Based on sign coverage, where he appears to have no equal in any local race in my informal look around the western portion of the county, Republican Peter A. Siekmann seems to be well-known (his name is sometimes misspelled “Seikmann” - I’ve seen it in newspapers) . However, it seems that based on the number of searches going to my site in the race, a lot of people would like to know more about Siekmann and his opponent Democrat Mike Kisler.
Siekmann (no website I can find) is a current Deputy Coroner who is running for office for the first time. He brings 28 years of experience to the office, and is well respected by most for the job he has done. Despite a Republican pedigree, he has never really ‘been political’ before. While some might see this as a plus, it could hurt Siekmann, who was chosen in a divisive Republican battle for Coroner over DuPage County Board Vice Chair Bill Maio, a favorite of Board Chair Robert Schillerstrom. There has already been talk about eliminating the Coroner Office for a medical examiner, although that was found in a recent study to be more costly, and there are budget issues and demands for cuts by the County Board. How effectively Siekmann will deal with these is unknown, but he isn’t likely to be getting any extra help from Board Chair Schillerstrom or Vice Chair Maio. Siekmann’s lack of political experience may require a steep learning curve to leverage what he can of State Senator Kirk Dillard’s influence as a counterweight to Schillerstrom and Maio.
Michael Kisler as a Democrat has his outside status assured, but he potentially can leverage help from state officials where the Democrats dominate (he has gotten the formal backing of Lt. Governor Pat Quinn and Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White among others). He also has the outsider’s advantage in looking at improvements that the Coroner’s office can make, including reducing the Coroner’s salary, reducing administrative positions in favor of increasing the number of employees investigating deaths and a renewed emphasis on death prevention. While Mike’s coroner experience compared to Siekmann is modest, he does have the experience, a degree in mortuary science and is a licensed funeral director. Mike also trumpets the fact that he has a diversity of professional, management and political experience from being a paramedic and helping found a volunteer ambulance corps, to being a staff member and volunteer in political campaigns.
While my party affiliation is no secret (Democrat for those of you who do not know), voters have a clear choice between two very different candidates on November 2nd.
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