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Chris Lauzen

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Kane County Turns Up the Heat on Hiring Freeze

In the wake of Chris Lauzen's attempt to hire political ally Robert Sauceda, a Kane County committee considers including penalties for officials who attempt to sidestep its hiring freeze.

The fallout from Kane County Board Chairman Chris Lauzen's attempt to hire political ally Robert Sauceda as a billing manager continued this week as a county committee started looking at strengthening the rules for hiring during a freeze, according to a number of area media reports. The Daily Herald reported Thursday that the county's Finance Committee basically agreed with the notion that the County Board should sign off on all future hires for new positions. The freeze has been around a long time—since 2008, according to an article in the Kane County Chronicle—but county department heads have been allowed to fill vacancies or hire in emergency situations virtually at will. In practice, department supervisors have been able to hire …

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8:54 pm on Tuesday, March 19, 2013

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Sunday, February 24, 2013

Lauzen Called Out for Cronyism He Decried in Race for Kane County Chairmanship

A Kane County committee is looking into the hiring practices after Kane County Board Chairman Chris Lauzen hired political ally Robert Sauceda, according to reports in the Kane County Chronicle and Daily Herald.

Kane County Board Chairman Chris Lauzen came under some fire this week after he hired political ally Robert Sauceda as a billing manager for the Kane County Animal Control Department, according to multiple media reports. Articles in the Daily Herald and the Kane County Chronicle said Lauzen initialy had nominated Sauceda as the new director of the Animal Control Department, but the Kane County Board rejected the nomination in closed session. A week later, Lauzen hired Sauceda as a temporary employee in charge of collecting debts owed the department. Sauceda ran alongside Lauzen in the "Reform Kane" ticket of the 2012 primary, the Daily Herald said. Sauceda had run for a County Board seat in the South Elgin 16th District. The Chicago …

Kit Drake

7:50 pm on Wednesday, February 27, 2013

I was one of those "political supporters" who put up a sign for Lauzen. I certainly will never do it again! Unfortunately he has already started with the cronyism he campaigned against. Ethics reform! What a disappointment he is. Another arrogant politician. The board rejects Sauceda and he just gives him a different title and puts him in anyway. Taxpayer money for Lauzen's friends. Who's next?   more ›

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Russell Takes Coroner Race, Fellow GOP Win Many County Contests

Rob Russell wins the race with 56 percent of the vote. Here are some quotes and a recap of other Kane County races.

Republican Rob Russell won a contentious race Tuesday for Kane County coroner, according to unofficial election results. With 291 precincts reporting, Russell captured about 56 percent of the total vote. His opponent, Democratic candidate Tao Martinez, came in with 43 percent. "I’m very happy, very humbled for this opportunity," Russell told Patch. "I look forward to serving the citizens of Kane County for the next four years." Martinez said the campaign, his first time running for public office, was a challenging one. He congratulated all of tonight's winners on both sides of the political spectrum. "I have no regrets in how I ran my campaign," Martinez said. "I tried to set an example. I was not your typical candidate. Everyone noticed …

Kelly

9:20 am on Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Yea where is your info coming from Romney won Kane county.   more ›

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

FINAL: Lauzen Takes County Board Chair GOP Primary

State Sen. Chris Lauzen easily defeats Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns in the race for the Republican nomination for Kane County Board chairman.

The donnybrook primary campaign between a state senator and a Kane County mayor is over. With all precincts reporting, state Sen. Chris Lauzen on Tuesday won the GOP nomination for Kane County Board chairman with about 70 percent of the vote. The unofficial totals had 25,953 ballots cast for Lauzen over 11,424 for Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns. As expected, Lauzen did well in his Aurora stomping grounds, leading Burns 3,659 to 872.  “Ladies and gentlemen, I don’t think this was supposed to happen, was it?" Lauzen told his supporters at Alley 64 in St. Charles on Tuesday. "I mean, they had all the newspapers. We had the people. They had Pat Brady. We had the Three Amigos. They had the Establishment Insiders. We had the reform from the Grassroots…

John

8:43 pm on Thursday, March 22, 2012

It is interesting to see the faction of the anti reformers that lost in the election saying that those that won were unconvincing, having the same numbers (yet forgetting they were running in a different district) and blaming everyone and anyone else but themselves for their loss. We have the county attorney doing election analysis trying to protect the interests that are now benefitting from …   more ›

Monday, March 19, 2012

GOP Kane Board Chair Race: The 'CEO' vs. the 'Reformer'

The Kane County Board chairman race on the Republican side pits Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns against state Sen. Chris Lauzen.

The name that is not mentioned on most campaign literature from either candidate in the GOP primary race for Kane County Board chairman is that of the current board chair, Karen McConnaughay. But in some ways, McConnaughay's name is written between the lines of every campaign message of the two Republicans vying for the open seat. And in some ways, the March 20 nomination is a referendum that measures the effectiveness and popularity of McConnaughay's two terms in office. The race between Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns and state Sen. Chris Lauzen has many nuances and subplots, but its theme comes down to a contest between the "CEO" and the "reformer." Kevin Burns' central message from Day One of the campaign to the most-recently distributed …

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Jeff Ward

10:16 am on Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Bob, Just like your economic development plan for Downtown Geneva, you have it wrong. Just as Ms. McConnaughay absolved the taxpayers from providing her a second pension if she's elected to the State Senate, Senator Lauzen said the very same thing early on in his campaign. Jeff Ward   more ›

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Who's Your Pick: Chris Lauzen or Kevin Burns?

The Kane County Board chairman race probably is the local headliner for Tuesday's Republican primary. Who do you like? Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns faces off against state Sen. Chris Lauzen.

It's coming to the wire in what probably is the marquee event on the GOP March 20 horse race for Kane County Board chairman. State Sen. Chris Lauzen took the lead out of the gate, with name recognition and a formidable group of supporters, including his campaign committee chair, former state Sen. Steve Rauschenberger, and endorsements from Congressman Randy Hultgren and former U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald. Burns started the race with a strong base in the Tri-Cities and a message that his campaign chair would be state Republican Chairman Pat Brady, and has come on in recent weeks with an endorsement sweep from the Chicago Tribune, the Daily Herald and the Kane County Chronicle. Who will cross the finish line first? That's for you to decide …

Melissa Pazen

8:53 am on Monday, March 19, 2012

Wow! I hope voter turnout is LARGE tomorrow! I'd hate to think these important local elections were decided by the polarized few!   more ›

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Letter to the Editor: Lauzen Should Not Use Sons' Military Attire for Campaign Materials

Tom O'Neil: A Department of Defense directive prohibits members of the armed forces on active duty from “participating in any political activity while in military uniform.

To the Editor:  Last weekend, my wife and I received a political advertisement from Chris Lauzen in the mail. It was a handsome political piece which contains, among other things, a color photograph of Sen. Lauzen and his family. Two of the senator’s sons are shown in their full dress uniforms, one from the Marine Corps and one from the United States Navy. Sen. Lauzen is justiflably proud of his two sons in the military. However, Department of Defense directive No. l344.10, effective Feb. 19, 2008, prohibits members of the armed forces on active duty from “participating in any political activity while in military uniform.” (DoDD 1344.10 E32) Political activity is defined as “activity supporting or relating to candidates representing, or …

Kevin ONeil

8:37 am on Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Tim, I haven't seen the photo you describe; is it possible his sons are attired in Marmion uniforms? Certainly THAT wouldn't fall afoul! Even Chris could wear his full-dress cadet duds. I've known Chris longer than Kevin, this is a conflicted decision, but I'm off to the polls to vote for Burns.   more ›

Chris Lauzen Endorsed by DuPage Board Chair Dan Cronin

State Sen. Chris Lauzen's campaign for Kane County Board chairman announces the endorsement of Dan Cronin, the DuPage County Board chairman.

State Sen. Chris Lauzen announced Friday, March 2, the endorsement of DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin for Lauzen's run for Republican nominee for Kane County Board chairman. Former state Sen. Cronin and Lauzen served together in Springfield for nearly 18 years prior to Cronin’s 2010 election to DuPage County Board chairman. “I worked with Sen. Lauzen in Springfield, and I know he is smart and tough. He has worked tirelessly for families, small businesses and taxpayers. Please vote for Chris Lauzen in the March primary election,” Cronin said. Lauzen cited the DuPage County Board chairman’s similar professional and political preparation for County Board chairman responsibilities. “Dan and I literally sat next to each other in the …

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Letter to the Editor: Burns' Experience Makes Him Right for the Job

Mike Donahue: Consider the analogy of the CEO job candidate, and you'll see why Kevin Burns is best qualified to serve as Kane County Board chairman.

To the Editor: I am one of six Kane County Board members who endorsed Kevin Burns for County Board chairman. I did so because I have known Kevin as a friend and colleague for more than 20 years. But my endorsement is supported by a more practical consideration than that; he is the most qualified candidate for the job. Why? Consider this simple analogy: An organization with a $230 million annual budget is looking for a new CEO. The CEO’s primary responsibility is to run day-to-day operations in a responsible and cost-effective manner. There are two top candidates for the job. Candidate A is the CEO of a smaller, but very similar organization. He is responsible for day-to-day operations and by all measures he has done an outstanding job …

TJAdams

10:53 pm on Friday, March 2, 2012

Does Mr. Burns marital infidelity matter to voters? You bet it does. Rick, are you a communist? You keep deleting my posts. Clearly you don't believe in free speech. Tim   more ›

Saturday, February 25, 2012

If GOP Primary Were Today, Who Would You Vote For: Burns or Lauzen?

March 20 is coming up soon. In the Republican primary race for Kane County Board chairman, state Sen. Chris Lauzen faces Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns. Who do you think will win?

It's been a contentious primary campaign so far, and there are still many days left before the March 20 election. There has been a lot of back and forth during the race for the Republican nomination for Kane County Board chairman. The rhetoric has been intense, and each side has thrown its share of daggers. From red-light cameras, to city e-mails, to charges of misinformation, to attacks on each other's personal character, this has been a no-holds-barred battle. Who will win? That's for voters to decide on March 20. In the meantime, here's a Patch poll.

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Sandy Kaczmarski

3:54 pm on Saturday, March 3, 2012

I'm afraid I have to agree with you Bob. And now he's got an endorsement from the DuPage chair. He doesn't seem to understand his senate district is irrelevant when he's running for board chair -- in Kane County. Lauzen will receive a nice pay increase to six-figures and as you say, give a big boost to his pension. This is all about Chris and not the people of Kane County.   more ›

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