Write-in challengers running against Spencer in race for state’s attorney

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By Steven Martens | Thursday, October 30, 2008 10:51 PM CDT | () comments

MORRISON, Ill. — Whiteside County State’s Attorney Gary Spencer was unopposed at the time of the Illinois primary election, but that was before most people had heard of Nicholas Sheley.

Spencer was the subject of public criticism after Sheley was arrested in July and charged with murdering eight people in a week-long killing spree, including five people in Whiteside County.

Amy Huffman, an assistant state’s attorney in Lee County and a Sterling, Ill., resident, said she decided to enter the race after Spencer’s refusal to speak publicly about the Sheley case shortly after the homicides. She said that caused the public to lose confidence in him.

“I heard the strong call of the community begging for a change,” Huffman said.

Spencer, who has served as the county’s state’s attorney since 1981, said he did not speak publicly about Sheley because he was not ethically allowed to say anything that could jeopardize the investigation or prosecution of the case. Spencer said he should have done a better job of explaining to the public why he could not comment about the case in the media.

“If I made a mistake, it was not showing my face out there and reassuring people that they were in good hands,” he said.

Huffman and public defender Elwin Neal of Sterling each sought the endorsement of the county Democratic Party to oppose Spencer as a write-in candidate, and Huffman received the nod from the party leadership.

Neal said in July he entered the race because he felt Huffman was being an “opportunist.” He did not respond to telephone messages seeking comment about his candidacy.

Huffman said she would like to see several programs used in Lee County brought to Whiteside County, such as a drug court, mental health court, domestic violence court, military diversion program and a second chance program for first-time offenders.

Huffman said she believes change is needed in the state’s attorney’s office.

“What we’re doing isn’t working,” she said.

Spencer said many of the programs Huffman has proposed already exist in different forms and names in Whiteside County. He touted his experience in prosecuting “every kind of case,” and said he hopes voters will vote for the “same old thing.”

“The same old thing is an effective, hard-nosed prosecutor,” he said.

The salary of the position is $160,412.

Other races

Also on the ballot, three Whiteside County officials are running unopposed for re-election and several candidates are seeking spots on the Whiteside County Board.

Circuit Clerk Sheila Schipper, County Recorder Dawn Young and County Coroner Joseph McDonald all are unopposed.

Candidates for county board are:

District 1 (five seats) — Democrats John (Jack) McMillin (incumbent), William McGinn (incumbent), Thomas Ausman and Robert Van De Velde; Republicans Orin Peterson (incumbent), Richard Cox (incumbent), H. John Stauter and Terry Woodard (incumbent).

District 2 — Running unopposed for four seats are Democratic incumbents Paul Hoffmiller, Tony Arduini, Glenn Truesdell and Eugene Jacoby. Democrat Paul Cunniff is running unopposed for an unexpired two-year term.

District 3 — Running unopposed for four seats are Democrats Steve Wilkins and Kenneth Roeder and Republicans William Nice (incumbent) and Mark Hamilton.

Steven Martens can be contacted at (563) 659-2595 or smartens@qctimes.com.

Whiteside County state’s attorney race

Amy Huffman

Age: 33

Address: Sterling

Party affiliation: Write-in candidate with the endorsement of the Whiteside County Democratic Party

Family: Two children, ages 5 and 3

Education: Bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa, law degree from Northern Illinois University

Occupation: Assistant Lee County state’s attorney

Previous elected office or experience: Former assistant state’s attorney in Whiteside County

Elwin Neal

Age: Not available

Address: Rock Falls

Party affiliation: Sought endorsement of Whiteside County Democratic Party.

Occupation: Public defender in Sterling

Previous elected office or experience: Not available

Gary Spencer

Age: 59

Address: Morrison

Party affiliation: Republican

Family: Wife, Jeannie; two children and three stepchildren

Education: Associate’s degree from Sauk Valley Community College, bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University, law degree from Drake University.

Occupation: Whiteside County state’s attorney

Previous elected office or experience: Whiteside County state’s attorney since 1981, two years as an assistant state’s attorney.

Voters face several other ballot issues

MORRISON, Ill. — Voters in Whiteside County have several referenda on the ballot for Tuesday’s election.

Voters in Coloma Township will vote on an advisory referendum stating that state funds should not be used to pay private military corporations to train law enforcement personnel and security guards.

The referendum was placed on the ballot at the April township meeting when Fred Turk, a Rock Falls resident and member of Sauk Valley Interfaith Peace Action, raised the issue.

Turk said the referendum was aimed at organizations like Blackwater USA, which operates a training facility in Jo Daviess County and offers private security training.

“(The referendum) is sort of more educational than anything, because a lot of people don’t realize the proximity of Blackwater or even know Blackwater exists,” Turk said.

Also on the ballot is a 1-cent local-option sales tax that is expected to generate $4 million a year in revenue. The money would be split among the county’s 10 school districts based on enrollment to fund improvements in school facilities.

Whiteside County is one of nine counties in Illinois voting on the measure. Only Williamson County has approved the tax since it was authorized by the Legislature a year ago.

Other measures on the ballot include questions of whether to form a Walnut Fire Protection District, a $5.5 million bond issue for improvements to school facilities in the Prophetstown-Lyndon-Tampico school district, the formation and the formation of an Erie Park District and the election of park commissioners.

— Steven Martens