2022 primary election: Five contested primaries mark race for redrawn McHenry County Board

McHenry County voters weighed in Tuesday on who they want to represent them on the newly redrawn and condensed County Board.

After the 2020 census was conducted and new district boundaries were drawn, the McHenry County Board will go from six districts with four seats each to nine districts with two seats each. In each of the districts, voters from both parties Tuesday picked their top two candidates.

On the Democratic side, only one County Board district had a contested race, with three candidates vying for two spots in District 2, which includes parts of Lakewood, Crystal Lake and Lake in the Hills.

As of about 11 p.m., with all Election Day votes counted plus early and mail-in ballots, incumbent John Collins had the second highest vote total with 695. Challenger Gloria Van Hof was ahead with 1,429 votes, or 53% of the total vote, and Thomas Pavelko had 580 votes.

Collins, a local business owner, was appointed to his seat more than a year ago. Van Hof is a longtime local activist who has ran in the past for various political positions. Pavelko had sought appointment to open seats twice in the past.

Four County Board races are contested on the Republican side.

In District 3, incumbent County Board member Bob Nowak, who represents the current District 1, was leading with 1,406 votes, or 38% of the total vote, according to the unofficial results. Challenger Eric Hendricks followed with 1,280 votes, or 34% of the total vote. Robert Reining was trailing with 1,045 votes, or 28%.

Nowak, of Cary, has served on the board since 2010. Reining, an auto mechanic, said he hopes to bring conservative leadership to the board, and Hendricks is an associate at a Marengo law firm.

The new District 3 includes parts of Algonquin, Lake in the Hills, Crystal Lake and Lakewood.

In District 4, which includes parts of Bull Valley, Cary, Crystal Lake, Lakewood, Prairie Grove and Woodstock, incumbent Joe Gottemoller, the former County Board chairman, was leading early with 1,802 votes, or 32% of the total vote, according to the unofficial totals.

He was followed by Mike “Shorty” Shorten of Crystal Lake, a former Nunda Township trustee, who had 1,638 votes, or 30% of the total vote, according to the unofficial results. They were followed by Suzanne Delaney of Crystal Lake, a nurse executive, with 1,395 votes, or 25%, and then Paul Barthel of Cary, a former restaurateur and animal rights advocate, with 714 votes, or 13%.

In District 5, current board member Stephen Doherty, appointed in 2018, faced Terri Greeno and Justin Franzke.

Doherty was leading as of Tuesday evening with 1,817 votes, or 42% of the total vote, to business owner Greeno’s 1,292 votes, or 30%, and former Nunda Township board member Franzke’s 1,227 votes, or 28%, according to the unofficial results.

The district includes all or parts of Cary, Holiday Hills, Lakemoor, McHenry, Oakwood Hills, Port Barrington and Prairie Grove.

In District 6, current board member Pamela Althoff was leading with 2,176 votes, or 44% of the total vote, according to the unofficial counts. She faced Carl Kamienski, who had 1,615 votes, or 33%, and Erik Sivertsen, who had 1,123 votes, or 23%.

Althoff is a former state senator and McHenry mayor, Kamienski is a precinct chairperson and political operative, and Sivertsen is a McHenry School District 15 Board member.

The district includes Fox Lake, Spring Grove, McHenry, Ringwood, McCullom Lake, Lakemoor and Johnsburg.