Nine in running for Kane state's attorney

A task force charged with recommending an interim replacement for Kane County State's Attorney John Barsanti concluded interviews Thursday with the last of nine candidates seeking the office.

County board Chairman Karen McConnaughay confirmed the slate consists of Kane County assistant state's attorneys Joseph Cullen, Jody Gleason, Steve Sims and Gail Zwemke; and private-practice attorneys Patrick Crimmins, Elizabeth Lovig, Joseph McMahon, Timothy O'Neil and Donald “D.J. Tegeler.

The candidates interviewed behind closed doors on two occasions this week with a committee comprised mostly of local attorneys and retired judges. The panel plans to recommend two or three finalists at its next meeting Oct. 28, with a decision by the full county board anticipated in November.

“I'm happy, and quite frankly relieved, we have such a good slate of candidates, McConnaughay said. “We've got some really talented people on that list, a number of which would really make outstanding state's attorneys.

The successful applicant will replace Barsanti, who becomes a circuit judge Dec. 1, until his term ends Dec. 3, 2012, at which point the office will be up for election.

Here's a quick look at each of the candidates:

Crimmins is a partner at the Brady & Jenson law firm in Elgin, where he handles personal injury, medical malpractice and criminal defense cases. He was an assistant state's attorney in Kane County for 13 years, during which he headed up a gang prosecution unit, ran the Child Advocacy Center, and authorized charges in the infamous “Home Alone case in which a vacationing couple left their children behind.

Cullen is an assistant state's attorney in the civil division, where he advises and defends county employees in federal and state civil rights and tort actions. He was first assistant state's attorney in DeKalb County from 2004 to 2009. Before that, he prosecuted criminal cases in Kane County for 14 years, during which he served as deputy chief of the criminal division and chief of the narcotics prosecution unit.

Gleason works directly under Barsanti as first assistant state's attorney in Kane County, where she has been a criminal prosecutor for 18 years. She was previously chief of the criminal division and also worked as a private-practice attorney for about two years. In addition, she served as an appointed special assistant state's attorney in federal court for more than three years.

Lovig operates her own law firm in Batavia, where she handles criminal defense cases, family court matters and wills. She was a prosecutor in Kane County from 1993 to 2009, during which she ran the domestic violence unit for more than six years. In 2007, she received a community service award from the Kane County Bar Association, and has also been recognized by two local domestic violence shelters.

McMahon is a partner at the McMahon-Williams law firm in Geneva, where he handles civil and employment partnership disputes and some criminal cases. He previously was an assistant state's attorney in Kane County, where he served as deputy chief of the criminal division for about eight years. He later worked as a prosecutor in the Illinois attorney general's office.

O'Neil is an associate at the law firm of Foote, Meyers, Mielke & Flowers in St. Charles, where he practices in municipal law, labor and public safety, commercial litigation and personal injury. He was a prosecutor in Kane County from 1986 to 1991. An active Republican, he ran for state's attorney in 2004 and came in second to Barsanti. He has represented police unions in Elgin, Aurora and Kane County, as well as the city of St. Charles.

Sims is an assistant state's attorney in Kane County, where he is deputy chief of the criminal division and vice chairman of the DUI Task Force. A prosecutor for more than 16 years, he previously worked for Henderson and Macon counties. He was named Outstanding Assistant State's Attorney by the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists in 2008, and Prosecutor of the Year by the Illinois Department of Transportation in 2009.

Tegeler runs his own law firm in Geneva, where he has been a criminal defense attorney for more than 20 years. He also is general counsel to the Kane County Republican Party and president of the Mill Creek Water Reclamation District. Also a former public defender, he ran unsuccessfully for a circuit judgeship in the 2010 primary.

Zwemke is a prosecutor in the Kane County state's attorney's office, where she has worked on and off for a total of seven years. A former accounting manager and teacher at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago, she previously wrote draft opinions and rulings for a judge through his transition from appellate court justice to state supreme court justice. She also has worked in private practice.

Of all the candidates, only McMahon would comment Thursday. The others said they would reserve remarks until further along in the process.

“It's an honor to be considered, McMahon said. “It's a great opportunity to work for the people of Kane County, and with hundreds of dedicated police officers, in what I see as a time of shrinking resources at all levels of government.