All 35 candidates advance to the Nov. 8 Whiteside County Board race

MORRISON – As is required after every U.S. Census, all 27 Whiteside County Board seats – nine in each district – were up for election Tuesday.

In all, 24 incumbents faced off against 11 newcomers. Because neither the Democratic or the Republican races had more than nine contestants each, all candidates will advance to the Nov. 8 general election, where only the top nine vote-getters in each district will be elected, regardless of party affiliation.

Democrat William McGinn, 84, of Sterling, did not file in District 1 after serving 40 years on the board. In District 3, Republican Howard “Bud” Thompson, 92, of Prophetstown, did not seek re-election after 12 years, and Charles Brown Jr., 60, of Fenton, is not running after serving 2 years.

Former County Board member Terry Woodard, who served three and a half years, from May 2005 through November 2008, and Douglas E. Crandall, who served a little less than five and a half years, from July 2015 through November 2020, are running in Districts 1 and 3, respectively.

With nine candidates total, the District 3 race is uncontested, so Crandall will be elected.

Both District 1 appointees also are seeking voter approval. Republican Thomas Witmer was appointed in August to replace longtime member Ruth Stanley, who died June 15; and Democrat Joan Padilla was appointed in February to replace Will Lee, who resigned from the board that month.

They are among nine Democrats and five Republicans seeking election in District 1; in District 2, those numbers are seven and five.

There will be no contested race in District 3 because only two Democrats and seven Republicans filed. Six of the seven are incumbents; the seventh is Republican Brian Melton, Morrison’s chief of police.

The unofficial totals:

District 1 - Democrats

Incumbents James C. Duffy, 566; Thomas L. Ausman, 476; Fidencio Hooper-Campos, 509; Owen Harrell, 428; Ernest Smith, 461; and recently appointed Joan Padilla, 694; and Christine Romesburg, 475; Sean M. Bond, 417; and Alex Regalado, 505

District 1 - Republicans

Incumbents Kurt E. Glazier, 749, and Thomas P. Witmer, 605; and Terry Woodard, 576; Michael J. Clark, 586; and Sally Douglas, 627.

All but Douglas are from Sterling, she is from Coleta.

District 2 - Democrats

Incumbents Glenn C. Truesdell, 482; Karen Nelson, 447; Katherine A. Nelson, 456; Shawn Dowd, 422; Paul J. Cunniff, 395; and George P. Kelly, 372; and Cody Dornes, 349, all of Rock Falls.

District 2 - Republicans

Incumbents Brooke Pearson, 617, and Linda Pennell of Rock Falls,599; and incumbent Douglas Wetzell of Deer Grove,872; and Matt Ward of Lyndon, 629; and Brhenan Linke of Morrison, 466.

District 3 - Democrats

Incumbents Sue Britt of Morrison, 538; and Daniel L. Bitler of Albany, 343.

District 3 - Republicans

Incumbents Glenn A. Frank 876, and Martin Koster, 861, of Morrison, Mark Hamilton, 915, and Larry Russell, 858 of Fulton; and Chad Weaver, 970, of Erie; and Brian R. Melton 973, of Morrison and Douglas E. Crandall, 779, of Prophetstown.

At the organizational meeting held after the general election, names will be drawn to determine which board members will start with two-year terms, and which with four-year terms. All terms will end in 2032, when the post-census process will return.