New State's Attorney appointed

A new Livingston County State’s Attorney was appointed by the county board Thursday night to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Mike Regnier who is becoming a judge.

Anthony Tomkiewicz, who currently resides in Plainfield and works as an attorney in the Will County area, was named to the position after a 12-5 vote by the board with one member absent.

Board Chairman Jim Carley thanked Regnier for his “hard work and dedication” for the last few years.

“I selected a member of each district to join me in the interview process,” Carley explained.

Tomkiewicz has come full circle, returning to Livingston County as his first job was here after law school when he worked as an assistant under former State’s Attorney Tom Brown.

“That was a great experience,” recalled Tomkiewicz. “I learned from him, some fantastic judges, some fantastic lawyers.”

He was pleased with the outcome of Thursday’s vote.

“I’m elated,” Tomkiewicz told Route 24 Radio following the meeting. “My head is spinning because I know I have to hit the ground running and there’s a lot to do.”

After working in Livingston County initially, Tomkiewicz went to McLean County before switching to work as a defense attorney. He said he would bring a rights-conscious perspective to the prosecution side.

“How are you going to approach the crimes we have today?” asked Chairman Carley.

“I’m a big believer of if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” replied Tomkiewicz.

Board members Rebekah Fehr and Linda Ambrose were among those voting no to the appointment, saying law enforcement groups and other agencies supported current assistant State’s Attorney Mary Lawson for the position. Fehr said both had notable resumes but she received letters from law enforcement in favor of one candidate. Ambrose pointed to previous appointments that came from within departments – such as the Sheriff’s office and Health Department.

“The appointment individual shall be someone from the same political party (Republican), shall be a United States citizen, a licensed attorney at least 21 years old and shall serve through November 30, 2026,” stated a previous news release issued by the county.

The vacated position will be filled by election in the November 3, 2026 General Election.

In other matters, the Fiscal Year 25 audit presentation was made by a representative from Mack and Associates. They found no concerns and noted having no findings in an audit of this size is commendable.

During public comment, one woman who serves as a Republican precinct committee person, told the board they need to read through the Open Meetings Act. Also, the group heard about disaster assistance available for the county through the U.S. Small Business Administration. It is for those impacted by the March 10 severe storm and tornado.

The following appointments were made: Chris Clement to the Pontiac Fire Protection District, Nelson Zehr to the Fairbury Fire Protection District, Bob McCarty to the 377 Board and Debbie Studnicki to the 708 Board.

A bridge petition was approved for the Esmen Road District, replacing an existing structure with precoated CMP at 2290 North and 1700 East Road with an estimated cost of $15,000.

The Highway Committee quarterly report was authorized for the first quarter of FY26.

Ag and Zoning Committee resolutions were approved for a Heritage Prairie Wind decommissioning agreement and text amendments for commercial wind energy, commercial solar energy, energy storage systems, data centers and fencing regulations.

“House Bill 25 got passed last year that changed all of those things,” said Ag and Zoning Committee Chair Mike Haag. “We had to bring our ordinances up to date with those new state standards.”

Livingston County Sheriff Ryan Bohm presented commendations and life-saving awards.

The next county board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 11 at 6 p.m. in Pontiac.