Plainfield Township: Write-In Al Tinsley Gets 604 Votes

PLAINFIELD, IL — The polls are closed, and ex-Plainfield Township Supervisor Tony Fremarek appears to have gotten nearly 3,000 in his abandoned re-election bid— but they are considered invalid. Meanwhile, write-in candidate Al Tinsley got 604 votes with all precincts reporting.

A month and a half after he was hit with federal charges accusing him of embezzling $1.4 million from a former employer, Supervisor Tony Fremarek resigned and said he was withdrawing from his re-election bid.

Because he withdrew his candidacy after the Jan. 28 deadline, Fremarek's name still appears on the ballot, according to the Will County Clerk's office. The state's election code notes: "If such a request for withdrawal is received after the date for certification of the candidates for the ballot, then the votes cast for the withdrawn candidate are invalid and shall not be reported by the election authority."

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That left no candidate on the ballot itself, but there was a write-in candidate: Plainfield resident Al Tinsley, who last month told the Herald-News that Fremarek "did the right thing" by stepping down.

Here's how things were looking with 35 of 35 precincts in on election night:

• Candidate withdrew: 2,916
• Write-in Al Tinsley: 604

Tinsley also said he is retired from a Fortune 100 company, where he was tasked with turning around underperforming departments and was directly responsible for budgets in excess of $35 million dollars.

On his campaign Facebook page, Tinsley pledged to bring to the township:

• Increased government transparency
• Support local small businesses
• Meaningful economic development
• Support of local Law Enforcement

A flyer for Tinsley noted that he has been a Plainfield resident since 2004 and previously lived in Downers Grove and Wheaton, serving as a football, baseball and basketball coach in both Plainfield and Downers Grove.

Other township races

All other races in Plainfield Township are unopposed, with the ballot filled by Republicans, mostly incumbents:

• Clerk: Incumbent Michelle Smith
• Assessor: Incumbent Erin Kljaich
• Highway Commissioner: Doug Shreve, with incumbent Ken Marland (appointed 2014) not seeking re-election
• Collector Robert M. Enright, who was appointed to replace Elaine Van Buskirk after her resignation in December
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• For trustee: Incumbents Matthew Starr, Ernest C. Knight and Eric Nelson plus former collector Elaine "Lain" Van Buskirk

But while Starr is on the ballot for trustee, the township website lists him as supervisor. The March 22 board meeting agenda indicates the oath of office was administered to the new interim supervisor

after Fremarek's letter of resignation was accepted.