Endorsement: Daily Herald recommends Curran over Idleburg for Lake County sheriff
Lake County Sheriff: Curran
Retired law enforcement veteran John Idleburg is challenging incumbent Mark Curran, Jr. in the race for Lake County sheriff.
Curran, a Republican from Libertyville, is seeking his fourth term; Idleburg, a Democrat from Zion has never held elected office.
It hasn't always been smooth sailing for Curran, who admits he made some early mistakes, but says he's learned from them and has surrounded himself with good people.
Idleburg's campaign criticizes Curran for a lack of minority and female hiring and promotions and for three jail deaths under his watch. Idleburg, says he will emphasize training protocols and provide necessary resources if elected. His extensive resume includes working as a U.S. Treasury special agent, but he has no experience overseeing an agency as complex as the sheriff's office.
Curran stressed he's taken swift action to investigate the jail deaths and demote, punish or remove personnel found to be at fault.
His office hiring and promotion statistics show minority representation is in line with the county's population. And, he says he has made a point of putting more women in leadership positions.
Under Curran, the office has joined other agencies in Lake County in participating in important opioid addiction programs, and conducted progressive training, accreditation and community outreach initiatives.
We think Curran has the office moving in the right direction and we endorse him.