For the first time in decades, Champaign County voters have elected a Democrat to serve as coroner.
Based on unofficial results from the Champaign County Clerk’s office, Deputy Coroner Laurie Brauer received 57.8 percent of the vote, defeating Republican incumbent Steve Thuney. With her victory, all countywide elected offices in Champaign County will be held by Democrats.
Brauer, who has been with the coroner’s office for nearly four years, said she was motivated to run because she felt at odds with what she called a “broken culture” with the existing leadership.
“I just felt like we really weren’t putting the families first,” she said. “The families of the decedents didn’t seem to be a priority in the office.”
Her goals include improving day-to-day operations, formalizing training for staff, and building upon relations with other agencies such as police and fire departments and hospitals.
Brauer hopes those changes will allow the office to support the needs of grieving families.
“We have no written policies in the office,” she said. “It’s really hard to know how to do a specific task, if it’s being done differently by everyone…having those in place to where the staff doesn’t have to worry about that kind of thing, they can then focus on the families.”
Thuney, the current coroner and former chief deputy coroner, began leading the office following Duane Northrup’s resignation last year. He disputed Brauer’s claims of a tense work culture and said his employees work well together.
“It’s unfortunate that she chose that path to try and tear the office apart when actually the office is doing a very good job,” he said.
Thuney’s goals included developing a program that could support families grieving over loved ones.
Brauer’s term as coroner begins December 1st.