To the editor:
Reporting seems non-existent concerning the Circuit Clerk's race, and the nepotistic decision by sitting Circuit Clerk Tom McRae to help fill his position with his own son Patrick, and keeping the effort a secret from the public. Tom failed to publicly announce his decision to step down, while helping his son Patrick to file for the position in his place, appears to be an effort to trick the voters. Add the fact that Tom's political signs and Patrick's are exactly the same and you can see the strategy.
Tom's latest nepotism is not a first for him. Patrick was hired at Wood River Township where Tom was a trustee, at the state, and at the county while on the county board.
Luckily, Stephen Adler filed to run for Circuit Clerk, so there will be a choice. Had Stephen not run, Tom would have snuck his son into the Republican nomination for Circuit Clerk, and the race is without a Democrat opponent.
The taxpayers have been paying for Tom's son for far too long. This kind of trickery and nepotism is what the old Madison County Democrat Party was known for and nepotism should not be rewarded by the voters.
Douglas Hulme
Edwardsville, IL