A field of seven Winnebago County Sheriff candidates was narrowed to two last night.
There hasn’t been much turnover at the top of the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department over the past few decades: so when Sheriff Richard Meyers decided not to run again, five Democrats and two Republicans decided to jump into the race.
Democrat Bob Springer captured 42% of the vote in his five-way race. The retired sheriff’s deputy says he’s ready to take on more than just his opponent.
We've got a good promotions process going, we've got a good merit commission going. Look at the command staff. Again, get the right people in the right spot, and GROW them.
Gary Caruana won the Republican race. He says his experience in law enforcement AND security management at UPS have prepared him to lead the Sheriff’s department:
We get a good promotion process, we get a good merit commission going. Look at the command staff, again, get the right people in the right spot and grow them!
Sheriff Richard Meyers , a Democrat, is retiring after five decades in law enforcement.
Democratic candidates are:
- Robert C. (Bob) Springer 1,699
- Glenn A. Heidenreich 912
- Robert (Bob) Redmond 805
- Randal L. Olson 422
- Jeffrey S. Schroeder 260
Republican candidates are:
- Gary Caruana 6,921
- Frank Pobjecky 4,430
Boone County
Republican David Ernest defeated Republican Philip Beu. There is no Democrat slated for the November ballot.
- David Ernest 4,615
- Philip Beu 1,260
Bureau County
Republican Allan K. Beaber and Democrat James B . Reed will compete in the fall to replace incumbent Democrat John E. Thompson, who is retiring after 11 years as Sheriff.
- Allan K. Beaber 1,317
- William A. Rosenow 535
- Alexander M. Arauza 591
- James A. Shipp 1,299
Ogle County
Incumbent Sheriff Michael Harn was defeated in the Republican Primary by challenger Brian Vanvickle. There are no Democratic candidates.
- Michael R. Harn (Incumbent) 3,334
- Brian E. Vanvickle 3,470
- Joe Drought 2,821
Kendall County
Dwight Baird won the Republican primary to replace retiring Sheriff Richard Randall. There are no current Democratic candidates.
- Steven Eaves 1,713
- Dwight Baird 6,132
- Jeffrey S. “Jeff” Christiansen 1,471
Kane County
Republican Kevin Williams won the primary race to replace Incumbent Democrat Sheriff Patrick Perez, who is not seeking re-election as Sheriff. Williams will face Democrat Willie Mayes in the fall.
- Kevin Williams 13,818
- Donald E. Kramer 13,623
Lee County
The Republican incumbent Sheriff John Varga lost his bid to retain his seat to John Simonton. There are currently no Democratic candidates.
- John C. Simonton 3,176
- John R. Varga (Incumbent) 2,411
McHenry County
William Prin won the Republican primary to replace Incumbent Sheriff Keith Nygren, who is retiring. There are no Democratic candidates.
- William "Bill" Prim 12,387
- Andrew "Andy" Zinke 11,988
Putnam County
Incumbent Democrat Kevin Doyle won the primary and the right to seeka fifth term as Sheriff. There are no Republican candidates.
- Kevin J. Moore 275
- Kevin L. Doyle (Incumbent) 1,229
