Candidates Vie To Replace Retiring Sheriff; Republicans Have Long Controlled Office

ELMHURST, IL – No Democrat has won the DuPage County sheriff's race in generations.

Democrat Peter Coolidge is hoping to change that. He is facing Republican Sean Noonan in the Nov. 3 election. They are vying to replace the retiring two-term sheriff, James Mendrick.

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Suburban America has moved away from Republicans during the Trump era. DuPage County is no exception, with many elections these days going Democrats' way.

In 2018, Mendrick won with 51 percent of the vote. Republicans typically win with wider margins. Mendrick ran unopposed four years later.

Noonan, now an officer with Oakbrook Terrace and a former County Board member, has a long law enforcement career.

Coolidge is a retired DuPage County sheriff's deputy. In his last years, he has worked in courthouse security.

Coolidge is running in a good year for Democrats, as President Donald Trump's popularity falls. But Coolidge also faces controversies.

A couple of years ago, a man sued DuPage County, accusing Coolidge and another deputy of using excessive force against him.

According to the lawsuit, the man said he put his hands behind his back for the deputies, submitting to arrest.

Despite that, the lawsuit said Coolidge slammed Taylor's head onto the floor multiple times.

Next, Coolidge is alleged to have used his forearm and elbow to pin Taylor's head to the ground while he punched Taylor in the back repeatedly, the lawsuit said.

The county denied the allegations.

In 2018, a woman complained to Winfield police that Coolidge had been harassing her, repeatedly sending her messages.

Even after she told him to stop, he left a card in a plastic bag on her windshield at work, according to a police report.

A Winfield officer tried to get in touch with Coolidge to tell him to stop, but Coolidge failed to return the messages, police said.

A few weeks later, the officer was visiting the courthouse on other business when he saw Coolidge working. He told Coolidge to stop contacting the woman. Coolidge promised to do so, police said.

Coolidge has not returned Patch's messages about the controversies.

As for Noonan, Coolidge's opponent, a watchdog filed a complaint last month with the village of Western Springs, Noonan's previous employer.

Noonan appeared in a Western Springs police uniform on his campaign website and other places. Doing so, the watchdog said, misappropriated village property for prohibited political activity.

In response to a Patch inquiry, Noonan said he did not violate the village's code because he no longer worked there.

He said that out of respect for the village, he would have his campaign blur the Western Springs police logo. The campaign did so.

In his campaign, Coolidge touts his knowledge of the sheriff's office's inner workings. In a Daily Herald questionnaire, Coolidge said his top priority would be that everyone in DuPage County's diverse communities feels safe.

"That means real community engagement, not just enforcement — being present and building relationships in every community we serve," he told the newspaper. "It means leading on gun violence prevention, enforcing the law consistently and fairly, and treating everyone who lives, works, or passes through DuPage with the respect for their constitutional rights. Great leaders build great teams, and that's the kind of Sheriff's Office I intend to lead."

Noonan said he was running as a reformer, telling the Daily Herald that the sheriff's office is in dire need of new leadership.

"As Sheriff, I will make sure our deputies have the training, resources, and support they need to respond effectively to crime, protect our communities, and keep our residents safe. My second priority is recruiting and retention," Noonan said in response to the Daily Herald's questionnaire. "I pledge to 'hire the best and keep the best.' We need to recruit and retain the best law enforcement professionals. That means being competitive in hiring, investing in training and professional development, and creating an environment where good deputies want to build their careers and stay with the Sheriff's Office."