BY SAM SMITH SVN REPORTER ssmith@svnmail.com
In a move likely to put former Lee County Sheriff Tim Bivins in the Illinois Senate nine months before the November elections, Sen. Todd Sieben, R-Geneseo, announced Friday that he is stepping down in February.
His departure will come 11 months before the end of his term, and Illinois law requires local leaders from his party to nominate a replacement to fill out his term. He has received assurances from the GOP chairmen in the eight counties that make up the 45th District that they will select Bivins, Sieben said.
The seat represents one of the several northwest Illinois two-horse races, in which both the Democratic and Republican candidates are running uncontested in the Feb. 5 primary.
Marty Mulcahey, the only Democrat running for the seat, called the move "unethical" because "it creates an uneven playing field" and said the move is out of sync with Sieben's 21 years in the General Assembly.
"Sen. Sieben has represented us well all these years ... but this goes against everything he's tried to represent in terms of good governance in his tenure with the state Legislature," Mulcahey said.
Democrats will go into the November elections with a 15-seat majority in the State Senate and control of both the General Assembly and the governor's office, but vitriolic party infighting has some wondering whether the margin will narrow next fall.
Sieben, who announced in August that he would not seek re-election, said he made the decision to step down in February at least in part to help ensure the district remains with the GOP.
"This is a Republican district - it's been in Republican hands for decades. I'm doing all I can to keep this seat in Republican hands," Sieben said. "People already see me as retired. Why not hand it off to Tim?"
Both Bivins and Mulcahey said Sieben's early retirement doesn't give Bivins a free pass come November.
In fact, the early trip to Springfield is "a two-edged sword," because Bivins will have less time to campaign in the run up to November, Sieben said.
"Once you have the job and you're working the job, it becomes a little tougher nut, getting out on the campaign," Bivins said.
The 45th District is comprised of all of Jo Daviess, Lee and Stephenson counties, and portions of Henry, Ogle, Whiteside and Winnebago.
Bivins was Lee County sheriff for 20 years before retiring in 2006.
Mulcahey is an employee of the Secretary of State's Office and lives in Galena. Excluding his terms as election precinct committee chairman, this is his first run for office.
Reach Sam Smith at (815) 284-2222 or (800) 798-4085, ext. 525. Reach Sam Smith at (815) 625-3600 or (800) 798-4085, ext. 525.
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