Election 2024: Republicans savor victories on McHenry County Board as 3 incumbents poised to lose seats

The Democratic Party suffered a net loss of two seats on the McHenry County Board, with the GOP expanding its majority to 15 of 18 seats.

Heading into Tuesday’s election, three Democratic-held seats were up. All three are now Republican controlled, according to still unofficial results. Kelli Wegener, the Democratic incumbent in District 5, gave up the chance to retain her seat by instead running for County Board chair, which she lost to incumbent Republican Mike Buehler. Republican Deena Krieger won the race to succeed Wegener in District 5.

In Districts 1 and 7, Democratic incumbents Theresa Meshes and Lou Ness, respectively, lost their reelection bids.

Meshes conceded to Republican Pat Sullivan, who gained 53% of the vote to her 47%. Meshes said she was saddened that her time on the board was coming to an end. Meshes said she will continue to serve the community, including Fox River Grove School District 3, and plans to seek full-time employment in the nonprofit sector.

“I have been honored” to work with board colleagues, Meshes said.

Ness lost to Republican challenger Paul Thomas, who as of Wednesday morning was leading 53% to 47% in unofficial totals. Ness declined to comment when reached by the Northwest Herald on Wednesday, but she addressed her supporters through a post on her campaign Facebook page.

Ness wrote that “no matter what the polls say, in my heart we won.” She added it had been a privilege to serve District 7 residents.

“I have met so many amazing people through my town halls, neighborhood gatherings and door knocking – the people who taught me the value of governing everyone,” Ness said in the post.

The one disappointment for the Republicans at the County Board level was in District 2, the only seat the Democrats picked up. Republican incumbent John Reinert lost to former Democratic board member John “Jack” Collins. The margin between the two was about 200 votes as of Wednesday, and Collins declared victory Tuesday evening.

“I am so honored that the voters of District 2 entrusted me to return to the County Board,” Collins said in a statement. “I look forward to getting back to work next month, picking up where I left off in 2022. After knocking [on] thousands of doors, top concerns included expanding infrastructure, protecting access to essential health care, and improving transparency within our county government, and I am committed to addressing these issues and more.”

Reached Wednesday for comment, Reinert said he “just came up short,” adding that he took solace in the race being close: “It was a good race. I feel good about it.”

He said he was glad the board will be conservative going forward and plans to stay busy with his business and working on creating more affordable housing.

Most of the votes in the county are in, according to unofficial results from the county clerk. There still are outstanding mail-in ballots, but it’s not clear how many are left.

For County Board chair, Buehler is heading toward a second-term victory by defeating Wegener by a double-digit margin. Buehler wished Wegener “all the best” on future endeavors.

“It was a long year of hard work and campaigning,” Buehler said.

In a statement released late Tuesday, Wegener said: “I sincerely thank my many supporters and volunteers –this journey wouldn’t have been possible without you. I take pride in the close race we ran, making history as the first woman to seek election as County Board chairperson by the people of McHenry County, and receiving support from numerous elected officials and labor unions.”

Wegener said Wednesday that although she didn’t win, it paves the way for Democrats in the future. She said she still is committed to staying active and ensuring that local government hears people’s voices.

“I’m glad voters had a choice in this election,” Wegener said.