MORRISON – A healthy slate of Whiteside County candidates is seeking office this year, including 11 relatively fresh faces seeking County Board seats.

As is required after every census, all 27 County Board seats – nine in each district – are up for election; 24 incumbents, including two appointed to their seats in the last year and two former board members, are running in the June 28 primary.

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

The two familiar faces running this year are former 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; they are running in Districts 1 and 3, respectively. The District 3 race is uncontested, so Crandall will be elected.

Both District 1 appointees 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.

In November, only the top nine vote-getters in each district will be elected, regardless of party affiliation.

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.

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

Sheriff John F. Booker, a Sterling Democrat, and Republican Michael W. Lewis, of Rock Falls, have no party challengers and so will face off in the Nov. 8 general election.

Running uncontested are Republican County Clerk Dana Nelson and Treasurer Penny VanKampen.

Those who filed:

District 1 - Democrats

Incumbents James C. Duffy, board chairman, and Thomas L. Ausman, Fidencio Hooper-Campos, Owen Harrell, Ernest Smith and recently appointed Joan Padilla; and Christine Romesburg, Sean M. Bond and Alex Regalado.

District 1 - Republicans

Incumbents Kurt E. Glazier and Thomas P. Witmer; and Terry Woodard, Michael J. Clark and Sally Douglas.

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

District 2 - Democrats

Incumbents Glenn C. Truesdell, board vice president, and Karen Nelson, Katherine A. Nelson, Shawn Dowd, Paul J. Cunniff and George P. Kelly; and Cody Dornes, all of Rock Falls.

District 2 - Republicans

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

District 3 - Democrats

Incumbents Sue Britt of Morrison and Daniel L. Bitler of Albany.

District 3 - Republicans

Incumbents Glenn A. Frank and Martin Koster of Morrison, Mark Hamilton and Larry Russell of Fulton, and Chad Weaver of Erie; and Brian R. Melton of Morrison and Douglas E. Crandall of Prophetstown.