Sangamon County Board Democrats and Governor J.B. Pritzker are attempting to put pressure on Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell to resign from his job in the wake of a sheriff’s deputy’s shooting of 36-year old Sonya Massey.
Five Democratic members of the Sangamon County Board are pushing for an advisory referendum on the November General Election ballot to give the county’s voters a chance to weigh in on Sheriff Jack Campbell’s future.
The State Journal Register reports that the referendum would have to pass at the scheduled Sangamon County Board meeting on Tuesday, August 13th for it to get on the ballot. A notice was sent out by the board this week that due to anticipation of massive attendance, the meeting is moving to the Bank of Springfield Center at 6PM. The Sangamon County Board currently holds a 22-7 Republican majority. Even if the referendum made it to the ballot and voters recommended that Campbell resign, Campbell is not bound to resign. Illinois currently does not have any laws that allow for recalls of publicly elected officials.
Campbell, a Republican, has been the Sangamon County Sheriff since 2018 and won re-election to the post in 2022. The next countywide election for sheriff is scheduled for 2026.
Sam Cahnman, Marc Ayers, Tony DelGiorno, Kevin McGuire, and Gina Lathan are sponsoring the ballot measure. Several members of Sonya Massey’s family have also called for Campbell’s resignation including her father James Wilburn. Wilburn has publicly criticized the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office for their handling of the shooting, their lack of communication with the family at the time of Massey’s death, as well as the county’s hiring practices.
In the wake of Massey’s shooting, former deputy Sean Grayson, who is now jailed in Menard County on first degree murder charges in Massey’s shooting death, has had his employment history revealed through several investigative reports. The reports have revealed Grayson’s resignation from the military over alleged misconduct, prior criminal history with DUI arrests, job-hopping from multiple police departments, and a lack of training. The Sheriff’s Department has been questioned for its hiring practices.
Recent information also revealed that law enforcement visited Massey’s home a day prior to her July 6th shooting death, and that Massey had been suffering from mental health issues after having been released from a treatment facility. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents the Massey family, said the case proves that there is an urgent need for comprehensive police reform and better training for handling mental health crises.
At a bill signing in Chicago on Monday, Governor J.B. Pritzker at first side-stepped calling on Campbell’s resignation but admitted there remained too many questions about Grayson’s hiring, saying that the Sheriff’s Office “had to have known” about the now-fired deputy’s background.
Campbell has remained steadfast in his approach to the question of his resignation, calling it “irresponsible” to leave the post in a difficult time for what he has called a “betrayal by one of our own” to the community and to the Sheriff’s Department. Campbell has said in interviews with the media and in written statements that he feels obligated as an elected official to lead the community in good times and in bad. He has also admitted that the Sheriff’s Department failed the community, and has personally asked for forgiveness.
Governor Pritzker criticized the sheriff’s handling of the situation yesterday, saying that Campbell has refused to meet with the Massey Family and listen to their concerns. Pritzker says that the lack of the meeting between the two parties is unacceptable. Pritzker and Lieutenant Governor Julianna Stratton both issued statements yesterday call on Campbell to step aside.
In a written statement on Wednesday, Campbell refuted claims that he has refused to meet with the family saying that he has tried on 4 separate occasions to meet with them through intermediaries of their choosing but those requests were rejected or declined. Campbell said in the Wednesday statement that he is still willing to sit down with the family. The Wednesday written statement by Campbell also criticized the calls for his resignation saying they were “nothing more than political maneuvering during a tragic event.”
The U.S. Department of Justice is handling a separate investigation into the case.