Lauzen wins in ‘landslide’: Kane County Board chairman dominates in GOP primary

In what he described as “landslide support” in Tuesday’s primary election, Kane County Board Chairman Chris Lauzen is on his way to a second term.

Unofficial election results late Tuesday indicated Lauzen had more than twice as many votes as challenger Ken Shepro of Wayne in the Republican race for chairman: 30,670 to 11,015 with 216 of the 228 Kane County precincts reporting. Results were not yet in from the Aurora Election Commission.

“I appreciate the landslide support,” Lauzen said.

With no Democrat yet in the race, Lauzen could run unopposed in the November general election. He said he doesn’t yet take another term for granted and noted he planned to be at work on time Wednesday.

The primary was Shepro’s first run for elective office. He previously served as the County Board’s attorney. He offered a brief comment Tuesday.

"We have accomplished what we set out to achieve – we have renominated the coroner," he said, referring to Kane County Coroner Rob Russell’s apparent win against Dr. Bob Tiballi in the GOP race.

Throughout his campaign, Shepro criticized various aspects of Lauzen’s tenure. Lauzen alluded to Shepro’s characterizations and accusations Tuesday.

“I think that the results demonstrated that voters preferred a positive message of past accomplishments, board teamwork and future goals for the county rather than angry negativity, false accusations and dirty campaigning,” Lauzen said. “Now it’s time to get back to work.”

Lauzen, of Aurora, has said his first-term accomplishments include cutting the county’s debt in half and establishing reserves for future emergencies and to protect the property tax levy freeze, which has been in effect throughout his tenure.

Should he retain his post, Lauzen has said he hopes to work on expanding fiber optics in the county, investing efforts in technology that converts waste to fuel and improving cellphone reception throughout the county by leveraging existing infrastructure.

He previously served as a state senator.