Who will be the new sheriff in Clinton County? For the moment, it’s the coroner
Clinton County Coroner Phillip Moss has a bachelor’s degree in mortuary science and is a licensed funeral home director and embalmer.
But though he has no law enforcement background, he will add sheriff to his title as of Friday because of political scuffling among county officials.
If they can’t come to an agreement, Moss could hold the sheriff’s title in addition to his demanding job as coroner until November 2022.
“I don’t understand this whole thing,” said Moss, who has been coroner since 2008. “I’m going to assume both duties. I’m going to continue to be the coroner, and I’m going to be the sheriff by statute, not by any type of election or by any other means.”
Moss, 43, will find himself in a job for which he is unqualified because the Clinton County board, its chairman and the county Republican Party committee can’t agree on a replacement for retiring Sheriff Doug Maue.
Under Illinois law, if the board doesn’t fill a sheriff’s vacancy, the responsibility goes to the coroner. It has happened in Clinton County before — oddly enough to Moss’ father, David, also a Clinton County coroner. But he was only sheriff for a day or so before the situation was sorted out, Moss said.
Moss earned earned $44,208 in 2018 as coroner, according to the Better Government Association Illinois salary database. It’s not clear if he will earn both the coroner and sheriff’s salaries. The county was awaiting guidance from the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association’s legal department.
If Moss becomes sheriff as expected, he says he will hand over responsibilities to acting chief deputy Dan Travous.
“I want the citizens of Clinton County to know that nothing is going to change with the sheriff’s department,” Moss said. “The coroner’s office is a full-time job. I’m on call 24-7 and my phone rings nonstop with that position. I’m going to do what I can if appointed as sheriff, but I’m going to be leaning heavily on chief deputy and the rest of the department. I trust their guidance.”
Travous, 47, is the county board’s choice to succeed Maue, who earned $80,500 in annual base pay in 2018, according to the Better Government Association database.
The chief deputy has worked in the department for 23 years, the last few spent preparing for the sheriff’s retirement, and had a base salary of $74,692 in 2020, according to county records. The starting salary for any newly elected or appointed sheriff in Clinton County is $70,000, according to the county code, regardless of their experience.
The county board chairman opposes Travous, even though he will become the de facto sheriff under Moss anyway.
“It has turned into a circus to say the least,” Travous said.
Chairman Larry Johnson says he doesn’t like “how operations are going at the sheriff’s office” under Maue, and wants an outsider to replace him. He said he’s concerned about excess spending in the department.
“We need a change,” Johnson said.
His pick is Brian Vielweber, chief of police in the village of Albers, population 1,341 as of the latest Census estimate. He is also the nominee of the Clinton County Republican Party.
The board voted down Vielweber 8-6 in April, said Brad Knolhoff, a Republican county board member from Carlyle, and the chairman didn’t bring it up at the May meeting. Those who voted no will hold firm if it comes up again, Knolhoff said.
Unless the either the board or the chairman change their minds, the coroner will become the sheriff, a position he could hold until the next sheriff’s election in November 2022.
How is a sheriff nominee chosen?
County leaders will have 60 days from Friday to agree on an appointment or Moss will be stuck as sheriff until the next election, according to state law.
But they can’t even agree on how an appointment should be made.
Johnson insists he was merely following the law when he brought his appointment before the board. He said the choice must come from the local GOP committee because Maue is a Republican. Indeed, Illinois law says the local political party committee has to be notified within three days of the vacancy.
Johnson did that. But he says he can’t nominate somebody else, whereas board members such as Knolhoff say it’s only county tradition, not law, that the committee picks the appointee.
The law says the vacancy should be filled by appointment of the chair with approval from the board. But Johnson maintains the Republican Party’s appointment must be honored.
“Unfortunately the board members want me to break the law and nominate someone else, and I will not do that. I can’t do that,” Johnson said.
Clinton County State’s Attorney J. D. Brandmeyer says state statute doesn’t mandate the political party gets to choose.
“That’s just the practice that’s been going on in this county. The chairman brings an appointment to county board and they either approve or deny it,” Brandmeyer said.
Regardless, Johnson refuses to put someone forward who hasn’t been nominated by the Clinton County GOP committee.
Marc Hoffmann, Republican county chair, did not return requests for comment. But Johnson said he and the party prefer Vielweber, 53, who has roughly 30 years in law enforcement and would bring a fresh vision to the job.
“They haven’t said anything bad about the candidate I nominated,” Johnson said. “They just want the other guy.”
Supporters of Travous, the chief deputy, say he’s a no-brainer as someone who knows the sheriff’s department inside out. Vielweber, while he has decades of police experience, hasn’t led a sheriff’s department, Knolhoff said. Vielweber served as police chief in Smithton before retiring and later becoming chief in Albers, a position he filled part-time for eight years and full-time for two.
“I look at this as this as a retirement job for Brian,” Knolhoff said. “I want somebody who who knows the sheriff’s department and I want somebody who understands it. ... I want somebody who it’s their job.”
Vielweber worked under Travous when he did some part-time work for the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office, and said they got along well and still respect one another.
Vielweber says he loves Clinton County and would be honored to serve as sheriff but hopes the county board members and chairman come to an agreement, whether they settle on him or Travous.
“I hope that they can come up with some kind of resolution for the good people that work at the sheriff’s office and probably even more so the 40,000 people who call Clinton County home,” Vielweber said.
Meantime, Vielweber said he wishes the best for the county coroner.
“The coroner’s busy,” Vielweber said. “I feel sorry for him, I do.”
Editor’s note: This article was edited shortly before 8:40 a.m. Friday, May 28 to clarify that board member Dennis Middendorff does not believe the board chairman is mandated by law to nominate the person put forth by the Republican Party committee.
This story was originally published May 27, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
