In a three-way race for McHenry County Coroner, funeral director Mark Justen won 35% to 33% got Michael Rain to 32% for Angela Byrnes.
Now the local Republican Party must hold a meeting to name a replacement for the November ballot.
That is what happened after County Auditor Pam Palmer retired.
Justen was 66 when he died, having worked in the funeral business for 44 of them.
Here are the electoral achievements for the McHenry Fire Protection District Trustee:
Is that called irony?
Now Angela Byrnes looks like a genius rather than a dirtbag sore loser who doesn’t have the decency to pick up her signs after losing an election.
Sorry to hear this and Rest In Peace Mark!
Mark was a good man (allbeit a Packer’s fan) whose contributions to the community were many.
Thoughts to his friends and family during this time.
RIP.
According to Lake McHenry Scanner, Mr. Justen passed away in his sleep overnight, and initial report says cause of death was natural causes.
https://www.lakemchenryscanner.com/2020/03/29/funeral-home-director-and-coroner-primary-winner-mark-justen-dies
Who decides?
All pc in McHenry County?
Just the executive committee?
Do they have to wait until April or later (when the county convention normally would be) or can they do it immediately?
I guess there is some justice in the world.
A lot of cheating when on in that coroner’s election.
None of it could be attributed to the Byrnes or Rein campaigns.
Maybe Mark had nothing to do with it.
Maybe he did.
Seriously…the man passes away and the first thing you do is show his electoral achievements?
Who’ll run be the Chief Mason now to succeed him?
Kenneally or Hettermann?
Franks?
Dentblah you are right on target!
His Masonic achievements should be highlighted!
But secret societies that seek subversion on multilevels don’t really publicize their ‘achievements’
Rest in peace Mr. Justen
I would Hazard a guess that it will go to Mike Rein who was second in the race almost edging out Justen…
Doctor Rein should get this position, he is highly qualified.
Make Slapdick D. Kenneally do it as in my opinion he couldn’t screw this up anymore than he’s already done at the States Attorney’s Office.
Either that or give him a mop and bucket making him the McHenry County Custodian.
Dr. Rein should now go on ballot, or keep Mr. Justen on it and the county can then appoint someone like they want. RIP Mark Justen
My understanding, once the primary election results are canvassed by the county clerk, the incoming McHenry County Republican Party County chairman is the one who appoints Mr. Justen’s replacement for the general election ballot once the ballot vacancy is official, most likely the issuance of the death certificate which eliminates Mr. Justen’s voter registration.
How the incoming Republican chairman chooses to fill the vacancy on the ballot is up to them.
At this point, given the extension of the President’s Stay at Home order and some of the recent news of high infections of COVID-19 even practicing social distancing for groups meeting (recent report of church choir of 60 on March 10 rehearsing practicing social distancing, 45 now infected and two deaths), the county convention scheduled for April 15 is likely in jeopardy of taking place on that date, and could be postponed.
My guess, the state party will give direction to the outgoing county chairs on when to reschedule the county conventions if they decide to obey the Stay at Home order. The last time the county conventions were postponed was back in 2004 when new laws requiring the certification of an election be extended to allow mail-in ballots to be counted up to two weeks after the election date, and the State Law governing the date of the county convention had not been updated given the change.
In other words, it’s not unprecedented for a county convention to be postponed.
I disagree.
Based on how the Central committee put Shannon Teresi on the ballot for County Auditor, I believe the selection will be made by a vote of the newly-elected Precinct Committeepersons.
The problem with Rein (old white male) is that he won’t be able to swing the votes to defeat the referendum in November.
The newcomer Byrnes is the only candidate of the three who would have a chance of doing that.
The dems have had impressive numbers last general and this primary, and are trending to be greater in this general.
If the party is serious about keeping this an elected position they need to play to win the war and not the battle, and put Byrnes on the ballot.
The math is simple: Rein= loss of elected position; Byrnes= maintaining elected position.
Why newly elected, Cal.
Can’t the slowpoke Evertsen call a special meeting now?
Lopez is smoking cannibas again
Justen made a huge fortune of tens of millions over his long ‘ripping’ career.
The mark up on caskets is a crime, plus you’re catching saps at the worst time.
No comparison shopping!
He paid an aunt’s friend $75 in the 80s to do dead women’s hair.
She blipped her lid when she found out Justen was charging people $250-300 for her services!
Liquidator is a Democrat troll, obviously.
Nope I’m a hard R.
I’m just not a lemming following everyone off of the cliff like you.
Another important question would be when is the deadline for a party to get someone on the ballot?
I’m also curious about that because the Democrats haven’t nominated individuals for certain offices and I think they eventually will — they’d be foolish to not run someone against Kenneally and I think there are a few county board districts where they don’t have candidates.
If they have until the summer, then they have time both to figure out the process and figure out which candidate they want to run.
I would write an email to the higher-ups in the IL GOP to ask these questions, but they’ve ignored my emails in the past.
Liquidator, you’re a reverse lemming.
Instead of running off a Norwegian cliff, you, fool, remain steadfast in Illinois!
Have fun paying for all the illegals!
I don’t know what to make of the man, he seemed nice and all, but the creepy Masonic rituals and his morbid jokes. Spooky.
Sorry FattyArbuckle, but I never touched the stuff. And God forbid I am breathing something else in on my daily, socially distant friendly walks on public lands.
Cal, if the entire central committee, as in the committeepersons, formally voted in a recorded vote for Teresi’s placement on the ballot, that was the chairman’s call to do that. And bravo, that is the way it should be done, not being the chair’s sole decision.
As far as calling a special meeting prior to the convention as someone suggested, the statute is clear that a precinct committeeperson elected at the 2018 primary, or one appointed by the county chair elected in 2018, their terms ended on the date of the primary. Given the vacancy on the general election ballot is for the 2020 general election, it’s the chairman elected at the 2020 county convention who must lead the appointment to fill the ballot vacancy.
Which brings us back to April 15. Yesterday, CapitolFax published the following:
https://capitolfax.com/2020/03/30/how-will-county-parties-hold-legally-mandated-conventions-on-april-15th/
Looks like it depends on the respective county central committee and if they operate under bylaws that require in-person voting at a county convention. Both MCRCC and MCDCC will have to make their determinations.
Now back in 2004 or was it 2006, the reason the county convention had to be postponed was under the old, pre-Florida-recount-in-2000, the date the official canvass was published was pushed back two weeks due to reforms that states were required to implement to count ALL ballots before canvassing elections, and the old statute of the county convention taking place 2 weeks plus a day was still on the books.
Can’t have a county convention without an official canvass, which legally certifies the precinct committeeperson winners, and certifies the weighted votes of committeepersons. The law was eventually changed to 4 weeks plus a day that is in place today for holding county convention.
Today (3/31) is the last day county clerks can count mail-in ballots, postmarked by March 17, before submitting the official canvass for approval by the county electoral board, certifying the election of committeepersons and the number of primary ballots cast in their precincts.
Never met Mr. Justen but it sounds like he was a great person.
This is somebody who helped countless people through periods of great grief and dedicated his life to a career that most people could not handle.
Condolences to his family. RIP
Rest in Peace, Justen.
Cal is right about how this debacle works.
Rein is the most qualified (despite what Justen put on his signs.
Rein has multiple Coroner certifications, is a proven Conservative and has a record of voting Republican.
Real Republicans should have absolutely no trouble voting for someone like that.
Byrnes should pick up her signs.
Democrats are notorious for littering the landscape with their campaign signs even after an election 😉
After my mother died in Wyoming I brought her ashes back to Wonder Lake where Mark facilitated the transfer to a New Jersey cemetery.
Mark took care of all the necessary paperwork for which I was extremely grateful.
He was compassionate and efficient.
He will be missed
by many.
Rest in peace, Mark.