The dirtiest race just got dirtier...

(A continuation of my earlier story...)

Well, the verdict is in. Booker found guilty on all counts but one: sexual harassment. The only good news is that the sheriff didn't get what he wanted - a demotion. Instead, the merit commission gave Booker 90 days off, without pay, and what amounts to probation for a year. In the environment I described, were a mere joke between friends can result in disciplinary action even when the friend vouches for the fact that it was a joke and no harm was done or offense taken, good luck with that, Aaron.

But here's the sad thing - it wasn't just a proud and honorable man who was chastised today. It was the good citizens of Winnebago county - the ones who elected him as their candidate. The sheriff could have chosen to run an honorable campaign on the issues, and there are plenty of them. Winnebago county has the distinction of having the highest crime rate in the state of Illinois, nearly 6,000 per 100,000 population. That's substantially higher, by more than 1,000, than even Cook county where Chicago is located. (Click here for Illinois State Police crime data by county - PDF format only.)

Granted - much of that crime is in Rockford, and without question something is amiss there, but the Sheriff is still the top law enforcement official in the county and can go far to coordinate efforts between municipal departments and implement interdepartmental crime prevention programs and improve reporting and intelligence. But still, something is critically wrong in Winnebago. The local media was A.W.O.L. on coverage of this race, but got their undies all in a twist over the salaciousness of the charges against Booker.

It's pretty clear that the situation at the 911 centers is a nightmare. These are the true first responders to citizens' emergencies - the ones who make sure that a police officer or fire truck or ambulance arrive to help on time, and that they have the necessary backup. The current setup was essentially the brainchild of Meyers - Booker had to live with it.

And once again, as is the case so frequently in northern Illinois, there's no help for the Republican candidate from the state central committee. Few TV and radio ads for Booker, while cable is plastered wall-to-wall with Meyers' ads. The allegedly Republican coroner, Sue Fiduccia, has jumped ship and endorsed Meyers, along with Boone county sheriff, Republican Duane Wirth, showing their loyalty to the "Courthouse Party" as predicted by Chuck Sweeney in November 2009. And when the much-beleaguered Republican state senator Dave Syverson found his name accidentally included in a list of supporters on Booker's website, he promptly and adamantly demanded his name be removed. Nice, huh?

I can only hope that the good people in Winnebago county will decide to take a sledgehammer to the Good-Ol'-Boys' network and decide that it's time for a change. Booker has promised to drop the county's crime rate ranking to "at least out of the top 10." Maybe he can, maybe he can't. But it doesn't seem he can do any worse than the incumbent.