McHenry County Blog

The Tribune has an article that should concern everyone in McHenry County and Illinois.

You know it has to be bad for the State to step and say

“Whoa! Wait a Minute!”

Here is the link to the story.

“These students didn’t qualify as juniors in May, and their districts chose not to test them, state records show. But months later in October they were listed as 12th graders — seemingly skipping 11th grade.

“With little (if any) board member oversight in school districts, apparently administrators feel they won’t get caught if students drop skip 11th grade.

No one would do that in McHenry County, would they?

“The number of students who were never technically juniors has almost doubled during the last two years, state records show. Across the state, 78 of the 473 school districts that tested juniors excluded more students than average, but two dozen districts accounted for a third of all the current 12th-graders who did not take the exam last spring.”

What are the chances that administrators will voluntarily confess to how many (truthfully) are in their district? 

How large of a problem is this?  You can get an idea from what was written in the article:

“The state recommendations come on the heels of a Tribune analysis published last month that found 34,000 Illinois sophomores — about 20 percent — didn’t officially advance to junior level status in 2008-09 and, therefore, didn’t take the high school exam.”

In a follow-up to 16th District Congressman Don Manzullo’s objection to bringing Gitmo terrorists to the largely empty Thompson Correctional Center in Northwest Illinois, the Chicago Tribune cartoonist, whose name I can’t decipher, took out after him.

Plus Congressman Mark Kirk, who is seen as a very small man.

Plus a fat elephant, all standing in front of the prison the Feds are considering buying.

The text in the balloons has Manzullo saying, “BAD GUYS?!”

Kirk adds, “IN A PRISON?!!”

The elephant concludes, “THAT’S CRAZY TALK!!!”

If you are not satisfied with the representation of Democrat Melissa Bean in the 8th Congressional District, you might was to head on over to McHenry County College’s Conference Center tonight at 7.

All six of the GOP primary opponents will be answering questions.

In case you have figured out who is running, here they are:

• Dirk Beveridge
• John Dawson
• Christopher Geissler
• Maria Rodriguez
• Joe Walsh
• Greg Jacobs

From the number of them, I would suggests some folks think Bean, who just voted for the Democrats Health Care Plan, is vulnerable.

The event is being sponsored by the McHenry County Young Republicans and Patriots United.

Jerry Agar from the Illinois Policy Institute and WGN will moderate our debate/panel discussion.

Doors will open at 6:30. A $5 donation is requested to defray the MCC rent.

For more information, contact Jon Heideman, MCYR Education Committee Chairman at (815) 621-4972 or Patriots United’s Bill Parrot at 815-978-5762 or Mary Alger at 815-356-0491.

Patricia Bainbridge, Director of Respect Life Activities for the entire Rockford Diocese, is speaking at Wonder Lake’s Christ the King Church on the east side of Wonder Lake on Saturday at 10 AM.

Bainbridge, a former professor at Michigan State University currently serves as director of the Respect Life Office for the Diocese of Rockford.

Local organizers say,

“She will have an excellent talk about the value of all life and miracle babies and the achievements of those with great disabilities.  It should be OUT OF THIS WORLD GOOD!  She plans on having a powerpoint presentation to accompanying it, too.”

Bambridge is co-founder and executive director emeritus of Life Decisions International and presently serves as chairman of the board for Human Life International—the largest pro-life, pro-family, and pro-woman organization in the world. She is on the board of advisors for a number of organizations including: Pro Vita Advisors, The Women’s Center, Life Decisions International, Gianna’s House, The Haven (a perinatal hospice), and Love From Above/Time to Speak.

She has been interviewed by numerous media outlets and writes a monthly column for The Observer, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Rockford.

Refreshments will be served before the event and there is a Mass and Adoration starting at 8 AM.

No cost, of course.

McHenry Deanery Coordinator Karen Verr is helping Colleen Dumais, Christ the King Parish Respect Life Coordinator.

Getting rid of the deals that went down to build a new town hall on Haligus Road without a referendum was the primary campaign promise that propelled challenger Linda Moore to a 30-vote Republican primary victory over Grafton Township Supervisor John Rossi.

The message was

“What is someone put a second mortgage on your home…without asking your permission?

“Your Grafton Township Supervisor and his township trustees have done something very close to that.

“Borrowing $3.5 million to build a new township hall without voter approval…in the middle of a recession…while spending less than $17,000 last year helping people in need with General Assistance…is bad government.

“You will have to pay that $3.5 million – PLUS interest – back with your property taxes.

“If you want an elected official who will ask your opinion before you are put into debt

“Vote for Linda Moore for Grafton Township Supervisor”

Put on a yard sign, the message was

NO TAXATION WITHOUT REFERENDUM

A court case led by Dan Ziller, Jr., in which Moore was a co-plaintiff forced to repayment of a $3.5 million township loan intended to pay for most of that building.  Judge Michael Caldwell made the decision.

(Ziller ran an unsuccessful write-in campaign for township trustee in which he emphasized the $3.5 million loan on his yard signs.)

It also forced a voter referendum on whether to borrow $3.5 million to build a new township hall.

Another $611,000 was raised by selling the current town hall to the to the Township Road District. Moore said last night that transaction did not end up in the minutes.

(Two different legal entities were created by the General Assembly resulting from township road commissioners wanting less oversight from township boards.)

In any event, the township hall is now controlled by the Road Commissioner Jack Freund. He has to be repaid over $611,000. He was planning to do so by charging the Town Fund rent, plus kicking in the difference from Road Fund taxes. The township board even paid a $66,000 commission on the transaction to McHenry County Board member Marc Munaretto.

When I left the Grafton Township meeting last night, the board was hiding behind closed doors so the public could not hear what its members were saying or what the two lawyers present were advising.

Newly-elected Township Supervisor Linda Moore had not fared well earlier, as she had been advised that her 7 PM meeting had been improperly posted and the 7:30 meeting, which has also been improperly, but not fatally wrongly posted, had gone according to the majority bloc of four trustees plans.

But when the doors at the Huntley Park District opened, the board took action to “unwind” the loan Grafton Township took out to buy its own township hall (after taxpayers had already paid for it once).

Only Moore’s erstwhile running mate Gerry McMahon voted against

When the vote was taken, Moore wasn’t the lonely girl that she was before going in

So, what happened?

“We were informed by the township attorney that the way things were done were not in accordance with the law,” Moore told me, “and it left the township open to suit.“In order to avoid further legal expenses, four of the five members of the board voted in favor of Barb Murphy’s motion to unwind the selling of the township property to the Road District.”

At the October board meeting Trustee Barbara Murphy signaled her desire to undo the Town Hall loan:

“My own opinion—I say we do the unwind. Put it all back to where it was and start from scratch.“Frankly, in my own opinion, I’m tired of this garbage.“I’m tired of it.

“I’m tired of it. (I want it done.)”

The Northwest Herald published a long letter of resignation from former Cary School District 26 School Board President David Ruelle.

He just resigned as the school district’s finances are tanking.

One item in the letter was Ruelle pointing out;

“For the third year in a row, the District exceeded its expenditure budget.”

He omitted how this is prohibited under the Illinois School Code. Must not have any meaningful consequential in the law.

So why would a board member, who became board president, allow such overspending with apparently inadequate accountability for Superintendent Brian Coleman?

Is it because his wife is a teacher in Cary District 26?

I’ve never gotten this “serve on the school board with a wife on your payroll” approach to public service.

It’s not exactly a phenomenon. Huntley School District 158’s past President Mike Skala has a wife who is a Huntley High School teacher. She was even co-president of the teachers’ union.

It always stuck me as a conflict of interest or at least an appearance of a conflict of interest.

Apparently Skala agreed, because, last time around, he didn’t participate in the union negotiations.

But, back to District 26.

You can find the salary/compensation info for the ex-school board president’s wife Elizabeth Rulle on the Champion web site.

There you can see;

Ruelle, Elizabeth A – $92,821

That is more than Thom Gippert , Principal of Maplewood School, is reported to make in the same database.

Gippert, Thomas R – $89,084

Ruelle voted to not close Maplewood school.

Mrs. Ruelle’s compensation also compares favorably with Principal Chad Nass at Briargate School in the same database.

Nass, Chad W – $88,864

The above is 2008 data.

District 26 has the highest average teachers’ salaries in McHenry County for all elementary or unit school districts, according to a chart published by the Northwest Herald.

That’s probably because of a school board caved a couple of years ago when the teachers went on strike.

Ruelle didn’t formally vote for his wife’s current teachers contract. He abstained.  He apparently did negotiate the contract’s compensation for the 2006-8 contract, plus terms and conditions.  The 2008-11 contract had the same terms and conditions as 2006-8, just different salary schedules.  He abstained on that vote, too.

It’s hard to believe this is perfectly legal in Illinois with all of our ethics and conflict of interest laws.

Wait a minute.

No, it isn’t.

The Illinois Education Association (the teachers’ union for most teachers outside of Chicago) is one of the most influential special interest groups in Illinois.

One of the provisions that Ruelle did not get removed from his wife’s teachers’ contract is this:

2. A post-retirement lump sum payment of $20,000 to be paid after the certified staff member’s last day of creditable service and after the last paycheck for regular earnings (after July 1st of retirement year) as a non-elective employer paid contribution into a post-retirement tax sheltered 403(b) annuity.

You can find it using this link. Go to electronic page 27.

Does any school district around, besides Cary, have this cash retirement wealth transfer?

Ruelle’s letter of resignation complaining about being fiscally responsible reminds me of a scene from the movie Casablanca. Maybe this dialogue will remind you of it:

Captain Renault:   “I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on, in here!”Croupier walks over and gives Renault a lot of money.

Croupier:  “Your winnings, sir.

Captain Renault:   “Oh, thank you very much.”

It’s fair to say that Ruelle wanted his board to vote for another tax increase referendum.

When you have lump sum $20,000 give aways in a teachers’ contract, in view of the current economy, it’s easy to explain why residents would vote “No” to using their money to ratify such a policy.

= = = = =
For those who need more of an explanation about the dialogue from “Casablanca,” I offer this from MSNBC:

Remember when Captain Renault, looking for an excuse to close down Rick’s, declares himself “shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here,” just before the croupier hands him his winnings?

Ever since, people have used that double-adjective to describe the false innocence of public officials: those who know the score, benefit from the score, and then loudly condemn the score.

Jeremiah Silas O’Neill was born at Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington on November 10.

The big boy was 10 pounds, 10 ounces and 22 1/2 inches long.

His mother Basia accompanies her children to McHenry West High School for Marlin Swim team practice and mentioned she was a bit past due date, but that was not abnormal for her.

And what shows up but a big baby boy.

“Coincidentally enough, he was born while Senator Pam Althoff, Senator Dan Duffy, State Rep Mike Tryon, and State Rep Mark Beaubien were meeting with the Nursing staff at Good Shepherd to discuss how the Health Care bill, now headed to the Senate, may affect them,’ father John O’Neill reports.

“So really, all of McHenry County’s Republican lawmakers from Springfield were there along with the Republican hopeful; I was just busy holding my wife’s hand while she was giving birth.”

O’Neill, a member of both the McHenry Elementary School Board and the McHenry Library Board is the first Republican to challenge incumbent Democratic Party State Rep. Jack Franks in two election cycles.

It appears that the four-member Grafton Township Board majority got its act together Wednesday night with the help of newly hired attorney Ancel Glink partne Keri-Lyn Krafthefer.

Left on the losing end of all contested votes was Grafton Township Supervisor Linda Moore.  So, while she had company, she was still lonely.

No boycotts like Monday and the Thursday before.

A still interrupting, but markedly calmer than before Trustee Gerry McMahon put it best,

“I believe the essence of the problem is majority rules and some people don’t understand majority rule.”

The obvious leader of the four trustees was Robert LaPorta.  Most of the agenda items proposed by LaPorta and Betty Zirk can be seen in this story.  You can see that Laporta was enjoying himself.

When I left, the board was going into secret session to discuss what apparently they dare not discuss in public:

“Discussion and potential action on prior sale of real estate for road district.”

Prior to going into what elected officials prefer to call “Executive Session,” Moore pointed out there was no mention of the sale she could find in the township minutes.

She had elaborated on the perceived legal problem at more length a previous meeting.

The township attorney at the time, Jim Kelly, and Krafthefer were both included in the closed session.

When Moore questioned Kelly’s inclusion, Trustee Robert LaPorta said,

“We need him as a subject matter expert.”

Earlier in the meeting the four trustees voted to pay Kelley $6,351 owed him.

Before the vote Moore pointed out that $48,941 had been spent on legal fees since the change of administration:

• $37,334 – Jim Kelly
• $10,457 – Joe Gottemoller
• $1,115 – Ancel Glink

There was also a bill pending to the latter for “over $5,000,” she said.

Moore observed that only $45,000 had been budgeted for legal fees for the entire year and that state law said that only10% of that total– $4,500–could be moved from other line items to legal fees.

“The only was we can pay any attorney fees if at another meeting we (revise) the budget,” she continued.

The majority four approved payment. In her negative vote, Moore reiterated,

“We do not have the funds available.”

All of the above took place in the meeting called by two of the trustees. The meeting called by Supervisor Moore was ruled illegal by the township attorney because its notice had not been posted by Township Clerk Dina Frigo.

Moore read the opinion and, then, reported that the McHenry County State’s Attorney was investigating where an illegal meeting had been held prior to the Thursday boycott of the township meeting.

Frustrated members of the audience gave their views before a third trustee entered the room. Then, Krafthefer silenced them, saying that no business could be conducted.

One woman echoed Trustee Barbara Murphy’s comments from a month ago about the need to “unwind” the loan which the township’s Road Fund took out to pay the Town Fund for the township hall.

That was some irony in such a discussion being held at the old Huntley High School, which the Huntley Park District bought from School District 158.

Both the town hall and the old high school will be paid for twice by local taxpayers, unless the over $600,000 township loan is “unwound.”

One woman in the audience said that would save taxpayers $50,000 a month.

Of course, that does nothing to keep Huntley Park District taxpayers from paying for the high school twice.

The all-Republican township board, by the way, show no sign of recognizing the opportunity their open disagreements are providing local Democrats in 2013.  Indeed, McMahon announced his intention to increase the Clerk’s salary because of the additional duties she was being assigned by the board majority.

Although unopposed in the February 2nd Democratic Party primary election, Lake in the Hills resident Mike Mahon is holding a fund raiser in Huntley Thursday night.

It will be held at 9874 Fairfield Road in Covington Lakes and runs from 5:30-7:30. Tickets in Huntley are $25.

Another one will be held in Chicago at Billy Goat Tavern, 1535 W. Madison, from 5:30-7:30. Due to the cost of renting the facility the tickets are $50.

Questions may be directed to 847-515-4772.

Below is what the candidate has on his web site about himself:

Mike Mahon’s career in the Cook County Sheriff’s Office has been one of ever-increasing responsibility and scope which has earned him the trust of three different Sheriff’s Administrations, one Republican and two Democrat.

All three have repeatedly demonstrated their assessment of Mike as a hard-working, honest, responsible and intelligent officer in the most tangible way: by promotion.

Beginning in 1987 as a Correctional Officer inside the nation’s largest single-site jail, two years later Mike was one of a handful of pioneers tapped to form the new Electronic Monitoring Unit, where he rapidly rose in the ranks to Supervisor of the Monitoring Center.

In 1991, Mike was selected for the elite Tactical Section, later called the EM Fugitive Unit, whose mission was to locate and apprehend detainees who ran away from home monitoring and resisted recapture. The work of this unit on the streets of Chicago and suburbs is as dangerous and difficult as police work gets.

After about 12 years on the streets, and looking to learn and grow in his career, Mike requested transfer to the Internal Affairs Unit of his home department and earned new respect for his handling, as an IAD Investigator, of citizen complaints and violations of law and internal policy by sworn officers.

There he gained crucial skills in the handling of corruption and cases of officer malfeasance. Mike then applied himself to the Correctional Sergeants’ exam and was promoted to Sergeant in 2004. Currently, he serves as a Deputy Director in the Sheriff’s Office focused on issues like strategic
planning, program evaluation, personnel and productivity.

Throughout his career, Mike has sought to make the most of his talents, to see each assignment through to a successful conclusion and earn the trust of his fellow officers and the public alike. These have been the keys to a continuous rise through the ranks.

Mike lives with his wife and four children in Lake in the Hills, where they have resided for the last 14 years.

For more information on the Mike Mahon for Sheriff Campaign please visit http://mikemahon.org/ or e-mail info@mikemahon.org.

Yesterday, “Lonely Girl” inspired an article about Grafton Township Supervisor being the only Grafton Township Board member to attend the Monday meetnig.

Today features “It’s All in the Game.”

And, be sure about it.

This is all a political game.

A political board game that Democrats two years from now may turn into a devastating campaign piece, as they did with their

McHenry County Monopoly
The Game of One Party Rule

Just think of the ridicule possible.

A Community Chest card that says,

Grand Opening of Brand New Offices
Try to Collect $3.5 million without a referendum

Or, how about one saying,

Take Food Pantry Equipment without Approval

Or a Chance Card with

Sit Where You Are
No Quorum

Or, maybe

Lose Your Turn
You Boycotted the Meeting

You get the idea.

A devastating campaign in the making.

And Republicans are doing it all to themselves.

= = = = =
In grad school at the University of Michigan, the most perceptive book I read was Anthony Downs’ “The Behaviorial Theory of the Firm.”

It’s premise was that business organizations don’t know they are failing until it is too late to save themselves.

Most of Grafton Township is now represented 50% by Democrats on the McHenry County Board.

If that wasn’t an early warning call, I can’t image what would be.

It must be so much fun to be a Democrat in McHenry County.

And being a Republican?

It’s all defense, a result of over 100-years of one-party rule and not having to worry about consequences of decisions that are open to criticism.

Today, think of General Motors. I think one of his examples was buggy whip manufacturers.