SOUTHERN ILLINOIS—A very important Primary Election season is upon us in southern Illinois, and the action takes place March 18, 2014.
On the local level, three of the state’s Constitutionally-mandated offices will be selected (this season, county sheriff, county clerk and county treasurer are elected; county judge, circuit clerk and county prosecutor round out the other offices set up for the state’s 102 counties by mandate).
As well, on the county level in many locations will also be regional school superintendents, county board members, and precinct committeemen.
While the smooth running of county government is the most direct-impact offices Illinoisans will be electing this season, there are also offices at the state and federal government levels on the ballots for the Primary: U.S. Senator; Governor and Lieutenant Governor; Attorney General; Secretary of State; State Comptroller; State Treasurer; Congressional District Representatives, and Illinois State Representative.
Since there aren’t a lot of contested offices on the ballots to be had in the downstate counties of Disclosure’s regular coverage area, this will be a short article by comparison to those in the past. However, that’s not to diminish the importance of voting for the local offices, as well as voting for the state and federal offices. The last couple of elections have proven that three major metropolitan areas in the state—Cook/Will/Dupage in the Chicagoland region; Madison/St. Clair/Bond in the MetroEast across the river from St. Louis; and the Champaign County area north of the heartland—carry the most votes by virtue of population, and those three areas have repeatedly outvoted the rest of Illinois. This is an unnecessary burden on the rest of us; surely, if EVERYONE both registered to vote, then got out and voted in “the other Illinois”…the deplorable choices of leaders on the state and national level would be overcome by common sense, as most people in metro areas vote the largesse of the treasury (the politicians who will do the most for them with the least amount of effort, including both ends of the welfare spectrum: public aid, and farm subsidies/corporate bailout prospects).
Some dismal choices at federal, state level
Downstate residents’ choices are unfortunately the same as upstate’s, so the selection for major offices, beginning with U.S. Senator, will be crucial in this respect.
On the Democrat ticket is the too-long-in-office Dick Durbin. Durbin’s representation of us in the U.S. Senate has been abysmal, favoring the aforementioned parasites who continue to vote for him in order to enrich themselves, on the low end, with as many handouts as possible (food stamps/EBT, Obamacare, other freebies), on the high end, favoring the lobbyists who can pay the most (Big Pharma, farm subsidies, etc.), leaving the rest of us in a pinch to have to pay for the ends of the spectrum via our hard-earned dollars going to taxes.
Durbin is on the Dem ticket alone; facing him in the Fall will be either James “Jim” Oberweis or Douglas Lee Truax on the Republican side.
As common sense would dictate, either of the Republican candidates would be worth a shot for the next six years in office as Senator. Durbin has been a dismal failure for the people of Illinois and indeed the country; time has come to vote in someone else. Do the research before casting that ballot.
Gubernatorial races are big
In the also-crucial office of state governor, the state is going to be hard-pressed under one circumstance: there is a Democrat contender running against the incumbent, Pat Quinn, and no one knows who he is. Tio Hardiman is on the Dem ballot, and unfortunately, anyone inclined to pull a Dem ballot for the sake of bumping Quinn out of the running in the Primary isn’t likely to do the research. However, that’s what’s recommended in this case: even election-savvy Republican voters have used the trick of, if there’s really no good candidates on their ballot on the county level that they need to ensure entry to the Fall ballot, will ask for a Dem ballot (in Illinois, there is no need for Party declaration in a Primary, which would limit a voter to the same Party in the November election) and vote out the poorer candidate. Whether this will be done on a large scale remains to be seen. Unfortunately for Illinois, most Dems are behind Quinn, despite his abysmal performance as governor, and he’s likely going to get the nod.
Republicans: Do your research!
Therefore, the important part of the election this season is the Republican candidate for governor.
On the ballot in this order is Bill Brady; Dan Rutherford; Kirk Dillard; and Bruce Rauner.
Rutherford has had a considerable amount of scandal associated with his campaign, including allegations of illicit homosexual activity at the taxpayers’ expense. These days, such activity is no longer frowned upon by the ‘trendy’ and is all the rage; however, to have done so—if indeed allegations are true—on the taxpayers’ dime when he shouldn’t have been isn’t so widely accepted. So thanks to that, Rutherford’s probably out of the running.
Rauner, while the ideal of the more conservative Tea Party group, is one of those inexplicable ideals. It’s inexplicable because his “jobs plan,” spending proposals, and other talking points pretty much reflect the rest of the candidates’ views. For those who aren’t aligned with what’s become the neo-conservative Tea Party, they just think Rauner is an odd duck. His chances really don’t look very good, despite some strong showings in a few downstate counties.
The real candidate is emerging over the remaining two—Bill Brady head and shoulders over Kirk Dillard. Why? It’s because Dillard is another one of those too-long-in-office politicians who has gotten so used to “the way things work” in state politics (since 1994, as a State Senator) that he’s now regarded as being among the “good ol boy” network of whichever way Illinois politics’ wind is blowing. His voting record isn’t impressive, and he doesn’t seem to think anything south of Springfield exists.
But Brady knows we exist downstate!
The one gubernatorial candidate who does seem to know that downstate exists, and has actually proven it by action, is Bill Brady.
Brady, 51, grew up in Bloomington, is happily married to his wife Nancy for 31 years and has three successful adult children.
One of Brady’s key campaign points is that he understands government isn’t responsible for “creating jobs,” but instead owes a duty to its constituents to get out of the way of job growth by reducing taxes, fees, regulations and other job-killers. Brady believes in “living within our means” on a state-budget level, and very importantly, is painfully aware of Illinois’ proven reputation for corruption, and he intends on changing that reputation as governor.
Brady showed that he walked the walk last year when it was brought to his attention that a new appointee to the Prisoner Review Board (parole board) was illegally holding the position.
Eric Gregg, former Harrisburg mayor, was appointed by Quinn to the board in April 2013, and clung to not only his position as mayor, but also other jobs bringing in compensation—something a PRB appointee is forbidden to do by state law—for three months following the appointment.
Seeking to find out what could be done about this flagrant violation, Disclosure began contacting everyone on the executive appointments committee, which included Brady. Brady was more than helpful, obtaining records that the PRB refused to turn over by FOIA and other documentation that showed Gregg’s illegal activity.
As a result of this intensive investigation, Gregg resigned in early July, after being told by Quinn to “take all the time you want” to give up the office of mayor. While he was never charged, he still can be…and Brady assured that when it came time for Gregg’s appointment approval (coming up at some point in April), he will NOT be voting for Gregg to be permanently appointed to the position.
Brady has run for the office of governor twice; in 2006 he finished third in the Republican Primary, but in 2010, he won that Primary and lost, of course, to Quinn.
This go-round, with such ill will statewide toward Quinn, it might be a different story.
Now, by county in Disclosure’s coverage area, these are the contested offices and those running for them on the specific ballots.
Clay County
In Clay, with the county seat being Louisville, there will be a contest on the Republican ballot for the judicial seat being vacated by Judge Sherri LE Tungate: Martin W. Siemer and Deborah McLochlin Riley will be competing against each other in the Primary, and will face Dem challenger Ericka Sanders in the fall.
Also on the Republican ballot there will be a Primary contest for Regional Superintendent of Schools (Clinton, Jefferson, Marion and Washington counties, a portion of which impacts Clay’s residents in its school district to the west), Ron Daniels and Jacob Purcell. One will face Monte Newlin, Dem, in the Fall race.
There is a deplorable lack of interest in Precinct Committeeman offices throughout the county in Clay: of 22 precincts, only four have candidates on each ballot.
Crawford County
The big story in Crawford is the race for county sheriff, where four contenders will be vying, none of them the incumbent (Todd Liston): Coroner Earl Deckard, and officers Dave Marqua, Bill Rutan and Richie Cravens.
Cravens is the “Dave Devin” of this group (the former cop who ran for sheriff in 2010 despite his irritable humor and propensity toward violence) and will likely be the low-vote tally recipient. The race will likely be between Deckard and Marqua. Deckard is one of the more respected coroners in downstate, and Marqua is a well-liked officer. It may be a dead heat for these two; Disclosure’s prediction, however, is Deckard, as there literally has never been a cross word heard about the man by this newspaper staff.
Edwards County
The only contested office on the Primary ballot in Edwards County is for that of sheriff.
On the Republican ballot, incumbent Darby Boewe will face challenger David Lester Pritchard.
Boewe has been sheriff since the resignation of Scott Meserole, who was one of the better sheriffs Edwards had seen in a number of years, at the very least since Oren Smith in the 90s. Boewe was groomed to be an auxiliary police (wannabe) in West Salem in the early 2000s, along with now-West Salem police chief Harv Fenton, when a group of self-declared “white power” boys were wanting to hunt down every meth cook in the county and dispatch them if necessary. They were barely restrained, due in large part to Disclosure’s exposure of them in the year before the publication was actually formed, and the couple of years following. Boewe was one of the mildest of this bunch, and learned to become a pretty good lawman and a solid sheriff. It will be interesting to see how the people of Edwards vote, as Pritchard is a prominent name in that county.
Gallatin County
In Democrat-controlled Gallatin County in the southern reaches of the state, there are no contested offices on either ballot, and a deplorable lack of Republican candidates overall, as well as the usual dearth of precinct committeeman candidates on both ballots.
Sheriff Shannon Bradley, who has run a capable office and has kept law and order in the county, will be seeking his office again this Fall with no Republican challenger unless someone fills out a write-in late in the game.
Hamilton County
In Hamilton County, however, the office of sheriff is hotly contested, as it usually is on one side of the ballot or the other.
This year, it’s both.
On the Republican ballot, Robert Miller faces Mike Stover; both men are from McLeansboro; on the Dem ticket, it’s Bob Crow and Kenny Shreve facing off in the Primary; those two are also both from McLeansboro.
Sheriff Greg Brenner, who has done a great job for the county for his several years in the office, will not be running for sheriff this election.
Hardin County
In tiny Hardin County in the deep south area of Disclosure’s coverage, there are no contested offices; and the incumbents in a couple of offices are looking to be retained.
Those would include Jill Cowsert for county clerk, and JT Fricker for sheriff.
Disclosure was told a few weeks into the new year that no one was inclined to take out a petition to run for either office because of the dim prospect of having to work for or around prosecutor Tara Wallace, who has redefined the term “poor office morale” when it come to courthouse employees. No one, it seems, is willing to put themselves in a position where they’ll have to come in contact with the she-beast.
Jasper County
In Jasper County in the northernmost area of Disclosure’s coverage, there will be a Primary race for sheriff, and voters are watching this one closely.
That’s because there’s an officer in Jasper who used to work for Lawrence County, and when he was so employed, he was sued in federal court for civil rights violations for beating a suspect.
While the suit, brought about in February 2003 by Jeremy M. Routien, was ultimately dismissed against Cheadle because of a technicality on the part of filing by the plaintiff (represented by Mt. Vernon Morris Lane Harvey, which might explain a few things), the situation has nevertheless followed Cheadle around since the dismissal in 2005, and in the nine intervening years, many have forgotten about the case.
However, it still stands that Cheadle was accused of the type of abuses perpetrated upon people in Lawrence during the Steve Chansler administration, all of them violent, some of them involving planting of drugs or other contraband…and there are some in Jasper who are still painfully aware of what these abuses were.
Facing Cheadle on the Republican ticket is John Curtis, of Hidalgo. The winner of that Primary contest will contend with Dem candidate Rick Britton in the Fall; Sheriff Ed Francis, who has been an asset to Jasper for a number of years, is not running for re-election.
Lawrence County
Nowhere in the coverage area is the political climate weirder on a regular basis than Lawrence County…and a contender for a county board seat proves this unequivocally in the Primary.
Only one board seat is active in the Primary, and that’s because Billy “PeeWee” Darnell, that most loathsome of “police officers” from St. Francisville, is competing on the Republican ballot for District 4’s seat against Harvey Ricker. As there is no Dem contender this year (this is apparently the year the disagreeable Pat Spidel is finally giving up the office after falling into complete decrepitude), whoever takes the Primary will get the seat come fall, and this is a frightening prospect. Darnell is an uncharged criminal in Lawrence, having had filched drug evidence, drop guns and other contraband found in his garage by then-sheriff Dennis Bridwell and then Bridgeport chief Bob Nestleroad in September 2004. Nothing is ever done about Darnell’s violations of the law except in civil court, where he’s lost one lawsuit and is facing another. Voters would be wise to run screaming the other direction from Darnell’s candidacy.
The only other Primary contest is for the office of sheriff on the Republican ticket; former sheriff Dennis Bridwell will face former Lawrenceville police chief Mike Mefford, another frightening prospect for Lawrence, as things are just now beginning to look up with competent prosecutorial duties performed by Chris Quick, and a decent police chief in Lawrenceville in the form of Jim White.
Lawrence voters are urged to collect up their registered-voter-friends with common sense, and get them to the polls en masse to ensure that the likes of Darnell and Mefford are kept out of influential offices, for the safety of all Lawrence citizens.
Richland County
In Richland County, the top story is also the “no-brainer” story.
That’s because, as covered elsewhere in this issue, Olney town pest Brian James O’Neill is running for the office of sheriff on the Democrat ticket, ensuring an easy win for contender Ronald Krueger…which is good news for those who are ready to usher incumbent Republican sheriff Andy Hires out of the office he’s held since 2006.
The late sheriff Bob Foerster once told a Disclosure source that there were two county officers he “wouldn’t trust with a gun,” and Andy Hires was one of them. Foerster never made clear who the other was…but the point was made: Hires, Foerster believed, was either not capable, or was dangerous.
Judging by his record, the former might be the case. In any event, at least there’s going to be a choice come Fall; there will be more information available between now and then.
Saline County
The major races in Saline County have been chronicled in past issues (and in the current) leading up to the election: County Treasurer and County Sheriff.
Incumbent Danny Ragan, Republican Treasurer, is being challenged on the Primary ballot by Sarah Wallace, a little-known new face to politics in Saline. Ragan, most of those Disclosure has spoken with, will likely prevail in this contest, as he’s been a very capable treasurer for the county.
The Sheriff’s office is being sought on the Dem ticket by incumbent Keith Brown and challenger Danny Gibbs. The winner of that contest will face Republican Mike Gribble.
Wabash County
The major story in Wabash County comes from two extremely important offices: sheriff and judge.
In the judge’s race, to replace retiring judge, Steve Sawyer, is two-term prosecutor Cassandra Goldman and local attorney William Hudson. The prospect of one of these two replacing a seasoned judge such as Sawyer exemplifies the “lesser of two evils” election drain that has befallen this country in an ever-dwindling selection for decades now: Goldman has had too little experience as a trial attorney, and Hudson has had virtually none. Goldman has watered down the office of prosecutor so much that Wabash’s crime rate seems to have dropped since she took office in 2008, which of course isn’t the case…she just isn’t quite as capable of recognizing—and prosecuting—real crime as people would like to think, and the result is a bland candidate for judge who doesn’t offend anyone, but who may not make the best decisions for her constituency or anyone who appears in front of her, should she prevail in the Fall over Hudson.
The same machinations the Dems have pulled in order to secure Goldman a judgeship are also the ones being utilized to try, once again, to get sheriff Joe Keeling out of office.
It’s being said among politicos in Wabash that Deputy Derek Morgan is running against Keeling in the Primary in an effort to boot him out early…then Morgan will bow out of the race at the last minute just prior to ballot printing in September, and Dem candidate D-Ray Etzkorn will be the shoe-in.
Most of the citizenry hopes this isn’t really the case, but nothing would be surprising in Wabash.
The best bet would be for the Republicans to turn out in force on March 18 and ensure an easy win for Keeling; his experience and devotion to Wabash County, which he’s proven since 2008, will win the race for him in the Fall.
Wayne County
Another judicial nightmare is shaping up in Wayne County, which can’t seem to get anything right when it comes to judges or prosecutors, and haven’t had a decent one of either in years.
As covered in recent issues, the judicial race in Wayne is a head-scratcher: with the exception of one candidate, John Robison, the rest of the judicial wannabes are just that: Wannabes.
Disagreeable city attorney Mike Molt and retired judge Bennie Joe Harrison’s boy David are not trial-seasoned; prosecutor David Williams can’t litigate his way out of a wet paper bag; and temp-judge Kevin Kakac is under ever-increasing pressure in a civil suit in Franklin County, which has been featured in recent issues. Robison is the only non-corrupted attorney running for the office, but Wayne County is nothing if it’s not about name recognition, and the vote may need to be split several different ways in order for Robison to move ahead.
White County
There are no contested offices in White County, but an interesting race will be shaping up there in the Fall: that of sheriff, where former sheriff Jerry O’Neal will be running on the Dem ticket, and incumbent Doug Maier on the Republican.
The saying “may the best man win” certainly fits this race, where both are good, proven, capable sheriffs with slightly different styles about them in running the office; either way, White County doesn’t lose.