After scandal, race for Winnebago County Coroner taking shape

ROCKFORD — Saying it's time to end one-party rule and corruption in the Winnebago County Coroner's Office, funeral director and former Rockford alderman Tony Gasparini wants to be the next coroner.

To get there, the Democrat may have to defeat Jennifer Muraski, the woman who has taken the reins of the office as director in the wake of former Winnebago County Coroner Bill Hintz' arrest and conviction on charges of theft of government property and official misconduct.

"In my view, one party in one office for too long can create this," Gasparini said. "You just need a new set of eyes."

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Gasparini was chosen to be slated by the Winnebago County Democratic Central Committee on Friday.

Muraski — who was hired to lead the office by Republican Sheriff Gary Caruana — is making it known she wants to be the GOP's choice. Officials said the Winnebago County Republican Central Committee has until Aug. 31 to choose a candidate.

Candidates will appear in a special election on ballots Nov. 8.

Winnebago County Board Chairman Joe Chiarelli has, with the advice and consent of the board, 60 days to appoint a replacement after Hintz pleaded guilty Wednesday. Under state law, Chiarelli must appoint a Republican to serve until a new coroner is elected.

The winner will serve the remainder of the term until November 2024.

Although Hintz had eventually agreed to paid administrative leave in September 2021, it was not until months after his arrest on accusations that he had stolen thousands of dollars from the dead, embezzled cremation fees and committed acts of misconduct.

In a letter to the chairman's office, the Republican resigned effective immediately following the conviction, Chiarelli said.

A woman with 27 years experience in the mortuary business, Muraski was hired by Caruana in March to serve as the director of operations of the Winnebago County Coroner's Office. Her hiring followed the sudden death in February of Winnebago County Sheriff's Deputy Chief Mark Karner at age 62. Karner had been supervising the office while Hintz was on leave.

Born and raised in Winnebago County, Muraski said she's been a good fit since taking over. She said she wants to continue leading the office, working to improve operations and restoring trust.

"We have a great team, a great staff and we are doing a lot of great things here," Muraski said. "So I would like to continue that and would love the opportunity."

Muraski worked for Olson Funeral Home for 20 years, is a licensed funeral director and embalmer and is the former owner of Adept Funeral Staffing Solutions, a funeral home staffing business in Northern Illinois, which she shuttered after taking the job with the county.

Gasparini comes from a line of Rockford funeral directors that included his great-grandfather, grandfather and father. He joined the family business of Gasparini and Oliveri in 1992, left to work for Fitzgerald Funeral Home in 2009 and went to work for the Cremation Society of Illinois while also starting his own business, Tony Gasparini Funerals, in 2017.

"Coroner is something I have always wanted to do," Gasparini said. "My dad in the 50's ran for coroner and lost. In my profession, its something you aspire to because it's dealing with a lot more people, and you can have a lot more influence as far as helping people through their grief."

Muraski was the first to publicly say she wanted the coroner's job and as the director of the office is positioned to become a Republican front-runner. She said procedures have been established in hopes of preventing the office from being abused as it was by Hintz who was re-elected to a second term unopposed under a cloud of suspicion in November 2020.

Democratic Party Central Committee Chairman Charlie Laskonis said the Democrats slated Gasparini on Friday night to run for coroner. Gasparini had lost a primary in March 2016 to retired funeral director Frank Fitzgerald. Laskonis said he is looking forward to the election of a new coroner.

"It will be nice to put this behind us," Laskonis said. "The previous occupant of the office definitely gave Winnebago County a black eye. He is a crook, no doubt about that. It's good to see him go and get somebody credible there."

A Rockford Register Star reporter since 2005, Jeff Kolkey writes about city government, politics, trends in the Rockford region and more. He is a Rockford resident, a married father of two and a White Sox fan. He can be reached at  (815) 987-1374, via email at jkolkey@rrstar.com and on Twitter @jeffkolkey.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Restoring trust big task for next Winnebago County Coroner