Endorsements: Clements for Democrats in Kane County Board Dist. 22
Willie Clements of Elgin has run for county board, city council and township highway commissioner and lost each time, though a couple races were close. Now retired from a career as a social worker, he wants to give county board another shot.
He is a supporter of the Longmeadow Parkway bridge and feels plans to develop the former Settler's Hill Landfill near Geneva need further study. He opposes health insurance and pensions for county board members. We appreciate his concern for the poor, elderly and mentally ill.
Opponent Randy Hopp speaks with depth on development and finance issues. He supports the bridge but says county board members are entitled to health benefits and pensions. Hopp's disastrous tenure as a Gail Borden Library trustee gives us pause. For much of his term, he was banned from the library because of what officials termed abusive interactions with staffers. His volatility remains a concern. Clements is endorsed.