A request for an Assistant State's Attorney by State's Attorney Karle Koritz recently turned into heated words and misunderstandings.

In the State's Attorney's office currently, there is Koritz and an assistant. Koritz outlined to the Board at the County Board meeting on January 10, his office has seen their work load increase exponentially. It is because of that increase that Koritz has requested money be designated to allow him to hire an Assistant State's Attorney. Koritz explains, the morning of January 10, Chairwoman Sherrie Brown, Vice-Chair Pete Dougherty, and County Board Member George Wissmiller came into his office and offered to approve his request only if that person would be under the control of the Board, to which Koritz refused.

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Dougherty felt Koritz was leaving out details of that meeting that took place. Dougherty stated the trio that morning suggested Koritz hire a part-time assistant because of budgetary constraints.

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Board member Danny Ballenger voiced his concern over the three going alone to Koritz to discuss his request. Chairwoman Brown stepped in to say they met with Koritz because she chose not to bring it all out. She refuted the claim by Koritz that they requested this new assistant be under the County Board's control. Ballenger says if the whole Board was a part of the discussion, which he felt they should have been, they would all be able to know the truth.

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At the Board Meeting on January 10, the Board approved Koritz to hire an assistant State's Attorney, however, the issue would not be laid to rest there. The following Thursday evening, January 17, Brown addressed the Board on her thoughts about what Koritz said the previous week. She says she was offended by his statements and felt they were inaccurate.

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Brown's remarks, according to Koritz, "could not be more wrong". Koritz explains there are no State's Attorneys' in Illinois under the control of a County Board. He adds the job description which Brown referenced answered to the Land Use Committee, which no longer exists, vacating that job description.

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Making the meeting public with the three Board members did not please a few members of the Board. Koritz commented quote-"I would have been happy to talk about this privately as well." Being confronted by new Board Member Ron Savage, Koritz felt the public should have known about the meeting he felt as though attempts were being made to strong arm him. New Board Member George Wissmiller says trying to strong arm him was not their intentions at all.

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The County Board approved Koritz's request for an assistant State's Attorney by a 6-5 vote. The Assistant State's Attorney to be hired by Koritz will be under the control of the State's Attorney's office.