Election 2024: Paul Thomas vs. Peter Suffield in GOP primary for Lou Ness’s McHenry County Board seat

The March 19 primary will determine which among two political newcomers will try to succeed McHenry County Board member Lou Ness, one of five Democrats on the board.

Paul Thomas of Wonder Lake and Peter Suffield of Woodstock are competing for the Republican nomination to go up against Ness in District 7 in November. It’s one of the few contested races for county board or countywide seats, with the only other being the District 3 GOP rematch between former incumbent Robert “Bob” Nowak and the opponent who beat him two years ago, Eric Hendricks.

District 7 covers Wonder Lake and parts of McHenry, Woodstock and Bull Valley.

Some of Suffield’s priorities include lower taxes, supporting agriculture, opposing immigrant resettlement in McHenry County and opposing solar farms in the county.

“Agriculture is still a big business for us,” Suffield said.

Thomas said lowering taxes is a big reason why he ran for the board. At a January candidate forum, he said public safety, taxes and immigration were among the primary responsibilities of the County Board.

Suffield at that forum said budgeting, taxation and making sure agencies have the funding they need were the duties of the board.

“People say I need WD-40 to open my wallet,” Thomas said jokingly at the forum hosted by McGoPAC, the political action committee for McHenry County Republicans. Thomas was hesitant about what to cut if taxes should be lowered, saying he preferred to find ways to make government more efficient.

Suffield said elected officials are “governors of the public purse” and thinks that, aside from a rainy day fund, excess money should be returned to the taxpayers.

In addition to races for elected offices, those who go to the polls in McHenry County will have a say on taxation when they vote on whether to change the McHenry County Mental Health Board’s funding structure from a property tax to a sales tax.

Thomas, who has a construction background, is supportive of the Mental Health Board sales tax referendum. The referendum seeks to change the board’s funding structure from property taxes to a sales tax model.

Suffield said he was “all for mental health,” but was “hesitant” to commit to a yes vote or a no vote on the referendum. He said the Mental Health Act of 1967, which was the law that led to the creation of mental health boards, was “part of the problem.” In response to the Northwest Herald’s candidate questionnaire, Suffield wrote, “I support increased funding to the mental health board.”

Transportation is among the larger issues in the county, especially in light of a proposal to combine the CTA, Metra and Pace boards. Several McHenry County municipalities, including Huntley and Woodstock, have passed resolutions against the proposal. Thomas said, “We don’t need the Pace bus,” calling it an inefficient way to transport people and saying he would rather spend tax money on the roads. He said some roads in the county were “just God-awful.”

Suffield said roads in the county are “taking a beating,” and McHenry County should invest more in roads. He was supportive of road widening. Route 47, which runs through the district, is scheduled to be widened starting this year. He said McHenry County is a rural county and he didn’t know if sinking money into Pace was a “grand idea.”

At the candidate forum, both Thomas and Suffield were asked about COVID-19 lockdowns and what they would do if a similar pandemic struck. Thomas said he’d keep things open.

Suffield said he would “not be in favor of another lockdown.” He added that hand-washing was the best way to avoid getting sick and masking should be up to the individual.

Early voting has begun in McHenry County ahead of the primary election.