Pathetic Fillings for GOP Precinct Committeeman – 59% Vacant

How do you spell pathetic?

“R E P U B L I C A N”

That’s what came to mind when I looked at the spreadsheet showing which precincts had people filed to run for Republican precinct committeeman as of about 3:30 Friday afternoon.

41% of McHenry County’s 217 precincts had no candidate for Republican precinct committeeman by late afternoon Friday.

Only 90 of 217 had candidates by then. The deadline for filing a notarized petition is 5 PM Monday afternoon.

No wonder McHenry County Republican County Central Committee Bill LeFew wants out.

Maybe I’m being too harsh.

When I wrote a similar story two years ago, I wrote in on Wednesday, instead of Friday.

Guess what?

Only 41% of the precincts had candidates in that rack up, too.

No. 41% too days later in election filing week is worse.

“P A T H E T I C” fits.

64.5% of the precincts ended up with candidates filing two years ago.

I’m not going to publish the whole spreadsheet, but let me list the precincts where no one has filed.

Algonquin Township Precincts with not candidate follow:

1,4,6,7,8,10,11,12,13,17,18,23,25,26,27,28,29,31,32,34,35,37,38,39,
40,42,45,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59,60,61,63,64,66,67,68.

That means 21 out of 68 precincts have people willing a committed enough to have gotten ten signatures (remember, I recommend 20), gotten their petition notarize and to the building north of the jail in Woodstock during the first five days of filing. Only one left—Monday. Deadline, according to the County Clerk’s office is 5 PM.

That means only 31% of the precincts in McHenry County’s largest township have candidates.

P A T H E T I C.

In McHenry Township, the county’s second most populous, the following precincts have no candidate:

3,4,5,6,7,13,15,17,18,21,22,23,25,27,28,29,30,31,35.

That’s 19 out of 35 with no candidates. 54% where no one is willing to admit being a Republican to his or her neighbors.

But, in comparison to Algonquin Township, the GOP in McHenry Township looks positively vibrant.

I don’t know whether Grafton Township now has more people than Nunda, but it has more precincts this year, so I’ll list its vacancies next:

1,2,3,4,5,8,9,10,11,12,14,16,17,18,21,22,25,27,29,30,31.

10 out of 31 with candidates. 31%. As bad as Algonquin Township to its east.

How about Nunda Township?

1,3,4,5,8,10,12,13,23,25,26,28.

Not bad. Almost 59%.

60% would earn a kid a “D” in most schools, but best so far.

Of course, Nunda Township has that nasty fight going between the Operating Engineers and someone. I haven’t figured out with whom.

The empty ones are Nunda 1,3,4,5,8,10,12,13,23,25,26,28.

I guess Dorr Township is the next largest. It contains most of Woodstock.

The vacant ones are Dorr 1,2,3,4,5,6.

Only 5 out of 14 precincts have candidates. Almost 36%.

Greenwood Township, with is northern Woodstock and western Wonder Lake, has only 2 candidates filed for 7 precincts. That’s not quite 28%. Dismal.

Richmond Township only has four precincts, but three of them have candidates. Only Richmond 3 had none.

Wow! 75%!

Next door in Burton Township, the smallest one by area, there are two candidates for three slots. 67% filled. The one with no candidate is Burton 1.

And west of Richmond is Hebron Township with two precincts. Hebron 1 has a candidate; Hebron 2 doesn’t.

Chemung, most of Harvard, has five precincts. Only one has a candidate and it isn’t current Republican County Chairman Bill LeFew.

A 20% turnout for the home township of the GOP county chairman. Not very impressive.

Vacant precincts are Chemung 1,2,4,5.

Just south is tiny Dunham Township. It has one precinct and, guess what? A person has filed for precinct committeeman. So, Dunham ends up with a 100% rating.

Wouldn’t that rate an A+?

Alden Township also is a one precinct township, get 0%. No one has filed.

Hartland, just south of Alden and on the northwest side of Woodstock, has two precincts. It also get an A+. Two candidates for two precincts.

Seneca Township is south of Hartland and west of Woodstock. It has two precincts and two candidates.

But they are running against each other.

Seneca Township Supervisor Ersel Schuster, who is also a candidate for the McHenry County Board, having narrowly lost two years ago, is being challenged for the party post.

Mark Gummerson has filed against her. He is the attorney who faired so well with contract legal work under former State’s Attorney Gary Pack that one year Pack primary challenger Wes Pribla used him as an example in a pamphlet entitled, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” Pribla lost, but his campaign mailing may have been the best one of the year. Gummerson is the one said by multiple sources to be behind the challenge to McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi.

Seneca 2 has no candidate.

Besides Schuster, I see only one other incumbent facing a challenge. In fact, the election will be over in every precinct but two at the end of filing, if no one files against an incumbent.

In McHenry Township precinct 1, central committee vice chairman Richard Mack is being challenged by Brendan Murphy.

In the three-precinct Coral Township, there is a candidate only in Coral 3.

In the southeastern-most township, Riley, there is one precinct and a person has filed.

100%. A+.

Marengo has four precincts and only the most northwestern one has a candidate. Precincts 1,2,4 are empty.

Click below to get a petition and a detailed explanation of how to run:

The notarized petitions are due in the building north of the jail on Route 47 on the north side of Woodstock by 5 PM Monday.

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The map shows townships and county board districts.


Comments

Pathetic Fillings for GOP Precinct Committeeman – 59% Vacant — 1 Comment

  1. Thanks for noticing, Cal!

    In Algonquin Township, we expect to get number down considerably by Monday AND we still have open precincts in which we are looking for good Republicans to run. (including your precinct, by the way). Those who are interested can contact me for a petition and I will even get it filed for you on Monday. Open precincts include 1,4,7,13,17,23,26,29,31,32,24,25,37,38,39,42,48,52,53,57,60,63,64,66 and 68.

    Not to worry though, we have plenty of folks who were appointed in 2006 to open precincts – in fact, Algonquin Township only had 3 open precincts without elected or appointed committeemen. We expect to have all open precincts with designated appointees in 2008 by the County Convention date so …if any of your readers are interested in an appointment, they can contact me, Karla Dobbeck, and I will put them on a list for appointment consideration.

    karlad@hrtechniques.biz

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