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Sheriff uses county stationery to urge vote against Supreme Court Justice Kilbride
Tuesday, Aug 25, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller * A reader today sent me this mailer she recently received from her county sheriff. The return address is the same as the Stark County Sheriff’s office in Toulon. The email the sheriff uses in the letter matches the one on his official website and he admits below that this is official stationery… 
1) Applette? Aside from the multiple typos in the letter, Justice Thomas Kilbride is running for retention on the Illinois Supreme Court. The Illinois Republican Party has made defeating Kilbride a top priority this year. 2) What the heck is Sheriff Sloan doing sending a political mailer on official stationery with that official return address? Here’s our email exchange today…
Um.
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- CubsFan16 - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 1:17 pm:
My guess is the Sheriff was approached by someone (Maybe the local party?) about writing a letter against Kirkbride, and having never done anything like that before, just used his official role to do so. Amateur hour.
- TheInvisibleMan - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 1:20 pm:
Just a microcosm of the general attitude in sheriffs offices around the state, with few exceptions.
They’ve been ‘deciding what laws to enforce’, especially around the pandemic.
If the sheriff decided to illegally use these resources, why would the sheriff also think anyone would enforce the laws?
Sheriffs like this see themselves as judge and jury. It’s an attitude that needs to be addressed in law enforcement across the board before it grows into what should be the obvious and horrible outcome.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 1:20 pm:
Who’s attending a conference during a pandemic?
- Fixer - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 1:22 pm:
OW, possibly some sort of press conference?
To the post: amateur hour for this sheriff. Guessing it was also done on paid time as well as everything else wrong here.
- Just Me 2 - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 1:23 pm:
CubsFan76 - I would agree with you except the Sheriff is presumably a smart law enforcement official. It would have taken an ordinary person 5 seconds to realize this is wrong; a sheriff should have known instantly this was an absolute mistake.
Next question: How did they get the Sheriff obtain the addresses of the people it was sent? Did he walk down the hall to the county clerk and copy/paste the voter registration drive?
Question after that: Did Sheriff employees help stuff the envelopes during work hours?
- southsider - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 1:28 pm:
A sheriff who doesn’t know that law - not shocking.
Put aside the defamatory tone of the letter, it’s plain wrong. Madigan sponsored the pension bill that the Supreme Court unanimously struck down, so I doubt he was thrilled when the court invalidated it. The rulings in the term limits case and the redistricting case were based on precedent.
- southsider - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 1:29 pm:
If that’s all you got against Kilbride, the letter isn’t worth the taxpayer funded paper it’s written on.
- Almost retired - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 1:33 pm:
What does one do when the chief legal police officer in a County violates the law?
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 1:34 pm:
What an odd thing.
Odd as… a sheriff, lone in this writing, decides, on official letterhead, to write… whatever… with all that’s happening in the world, let alone the politics.
It’s so randomly… random.
It’s also August, and factoring in early voting too, and mail in voting… who is going to remember the sheriff, on that letterhead… wrote… whatever it is he wrote.
Was he bored and wanted to get a jump on correspondences?
- Rabid - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 1:36 pm:
Mistakes were made
- Chicagonk - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 1:40 pm:
Example A for why county consolidation makes sense.
- fyredog - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 1:53 pm:
Welcome to Stark County folks……..
- Mrsfloyddog - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 1:54 pm:
Sent with his own personal postage meter too, apparently
- Cool Papa Bell - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 1:56 pm:
This isn’t a police chief or someone in an appointed position. Sheriff’s run for office. You would have a basic understanding of using resources to support a candidate.
- Dotnonymous - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 1:56 pm:
What can go awry when those charged with enforcing law are ignorant of the laws?…keep watching.
- don the legend - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 1:59 pm:
Waiting for the sheriff to call any attacks a “witch hunt”.
- Leigh John-Ella - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 2:00 pm:
“I’m at a conference right now”
Let me guess, an ethics conference?
- Suburbanon - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 2:03 pm:
Ask Jim Nowlan to go over to Courthouse and explain to the Sheriff the error of his ways.
- Joe Bidenopolous - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 2:05 pm:
=Example A for why county consolidation makes sense.=
Example 9746 of why we shouldn’t *elect* law enforcement
- BigLou - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 2:05 pm:
Reminds me of the time I got a birthday card from my state rep Mellisa Conyers-Earvin that had a label with her info for the return address. Under the label was her husband’s aldermanic name/title/city hall address. She was using city of Chicago envelopes. Don’t know what ticked me off more, that or the fact she has someone looking up birthdates.
- Cool Papa Bell - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 2:06 pm:
From 2017 Fulvio Zerla v Stark Co and Steve Sloan
http://www.starkcountyillinois.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Fulvio-Zerla-Plaintiff-vs.-Stark-County-Illinois-Steve-Sloan-in-his-Individual-and-Official-Capacity.pdf
- Streator Curmudgeon - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 2:10 pm:
“Personal stationery? We don’t need no stinkin’ personal stationery.”
- Anyone Remember - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 2:13 pm:
Almost retired
At one point in the past only the Coroner could arrest the Sheriff. Perhaps the State’s Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor could investigate?
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 2:14 pm:
===only the Coroner could arrest the Sheriff===
Tom Dart told me this a few years ago, and then pointed out that Cook County has no coroner.
- Socially DIstant Watcher - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 2:14 pm:
Mistakes? This is a violation of the Election Code and the Ethics Act (Art. 70) and local ordinances.
- Live Wire - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 2:16 pm:
This guy is a story. He was appointed by the County Board Chair, then turned on her for cutting the budget.
https://www.pjstar.com/news/20170607/tension-escalates-between-stark-county-sheriff-and-board-chairwoman
https://www.pjstar.com/news/20170927/stark-county-may-borrow-to-meet-sheriffs-payroll
- JS Mill - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 2:17 pm:
I love it when country folk tell me about “Chicago corruption”.
- Steve Rogers - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 2:27 pm:
Trying to figure out how Justice Kilbride rejected term limits citizen initiative in 1994 when he wasn’t even on the Supreme Court. He wasn’t even a judge in 1994.
- Leigh John-Ella - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 2:34 pm:
Looking forward to the sheriff self-reporting this violation.
Also looking forward to Rep. Wherli and the GOP reform crew denouncing this culture of corruption in Stark County.
- Ron Burgundy - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 2:36 pm:
All of the abuses of taxpayer resources, money, and time aside, what kind of distress did getting an official-looking unexpected letter in the mail from the local Sheriff cause some of the recipients?
- pool boy - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 2:39 pm:
Because Madigan, of course.
- Strategy Geek - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 2:42 pm:
Not that policy is driving this but that pension ruling was unanimous. Swapping Kilbride out won’t change anything.
- Anyone Remember - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 2:58 pm:
Cool Papa Bell -
Will Sheriff Sloan’s allies in the lawsuit call him out on the letter? Who are they? They share a name with a former Illinois governor who made a statement on the fall presidential election.
- Live Wire - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 3:03 pm:
I have never known a Sheriff that wanted pension reform.
I wonder if he is in a pension plan.
- the Patriot - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 3:06 pm:
If you are going to publish public officials using resources for campaigns, you are not going to get much else done for the next 75 days.
I see this from both sides. Even after bringing it to the campaigns attention, some people still blow it off.
- Ducky LaMoore - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 3:08 pm:
I’ve known Steve Sloan for 30 years. He was never like this pre2016. I’m just about speechless.
- Highland Il - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 3:10 pm:
People at the White House violate the Hatch Act daily without any consequences. I’m sure their followers are feeling emboldened.
- Nobody Sent - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 3:26 pm:
Cue the banjos…
But seriously - if he had any integrity, such blatant disregard for right and wrong, let alone the law, would lead him to resign.
- Proud Sucker - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 3:27 pm:
===Sent with his own personal postage meter too, apparently===
It should possible to scan that QR code and determine who pays to refill the meter.
- Facts matter. - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 3:29 pm:
I feel like the GOP chairperson put Sheriff Sloan up to this. There was a private meeting a couple weeks ago w Rep LaHood in stark county that was not advertised. Pics posted by LaHood showed only republicans in attendance. I’’d bet this letter writing was discussed. Seems like dirty politics.
- Candy Dogood - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 3:41 pm:
This reckless criminal needs to be tried and convicted to the fullest extent of the law to set an example to prevent folks from doing this again.
- Langhorne - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 4:12 pm:
I trust the good sheriff did his legal research, and Kilbride was the deciding vote in each instance.
You don’t need to have the merits on your side, when you have buzz words like term limits, pension reform, and citizen initiative.
- Almost retired - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 4:28 pm:
Anyone Remember/thank you
- Not a Billionaire - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 7:23 pm:
Well there is a county and a whole layer of law enforcement that can be eliminated.
- XonXoff - Tuesday, Aug 25, 20 @ 8:42 pm:
Howdy, Sheriff. Campaign much?