Politics & Government

Kane Circuit Court Clerk Race: Technology Talk

Tom Hartwell, Karin Herwick and Cathy Hurlbut are all on the GOP ticket to vie for Deb Seyller's seat.

The Republican primary for Kane County Circuit Court clerk includes three names this year.

The contenders are Tom Hartwell, Karin Herwick and Cathy Hurlbut. They are all vying for the clerk position currently held by Deb Seyller.

Hartwell, Herwick and Hurlbut all have current or previous ties to county public office. Hartwell was a County Board member from 1996 to 2000. Herwick is the chief operations officer and chief deputy of the Circuit Court Clerk's Office. And Hurlbut is the District 19 Kane County Board member.

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Operation of the Kane County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office has been a touchy issue as of late. A key talking point for the candidates is how and what type of technology update the courts will use. A new filing system was part of the terms of a settlement between Seyller and the county, according to the Daily Herald and Kane County Chronicle. Seyller sued the County Board, seeking money because .

Hurlbut also faced her own controversy after she announced her candidacy.

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Hurlbut and her husband John were named in a lawsuit alleging an incident of sexual assault between the Hurlbut’s son and a girl two years ago in the Hurlbut's family basement. Hurlbut denied the charges and

The lawsuit was recently dismissed, but neither side divulged any details about the settlement, the Daily Herald reports.

Here is some information on each candidate, why they should be elected and what their thoughts are on electronic filing.

The following information was obtained from the candidates' websites and various media reports where noted.

Name

Tom Hartwell

Karin Herwick

Cathy Hurlbut

Campaign Website

tomhartwell.com

karinherwick.com

votehurlbutcircuitclerk.com

Age 52 (Kane County Chronicle) 44 (Kane County Chronicle) 51 (Kane County Chronicle) Residence Elgin North Aurora Elgin Occupation Attorney

Chief Operations Officer and Chief Deputy, Kane Co. Circuit Court Clerk Office

Attorney Experience
  • Kane County Board Member, 1996-2000
  • Attorney, 26 years
20 years, Kane Co. Circuit Court Clerk’s Office Kane County Board Member since 1994 Why Should You Elect This Person?
  •  Will seek to conduct IT study and  efficiency audit to identify necessary upgrades, eliminate waste
  • Will provide great customer service
  • 20 years of executive and administrative experience
  • Extensive knowledge of the Circuit Clerk’s duties and responsibilities
Experience controlling spending as chairperson of the County Board Finance/Budget committee On County Technology Upgrade

Would invite vendors to show pilot programs before county commits to a provider (Daily Herald)

More communication needed between county offices to ensure successful transition to new system (Daily Herald)

  • System needs to be an integrated judiciary and public safety case management system. 

Endorsements (click each name below to read the endorsement)

Chicago Tribune:

Daily Herald: Hurlbut

Kane County Chronicle: Hurlbut

For more information on Tuesday’s primary, visit your local Patch site and click the “Elections 2012” button at the top of the page.

Then check Patch on Tuesday night for continuous election coverage.


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