Home remodeler, Rockford firefighter vying for county board seat

ROCKFORD — A Gambino home remodeler and a Rockford firefighter are squaring off in the Nov. 8 election for a seat on the Winnebago County Board.

Burt Gerl, a Republican and 10-year board incumbent representing District 15 residents, spearheaded the free Ring Video Doorbell giveaway earlier this year. He identified public safety followed by economic development and protecting tax dollars as his top priorities.

Christopher Scrol, a Democrat, is a veteran firefighter and president of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 413 in Rockford. The political newcomer served several years on Mayor Tom McNamara's Budget and Finance Advisory Committee.

He said jobs, public safety, and "restoring faith in our local government" will be his top priorities.

District 15 is a large area in southeast Rockford bounded by Newburg Road to the north, Sandy Hollow Road to the south, South Alpine Road to the east and Colorado Avenue and Carol Place to the west.

Here's a closer look at the candidates.

Name: Burt Gerl

Age: 46

Family: Mother, Lynn Gerl; Father, Bill Gerl

Residence: Rockford

Education: East High School graduate in 1994, Swedish American Hospital, EMT-B in 1996, OSF St. Anthony Medical Center, Paramedics in 1997, Rock Valley College, Criminal Justice in 2004

Profession: City of Rockford public works 2007 through 2017, home remodeling Gambino since 2018

Membership and associations: Blackhawk Athletic Club

Political experience: Winnebago County Board since 2012, Finance Committee from 2012 through 2020, Public Works Committee from 2012 through 2022, Economic Development Committee from 2018 through 2020, Chairman of Public Safety and Judiciary Committee from 2020 through 2022

Endorsements: Congressman Darin Lahood, State Reps. Joe Sosnowski and Andrew Chesney; State Sen. Dave Syverson, Sheriff Gary Caruana County, Board Chairman Joe Chiarelli, Loves Park Mayor Greg Jury, county board members Paul Arena, Jean Crosby, Kevin McCarthy, John Sweeney, Brad Lindmark, Keith McDonald, Jim Webster, Steve Schultz, John Butitta, and Fred Wescott

What are the top three issues in your race and how do you plan to address them if elected?

1. Public safety: I’ve worked with everyone in our criminal justice system to ensure we have the best programs aimed at reducing recidivism, fighting violent crime and improving our holistic approach to neighborhood safety. And I’ll continue to fight against unfunded mandates from Springfield that negatively impact your safety and pocketbooks.

2. Economic development: As of today, we’ve managed to bring in thousands of jobs to the county, such as Costco, Bremer Foods, Amazon, FedEx, AAR and many more. We’re investing millions of dollars in Baxter Road to bring in even more high paying jobs to our county.

3. Spending efficiently: Protecting your tax dollars is by far the most important issue as an elected official in Winnebago County. I’ve worked with my colleagues on the county board to ensure that we continue to fight blight in our county and city neighborhoods. I’ll continue to pass legislation that makes sense and helps ensure that every dollar we spend is spent efficiently.

Name: Christopher Scrol

Age: 51

Family: LaWanda, wife of 26 years, and two adult children

Residence: Rockford

Education: High school equivalency

Profession: Firefighter/paramedic and Mobile Integrated Health manager with the Rockford Fire Department

Memberships and associations: International Association of Fire Fighters, Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois, Rockford United Labor

Political experience: None

Endorsements: State Sen. Steve Stadelman, State Rep. Dave Vella, International Association of Fire Fighters, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, United Auto Workers, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Plumbers & Pipefitters, International Union of Operating Engineers, Sheet Metal Workers, The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, Northwestern Illinois Building Trades

What are the top three issues in your race and how do you plan to address them if elected?

1. Jobs and economic development: I believe that we are at our best when we have a strong working middle class. We need to invest in our workforce. We need to provide training, education and opportunity. We need to place as much value on vocational and technical training as we do post-secondary education. Once we have a skilled, vibrant and dynamic workforce, businesses will naturally gravitate to our region leading to greater economic development and further opportunity.

2. Public safety: Public safety is not just about fighting crime, but also about how we provide emergency medical services, how we address mental health in our community and how we respond to the growing opioid epidemic. We need to reshape how we provide these services by taking a collaborative, multi-agency, interorganizational approach. We need to improve our efficiency and eliminate duplicative services. This can be accomplished by using evidence-based performance measures, research and benchmarking opportunities.

3. Restoring faith in our local government: We currently have a political atmosphere that is toxic. Partisan political infighting creates gridlock and missed opportunity. Voters are tired of career politicians who do not serve their interests. They struggle to see people similar to themselves or their neighbors in the political realm. I am committed to governing from the ground up in a way that always places the best interest of the public ahead of party politics and special interests.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Winnebago County Board Bert Gerl Christopher Scrol