IT (TUES) WAS PRIMARY DAY IN ILLINOIS AND HENDERSON COUNTY VOTERS AGAIN CHOSE STEVE HAYNES AS THEIR SHERIFF.
THE FIRST-TERM STRONGHURST DEMOCRAT GOT 73 PERCENT OF THE VOTE…DEFEATING DEPUTY STEVE HENSHAW OF OQUAWKA, WITH 20 PERCENT…AND COUNTY SUPERVISOR DAVID HINSHAW, ALSO FROM OQUAWKA, WHO RECEIVED ABOUT SEVEN PERCENT. SHERIFF HAYNES…KNOWN AS A MAN OF FEW WORDS…SAYS HE’LL CONTINUE TO WORK ON THE COUNTY’S DRUG-RELATED PROBLEMS DURING HIS SECOND TERM. NO REPUBLICANS RAN FOR THE JOB.
(FOUR YEARS AGO, HAYNES EASILY BEAT HENSHAW AND RETIRED STATE TROOPER TODD MILLER TO WIN HIS FIRST TERM. PRIOR TO THAT, HE HAD BEEN THEN-SHERIFF MARK LUMBECK’S CHIEF DEPUTY.)
IN THE HENDERSON COUNTY CLERK PRIMARY, REPUBLICAN INCUMBENT AMANDA VAN ARSDALE-ROUSONELOS OF STRONGHURST OUTPOLLED CHALLENGER KELLI VANCIL OF LITTLE YORK, 55 PERCENT TO 45. SHE’LL COMPETE WITH DEMOCRAT PATTY DANIELS OF BIGGSVILLE IN NOVEMBER.
VOTERS IN THE NAUVOO-COLUSA SCHOOL DISTRICT “DID A 1-80” FROM LAST YEAR, OVERWHELMINGLY APPROVING A 55-CENT INCREASE IN THEIR PROPERTY TAX RATE. THE TALLY WAS 532 VOTES IN FAVOR AND 131 OPPOSED…ABOUT AN 80 TO 20 PERCENT MARGIN OF VICTORY. SUPPORTERS SAY THE 288-THOUSAND DOLLARS-OR-SO THE HIKE GENERATES WILL ALLOW THE DISTRICT TO KEEP OPERATING FOR 10 TO 15 YEARS. WITHOUT IT, THEY TOLD VOTERS, NAUVOO-COLUSA MIGHT HAVE BEEN FORCED TO DISSOLVE. (LAST YEAR, THE SAME PROPOSAL WAS DEFEATED BY A 72 TO 28 PERCENT MARGIN.)
MONMOUTH-ROSEVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT VOTERS REJECTED A PROPERTY TAX LEVY INCREASE THAT WOULD’VE HELPED FEND OFF CUTS IN STATE AID…AND VOTERS IN KNOX COUNTY TURNED THUMBS-DOWN ON A SALES TAX HIKE THAT WOULD’VE HELPED FUND THE COUNTY’S 911 SYSTEM.
