By JILLIAN DUCHNOWSKI - jduchnowski@nwherald.com
WOODSTOCK - McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi is facing a Democratic challenger who does legal research for local judges after surviving a brutal primary contest.
The run-off race has yet to see the vitriol of the Republican primary, when area police unions supported Bianchi’s challenger and party leaders divided their loyalties. But if Democrats flood to the polls next month like they did in the primary, it might not be a given that the GOP will retain the seat historically held by Republicans.
Tom Cynor, the 40-year-old treasurer of the local Democratic party, has promoted himself as the candidate who can restore integrity to the office Bianchi has led for almost four years. He both defended clients and worked as a special prosecutor downstate before handling complex civil litigation, including asbestos and state tobacco litigation.
“Most of the time people have a pretty high opinion of their individual attorney,” said Cynor, a Woodstock resident. “I wish I could say the same for this administration.”
But Bianchi, 65, said his opponent merely is recycling old, stale issues. Bianchi handled personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits after stints managing video and music stores and working in the McHenry and Cook county state’s attorneys offices before seeking office.
Bianchi said he originally ran for the job - and wants to keep it - to help people.
“For a lawyer, it’s the greatest job you can have,” Bianchi said.
But Cynor said Bianchi doesn’t always have the taxpayers’ best interests at heart.
Cynor pointed to the $60,000 in expense reimbursements Bianchi has racked up since he took office, many including meals and travel that raised some eyebrows this winter. Cynor scoffed at Bianchi’s assertions that he had saved taxpayers far more money by handling the county’s civil and employment matters in-house than those expenses represented.
“He never owned up to the fact it was inappropriate,” Cynor said.
That’s because the expenses weren’t inappropriate, Bianchi said.
“We’ve dealt with that issue,” Bianchi said. “The Attorney General determined there was nothing wrong.”
The Attorney General declined to investigate a complaint filed by a former county prosecutor, but the matter inspired Republican incumbent auditor Pam Palmer to draft new expense rules.
Similarly, Cynor said the attorney turnover in Bianchi’s office was far too high, but Bianchi said that was simply much-needed housecleaning at the beginning of his term. Bianchi said the attorneys who work for him now are happy and hard-working.
Cynor also faulted Bianchi for failing to start a drug court or first-offender program, both of which are successful in other Illinois counties.
“If the state’s attorney wants a drug court, I guarantee you we could get a drug court,” Cynor said.
The drug court would require extra funding and support from local judges and social service agencies, but Bianchi said it remains a high priority he intends to pursue after the election. The specialized court offers defendants plea agreements if they complete a specialized treatment program while frequently checking in with a judge, prosecutors and treatment specialists.
A first-offender program is a less of a priority and needs close examination, Bianchi said. That program, which is running in a handful of Illinois counties, allows prosecutors to drop or avoid filing charges for minor, non-violent offenses.
“We’re looking into it,” Bianchi said. “We’ve talked to the judges about it.”
Meanwhile, Bianchi cautioned that some of Cynor’s ideas for managing the office are ill-advised.
For example, Cynor wants to improve relations with area police departments by assigning the head of the criminal division to field all calls from officers.
“When they call with a problem, legal or otherwise, they talk to a different person each time,” Cynor said.
Bianchi said it would be impractical to have one person field hundreds of calls a week.
Instead, three lawyers are on call around the clock to answer questions and department leaders also have contact information for upper management and personnel specializing in juvenile delinquency and abuse.
