Angela Byrnes: Candidate profile

Bio

Party: Republican

City: Crystal Lake

Office sought: Coroner

Age: 38

Family: I am married to my husband, Kevin. Together we have five children: Allegra age 12, Samantha age 11, Bri age 10, S.J. age 6, Charlotte age 1.5. We also have two golden doodles.

Occupation: Executive Leader, Registered Nurse

Education: Bachelor of Science in Nursing with a Master's Certificate in School Nursing and additional college credit in Forensic Nurse Death Investigation with an additional 132.5 hours of training in forensic nursing related to sexual assault and abuse nursing in both adult and pediatrics. I am also currently taking additional classes in the field of death investigation.

Civic involvement: I do not formally belong to any organizations in the community, but we frequently donate financially to organizations in the community. I also recently started a monthly program for my team at work where we choose a nonprofit to donate to. For example, in December, my internal teams were invited to donate to the Veteran's Closet.

Elected offices held: None

Incumbent? If yes, when were first elected: not applicable

Website: byrnesforcoroner.com

Twitter: None

Facebook: @Angelabyrnesforcoroner

Questions and Answers

1. Why are you running for this office, whether for re-election or election for the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you? If so, what?

This is the first time I am running for an elected office. I have wanted to run for coroner since I was 17 years old. I have always had an interest in medicine and forensics and, in many ways, I have geared my education and career toward becoming coroner. After reading the Sheriff's report regarding the deficiencies of the office, I knew that these issues were extremely important to the integrity of death investigations in our county. The coroner has great responsibility and accountability in providing the community with death investigations that are done in a manner that does not compromise the integrity of the case for the criminal justice system as a whole. My training in forensic nursing, has provided me with knowledge of evidence collection, crime scene preservation, chain of command, and effective communication during traumatic events. I am confident that with my education and background that I have the right experience and am the right candidate to address these issues, provide best practice standards for the office, and correct the noted deficiencies in order to ensure that members of our county can depend upon the coroner to appropriately investigate deaths as required by state statute.

2. If you are an incumbent, describe your main contributions. Tell us of any important initiatives you've led. If you are a challenger, what would you bring to the board and what would your priority be?

There is not an incumbent in this race. If elected, my priority is to work toward obtaining accreditation from the International Association of Coroner & Medical Examiners. Ensuring the Coroner's Office becomes accredited will not only address the deficiencies outlined in the Sheriff's report, but it will also provide a much needed layer of accountability to the residents of our county through a third party that does not have political ties to our community. Accreditation requires pursuant coroner's offices to establish and maintain best practice standards that ensure proper handling and storage of evidence, increased security measures for accessibility to the office, and increased professionalism, amongst many other standards.

Another priority would be to establish and maintain a positive working relationship with both the Sheriff's Office and State's Attorney's Office in order to effectively bring justice to decedents and their families. I would additionally want to make sure that appropriate staffing is in place and the individuals employed at the coroner's office have the education and tools necessary to conduct their duties diligently and empathetically.

3. What special experience and professional qualifications does a person need to be an effective coroner? What experiences and qualifications do you possess that will provide a foundation for your success in the office?

I have been working in healthcare for 20 years and have been a registered nurse for just shy of twelve of those years. My diverse nursing background has allowed me to work in the emergency room, forensic nursing, hospice and nursing leadership. My training and experience in forensic nursing allowed me to care for and collect both internal and external evidence from victims of sexual assault and abuse which taught me the importance of evidence collections, proper evidence handling, chain of custody, objective reporting and the importance of empathetic yet direct communication during traumatic events. During my time as an emergency room and hospice nurse, I have had the privilege of caring for patients and families during end of life during times of trauma and terminal illness. Presently, I serve as a vice president for the largest non profit hospice agency in Illinois where I oversee five teams, totaling roughly 130 employees. This leadership role has prepared me well to take on the operational responsibilities as coroner as it requires me to understand, execute and maintain best practice standards of healthcare accreditation, create operational planning and oversight for my team, and work to maintain fiscal responsibility for our agency.

4. Describe your position regarding the allocation of resources in the coroner's office. Are personnel allocated as they should be? Are there capital expense or other budgetary items that the office must address, and, if so, how do you propose to address them?

To the best of my knowledge, with the exception of not having a Coroner in place, the rest of the personnel is allocated in an appropriate manner. It is also my understanding that the capital expenses noted in the Sheriff's report, such as increased monitoring and security as well as appropriate evidence storage, are being addressed. With that being said, I believe it is difficult to say what capital expenses may still be needed in December of 2020. Regardless of all of this, a lot can change in a year, which will require the new Coroner to look at the office's needs and budget at that time and make decisions based upon more accurate and up to date data. That being said, I would definitely want to ensure that initial training and robust continuing education were a budget priority to ensure that staff were able to competently complete their roles.

5. Describe your position on transparency and public service in the coroner's office and the ease of access to records by the public. If you believe improvements are needed, what are they and how would you go about achieving them?

Transparency is important in any leadership role, especially in a leadership role of an official that is elected to serve the people. With that said, providing the right amount of transparency at an appropriate time is extremely important when it comes to any death, let alone one that occurs during sudden or suspicious circumstance and requires an investigation. For example, if there was an ongoing investigation where details were not yet finalized or next of kin had not yet been notified, it would be inappropriate to release an abundance of information to the public. Providing the right amount of transparency at the right time is of utmost importance as any leader, including the coroner.

Regarding the ease of access to records, utilizing technology to store records would be beneficial. This of course would require finding a reliable, cost effective, and secure system within budget.