Ex-state's attorney running for judge

Former Kane County State's Attorney David Akemann will run for judge, the lifelong Elgin resident announced Friday.

He will face 16th Judicial Circuit Judge Patricia Golden in the Feb. 5 Republican primary for the county's first subcircuit judicial election.

The new second subcircuit includes portions of Elgin, East and West Dundee, Sleepy Hollow, Algonquin, and Carpentersville.

This is his second run for judge; in 2006 he narrowly lost to Associate Judge Thomas Mueller in the Republican primary.

A lawyer for 30 years, the 55-year-old Akemann served as state's attorney from 1992 to 2000. He also was an assistant attorney general and a commissioner on the Illinois Worker's Compensation Commission.

As state's attorney, he established the Child Advocacy Center, a domestic violence unit, and an elder abuse unit. He pledged Friday not to accept campaign contributions from local attorneys who would practice before him as judge to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.

"I think it's what the people want so it's what I'm going to do," he said.

Akemann and his wife, Vickie, have been married for 30 years and have three children.

Golden, of Dundee Township, announced her candidacy in May. A judge for more than a decade, Golden also was the first director of the Kane County Child Advocacy Center.

The 16th Circuit -- which encompasses Kane, Kendall and DeKalb counties -- recently was broken into five subcircuits based on population. An Aurora subcircuit race also will take place in 2008.