2 Will County Coroner candidates criticize former coroner's retirement

Two candidates for Will County Coroner have taken issue with former coroner Patrick O’Neil retiring two months away the Nov. 3 election, claiming the move was done to support Democrat Laurie Summers.

Write-in candidate Zohaib Khan and Republican James Piacentini criticized O'Neil's retirement on Aug. 31. O'Neil was in the position for 28 years and said his retirement was a "bittersweet moment," and he did it for "personal reasons."

Khan claimed O’Neil’s retirement was a “calculated and disgraceful” move so he could promote Summers to interim coroner and encourage voters to choose her because she’s already in the role.

“He’s saying, ‘I can show people she’s a temporary coroner, just vote for her.’ That’s the message he’s sending by retiring early,” Khan said.

Piacentini said he agreed with Khan’s criticism. He said O’Neil doesn’t “elect the coroner, the people do.”

“It’s putting (Summers) ahead of myself and the other candidate before the election even starts,” Piacentini said. “It’s like he’s appointing the coroner right away.”

O’Neil didn't respond to calls to his cellphone or messages left with O'Neil Funeral Home P.C. and Heritage Crematory.

O’Neil made it known publicly last year that he planned to not run for reelection.

In a statement regarding his retirement, O’Neil said he "decided that this is the time for me to step away at the end of this term and take over our family business,” referring to his family’s funeral home.

In response to Khan’s criticisms, Summers said the issue was probably a question for O’Neil. She said O’Neil’s retirement was a personal choice and she was glad he could do it.

“It kind of stunned me as much as it did you,” she said.

She said the election “is not a given and I don’t treat it that way.”

“That is basically all I have to say on that. It’s not a position someone can walk into,” she said.

She said whoever the voters choose, she will “honor it.”

Summers said she’s the interim coroner and after O’Neil retired, “somebody had to take over.”

She said Khan has "every right to his opinion. I’m just there doing my job."

Khan said he’s running as a write-in candidate because he didn’t join the race during the primary. He said there were events and issues after the primary that led him to want to run for coroner.

He said one of those issues included the criminal case involving Joliet police officer Erin Zilka, who he claimed caused Berwyn police officer Charles Schauer’s death.

Khan said the cases involving Samantha Harer and Eric Lurry also made him want to run. He said if he becomes coroner, he will re-investigate the deaths of Harer and Lurry.