State Rep. and former McHenry County Republican Party Chairman has sent an email offering his endorsements in the Primary Election.  It follows:

Mike Tryon

Early voting for the March 15 Primary Election begins today at locations throughout the county. Locations and times are listed below. Please take advantage of this easy and convenient way to make sure your voice is heard during this very important election. In fact, please feel free to forward this information to your friends.

During these disappointing days when our McHenry County GOP has decided that they will only promote certain candidates while ignoring others, many have asked me to weigh in with my own recommendations. Based on working relationships I have with many running for office at this time, I offer the following recommendations:

County Board Chairman: Joe Gottemoller Joe has been an active Republican Party volunteer for 25 years. Until recently, Joe’s opponent was a Democrat. Under Joe’s leadership, the county levy was frozen in 2014 and 2015, and reduced for 2016. This saved McHenry County taxpayers a collective $14 million. In addition, this year’s county budget is $23 million lower than it was four years ago, and county employee headcount is down 15% during those same four years. He is unquestionably a fierce protector of the taxpayers.

States Attorney: Dan Regna Dan is an attorney with 11 years of trial experience, and he has lived, worked and volunteered in McHenry County for most of his adult life. Conversely, his opponent has rented a home in the county for less than one year. In my opinion, today there is way too much “politics” coming out of our State’s Attorney’s office, and Dan Regna has pledged to end the political activism that currently consumes that office. Dan has earned the endorsement of the Daily Herald, while his opponent has not been endorsed by any of the newspapers.

Recorder: Joni Smith. Joni is a current employee of the Recorder’s office, and the retiring Recorder has endorsed her.Joni has also earned the endorsement of the Northwest Herald.

Circuit Judge: James Cowlin. Judge Cowlin was appointed by the Supreme Court in 2015 to serve as a Circuit Judge, and previously worked as an Associate Circuit Judge for 8 years. A recent Bar Association poll showed 89% of its members recommending Judge Cowlin to continue serving, while only 43% recommended Judge Cowlin’s opponent.

State Representative, District 66: Carolyn Schofield I am completing my final year in the House of Representatives, and have offered Carolyn my full support and endorsement. She is the best candidate to succeed me in the House of Representatives. She is a tax fighter who has done good work on the County Board and as a member of the Crystal Lake City Council. She has earned the endorsement of the Daily Herald, the Sun Times, the Sierra Club, the Illinois Realtors Association, and many other organizations.

McHenry County Board

• District 1: Anna May Miller
• District 2: Cameron Hubbard and John Reinert
• District 3: Nancy Gonsiorek and Nick Provenzano
• District 4: Sue Draffkorn and Craig Wilcox
• District 5: Michael Skala and Joe Calomino
• District 6: Preston Rea and Jim Kearns