Sheriff Perez announces bid for second term

GENEVA -- Kane County Sheriff Pat Perez officially announced his re-election bid Friday, saying that his department's budget problems were not because of management.

Perez, who has butted heads with the County Board over budget cuts for both this year and 2010, said that he will go over budget this year not because of mismanagement but because of expectations placed on his department.

"A budget is not a budget if you have $1.3 million taken from you mid-year," Perez, a Democrat, told the dozens of law enforcement, politicians and local residents gathered in the lobby of the Kane County jail for the announcement.

Perez's sole opponent so far is Republican Rob Russell, a 42-year-old DuPage County sheriff's deputy from South Elgin.

Russell declared his intention to run in September. He said at that time that the Kane Sheriff's Department is in "survival mode" and was in need of a financial review.

Perez was first elected in 2006. He said he has made a "great deal of positive change" since taking office.

Under Perez, the Sheriff's Department saw the completion of the new county jail and a move of both the office and a transfer of 511 inmates from the old site in August 2008.

Perez's said his goals for a second term would include continuing to find efficiencies in streamlining the department, implementing technology to assist operations and pursuing more grant funding to ease the budget.

Democrat County Board members Donnell Collins, Ron Ford, Gerald Jones and Bonnie Lee Kunkel, all of Aurora, were present for the announcement, as was state Sen. Michael Noland, D-Elgin.

"He's coming from a solid family background," Ford said of Perez, whose father, Pete, once served as Kane County undersheriff.