Saline County board mourns death of member Stephen Karns

SALINE COUNTY - Saline County Board members are mourning the death of board member Stephen Karns, who died Saturday morning after a prolonged illness.

Karns, 61, was the board's parliamentarian and a member of several board committees. Board members say they'll remember Karns as a person dedicated to serving the county.

"We're going to miss him. The whole board will," county board Chairman Jay Williams said. "I could always count on him as a committee member and as a board member. If something needed done, he'd get it done. He wouldn't quit until it was finished."

Williams said he was amazed by Karns' commitment, despite his failing health.

"There were days were I didn't think he would make it to a meeting, but he would," Williams said. "The last conversation I had with him, I asked him, 'What are you doing here?'"

"He said, 'I've got to go to the meetings. People expect me to be here.'

"He put his heart and soul into it. "It's going to be a big loss, not only for the county board, but for the people he served."

Colleagues said Karns was undergoing cancer treatment, and despite his illness, his drive to do the county's business was unrelenting.

"He was a super-hard worker. He worked in all of his committees, and tried not to miss a meeting," board member Mike McKinnies said. "He would not miss unless it was absolutely impossible for him to attend."

Karns was a stickler for detail. He did research on issues the board faced, to make sure board members had a complete picture, McKinnies said.

"He was good about looking stuff up. He went above and beyond anyone else on the board in that regard," McKinnies said.

Joe Jackson, the board's vice president, said Karns was highly intelligent, and had a natural capacity for learning a great volume of information in a short amount of time.

"He had a brilliant mind," Jackson said. "He could take a 20-page document, read it quickly and tell you what was in it. He would tell you the good points and the bad points."

Jackson said Karns worked in business all his life, and had been a purchasing agent for large companies. After retiring, he ran for county board in 2014 and won a seat.

"He was dedicated. He worked tirelessly to bring about good change within the county," Jackson said.

Karns was running for re-election in November. Saline County Republican Party Chairman Bob Holmes said he is consulting with the Illinois State Board of Elections to determine the proper method for filling the seat left vacant.

Under normal circumstances, Holmes said, a replacement board member is supposed to be appointed by the county party within three days of a board member's death. With Karns dying on Saturday and less than five months until the general election, Holmes said he is waiting on ISBE to tell him the proper procedure.

In the meantime, the loss is a significant one for the inner workings of the board.

"I just pray for his family. I know he'll be missed," Jackson said. "I'm really saddened by his loss."

Williams agreed.

"He's in a better place now. He was suffering, and I know he couldn't have been feeling good. He was a good man."