Endorsement: Wegman for Democrats for Kane County treasurer

Three Democrats are running for Kane County treasurer in the March 17 primary. Connie Cain of Gilberts, Scott Johansen of Campton Hills and Penny Wegman of Elgin. The winner will take on Republican incumbent Chris Lauzen in the November election.

Cain has 20 years of experience as a Certified Public Accountant, with expertise in accounting, auditing, budgeting, financial operations and fraud investigations. She was director of Financial Operations in the Kane County Treasurer’s Office from 2023 to late 2024, but was fired by Lauzen in November of that year. Her goal is to bring “resident first” service to the role.

Johansen is a retired engineering manager and entrepreneur of an international electronics manufacturing company. He believes the county treasurer is the banker of county government and therefore, should have a strong business background. His main goal is to establish cross-functional teams in county government that to better develop ideas and communicate across all departments.

Wegman is the current Kane County auditor. Her experience includes five years in that role, plus four as a Kane County Board member. She also holds a Realtor’s license. She hopes to modernize the office with more up-to-date systems to make operations more effective and secure, as well as more efficient for taxpayers.

All of the candidates talk about more communication and making sure the treasurer’s work and budget are more transparent to the public. They all have various ideas on how they would do that. And while everyone is qualified for the position, Wegman, as auditor, has the connections and relationships to make a smooth transition.

Wegman is endorsed.