Recent Press
- http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/west/chi-0610190192oct19,1,6232705.story?coll=chi-newslocalwest-hed
Kane clerk's race focuses on hiring of ex-convict
By William Presecky
Tribune staff reporter
October 19, 2006
The race for Kane County clerk--a largely ministerial post that manages elections, calculates tax rates and keeps vital records--is a doozy this year, with sparring over the incumbent's hiring of an ex-convict to run elections.
"We've gone from the back page to the front page," said Clerk John "Jack" Cunningham in a recent break from organizing the Nov. 7 balloting and shepherding his own campaign.
His opponent, Democrat Annie Collins, has been hammering on Cunningham for hiring his longtime friend, David Bruun, a former lawyer, as director of elections. Bruun was disbarred more than 20 years ago and served prison time for financial crimes.
"That's the most important job in the clerk's office," Collins said. "I would not hire a convicted felon and a disbarred lawyer to be in such a key post as director of elections. With the advent of electronic voting, a high level of personal integrity is just a core competency requirement for the job."
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- 04/26/06
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/city/2_1_AU26_COLLINS_S1.htm
Democratic challenger rips Kane clerk about elections
GENEVA — Annie Collins, Democratic candidate for Kane County clerk, ripped incumbent John Cunningham Tuesday over how he has run elections.
Collins, who is challenging the one-term Republican, kicked off her campaign in a press conference in front of the Old Courthouse on Third Street here.
She criticized Cunningham for mistakes in the March primary and in a 2004 election that she said might have changed the outcome of two different referendum questions.
She also criticized the county clerk for hiring a friend, David Bruun, despite knowing he was a convicted felon who spent time in jail and still is in court on a question of how much restitution he should pay a victim. Bruun serves as the clerk's director of elections.
"Believe me, I am all for second chances," Collins said. "But what is troubling to me is that Mr. Bruun is fighting paying restitution in court to this gentleman he was convicted of stealing from, who is now living destitute in a state home."
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- 04/26/06
http://tinyurl.com/zsn5w
Collins launches campaign
GENEVA - Election issues and background checks were among the topics Tuesday as Annie Collins, candidate for Kane County clerk, took the offensive.
What is turning into one of the most hotly contested races on Kane County's November ballot got a little hotter on Tuesday.
Collins, a Democrat, blasted Clerk Jack Cunningham for hiring a convicted felon to direct county elections and for an election mistake that led to a recount relating to the St. Charles school referendum.
"I want to make sure every election is correct, not 'We're close to right,' not 'We've had a few glitches,' " Collins said.
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- 01/27/06
http://www.kcchronicle.com/SportsSection/356247743016209.php
Dems seek Kane gainsBy PAUL DAILING
pdailing@kcchronicle.com
GENEVA – Republicans do not usually stand in the cold to endorse democrats, but that is what Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke did Thursday.Schielke and Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns both are registered Republicans. They endorsed Annie Collins, 39, of Batavia in her bid to be Kane County clerk.
Collins heads the pro-municipal broadband citizens organization Fiber for Our Future. She hopes to unseat Republican Clerk Jack Cunningham in November's election, ending an eight-year GOP dominance of countywide offices.
Collins and Cunningham are unopposed in the March 21 primary.
Collins introduced her supporters Thursday in front of the Kane County Courthouse in Geneva, blurring party lines in a county often considered a GOP stronghold. Schielke was among them. Burns was not, but Kane County Democratic Party leader Mark Guethle read a letter of endorsement for Collins from Burns.
"I'm not endorsing a party. I'm endorsing a person," Burns said later. "Any and all positions should not be decided on whether there's a donkey or an elephant after the name."
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- 01/27/06
http://www.dailyherald.com/search/printstory.asp?id=147536
Broadband activist outlines platform
By Lisa Smith
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted Friday, January 27, 2006
Municipal broadband activist and Kane County clerk candidate Annie Collins described herself as a grassroots leader committed to the county and its residents.
Collins, running as a Democrat against incumbent Republican Jack Cunningham, outlined her platform on the steps of the old county courthouse in Geneva Thursday morning. Voters will choose between the two in the Nov. 7 election.
Among her promises: online access to county records, more efficient elections and better customer service.
“I’m involved and care about what happens here,” said Collins of Batavia. “I’m here for the long haul.”
It was a dig at Cunningham, who made a failed bid for Aurora mayor last year in the middle of his four-year term. During that campaign, his residency was challenged. The 67-year-old also maintains a home in Seneca in Grundy County.
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Democrat announces for county clerk seat
Upriver backing: Annie Collins touts support from Mayors Schielke, BurnsBy Steve Lord THE BEACON NEWS
GENEVA — Annie Collins announced her candidacy Thursday for Kane County clerk with some key endorsements.
Collins, 39, of Batavia, who has filed as the only Democratic Party candidate for the clerk's spot, has backing from Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke and Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns.
Schielke even appeared at Collins' announcement in front of the old Kane County Courthouse on Third Street here.
"She has been a local activist in our community for many, many years," Schielke said. "She shows sensitivity and insight, and brings a high degree of tenacity to any office."
Kane Democratic Party Chairman Mark Guethle read a statement of support from Burns.
Both Schielke and Burns worked with Collins on the referendum campaign in the Tri-Cities to establish a municipal broadband network.
Although the campaign failed, Collins remains committed to broadband and is chairman of Fiber For Our Future, a national organization touting high-speed broadband technologies.Collins cited a personal reason for becoming interested in the county clerk position. As an adopted child, she became interested in the availability of vital records after making attempts to find her parents. She said at many turns she found it difficult to get the records she needed.
"I thought if I ever get to do that job, I will do it better," she said.
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01/27/06
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/west/chi-0601270220jan27,1,6761571.story`E-voting' success to be watched in Kane race
By William Presecky
Tribune staff reporter
Published January 27, 2006Even though both candidates for Kane County clerk are unopposed and nearly certain to be nominated in the March primary, the victor in November could be determined by how smoothly the planned switch to electronic voting goes this spring, Democratic candidate Annie Collins, of Batavia, said Thursday.
Kane County's planned changeover from punch card ballots, which is awaiting state approval, could be a defining issue in Collins' campaign to unseat incumbent Clerk John "Jack" Cunningham, a Republican from Aurora, Collins said.
"It could possibly be a big problem on March 21. I guess we are going to find out," Collins told reporters during an appearance in Geneva where she formally announced her candidacy.
"I predict mass confusion on March 21," said Mark Guethle, chairman of the Kane County Democratic Organization, who joined Collins on the steps of Kane County's historic courthouse to endorse her and tout her campaign.
Both Cunningham and Collins are unopposed in their party primaries.
Among other things, Collins indicated she plans to make Cunningham's stewardship of the county's election machinery a major issue leading up to the Nov. 7 general election.
"I believe every vote not only counts but needs to be counted in a timely manner," said the 39-year-old Collins, a former flight attendant and teacher.
"In 2004 we saw what happened with the elections in Kane County where some precincts weren't counted until the following day, making Kane County the worst in the state when it came to Election Day ballot tabulations," said Collins.
Batavia Mayor Jeffrey Schielke, who also appeared with Collins, described her as "a person of sensitivity and insightfulness [with] an appreciation for what is in the public good."
In endorsing Collins, Schielke said she has "a flair of tenacity that, in public life, we can't get enough of."
Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns joined Schielke in endorsing Collins.
Among other things, Collins, a mother of two, has led the grass-roots charge in Kane County for enhanced access to high-speed broadband technologies. Collins was appointed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich in September to be a member of his Broadband Deployment Council.
Read more at link above.
