Candidates for Kendall County District Attorney spoke Oct. 7 at a meet-and-greet event hosted by the Oswego Area Chamber of Commerce and the Kendall County Bar Association.

In addition to being a meet-and-greet event, candidates had two minutes to speak with attendees at the event, which was held at the Bauman Family Funeral Home in Oswego. Oswego Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Rick Warner, who is also a local attorney, thanked those in attendance.

“As a member of the Oswego Chamber of Commerce, I think it’s really important that we take stock of our community and get involved in our community,” Warner said.

He said the idea behind the meet and greet was to “meet each other as neighbors.” Those in attendance at the event included candidates running for Kendall County Circuit Clerk and Kendall County State’s Attorney.

Kendall County Prosecutor

Democrat Jose Villagrana, a Kendall County sheriff’s patrol deputy and practicing attorney, is challenging Republican incumbent Eric Weis for the position.

“With this unparalleled police and legal experience, I am uniquely qualified for this elected position,” Villagrana said. “I know how an arrest is made. None of my arrests were ever questioned. These were good arrests based on facts and the law.”

Villagrana said he will bring his 25 years of law enforcement experience to the position.

If elected, Villagrana said he would run the office with “good, clean law enforcement, without fear or favor of anyone.”

Weis was first elected as Kendall County prosecutor in 2006. He began his legal career with the Kendall County District Attorney’s Office in 1995 and was sworn in as an assistant district attorney in 1997.

“With me you know what you’re getting,” said Weis. “You will get a proven, experienced prosecutor.”

He achieved a number of achievements during his tenure.

“Over the last 18 years, we have implemented many programs to take Kendall County to the next level,” Weis said. “We have our own children’s advocacy center, which we didn’t have when I took office. We have taken a unique approach to addressing domestic violence and created the first Domestic Violence Response Team. This domestic violence response team advocates and provides resources for victims of domestic violence.”

Additionally, he said his office created the Kendall County Juvenile Justice Council to address issues related to juvenile crime and truancy “to prevent children from ending up in court.”