NWH questions Coroner's absence

The Northwest Herald, in big, bold print on its editorial page, today questioned the absence from office of McHenry County's Coroner, Dr. Anne Majewski. She has been out of the office for about three months on medical leave and is working from home.

I know Anne and like her. I'm glad she is McHenry County's Coroner. I find it interesting that the Northwest Herald is in the attack mode, but it never went after Sheriff Keith Nygren or reported on the percentage of time he was ever in (or out of) the office or how he ended up being called the "cell phone sheriff."

There does seem to be an issue here that is properly raised but may be unsolvable. The Coroner is an elected official. The Coroner doesn't "report" to anyone. The Coroner doesn't have a supervisor or boss.

If a common-law employee is out of the office on medical leave, should that employee be working from home? No, that employee should be on temporary disability status, not working, and devoting all time to recovering and returning to work.

But, when the employee is not a common-law employee but an elected official, the same rules don't really apply. It's commendable that Dr. Majewski is trying to fulfill as many of her duties as she can from home.

But she can't sit down face-to-face with employees and read 'between the lines", when they bring problems and issues to her attention. And she certainly cannot attend or conduct autopsies or inquests. She has a good staff, and they will do the best they can to run the office as she would, in her absence.

The Northwest Herald editorial (a consensus of editorial opinion at the paper) questions whether Dr. Majewski should "step down - even temporarily - while she recovers from whatever is ailing her."

What is the mechanism under State law that provides who takes over, if an elected Coroner can't serve?

In case of a vacancy in the Office of the Sheriff, it is the Coroner who takes over; not the Undersheriff, who is appointed (not elected)). What happens to "management depth" at the Sheriff's Department, when the Coroner is not available?