At least, chairman is consistent

Tuesday I was reviewing some sent emails, one was a letter to fencepost I wrote in 2014 about the bizarre behavior of Kane County Board Chairman Chris Lauzen toward Kane County Coroner Rob Russell. Then Wednesday, I saw the DH article "Kane County Board blocks coroner's ability to share COVID-19 death stats." You have to admire his consistency.

In the article, Rick Nagel of Kane County Connects describes Lauzen as someone who has vendettas and must win at all costs. Lauzen's track record shows this is true. Local newspapers have called him quixotic even while endorsing him. His behavior toward Russell certainly bears out this tendency.

The author of the article describes Russell and Lauzen as rivals. That is not the correct word. Opponents? Certainly, because Lauzen has made Russell one and Russell has needed to defend himself incessantly. But rivals? I don't think so.

A rival is a person or thing competing with another for the same objective or for superiority in the same field of activity. By definition they are not rivals. They are both of the same political party. Russell does not want anything Lauzen has. If there is a rivalry it is unilaterally on Lauzen's part. He seems much more interested in doing the coroner job than he does his own.

What Lauzen has been unable to grasp over these 8 years is that Russell does not work for him. They were basically both hired and then rehired by the Kane County voters. Lauzen has already decided not to apply for a third term and now he seems to have nothing better to do than to continue to micromanage the coroner and continue his vendetta on those that oppose him. What surprises me most is that the board listened to the quackings of this lame duck.

Dave Roller

Elgin