Conservative Seeks To Replace Larry Walsh As County Executive

JOLIET, IL — One of the most outspoken members of the Will County Board, Homer-Glen conservative Republican Steve Balich, filed paperwork late last week to run for Will County Executive in 2020. First, to win the GOP primary, Balich must defeat former Will County Sheriff's investigator Nick Ficarello, who recently served as Braidwood's chief of police.

Ficarello ran in the GOP primary in 2014 for Will County Sheriff, but he did not win. As for Balich, his Twitter account proclaims he is a "Conservative Republican Organizer, Community Activist, Tea Party Founder, Christian, Will County Board member," who has involvement in county government with land use, finance, public works, economic development and legislative matters.

Ficarello, according to the Taxpayers United of America website, was already collecting a Will County Sheriff's Office police pension of $120,044, as of four years ago, which made him the sixth highest paid pension recipient for Will County government at the time of the 2015 report.

Last week, Joliet Patch also published another Will County political exclusive, reporting how State Senator Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant "JBT"is destroying her opponent, Nick Palmer, in campaign fund-raising.

JBT has raised nearly $410,000 while Palmer recently raised his first $9,000.

Palmer is a Democrat from Bolingbrook and he has served on Larry Walsh's staff at the Will County Government Building these past 15 years.

Palmer, however, has no experience in running for a major political office, unlike his opponent, JBT, who is battle-tested and has a huge fund-raising advantage as the March 17 primaries draw near.

The primary winners will be on the November 2020 election ballot, the same ballot when the people of the Will County head to the polls to determine whether to re-elect President Donald J. Trump to a second four-year term.

If Will County Republicans come out in force, the Republican nominee for Will County Executive may have a chance to reclaim the position that Democrat Larry Walsh has held for 16 years.

On the other hand, if the Democrats in Will County are fed up with Trump and are excited about the presidential nominee that the Democrat Party puts forth against Trump, Balich, Ficarello or anybody else on the ballot in November 2020 might get smoked.

The following list comprises every single individual who, so far, has taken out nominating petitions to circulate their candidacy for a Will County government office in the 2020 races: