Longtime Algonquin Township Highway Commissioner Ousted From Office: McHenry County Primary

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL - Voters ousted longtime Algonquin Township Highway Commissioner Robert Miller from office during Tuesday’s Republican primary and chose instead newcomer Andrew Gasser to take his place.

The narrow win for Gasser ends a half-century that Miller’s family has held a lock on the office, the Northwest Herald reports. Prior to Bob Miller’s 24 years in the office, his father and father’s father-in-law held the post.

Unofficial results posted on the McHenry County Clerk’s Office Tuesday j showed Gasser won by just 145 votes, receiving 51.3 percent of the vote compared to Miller who received 48.6 percent of the vote.
In a Facebook post early this morning, Gasser thanked voters.

The win for Gasser came after he released an 8.5 minute video on Friday that shows Algonquin Township employees shooting at a car on what is purported to be Algonquin Township property. Miller said the video, which was uploaded to YouTube on Friday, was filmed over a decade ago.

• 'Politically Motivated' Video Surfaces, Shows Township Employees Shooting Up Car

Gasser has publicly decried Miller’s alleged nepotism when it came to hiring within the highway department. Miller’s wife and two son-in-laws work for the highway commission with each of them making at least $90,000 a year, the Northwest Herald reports. While running for the primary, Gasser said he would not hire any family members, would support term limits and also supported transparency.

Miller touted his experience in road work as a key reason why he should be re-elected, pointed out the lower taxes Algonquin Township property owners pay and wrote in a recent Facebook post that Gasser was running an “ugly, negative campaign.” His supporters, which included much of the local GOP establishment, also called out Gasser for not knowing enough about road work, according to the Northwest Herald.

Gasser will run uncontested in the April 4 election for the highway commissioner post.

Voter turnout in McHenry County was 7.15 percent with 9,228 total votes cast across the county for local primary races.

Results from other races for township races in Nunda Township, Algonquin Township and Grafton Township can be found on the McHenry County Clerk’s website.

For more analysis on these races, visit the Northwest Herald

Photo caption: Andrew Gasser/Photo via Andrew Gasser Facebook page