Democrat Sonja Madlinger is looking to unseat incumbent Republican Carl Wuertz as Monroe County Assessor for a four-year term in the Nov. 8 election.   

Sonja Madlinger

Sonja Madlinger, 65, is a Columbia resident, where she lives with her husband Mike.

She has a Bachelor of Science degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She has been a real estate agent for 18 years. Madlinger previously had years of experience with AT&T, where she said she managed large projects with deadlines.

In addition to being a Certified Illinois Assessing Officer, Madlinger is a member of the Monroe County Democrats, Realtors Association of Southern Illinois and Sister Cities of Columbia.

Madlinger wants to make the county assessor’s office “a place of trust, education and open communication.” 

She promises to “finish the assessments earlier so the bills come out around June rather than October with November and December due dates.”

Madlinger believes providing timely property tax assessments has been a key issue in Monroe County “for years,” citing “late assessments, later tax bills and delayed collection of county funding.” 

Madlinger believes she stands out as a candidate who wants to “work for all of Monroe County.”

Carl Wuertz

Carl Wuertz, 58, lives in Fults with his wife Denise. He is a graduate of Valmeyer High School and served in the United States Air Force.

He has served as Monroe County Supervisor of Assessments for the past 16.5 years, having over 21 years of experience in the office. 

Wuertz also has more than 600 hours of Illinois  Department of Revenue-approved education and is a Certified Illinois Assessing Officer.

He is a member of the Maeystown Civic Association and Valmeyer FFA Alumni. Wuertz donates his time to benefit the Valmeyer Lions Club. 

Wuertz noted he has never pled guilty for theft, referring to a sentence of six months of court supervision in Monroe County against Madlinger on a misdemeanor charge of “theft of lost or mislaid property” in 2008.  

Wuertz vows to continue to serve the citizens of Monroe County with respect and professionalism. 

“Along with my staff, I will continually improve and upgrade the Assessor’s office, ” Wuetrz said, adding, “Remember … it is right.”

There is a contested seat on the Monroe County Board of Commissioners in 2022. Democrat Pat Kelly is looking to take the place of incumbent Republican Vicki Koerber for a six-year term on the board in the Nov. 8 election. 

Patrick Kelly

Patrick J. Kelly, 74, of Valmeyer, served in the United States Air Force from 1968-1972.

Kelly previously served as Valmeyer Jaycees president, a scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts and baseball coach in Valmeyer, and he was a Valmeyer Fire Department firefighter and first responder for 28 years.

He has an Associate’s Degree from Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Kelly also received power plant engineer certification from  Ranken Technical College. 

Kelly has retired from four St. Louis-area companies: Monsanto, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, St. Louis Community College and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

A regular county board meeting attendee, Kelly said his main goal as a commissioner would be to take a conservative approach to county spending in addition to holding county department heads to stay within their respective annual budgets. 

Kelly said he would also like to lower county taxes by staying within fiscal year budgets. 

He opposes spending taxpayer money on “things that are not needed.”

Vicki Koerber

Vicki Koerber, 64, is a lifelong resident of Monroe County. She lives in Waterloo with her husband John and is a member of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Wartburg.

She is a Waterloo High School graduate with 20 years of experience as an EMT/paramedic. She also served as Monroe County Coroner from 2010-2016.

Koerber served as a City of Waterloo alderman from 2005 to 2016, during which she served on the city’s planning commission.

“Monroe County is a balanced budget county, and continues to be fiscally responsible with the taxpayers’ dollars,” Koerber said. “If re-elected, I would maintain the same pattern of accountability.”

Koerber pointed out the COVID-19 pandemic to be the “greatest hardship” during her current term as commissioner, adding she and fellow commissioners worked in keeping local businesses safely open and afloat. 

“I have always supported economic growth, and if re-elected, would sincerely continue those efforts,” Koerber said. 

“While other counties are seeing a decline in their populous, Monroe County continues to grow and prosper,” Koerber continued, crediting local schools and police departments.

“I am a firm supporter of our local law enforcement and if re-elected, will continue this support, with our citizens’ safety on the forefront.”