First elected chairman of Kane County Board dies

Warren L. Kammerer, the first elected chairman of the Kane County board, has died, at the age of 95.

Kammerer died Monday.

He was appointed county board chairman in December 1990, then elected in 1992 and served until 1996.

Kammerer also was a delegate to the 1992 Republican national convention.

Kammerer was elected to the county board in 1982. At that time, board members selected the chairman. But a group called Stop Taking Our Property, upset with the influence of powerful board member/forest preserve president Phil Elfstrom, pushed for a referendum question to have an elected county board chairman. Voters approved the change in November 1990, taking effect in 1992.

In the meantime, in December 1990, two Republican factions and Democrats had their eyes on the board chairmanship and the forest preserve presidency. Last minute horse-trading between the anti-Elfstrom faction and the Democrats resulted in Kammerer's being unanimously elected, with the exception of Elfstrom, who did not attend the meeting.

Kammerer sat on U.S. Rep. Dennis Hastert's task force to site a new bridge between St. Charles and South Elgin.

He did not seek re-election in 1996.

Kammerer grew up on a farm in Pecatonica, and served in the Army near the end of World War II. After graduating from the University of Illinois, he went to work for Firestone, ultimately managing his own Firestone store in St. Charles.

He belonged to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Kiwanis International and the Loyal Order of Moose. He also was involved with The Playmakers community theater group and committees at Baker Memorial United Methodist Church.

He is survived by his wife, Virginia; eight children; three grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and three siblings.

His funeral will be private. Kammerer will be buried in Pecatonica.

Memorial donations may be made to the church at 307 Cedar Ave. in St. Charles.