Palmer Needs New Job After Huge Bertino-Tarrant Victory

JOLIET, IL — After serving the voters of Will County for the past 16 years, Democrat County Executive Larry Walsh Sr. hoped his endorsement of Nick Palmer would help his long-time chief of staff win Tuesday's Democratic Primary against Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant. It didn't work at all. Palmer lost in a lopsided fashion, garnering only 31 percent of the primary votes.

"Tonight didn’t end up how we wanted or hoped it would, but not for lack of hard work," Nick Palmer posted on his Elect Nick Palmer Facebook page. "A huge thank you to all of my supporters, friends, and especially my family who has stood beside me for the last 7 months. A special thank you to Larry Walsh Sr. for his friendship, mentorship, and support. I couldn’t have gotten through this last 7 months without all of you. Now, it’s time to get back to work and move on."

Tuesday's stinging defeat also means Palmer will need to find another job in the coming months. The projected winner of Tuesday's Democratic primary may determine the eventual winner of the November general election. Democrats in Will County have had a stronghold on the office for the past several years. Local political observers have told Patch there's little to no chance that Bertino-Tarrant will keep Palmer employed as her chief of staff should she win in November.

Joliet Patch has previously reported that members of the Joliet City Council's Mudron 5 coalition have expressed interest in finding a job for Palmer as their next city manager. Joliet has been without a permanent city manager since October 2018 when the council paid David Hales about $89,000 in severance to break his three-year contract after less than a year on the job.

Last month, the council chose not to hire the two remaining job finalists for its open city manager position: a town manager in Rhode Island who previously worked in Carpentersville and Wheeling, Ill., and the city administrator in Mequon, Wis., who previously worked in Glencoe and Highland Park and still owns a house in the North Shore area.

With 100 percent of Will County's Democratic precincts reporting, Bertino-Tarrant, the current State Senator for the 49th District, was cruising to a landslide victory over Palmer.

"Today, Democratic primary voters endorsed our vision to foster economic development, uphold our democratic values and stand with working families," Bertino-Tarrant said in a statement following Tuesday night's victory. "I want to thank our many volunteers for their tireless work helping our campaign deliver our message to voters. Finally, I want to thank my opponent, Nick Palmer. While we may not have agreed on every issue, we certainly can agree that Will County is an important hub for our state.”

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As of 9:50 p.m. Will County's Clerk's Office had nearly 100 percent of the voting precincts reporting. Will County's unofficial totals were as follows:

• Bertino-Tarrant, 49,284 votes, 69 percent
• Palmer, 22,121 votes, 31 percent

On the Republican side, Nick Ficarello ran unopposed in his primary race. That means the retired Will County Sheriff's investigator and former police chief of Braidwood will face Bertino-Tarrant in November.

Palmer, 46, lives in Bolingbrook. He grew up in Joliet. He has spent the past 16 years as the chief of staff in the Will County Executive's Office, working side by side with County Executive Larry Walsh. The four-term officeholder announced last year that he would not seek a fifth term because of ongoing health concerns after having a recurring bout with cancer.

Palmer has said his campaign was focused on building Will County for working families by creating safe, modern infrastructure, expanding access to affordable healthcare, generating quality jobs for the residents of Will County and implementing a long-term sustainability plan for the county, all while continuing to lower the county property tax rate, as the Walsh administration has done for five years running.

"Will County has been a rapidly growing county for many years. We are currently ranked No. 4 in population in Illinois and are expected to eventually become the No. 2 most populated county," Palmer wrote in a recent Joliet Patch election questionnaire. "With this growth comes many challenges that requires a balance between further economic development and quality of life for our residents. Finding the right balance on these issues may be the most pressing issue facing Will County.

"I intend to be very proactive in working with all stakeholders to find the right balance between further job creation while preserving quality of life. One example that I am currently involved in directly is a project where county government is partnering with IDOT, local municipalities, township governments, the private sector, and local residents to more proactively address current deficiencies in our road and bridge systems and plan for future development. These efforts are overdue and we must follow through to make sure every possible avenue is explored to improve safety on our regional transportation system and preserve the quality of life for our residents."

On Tuesday, Palmer faced an opponent who has much more political experience in Will County than he does. She also has far greater name recognition than he does.

In fact, several weeks ago, Bertino-Terrant released polling data indicating that she expects to beat Palmer by a wide margin in the primary.

"With just six weeks before the March 17 primary, a new poll released shows Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant leading her opponent by a two-to-one margin," the press release proclaimed.

A resident of Shorewood, the 50-year-old Bertino-Tarrant is the current State Senator for the 49th District. She was elected as a senator in 2012. Prior to that, she was the Will County Regional Superintendent of Schools from 2006 to 2012.

She cites new growth and development as the biggest issues facing Will County.

"Our county is growing, but we need to make sure that growth is responsibly managed,"she told Patch in her candidate questionnaire. "That includes focusing on stabilizing the regional economy and providing new opportunities for residents and businesses. This requires a focused effort on maintaining strong communication and interaction with other local officials.

"During my time as State Senator, I made sure the entire Will County region was a priority in Springfield by working with community leaders and across party lines. We have received the lion share of the capital grant program, as well as millions of dollars more in education funding."

Patch also asked the Shorewood Democrat to explain the main differences between her and Palmer.

"The key difference is my experience and leadership," she responded. "As the only person elected to office in this race, I understand the importance of accountability to the people who have elected me. My positions have demanded vision, responsibility, and innovation."

To his credit, Palmer has picked up a major political endorsement from his boss, Larry Walsh Sr.

"As the Executive I have witnessed Nick's knowledge of the job inside and out, and I strongly endorse his candidacy," Walsh said months ago in a press release. "Nick Palmer's ability to work constructively with both sides of the aisle, and unwavering commitment to the people of Will County is what truly sets him apart from other candidates in this race."

According to Bertino-Tarrant, the following labor groups are endorsing her run for Will County Executive in the March Democratic primary:

• Associated Firefighters of Illinois Local 44
• Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters
• Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Local Union 130
• IBEW Local 176
• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 124
• Iron Workers Local 444
• Laborers Local 75
• National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 305
• Painters District Council 14 Local 33
• Sheet Metal Workers Local 265
• Teamsters Local 179.

"Our unions had a vital hand in building the middle class in our state," Bertino-Tarrant stated. "They stand up for values we all believe in and I'm proud to stand with them to strengthen and grow Will County's economy, protect working families and strive to ensure employees receive an honest wage for a hard day's work."

Bertino-Tarrant stated that she championed various measures to protect workers across Will County including, raising the minimum wage, fighting to ensure equal pay for equal work and tax incentives for employers to encourage the creation and expansion of apprenticeship programs in Will County and across the state.

"Jennifer is a proven leader with a vision for our communities," said Mike Clemmons, Business Manager from IBEW Local 176. "She understands that working men and women are the backbone of our economy. As Will County Executive, I know Jennifer will continue to invest in our region's infrastructure and fight to maximize opportunities to improve the lives of our families."

On the other hand, Palmer also has several noteworthy endorsements including several Democrats on the Will County Board:

• Denise Winfrey, Speaker of the Board, and the first African-American woman to hold that position.
• Jackie Traynere, D-Bolingbrook
• Meta Mueller, D-Aurora
• Amanda Koch, D-Frankfort
• Beth Rice, D-Bolingbrook
• Margaret Tyson, D-Bolingbrook
• Herb Brooks, D-Joliet
• Mimi Cowan, D-Naperville

"I'm honored to have earned the support of a majority of the Democrats on the Will County Board. These are the people who know me best, and know the work I do for the resident of the county, so their endorsements mean a lot to me," Palmer said in a press release.