For Kane County sheriff, Republican: Russell

The Republican candidates for Kane County Sheriff agree public safety and the budget are the two most important issues facing the department. They disagree on the level of staffing needed to meet both objectives.

Rob Russell believes success can be had with 90 sworn officers. Don Kramer says the department needs 96 officers and maybe more.

We agree more with Russell's belief and he earns our endorsement.

Kramer, 51, is a 30-year police veteran who retired in November. Russell, 42, has been at the DuPage County Sheriff's office 17 years. Russell hasn't worked with a union - which might be where some of the hard work will be - but his fresh set of eyes should make it easier to make changes. Kramer has the respect of the department, but he might have the same hesitancy the current sheriff has shown in making changes, especially if he believes the department needs more officers.

Russell said the budget and patrol problems can begin to be addressed, in part, through department accreditation (which is a longer-term solution) and reassigning more officers back to patrol positions. "I don't have all the answers, and I want to sit down and work on solutions," he said.