Christine Johnson was elected to five terms as DeKalb County's Treasurer. In 2011, she headed to Springfield as a state Senator. But she was defeated in last year's primary.
The treasurer position opened up once again when Republican Mark Todd announced he was leaving the office to pursue a job in Hawaii.
That left the County GOP to find a replacement. County Republican Chairman Steve Kuhn says he wanted to be sure Johnson would be committed to the local office:
"Christine has told all of us this is where she wants to be...this is what she wants to do, and she feels like she serves the community well and the county well as being treasurer. That's what she wants to do." -Steve Kuhn
Kuhn also says the transition would be easy considering the amount of time she was in office. He says the pick fits into the local GOP's overall strategy:
"Her political apparatus is in intact. She's going to be very electable next year in the general election."
DeKalb County Board Chairman Jeff Metzger is expected to formally announce Johnson's nomination Wednesday. The choice still needs to pass out of committee and get the approval of the full county board.
