At least three new members are poised to join the McHenry County Board later this year after two incumbents are trailing in their reelection bids in the Republican primary election.

A third incumbent opted not to run again, but the other two are on track to lose to challengers who, among other things, criticized their records on taxing and spending.

In County Board District 7, incumbent Republican Brian Sager, the former mayor of Woodstock, is trailing primary challenger Jeff Schwartz in results that remain unofficial.

With all precincts reporting, Schwartz has about 58% of the total and Sager about 42%.

Sager said Wednesday he was “incredibly grateful” for the chance to serve residents and businesses in the region, first in Woodstock and then at the County Board level.

“It’s been a true honor,” Sager said, adding he is looking forward to finish serving his term on the board and wished the best for his successors.

He conceded his opponent might have done a better job addressing voters’ concerns.

Schwartz argued at a candidate forum that Sager’s record reflects higher taxing and spending, while Schwartz’s reflects fiscal restraint. He was appointed to the County Board following the death of member Chuck Wheeler in 2020, but Schwartz lost election to Sager and former board Democratic member Lou Ness in 2022. That year, the size of the board was reduced and the entire board was up for election, so the top two vote-getters in each district won seats.

Schwartz said Wednesday he believed the forum set the tone in the campaign. He said Sager talked about needing to raise taxes to cover increased expenses. Schwartz touted his manufacturing background, where he emphasized finding ways to do things more efficiently. He said his approach is to reduce costs without reducing services.

But Schwartz wasn’t reading too much into the primary results.

“It’s just one step towards being on the board,” Schwartz said, adding that winning the general election in November could be a challenge. He will be up against Patrick Shea, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.

“It’s not over yet,” Schwartz said.

He said the other party likes to paint all Republicans as being “hardcore MAGA” but that just because someone wants to make America great doesn’t mean that that person agrees with everything happening in the world.

Schwartz added that the majority-Republican County Board has done great things, including being among the few counties in the state that’s debt-free. He said the county paid off its final bond in 2021, when he was on the board, and has a long history of fiscal responsibility, which he wants to see continue so his children and grandchildren can live in the county.

“I love McHenry County,” Schwartz said.

In County Board District 8, incumbent Republican Larry Smith of Harvard trails challenger Marty Mohr of Marengo.

With the totals not yet certified, Mohr is leading with just over 60% of the vote.

Mohr said Wednesday he felt “cautiously optimistic” heading into the election Tuesday and that “people are ready for a change on the board.”

He said he’s feeling good heading into the general election, noting the rural nature of his district and his commitment to protecting that.

Mohr said he heard from voters during the campaign about the proposed “lookback” option the County Board floated last year. The board ultimately rejected that, but it would have raised the property tax levy back to where it was before voters signed off on a sales tax increase to fund the county’s Mental Health Board.

Mohr said people were mad about the proposal and they didn’t forget about it. He added people active in local government remember county leaders vowed to cut that share of the levy in exchange for the sales tax increase, not try to claw it back.

He said he believes in local control of zoning, which he said differentiated him from Smith. Illinois state law limits the county’s ability to regulate solar, but how to approach it was an area of difference between the two.

Smith said in a Shaw Local questionnaire that he doesn’t like seeing solar farms on agricultural land. But he said state law has tied the county’s hands on solar farms.

“The risk of a lawsuit and liability for the County, which affects the taxpayers, is always a factor in my decisions on these matters,” Smith said.

Mohr said at the forum he is against state law restricting the county’s ability to solar projects and wants the county to push back against unfunded mandates.

“We can’t allow the fear of a lawsuit to stop us from defending our rural character,” Mohr said.

He said in his Shaw Local questionnaire that the state law “is an unacceptable infringement on local governance.”

Mohr added the county should work with lawmakers to get their rights back but felt while some people hesitate because of litigation, “standing up for our residents’ property rights and the protection of productive farmland is a fight worth taking to court.”

Mohr said Smith called Wednesday and offered his support in November, for which Mohr said he was thankful. Mohr will face Christy “Chris” Stevens, who was unopposed Tuesday in the Democratic primary.

Smith said he was “disappointed, of course” in the outcome but that Mohr is a good guy who will do a good job if ultimately elected. Smith said Mohr is well known through being on the Marengo park board and other activities and did a good job getting out signs and advertising.

In County Board District 9, voters will also pick a new board member after incumbent Michael Skala, a Huntley Republican, chose not to run for reelection.

On the Republican side, former Huntley trustee and restaurant owner Niko Kanakaris was unopposed for the Republican nomination. His Democratic challenger in November is Christine Hamm, who was among the organizers of a group that helped to flip control of the Huntley School District 158 board in 2025 after being dissatisfied with the a more conservative direction on the board. Hamm also had no opponent in the primary.