GOP nominate Kinsella for County Board

MINOOKA – Longtime Minooka resident Debra Jo Kinsella has been nominated by the Republican Central Committee to run for Grundy County Board in a special election scheduled for November.

“The Republican Party has been very supportive, so I was happy to have my name put forward,” Kinsella said.

The Nov. 4 special election is for the county board seat Teryl Lundeen held. Lundeen was two years into her four-year term when she resigned in June amid questions about her residency.

Grundy County State’s Attorney Jason Helland has said Lundeen’s residency in Will County while serving on the board was legal based on a Illinois Supreme Court decision.

David Nelson of Minooka was appointed at August’s county board meeting to fill Lundeen’s position, a seat he will hold until the special election determines who will serve Lundeen’s remaining two years, Republican Central Committee Chairman Mike Mattingly said.

Nelson is running for a four-year term on the board. Kinsella is the first candidate put forth for the special election for Lundeen’s seat.

“Grundy County has been very good to me for a lot of years,” Kinsella said. “I’d like to have a chance to sit in that seat and give some of that back to the county.”

Kinsella was the director of the Grundy County University of Illinois Extension for more than 17 years and has raised her family in Grundy County.

She has a bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing and a master’s degree in Business Administration. She works as a certified instructor for Joliet Junior College and is active in many community organizations.

Mattingly said the winner of the special election will likely begin in December.