Kane County Board declares vacancy in sheriff’s office, with Amy Johnson slated to take over post-election
Following former sheriff Ron Hain’s recent retirement, the Kane County Board has declared the office of the county sheriff vacant.
The matter came to a special county board meeting on Wednesday, at which the board voted in favor of the measure.
Amy Johnson, who served as Hain’s undersheriff, could potentially be appointed to the office next week, pending county board approval.
But who will be the Kane County sheriff for the next four years was decided just a day earlier in the general election.
According to unofficial election results, Johnson, a Democrat, appears to have won the seat, defeating her Republican opponent Rob Russell. When Hain announced he was not running for reelection in 2026, he cast his support behind Johnson.
Johnson has served her entire career in the Kane County Sheriff’s Office. She was appointed undersheriff in 2022, becoming the first woman to hold the post in the county.
The office of sheriff is currently open in Kane County because former sheriff Hain announced in early October that he would be stepping down.
His resignation letter, dated Oct. 2, attributes the decision to “personal and family reasons and to focus on (his) health and well-being.”
“The Kane County Sheriff’s Office staff are dedicated to public safety, honorable, and highly-skilled law enforcement personnel, with a devotion to serving Kane County residents,” Hain’s resignation letter, which was provided by the county, reads. “I am honored to have been their leader.”
But Hain had been missing from the public eye for about six months prior, prompting questions about the office’s operations and who was in charge.
The letter indicates that Hain’s resignation was effective at 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 1. In the letter, he recommended that Kane County Board Chair Corinne Pierog consider Johnson as his replacement.
Johnson was slated to step into the role of acting sheriff once Hain’s retirement took effect, and serve in that role until another sheriff was appointed or elected. It’s unclear if she had already been serving in this position while Hain was absent.
State statute indicates that a deputy sheriff, undersheriff or coroner can act when a sheriff’s office is vacant. If designated by the sheriff to fill the vacancy, the chief deputy sheriff or undersheriff takes over, but, if no designation is made, the county coroner is to perform the legally required duties of the sheriff — until another sheriff is elected or appointed.
At Wednesday’s meeting, Pierog indicated that it is her intention to seek the board’s approval at its next meeting to appoint Johnson as sheriff, now that the office has been declared vacant.
Per state statute, that appointment would essentially be in effect until Dec. 1, when Johnson will presumably take over as the elected sheriff, provided the currently reported election results hold.
mmorrow@chicagotribune.com