Candidates vow to restore integrity to Kane coroner office

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Rob Russell

Kane coroner hopefuls

Robert Tiballi

Party: Republican

Age: 53

Town: Elgin

Occupation: Private practice infectious-disease doctor, with Germbusters

Previous elected office: None (ran for coroner in 2004, lost)

Family: Divorced, one daughter

Robert Russell

Party: Republican

Age: 44

Town: South Elgin

Occupation: Sergeant with DuPage County Sheriff’s Office

Previous elected office: None

Family: Married, four children

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Updated: March 15, 2012 8:09AM

Republican voters in the March primary will have a decision to make in the Kane County coroner’s race — do they want someone with a medical background, or a police background, in the office?

Candidates Dr. Robert Tiballi and Robert Russell have sharply different backgrounds.

But both feel the county could benefit from their services after current and controversial Coroner Chuck West decided not to seek re-election.

Elgin resident Tiballi is an infectious-disease doctor who diagnoses difficult medical cases. The skill set transfers easily for determining the cause of death, he said.

Tiballi ran unsuccessfully for coroner in 2004. He said he is running again for one reason: “To restore the integrity and professionalism to that office I wish I could have done eight years ago.”

West is facing both criminal and civil cases related to the operations of his office. He is charged with criminal misconduct for allegedly allowing two of his deputies to remove personal property — a television — from the home of a deceased Carpentersville man. And one of his staff members has filed a civil suit against him, claiming he harassed her.

Russell, of South Elgin, is a sergeant with the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office.

He also said there were some questionable things going on in West’s office, so he decided to run.

No matter who wins the election, there will be a medical examiner doing the autopsies, Russell said. The office is more for someone to act in an investigative nature, he said.

“It’s more a job for someone who has investigative, on-the-scene experience,” he said.

Russell said he would spend some time doing internal and external audits to restore a level of efficiency that the office has not seen in a long time. He also would spend some time trying to restore relations between the coroner’s office and the county board, he said.

Tiballi said he would save the county some money by using fewer coroner’s inquests. He said he would be happy working in the current coroner’s facility for his term but would want to see plans for a new facility in the works eventually.

Both candidates agree it is time for the indicted West to leave the office, but Tiballi’s call is for that to happen immediately.

“Chuck West was initially indicted 28 months ago, and for 28 months I’ve been calling on him to step down,” Tiballi said.

Someone could run the office on an interim basis, until a new coroner comes in following the election, he said.

Russell agrees that West should leave office but does not think that calling on him to step down will do any good.

“He’s been asked to resign several times,” Russell said. “He hasn’t listened to anybody. Why would he listen to me?”