Incumbent Republicans in tight Kane County Board races
Kane County voters decided primary races in seven Kane County Board districts, setting the stage for the November election where 18 of the 24 districts will have contested races.
County spending, retail and gas taxes, the future of aging county buildings, mental health care, and federal COVID-19 relief funds were among the top issues for candidates seeking their party's nomination in Tuesday's primary.
In District 3, unofficial vote totals showed incumbent Anita Marie Lewis with 432 votes and challenger Danny Perez with 212 votes in the Democratic primary.
Lewis, who was seeking her second term, was challenged by Perez, one of the youngest candidates on the ballot for the county board. There was no Republican in the primary race for District 3, leaving open the possibility that the winner in the Democratic primary could run unchallenged in the November election.
In District 11, which covers portions of Geneva and Batavia, incumbent John Martin, a Republican, did not seek reelection paving the way for primary races among both Republican and Democratic candidates.
Unofficial vote totals showed Republican Brian Jones, with 1,391 votes and Jonathan Bretz with 417 votes. Though Bretz remained on the Republican ballot for District 11, he ended his campaign after early voting started and said he was supporting Jones' candidacy.
In the Democratic primary for District 11, unofficial vote tallies showed Leslie Juby with 1,325 votes and Walter Lindwall with 455 votes.
District 12 saw incumbent Ken Shepro, a Wayne resident and president of the Kane County GOP, challenged by St. Charles resident Bill Roth.
With all precincts reporting, unofficial vote totals showed Roth leading with 930 votes while Shepro had 720 votes. Tuesday's winner will face Democrat Steve Bruesewitz in the November election.
In District 13, unofficial vote totals showed Todd Wallace, who was appointed to the county board in July, leading a three-way contest in the Republican primary with 623 votes. Anthony Catella trailed with 409 votes and Stephen Brown had 350 votes.
Democrat Michael Linder ran unopposed in the primary for District 13.
In District 15, longtime incumbent Barb Wojnicki was in a tight race with challenger David Young. Unofficial vote totals showed Young leading with 893 votes and Wojnicki with 881 votes.
Democrat Scott Johansen ran unopposed in District 15 in Tuesday's primary.
Wojnicki, of Campton Hills, is seeking her sixth term. During her campaign she said opposed a countywide retail sales tax or an increase in the gas tax. Wojnikci, whose district includes rural western Kane County, also said she would not support more warehouse developments in Kane County. Young did not respond to a candidate questionnaire.
In District 17, unofficial vote totals showed incumbent Deborah Allan with 329 votes and challenger Franklin Ramirez had 228 votes in the Democrat primary race.
There was no Republican candidate running in District 17.
In District 22, unofficial vote totals showed incumbent Vern Tepe leading in the Democratic primary with 895 votes and his challenger, Randy Hopp, with 270 votes.
Tepe, first elected to the county board in 2020, charged the county has been "kicking the can down the road" for too long and that it needs to address funding needs related to inflation, employee salaries and other county expenses. He said mental health, retention of county employees and inflation are among some of his top concerns.
His opponent, Randy Hopp, did not respond to a candidate questionnaire.