Akemann, Dalton seek seat on the 16th Circuit : Elburn Herald

Employment: Attorney for 23 years, working for law firms such as Skadden Arps, served as a senior vice chair of a world bank, and owned own practice. Was an Arbitration Chairman for 10 years, managing a courtroom, ruling on objections and rendering decisions in hundreds of cases Community involvement: •Deacon, First Congregationalist Church, United Church of Christ, Elgin •Board member of the Campanelli YMCA, serving for more than 10 years, including a total of leadership posts and receiving both the Twinbrook Award and the Service to Youth Award •Co-founder and previous President of Elgin`s Speak Out Against Prejudice (SOAP) organization, which recently received the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award "for outstanding accomplishment in the subject of civil rights/community relations advocacy." •Commissioner of the Elgin Heritage Commission`s Design Review Subcommittee •Board Chairman and Finance Committee Chairman of Famous Door Theatre Troupe and receiver of the Chicago Business Volunteers for the Arts Award •Member of School District U-46 Handbook Committee •Member Kane County Bar Association, serving on the Judiciary and Bar Committee •Member Elgin Hispanic Network (EHN) •Member Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA) •Member NorthEast Neighborhood Association (NENA) •Member Elgin Chamber of Commerce, among others.

John Dalton said he decided to run for justice after someone asked him to do so, and he completed it was an opportunity to further serve his community.

"This community has granted me a big deal, and I wish to establish back," he said.

He said he is not a master politician, and this is his 1st time working for an elective office.

"However, I have served my community in many ways, some of which are listed above, and at the chance of immodesty, I think I have excellent credentials, good opinion and an underlying sense of fairness," Dalton said. "I give over 85 endorsements for a reason."

He said the character of a label is straightforward.

"I think in hard work, personal accountability, transparency, diversity, precedent and tradition," Dalton said. "I trust in holding an open mind until all the show is in, and the possibility of blessing and redemption. I think the job of a label is to be nonpartisan, follow the law, listen to both sides and treat everyone fairly, with dignity and respect. If elected, that`s the form of judge I`ll be."

Beyond filling that character of judicial role, he said that if elected, he would inspire the tribunal to implement practices that would keep time and money. He said he would implement an online system that would allow residents to pay traffic fines, seek court supervision or asking a trial date without having to look in court.

"The effect would be fewer minor, routine cases heard in a courtroom, saving money for taxpayers," Dalton said. "We`d save money on judges, clerks, bailiffs, courtrooms, etc. and the public wouldn`t give to have time off from exercise or house to drop the day in court."

RepublicanDavid R. Akemann Age: 58 Family: Married for 32 years to Vickie, three children Hometown: Lifelong Kane County resident from Elgin Education: Elgin High School, Beloit College, Brigham Young University Bachelor of Science Degree, J.D. degree from Lewis University College of Law (now Northern Illinois University College of Law) Employment: Started calling in 1977 as intern in the Kane County State`s Attorney`s Office. Appointed as an Assistant State`s Attorney in 1978, served as Head of the Civil Division in the office. Also served as Head of the Civil Division of the McHenry County State`s Attorney Office. Was elected Kane County state`s Attorney in 1992, 1996. Served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Justice Division, Special Prosecutions Bureau. Was decreed by the Illinois Attorney General as the Executive Director: Illinois Gang Crime Prevention Center. Currently serves as chief of the Law Offices of David R. Akemann. Community involvement: Co-founder of Children`s Theatre of Elgin and Fox Valley Youth Theater; member of Epworth United Methodist Church for 44 years, having served there in many various offices, national, regional and local. Served as a Larkin High School PTO Scholarship Co-chair and a United Way and PADS Volunteer. Currently serves on the Room of Director`s for the Dad`s Association for the University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana.

David Akemann brings two terms as the Kane County State`s Attorney to the campaign, and said that see is what sets him aside from his opponent.

Through his sentence in office, he said that he has personally prosecuted first-degree murder cases and successfully sought the last penalty for particularly heinous crimes. He said that experience with the utmost possible legal penalty gives him a strong context with which he would work.

"The rest is that the utmost punishment is not always appropriate," Akemann said. "As Kane County State`s Attorney, I accepted this by establishing the extremely successful second-chance program for 1st time, non-violent offenders."

Akemann said he would expect to other non-traditional approaches to his role, seeking ways to dispose of cases more quickly, such as early screening for alternative solutions like diversion programs.

"Moving cases from probation to conditional discharge, requiring mediation in civil cases and increasing the use of pretrial conferences to move cases along are all viable options," he said. "Night court, Saturday court, video court and area courts and the use of hearing officers to treat municipal ordinance violations would be other options."

He said that the number-one need on the judiciary is to make certain that justice under the organisation and the law occurs within the courtroom.

"Judges need to address everyone with dignity and respect," Akemann said. "This can be difficult when resources are just and metre is poor and there are great numbers of citizens that need to be heard in a modest number of time."

He said that to treat the publication of few resources and special time, individuals in the judiciary "need to be a percentage of the result in making government more effective and to not waste the time of employers or workers so that they can both earn more. Let`s not blow the sentence for jurors or witnesses. Let`s not allow endless continuances that drain precious time and resources and make people unpleasant."