Dear Editor,

In the upcoming sheriff’s election, I am supporting and encouraging voters to vote for Willie Mayes on Nov. 4. I have a perspective based on working with both candidates throughout my career, and both have worked for me. I have had ample opportunity to observe qualities such as leadership, diplomacy, team building, dignity, respect and humility. In my humble opinion, these qualities are necessary to lead an organization of 311 people and work alongside Kane County police agencies, state’s attorneys and other elected officials for the benefit of the citizens we serve.

Lt. Mayes has served the Sheriff’s Office for nearly 23 years in various capacities. He began his career as a corrections officer, then became a patrol deputy, and has been promoted to the rank of sergeant 10 years ago and several months ago achieved the rank of lieutenant.

Lt. Mayes is a certified crime science technician and supervised our evidence division for 10 years. He now oversees the planning and training division. He is additionally the commander of our bomb squad and has been a member of our bomb squad for more than 10 years. Lt. Mayes also served as a member of our SWAT team. He earned a bachelors degree in police management from Aurora University and has graduated from the Northwestern University school of staff and command.

Lt. Mayes also served as union president, and I have witnessed his ability to successfully negotiate from both the labor and management sides. An important note of interest, Lt. Mayes has been part of our team that has moved the Sheriff’s Office in a positive direction, and can maintain continuity of established successful operations and will certainly bring ideas to keep the agency moving forward. I have witnessed Willie’s devotion to his family and our community as he has been active in coaching youth football and baseball in the Aurora area for more than 10 years.

It has been an honor to serve as your sheriff for the past eight years, and I care about the people employed by the Sheriff’s Office and the citizens we serve, and I hope you consider my recommendation of Willie Mayes as our next Kane County sheriff before you cast your vote Nov. 4, 2014.

Patrick B. Perez
Kane County Sheriff

Editor’s Notes

• Deadline election-related letters or guest essays. The last day to submit letters to the editor or guest essays regarding an item on the Nov. 4 ballot is noon Thursday, Oct. 30.  Please see this article for more information and remember to participate the spirit of civility outlined in the article. Letters or essays that contain personal attacks, character assassination or inappropriate language will not be published.

• Kane County Connects welcomes your opinions. If you have an opinion that is different than the one stated here or would like to submit a letter to the editor on another topic, please send an email to Community Outreach Coordinator Rick Nagel at ricknagel23@gmail.com and include your full name, address and telephone number for verification. All letters must be signed with the first and last name of the letter writer. For more information on the ground rules, see this article.