Booker faces familiar challenger in race for Whiteside County sheriff

Nearly 50 civic-minded individuals, mostly incumbents, filed their intentions Monday to seek office in Lee and Whiteside counties.

Monday was the first day established party candidates could file their petitions. The deadline for turning in petitions is 5 p.m. next Monday, March 14.

In Whiteside County, Sheriff John Booker will square off against a familiar face, according to the first batch of petitions filed for the June 24 primary race.

Tampico Chief of Police Mike Lewis, a Republican, is seeking to oust the Democrat, who was a lieutenant with the sheriff’s department when he was first elected in November 2018.

Lewis, who took the job as the village’s top cop in January 2021, was a Whiteside County deputy for 17 years, serving with Booker.

In March 2018, Lewis lost the GOP nomination for sheriff to fellow deputy Kris Schmidt by fewer than 350 votes – 2,309 to 1,769. Schmidt, who retired from the sheriff’s department last week, lost to Booker.

The Whiteside County Board is comprised of three districts, with seven board members each. Of the 27 incumbents, 15 filed Monday to seek re-election, while four filed seeking their own seats.

Glenn Frank was one of the first in line at the clerk’s window, among about a dozen or so with petitions in hand at 8:30 a.m., there despite the snow.

Frank has served on the county board for 32 years already, and if re-elected, will turn 85 during what he said, with a broad smile, just might be his last term.

Whiteside county offices up for election, and the candidates who filed as of 4:30 p.m.:

County clerk:

Republican Dana Nelson, incumbent

Sheriff:

Democrat John F. Booker, incumbent

Republican Michael W. Lewis

Treasurer:

No filing yet

County Board:

District 1

Democratic incumbents Thomas L. Ausman, James C. Duffy, Fidencio Hooper-Campos and Owen Harrell

Republican incumbent Kurt E. Glazier

Republican Terry Woodard and Michael J. Clark

District 2

Democratic incumbents Karen Nelson, Katherine A. Nelson, Shawn Dowd, Glenn C. Truesdell and Paul J. Cunniff

Republican incumbents Linda Pennell and Douglas Wetzell

Republican Brhenan Linke

District 3

Republican incumbents Glenn A. Frank, Mark Hamilton and Larry Russell,

Republican Douglas E. Crandall

Lee County

More than two dozen candidates filed for Lee County races Monday.

So far, Dixon police Lt. Clay Whelan is the only candidate running for Lee County sheriff, and he’ll appear on the Republican ballot. Whelan has been with the Dixon Police Department for 27 years.

Sheriff John Simonton, a Republican, announced his plans not to seek a third term in December. He was elected in 2014 and will serve out his term to Nov. 30, 2022, marking 8 years in office and 40 in law enforcement.

County offices and candidate filings as of 4 p.m. Monday:

Sheriff

Republican Clay Whelan

Treasurer

Republican Paul Rudolphi

County Board:

District 1

Republican incumbents Rick Humphrey, Michael Koppien, Christopher Norberg and James Schielein

Republicans Ronald Gascoigne, Paula Meyer and Angie Shippert

District 2

Republican incumbents Danielle Allen, Lirim Mimini and John Nicholson

District 3

Republican incumbents Tim Bivins, Doug Farster, Keane Hudson and Tom Wilson

Republicans Cole Gehrt, Nancy Naylor and Michael Pearson

Democrat Randy Lilly

District 4

Republican incumbents Tom Kitson, Bill Palen and Jack Skrogstad

Republicans Michael Book, Dean Freil and Chris Robertson

Democrat Deidre Thomas

Statewide, voters will be choosing governor and lieutenant governor, statewide constitutional officers, all 118 seats in the Illinois House and 59 seats in the state Senate, circuit, appellate court and state Supreme Court judges, congressional seats, and the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Tammy Duckworth.

Editor’s note: this story was corrected to fix a misspelling of Randy Lilly’s name in District 3.