At the start of the semester, during Quad Day, I was told some local politicians were hanging out at the Illini Democrats’ tent. It was there I found out that the county coroner position is partisan and will be decided by voters this election.
Funnily enough, the coroner is one of the most contentious races in this cycle, with current coroner Steve Thuney, running as a Republican, facing off against deputy coroner Laurie Brauer, the Democrat candidate.
The coroner investigates all deaths where the “decedent was not attended by a licensed physician,” determining the cause and manner of death to decide if an inquest — a judicial or official inquiry or examination — is necessary.
The coroner can order autopsies, prepare and conduct inquests, issue death certificates and cremation permits and maintain records of all inquest-related deaths in the county.
One of the questions you may have is why the coroner is an elected position. According to Article VII, Section 4 of the Illinois Constitution, “Each county shall elect a sheriff, county clerk and treasurer and may elect or appoint a coroner, recorder, assessor, auditor and such other officers as provided by law or by county ordinance.”
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In Champaign County, all of those positions are elected. The one exception is the county recorder, which no longer exists. In 2020, Mike Ingram, chair of Champaign County Democrats, famously ran for recorder on a platform to eliminate the position. Ingram won the election, and the recorder was dissolved via a referendum vote in 2021, with the duties being transferred to the Champaign County Clerk’s office.
A similar case occurred last December to make the coroner and auditor an appointed, nonpartisan decision. The resolution to put this question on the ballot was voted down, with constituents feeling as though the action was rushed and not properly informed either way. That being said, they felt the offices of auditor and coroner should remain independently elected offices no matter what.
Given issues with the current auditor’s office, however, the resolution was disaggregated with a new resolution proposing to eliminate the auditor. You’ll notice this is on the ballot — I recommend voting “yes.”
However, the coroner race will still be partisan, and voters will choose who will best do the job.
Nobody runs a campaign for the sake of it — campaigning, canvassing, attending town halls, speaking on podcasts and making public appearances is hard work. You’ll notice that Brauer, as deputy coroner, is running against her boss, who currently occupies the coroner role.
Both of these candidates are extremely qualified. But I argue that Brauer is best deserving of your vote.
The circumstances leading to Brauer launching a campaign send a signal to me that there are deficiencies in the way the coroner’s office has historically operated, many of which would be resolved should she become elected.
The office’s lack of a forensic pathologist — a medical doctor whose area of expertise lies in the examination of persons who die suddenly, unexpectedly or violently — is alarming. According to Brauer, the former pathologist’s departure can be attributed to the office environment. A potential candidate for the role will not work under the current coroner. According to Brauer, their nine-member office is taking on a job that requires the addition of two more roles to handle their needs.
This doesn’t seem like a functional office to me. Brauer knows exactly what’s going wrong and, as current deputy coroner, would uniquely know how to fix it. That all starts with her becoming the face of the coroner’s office.
Thuney’s endorsement from his predecessor, the previous coroner Duane Northrup, sends a signal that the coroner’s office will run business as usual should Thuney become elected.
Thuney’s endorsements — all current Republican politicians or politician-hopefuls — need to be discussed. The coroner’s office, even though it is a partisan position, should be independent from politics. Thuney said, “The coroner needs to be independent and free of political influences.”
How can we trust that Thuney, as coroner, will place himself above partisan leanings and deliver objective truths, given the overt partisanship in his endorsements?
On the other hand, Brauer’s nonpartisan endorsements speak more to her character and ability to get the job done. She is endorsed by Julie Pryde, public health administrator of the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, and the Champaign County American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations.
If our public health administrator and the unions are confident in Brauer, so am I.
Northrop served as coroner for nearly 20 years and, after retiring, left a dysfunctional office in his wake. By all accounts, Thuney’s campaign is promising more of the same.
I’d be curious to see what the coroner’s office under Brauer would look like. Champaign County, I hope you take a chance and vote for Brauer at the polls like I did.
CORRECTION Nov. 2, 2024, at 7:30 p.m.:
In an earlier version of this column, Champaign County Coroner Steve Thuney was mistakenly referred to as an interim coroner. He was appointed coroner by the Champaign County Board last January. Deputy coroner Laurie Brauer was also mistakenly referred to as the chief deputy coroner. This position is occupied by Martha Rice.
In the column, the writer references an interview with the podcast “I Have To Ask… With Elizabeth Hess” where Laurie Brauer notes that their office is currently understaffed; the writer mentions this as if it were fact; however, this is the opinion of Brauer, who believes additional employees would improve their operations. This has since been corrected to accurately portray this opinion.
Please note that this column represents the view of a singular columnist and not that of The Daily Illini. Neither candidate was involved in the writing of this column, and only the sources linked in the text were used to inform the writer’s opinion.
Raphael is a junior in LAS.
