing up the Nov. 5 general election, they “are ramping up the next municipal, consolidated, township elections. It is a little crazy, those two things overlapping each other. It adds to the fun,” Tirio said.
Lawmakers in Springfield passed a law that moved up dates to ensure “ballot certainty,” he said. The hope is to have all candidate objections resolved before ballots are printed.
Challenges can knock candidates off the ballot, and they and the objectors can appeal an unfavorable result in court. Those battles can last until just before — or after — ballots go to print, Tirio said.
At least 18 McHenry County-area mayors and village presidents are up for election this spring, and at least 10 have said they plan to run again.
That includes Cary Mayor Mark Kownick. Up for reelection for his fourth term, Kownick turned in his paperwork on Tuesday.
After serving for nearly 12 years, Kownick said he is the longest consecutively serving mayor in the village’s history.
“I believe in continuity,” he said.
Here are the candidates who have filed so far in some of the municipal races in McHenry County:
Algonquin
Village President:
Debby Sosine*
Village Clerk:
Fred Martin*
Trustees:
Robert “Bob” Smith*
Laura Brehmer*
Jerry Glogowski*
Cary
Mayor:
Mark Kownick*
Trustees:
Duane “Rick” Dudek*
Rick Walrath*
David Prusina
Fox River Grove
Village President:
Marc McLaughlin*
Trustees:
Andrew Migdal*
David Joseph
Huntley
Village President:
Timothy J. Hoeft*
John M. Piwko (currently a trustee)
Trustees:
Marilynn Berendt
Don Walz
JR Westberg*
Lake in the Hills
Village President:
Ray Bogdanowski*
Village Clerk:
Shannon DuBeau*
Trustees:
Stephen Harlfinger*
Bob Huckins*
Bill Dustin*
*denotes incumbent