DANVILLE — Election season is in full swing with less than a month until the general primary election in Illinois and two key races in Vermilion County on March 17 will be treasurer and sheriff.
The Vermilion County Sheriff Pat Hartshorn will be retiring, leaving a open spot in the ballot box.
Mike Hartshorn, Hugh Sands and John Thompson are all running for the coveted spot. However, Sands is running unopposed for the Democrat spot in November’s General Election, leaving only Hartshorn and Thompson to contend for the Republican ticket.
The current Vermilion County treasurer, Darren Duncan, is running against Jason Whaling for the Republican nomination. There are no Democrats running for that seat.
Jakob Dazey, a local salon owner and community member, is hosting a public forum at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 5 at the David S. Palmer Arena showcasing each candidate.
“I will have each candidate, kind of, up on a platform in the conference room at the David S. Palmer Arena,” Dazey said. “So there will be questions that I am gathering from certain data and everything from Vermilion County statistics, but I will also be releasing a link for the public to ask questions that I will go through, of course, no questions that will be defaming candidates or personal attacks, or anything like that. Those will be excluded, but I will have questions that are coming from the public.”
Dazey emphasized that this event is not a debate.
“They won’t know which exact questions they will be getting, because there will be some questions that will be asked for all three of them (sheriff candidates) to answer, but a majority of the questions will just be individual,” Dazey said. “They won’t be able to also rebut each other, because I don’t want it to lead to a debate. It’s strictly a question and answer for the voters taxpayers and community.”
Dazey hosted a forum earlier this year for the Illinois governor hopeful Darren Bailey. He said he expects this event to go pretty similarly, with more people involved.
“The candidates are excited to do this,” Dazey said. “I’m getting a lot of feedback from the community on it, because I think, you know, the sheriff’s race is very important in our county. I mean, we’ve had the same sheriff for 30 years now.”
Dazey added that this will be an opportunity to really hear what the candidates have to offer before the primary.
“The biggest thing for me is the department has a pretty large budget,” Dazey said. “I know they both have been in law enforcement, and one is already on the department, but coming in and managing that budget is, you know, a pretty responsible thing to handle.”
As for what kind of questions to expect, Dazey said he anticipates the main questions focusing on the future plans, including how to modernize the department.
Dazey said he thinks addressing mental health issues is part of the job as well.
“I think a lot of people are focused on mental health issues around our community as well, not just within Danville, but Vermilion County as a whole. We do have a significant homeless population,” Dazey said. “I think that is a big initiative that needs to be addressed from the sheriff’s candidates in this forum.”
The Commercial-News received statements from each candidate about the upcoming forum.
Hartshorn said, “I appreciate Jakob Dazey’s efforts in organizing this important community event. I look forward to engaging with the voters and answering their questions.’’
Sands said, “I’m looking forward to speaking to the citizens, hearing their concerns, and letting the public know who I am and what kind of sheriff I will be if they choose to elect me.’’
Thompson said, “I would like to thank the sponsors for putting together and promoting the Vermilion County Q and A Candidate Forum. This is truly a great way to allow the public to have their questions asked and answered.’’
Whaling said, “when elected, my priorities will be clear. First, responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars. Every dollar collected belongs to the people of Vermilion County — not the government. Second, transparency and communication. Taxpayers should be able to understand how their money is managed without having to dig for answers. Third, efficiency and professionalism.’’
Duncan said, “I am eagerly looking forward to the candidate forum on March 5th to discuss my proven record as Vermilion County’s treasurer.’’