Summers Thanks Voters In Will County Coroner Win

Last updated at 8:18 a.m. Nov. 4

JOLIET, IL — Acting Will County Coroner Laurie Summers topped Republican challenger James "Jim" Piacentini in her bid to succeed Patrick O'Neil as the next coroner of Will County, according to unofficial vote totals. Summers, a Democrat from Crete, had a lead of more than 25,000 votes over her challenger from Steger.

With 100 percent of Will County's precincts reporting, unofficial results showed that Summers had 55.4 percent, with 175,776 votes, while her Republican opponent Piacentini had 44.4 percent, with 140,785 votes. Write-in candidates accounted for 876 votes, which is 0.3 percent.

Summers vs. Piacentini Election results

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In the March 17 Democratic primary, Summers crushed Bolingbrook Police Sgt. Sean Talbot, getting about 70 percent of the vote. Piacentini did not face any opposition in the Republican primary. According to the Will County Coroner's Office website, the coroner is an elected office serving for a four-year term. The office is a law enforcement agency and its staff investigates deaths that occur in the county.

The 61-year-old Summers said she will become Will County's first coroner who is a woman and also a nurse.

According to her profile, Summers grew up in rural Will County and later became a registered nurse. In 2016 and 2018, she ran for a seat on the Will County Board and won both of her elections. In October 2019, she took a position on the staff of Will County Coroner Patrick O'Neil as his chief deputy coroner.

In recent months, O'Neil retired from office before his four-year term of office expired, allowing Summers to fill the vacancy and head into the Nov. 3 election as the head of the county office.

As a registered nurse, Summers said she can rely on her professional background to make the right decisions as the head of the coroner's office.

"Eighty percent of the Coroner’s Office cases are medical/natural deaths," Summers stated on her campaign website. "It is the Coroner’s job to investigate and find the cause, which often requires researching hundreds of pages of medical records and understanding terminology. This aspect of the job is second nature to Laurie, and she currently works hand in hand with our current Coroner to find that cause."

Summers said she became a registered nurse in 1996, spending most of her career at St. Margaret’s Hospital, working there from 1998 to 2011. "This experience taught Laurie to research quickly and thoroughly, which she uses in the Coroner’s office now," her campaign noted.

As for the Republican candidate, the 67-year-old Piacentini informed Patch that he has an associates degree in criminal justice, has been an emergency medical technician for 36 years, 40 years as a certified pharmacy technician, three years on a police cadet force and 16 years of experience on the Crete Township board.

Piacentini informed Patch that his goal was to build better communication between law enforcement, fire departments and the coroner's office, if elected Will County's coroner.

"Look into the situation about possibly getting a new morgue. I would have an open door policy for all employees," he stated in his candidate questionnaire.

When asked about his past accomplishments that would make him the best candidate for the office, the Crete Township Republican stated, "Working in the fire service for 43 years, with police departments on crime scenes as a photographer.

"I have been honest in my years on the Crete Township Board. Working to save money for the taxpayers. I have always had an open door to the people."

During his first time as coroner, Piacentini said he would build better communication and obtain accurate figures on the cause of death for residents in Will County.

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Related Joliet Patch 2020 election coverage:

Will County Coroner Won't Seek 8th Term In Office
Laurie Summers: Will County Coroner Candidate
Democrat Party: 'Republican Sean Talbot Could Not Beat Summers
Write-In Candidate: O'Neil Elects Summers For Coroner Before Elections
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