Kane County treasurer faces challenge

Kane County Treasurer David Rickert is facing a party challenge in his bid to retain his office.

Bob Kovanic of Sugar Grove, an accountant who owns his own firm, filed papers Monday to run as a Republican for the office.

"I think incumbents in the current season need to be challenged," said Kovanic, who is making his first run for office. Rickert ran unopposed four years ago.

Kovanic said he believes the treasurer's office should not run over budget. "It is unacceptable for the treasurer to have that problem," he said.

Filing for established-party candidates closed Monday for the Feb. 2 primary.

Kane County Clerk John Cunningham has an easy path to the Republican nomination, as as nobody filed to run against him in the primary. Ghafran Chishti of Elgin filed for the post in the Democratic primary.

No Green Party candidates filed for any county office.

Two long-serving Kane County Board members are seeing challenges from fellow party members.

Democrat Gerry Jones of Aurora, who has been on the board since 1992, will face off with Lorena Cundari of Aurora in District 7.

And District 11's Robert McConnaughay, who said last week that he contemplated not running again, is challenged by Michael Donahue of Geneva. McConnaughay has been on the board for 19 years. Donahue said he would focus on issues of particular importance to District 11: redevelopment of the old Kane County jail site on Fabyan Parkway, reuse of the Settler's Hill landfill property off Fabyan, and the use of the former Sixth Street School property, which now houses the Kane County Regional Office of Education. There's been talk of selling that property.

District 1 board member Sylvia Leonberger, an Aurora Democrat, is being challenged by Myrna Molina, who held the seat briefly in 2006. Molina was appointed to the board to serve the last three months of a term of an officeholder who moved out of the district. No Republicans filed.

Candidate filings

The following candidates have filed for county and statewide offices, for the primary to be held Feb. 2.

Statewide offices

U.S. Senate

Democrat

Corey Dabney of Aurora

Alexander "Alexi" Giannoulias of Chicago

David Hoffman of Chicago

Cheryle Jackson of Chicago

Robert Marshall of Burr Ridge

Jacob Meister of Chicago

Green

LeAlan Jones of Chicago

Republican

John Arrington of Harvey

Patrick Hughes of Hinsdale

Mark Kirk of Highland Park

Thomas "Tom" Kuna of Jerseyville

Donald (Don) Lowery of Golconda

Andy Martin of Chicago

Kathleen Thomas of Springfield

Robert "Bob" Zadek of Rockford

Governor

Democrat

Daniel W. Hynes of Chicago

Pat Quinn of Chicago*

Ed Scanlan of Oak Park

William "Dock" Walls III of Chicago

Green

Richard Mayers of Chicago

Rich Whitney of Carbondale

Republican

Adam Andrzejewski of Hinsdale

Bill Brady of Bloomington

Kirk W. Dillard of Hinsdale

Andy McKenna of Chicago

Dan Proft of Chicago

Jim Ryan of Elmhurst

Robert J. Schillerstrom of Naperville

Lieutenant Governor

Democrat

Mike Boland of East Moline

Thomas Castillo of Elmhurst

Scott Cohen of Chicago

Rickey R. Hendon of Chicago

Terry Link of Waukegan

Arthur L. Turner of Chicago

Green

Don Crawford of St. Elmo

Republican

Brad Cole of Carbondale

Dennis Cook of Orland Park

Matt Murphy of Palatine

Jason Plummer of Edwardsville

Don Tracy of Springfield

Randy A. White Sr. of Hamilton

Attorney General

Democrat

Lisa Madigan of Chicago*

Green

David Black of Belvidere

Republican

Steve Kim of Northbrook

Secretary of State

Democrat

Jesse White of Chicago*

Green

Adrian Frost of Plano

Republican

Robert Enriquez of Aurora

Treasurer

Democrat

Mark Doyle of Chicago

Robin Kelly of Matteson

Justin P. Oberman of Chicago

Green

Scott Summers of Harvard

Republican

Dan Rutherford of Chenoa

Comptroller

Democrat

S. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Hoffman Estates

Clinton "Clint" Krislove of Wilmette

David E. Miller of Lynwood

Green

Erika Schafer of Chicago

Republican

Jim Dodge of Orland Park

William Kelly of Chicago

Judy Baar Topinka of Riverside

Congressional District 6

Democrat

Benjamin Lowe of Wheaton

Republican

Peter Roskam of Wheaton

Congressional District 14

Democrat

Bill Foster* of Batavia

James Pistorius of Aurora

Green

Daniel Kairis of South Elgin

Republican

Jeff Danklefsen of Geneva

Ethan A. Hastert of Elburn

Randall M. "Randy" Hultgren of Winfield

James "Jim" Purcell of Batavia

Mark Vargas of Elgin

State Senate

28th District

Republican

John Millner of Carol Stream

Democrat

Corinne Michelle Pierog of St. Charles

22nd District

Democrat

Michael Noland of Elgin

Republican

Steve Rauschenberger of Elgin

State Representatives

55th District

Democrat

Gregory C. Brownfield of Bartlett

Republican

Randy Ramey of Carol Stream

50th District

Democrat

Linda Healy of Aurora

Republican

Kay Hatcher of Yorkville

Bob R. McQuillan of Geneva

Keith R. Wheeler of Oswego

49th District

Democrat

Jennifer Barconi of South Elgin

Republican

Timothy Schmitz* of Batavia

44th District

Democrat

Fred Crespo of Hoffman Estates

Republican

Billie Roth of Streamwood

43rd District

Democrat

Keith Farnham of Elgin

Republican

Ruth Munson of Elgin

Kane County

Sheriff: Donald Kramer (R) of Geneva and Rob Russell (R) of South Elgin; Pat Perez* (D) of Sugar Grove

Clerk: John Cunningham* (R) of Aurora

Regional school superintendent: Douglas Johnson* (R)

Treasurer: David Rickert* (R) of Elgin and Bob Kovanic (R) of Sugar Grove

County Board

District 1 (1, 4-year term): Sylvia Leonberger* (D) of Aurora and Myrna Molina (D) of Aurora

District 3 (1, 4-year term): Jennifer Laesch (D) of Aurora and Juan Reyna (D) of Aurora

District 5 (1, 4-year term): Bill Wyatt* (R) and Melisa Taylor (R) of Sugar Grove

District 7 (1, 4-year term): Lorena Cundari (D) of Aurora and Gerald Jones* (D) of Aurora

District 9 (1, 4-year term): Jim Mitchell Jr.* (R) of North Aurora, Lee Jacobson (R) of North Aurora and Chris Faber (D) of North Aurora

District 11 (1, 4-year term): Robert McConnaughay* (R) of Geneva and Michael Donahue (R) of Geneva

District 13 (1, 4-year term): Phillip Lewis* (R) of Geneva and Stephen Bruesewitz (D) of St. Charles

District 15 (1, 4-year term): Kay Catlin (D) of St. Charles, Barb Wojnicki* (R) of Campton Hills, Al Lenkaitis Jr. (R) of Campton Hills and Susan Secondi (R) of Campton Township

Judicial

16th Circuit judge (Grometer vacancy): Kevin T. Busch* (R) of Batavia; Fred M. Morelli (R) of Aurora

16th Circuit judge (Wegner vacancy): Timothy J. McCann (R) of Oswego

16th Circuit judge (Kane County): David R. Akemann (R) of Elgin; Robert L. Janes (R) of St. Charles Republican; Thomas Patrick Rice (R) of Batavia; D.J. Tegeler (R) of Geneva; Leonard J. Wojtecki (R) of Geneva; John G. Dalton (D) of Elgin; Michael Funkey (D) of Aurora

16th Circuit judge (3rd subcircuit): Karen Simpson* (R) of St. Charles

16th Circuit judge (4th subcircuit): Susan Clancy Boles* (R) of Wayne

Note: * signifies incumbent

Source: County clerks, Illinois State Board of Elections

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