Lake Co. judge candidate will not accept donations

Daily Herald
Lake Co. judge candidate will not accept donations
By Tony Gordon | Daily Herald Columnist
Published: 4/7/2010 12:01 AM

A candidate for circuit judge in the 6th Judicial Subcircuit has announced he intends to personally finance his own campaign.

Michael Perillo of Grayslake, the Democratic challenger of Circuit Judge Jorge Oritz, said he wants to make sure he is seen as free from outside influence if elected to the bench.

"I am committed to running a truly independent campaign and ultimately serving as a truly independent judge," Perillo said. "Accordingly, I am instructing my campaign committee to refund donations previously received and to accept no further monetary contributions."

Judicial candidates have spent from $20,000 to more than $100,000 in recent Lake County elections, and Perillo said he hopes the stand he is taking will lead to a general discussion of campaign finance regulations for judicial races.

He began his legal career as an attorney in the Navy's Judge Advocate General Corps at Great Lakes, then served as an assistant public defender and assistant state's attorney before going into private practice.

The 6th Subcircuit includes Antioch, Grayslake, Lake Villa, Lindenhurst and Winthrop Harbor.

Scholarships available

Lake County high school students are encouraged to apply for scholarships to attend the Illinois Teenage Institute on Substance Abuse.

The five-day institute is a prevention education program scheduled to be held July 18 through July 22 at Monmouth College in Monmouth.

The Illinois Sheriff's Association is awarding 60 scholarships statewide to cover tuition, lodging, workshop materials, meals and recreation.

Applicants should be responsible teens under 18 who will be in high school for the 2010-11 school year, willing to attend the entire institute and willing to serve as a youth leader and prevention resource in his or her school, neighborhood or community.

More information and applications go to www.os-iti.org or call the Lake County sheriff's office at (847) 377-4050.

Applications should be returned to the sheriff's office by April 16.

Heard in the hallway

Condolences to Debbie Hoem, adult referral specialist for the Lake County Probation Department, on the recent death of her husband, retired Gurnee police officer Charles Hoem.