Madison County reelects Chairman Kurt Prenzler
Madison County voters reelected Madison County Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler on Tuesday.
With all 225 precincts reporting, the county’s unofficial results showed Prenzler defeated Daiber by 8,212 votes. Prenzler received 70,539 votes, while Daiber had 62,327 votes.
Prenzler said he was grateful to the voters of Madison County and called the election a big win for Republicans in Madison County.
“We’re proud of our accomplishments over these past years,” he said. “Particularly putting the brakes on property taxes and reducing our county tax levy. That’s an issue for Illinois taxpayers that we care about.”
Prenzler said the coming year will be challenging for the county due to COVID-19.
“We’ve got a lot of challenges this coming year. COVID has been a challenge and we’re not finished with that,” Prenzler said. “It’s going to be a year where we’re watching our budget closely because we’ve seen a reduction in our revenue (due to COVID-19).”
As of Tuesday evening, 5,699 outstanding vote-by-mail ballots in Madison County had yet to be counted.
The county board chairman serves for a term of four years, presiding over meetings and appointing board members to serve on the many committees of the board.
Prenzler was first elected in 2016. His reelection campaign focused on animal control, property taxes and improving county residents’ quality of life. He said that means focusing on improving safety, lowering taxes and supporting the health department as it fights COVID-19.
“The most pressing issue facing this county is maintaining, and indeed improving the quality of life for everyday residents. Maintaining and indeed improving the quality of life is measured so many ways,” he said.
Daiber, a resident of Marine and Madison County’s Regional Superintendent of Schools, previously sought the Democratic nomination for governor in 2018.
Controversies between members of the Madison County Board and county administration played a key part in his decision to run, Daiber said when he announced his candidacy.
“I’ve observed some of the controversies that continue to go on in the county administration,” Daiber said. “This controversy needs to end. It’s been ongoing for three years and I don’t think it’s good government.”
The contest had continuously heated up in the weeks leading up to Election Day, with both candidates hurtling attacks at one another over different policies on taxes, controversies and even the treatment of animals.
Election authorities will continue counting outstanding vote-by-mail ballots as they arrive until Nov. 17, and state officials will certify official results on Dec. 4.
This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 7:10 PM.