As expected, Willie R. Smith, a former captain and undersheriff in the Lake County sheriff’s office, has announced he will be a candidate for sheriff in the Republican primary next March.
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Smith, 51, an Antioch resident who retired from the sheriff’s office last October after more than 28 years of service, said he would conduct an “issue-oriented” campaign for the office.
The post is held by incumbent Sheriff Gary Del Re, who was appointed to the position last year by the Lake County Board after former Sheriff Clinton Grinnell retired.
Smith had become a campaign issue in Grinnell’s 1994 re-election campaign, but asked to be reassigned after Grinnell’s opponent, Ed Sindles, said Grinnell had a deal to step down in favor of Smith after the election.
After Smith stepped down from the undersheriff position, Sindles charged a similar deal had been made with Del Re. Smith served as Grinnell’s undersheriff for six years before asking to be moved to captain’s duties, citing “personal reasons.”
Del Re, a former 21-year Buffalo Grove officer who joined the Lake County sheriff’s office as undersheriff in 1994, previously announced he would seek election to the sheriff’s post.