Endorsements for Vermilion County offices
By:
Friday, October 31, 2008
Auditor
Incumbent Democrat Linda Lucas Anstey, who has been in office for 19 years, is the clear choice over Republican challenger Stephen Green. Anstey, a certified public accountant, is more qualified and has more experience than Green.
She also does a remarkable amount of work for an office comprising just three people, including herself. She said that she reviews bills for 28 county departments and agencies and last year handled about 250,000 invoices. Taxpayers are getting a bargain with Anstey, who said she hasn't taken a vacation for five years.
Circuit clerk
No matter who wins election Tuesday it appears there will be changes in this office with the retirement of incumbent Susan Miller. The person who seems to have the best ideas for improving the office (both for its customers and its staff), and for seeing to it that those ideas are carried out, is Republican Denny Gardner. He wants to open the office 30 minutes earlier, make it easier for fines to be paid online, eliminate congestion at the office's front window and restore staff morale by fighting for needed salary increases. Gardner's opponent, Darla Cruppenink, has worked in the office for 13 years, but she hasn't demonstrated a commitment to make the technological and customer-oriented changes that Gardner has pledged to seek.
Coroner
Michael Rortvedt, the ex-chief deputy coroner, is challenging his former boss, Republican Peggy Johnson, for coroner. The two had what Johnson calls a "very painful" falling out last January after she found that Rortvedt had included the coroner's office fax number in a professional directory for his funeral service business, a side business he operated with Johnson's knowledge. Another funeral home complained about Rortvedt including the coroner's office number in the directory. Rortvedt admits he should not have listed the number but said he does not believe he misused the coroner's office. A hearings referee for the Illinois Department of Employment Security found that while Rortvedt "may have used poor judgment in offering the fax number, his actions did not constitute a deliberate and willful disregard of the employer's interests" and that he did not gain personally from it. The incident is the only reason to reject Rortvedt, who has otherwise outstanding qualifications for the job. He is a board-registered medicolegal death investigator which he contends could save the county money in cases where paid experts would not have to be called. We have no complaints with Johnson; it is only that Rortvedt is unusually well qualified.
Recorder
Republican Barb Young is unopposed.
State's attorney
Republican Randy Brinegar and Democrat Dan Brown are not only friends but they are also virtually indistinguishable on the issues. Both pledge to make changes in the state's attorney's office and to more aggressively prosecute drug dealers in Vermilion County. The issues on which they disagree, such as whether there should be more cross-training of staff attorneys, are generally minor. That makes it difficult to endorse one of the two seemingly well-qualified candidates, but our nod goes to Brinegar based on the 14 years he has spent in the state's attorney's office, including turns in every division.
Comments
Brinegar is also the ONLY candidate that has ever prosecuted.
On election day, vote for the only candidate ready for the job of State's Attorney,
VOTE FOR RANDY BRINEGAR
Posted by danvilleresident on November 1, 2008 at 8:18 PM Report this comment