©2011 Galesburg Broadcasting Co.
| Political Legal Wrangling Made List Of Top Stories |
One of the more contentious political races made our list of top stories of 2012 -- not a national race, but a local one that might not otherwise be all that political.
Eric Gibson came out swinging when he challenged his then-boss, John Pepmeyer, for Knox County State's Attorney. Gibson often alleged Pepmeyer mismanaged the office, and that he'd be a better choice.
He then went on to allege that Pepmeyer never responded to a debate invitation, to which Pepmeyer called Gibson misleading.
In the end, while Gibson carried most of Knox County, Pepmeyer's popular vote tally in Galesburg led to him being the victor. Pepmeyer told WGIL on Election Night he was glad the race is over.
"To be honest, I'm glad it's over," says Pepmeyer. "I'm exhilirated by the results and feel very happy, obviously, with the outcome."
Pepmeyer was also dogged by allegations of sexual harassment and improperly terminating employees stemming back from when he first took office -- allegations later settled out-of-court.
Gibson told WGIL on Election Night he felt like he did everything right.
"We felt like we did everything right," says Gibson. "I will tell you that of the votes we got, we met a lot of great people in the County, we did everything we thought we could've done and sometimes the votes just don't come out the way you want them to."
But the fireworks didn't end on Election NIght. Pepmeyer reportedly fired Gibson a few weeks later, and depending on whose account you believe, another employee of Pepmeyer either resigned or was forced out before that.
Gibson, by the way, remains an employee of WGIL in the sports department. |
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| 01 02 13 by Newsroom |
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