Three Democratic Lake County officials were sworn in Friday by Lake County Circuit Court Judge Marissa McDermott after winning reelection in November.
Lake County Commissioner Michael Repay, D-3rd, Lake County Surveyor Bill Emerson and Lake County Recorder Gina Pimentel, each with family members by their side, took their oath of office.
Lake County Democratic Party Chairman Jim Wieser said that there were four county races in the 2024 election where Democrats put up candidates and all four won. County Commissioner Jerry Tippy, a Republican, won his seat and was unopposed.
Lake County Coroner David Pastrick couldn’t attend the event Friday.
“We appreciate everything that our elected officials do. We certainly appreciate all the sacrifices that their families have to make for all the hours that they have to put into campaigning,” Wieser said.
Repay, who was reelected to his fourth term, said he looked forward to another four years in office. He thanked his 6-year-old daughter, Vivian, for coming to the event with him.
“I do look forward to building on the accomplishments of the past and moving into the more innovative projects of the future, like energy efficiency and road and design efficiencies.”
When he decided to run for office in 2014, Emerson said his wife, Sara, supported his decision to run wholeheartedly and he thanked her for that.
“This is the best job I’ve ever had in my life,” Emerson said. “I love coming here every day and doing the work for the people of the county that I love.”
In the last four years, Emerson said the drainage board updated the county’s stormwater ordinance and took action to make office procedures more efficient.
“These are the nerdy things that I enjoy and that we do. I’m really looking forward to another great four years coming up,” Emerson said.
Pimentel, who will begin her second term in the new year, said she was grateful to her family and her “work family” for their support and mentorship during her first term in office.
Before running for recorder, Pimentel served as chief deputy under former Recorder Michael Brown, who did not seek reelection in 2020. Brown previously said he didn’t seek reelection because of a 2018 sexual harassment lawsuit against him – which was settled with no admission of guilt by the county — and after the Lake County Council investigated his excessive absenteeism, where he didn’t go into the office for 18 months into 2019.
“Coming from chief deputy then to an elected official position, it’s different and there’s a learning curve, but I am so thankful to be here,” Pimentel said.
There are challenges to being a party leader and official, Wieser said, but swearing-in ceremonies make it worth it.
“This is what makes it good for all of us, for our party, for our community, to have really outstanding public officials elected,” Wieser said. “It’s also nice to hear public officials that will take the oath to uphold the constitution and actually believe in it because we don’t have a lot of that these days.”
akukulka@post-trib.com
