Does Democratic Party Chairman Want to Run Against State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi?

You may have wondered why McHenry County Republican Central Committee Chairman Bill LeFew is so angry at McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi.

So do I, but today let’s explore the depth of LeFew’s angry.

How angry is he?

Eventual unsuccessful (57%-43%) challenger Dan Regna was at least his third choice.

Now, a friend of McHenry Blog has confirmed sightings of Republican Party Chairman Bill LeFew and Democratic Party Chairman Tom Cynor yukking it up like old buddies on multiple occasions and recently! (See yesterday’s “Message of the Day.”)

Does this remind anyone of the Northwest Herald’s story about LeFew saying State Rep. Jack Franks had approached him concerning the Democrats not running a candidate against State Rep. Mike Tryon, if Franks did not have an opponent?

Franks denied the contact. (I can’t find the story on the Northwest Herald. If anyone can find it, I’ll be happy to link to it.)

Franks faced an opponent that year, but, note well, he does not this year and did not two years ago.

And, Tryon didn’t have one two years ago, but has a challenger this year.

If it was a “quid pro quo,” the “quo” is missing.

For those of you who did not take Latin, the phrase means, “this for that.”

But, then again, Tryon backed Bianchi.

Rumor has it that Democrat Cynor applied for, but was denied a position with current States Attorney Bianchi.

Sources also tell me that Regna approached the Democratic Party for support prior for his run against Bianch.

Regna was rejected by the Democratic Party.

With no one running on the Democratic ticket for state’s attorney, some have speculated that Chairman Cynor might try to engineer the nomination for himself.

Consider this paragraph from Daily Herald reporter Chuck Keeshan’s last Thursday article:

”When Democratic leaders choose a state’s attorney candidate next month, party Chairman Thomas Cynor said Wednesday, that person will step into a situation even better than Franks saw in 1998.

“‘I think the circumstances are even more favorable than when Jack ran, but it all comes down to the quality of the candidate,’ Cynor said. ‘We’ve received a lot of interest from potential candidates.'”

I’m not aware that Cynor has a background as a prosecutor, pretty much a requirement to keep Bianchi from arguing a lack of experience on the part of a Democratic Party challenger.

But he might not be talking about himself.

Cynor now works for McHenry County judges. All of the elected judges ran as Republicans.

Surely there are assistant Cook County State’s Attorneys living in McHenry County. I know there was at least one public defender living in McHenry from my dealing with the rape in prison issue.

With Regna and LeFew being so cozy, would a State’s Attorney Cynor appoint Regna his chief assistant?

This would continue the LeFew war against Bianchi…using the same game piece.

And, assuming Bianchi rejected an application for employment from Cynor, the Democratic Party Chairman might extract retribution as well.

If Cynor managed to beat Bianchi, what would happen in 2012?

Would a chief assistant Regna run against his boss on the Republican ticket?

Regna did announce in the Northwest Herald that he was running in 2012, didn’t he?

And he is still running thank you ads.

There are some new Democratic Party candidates who would be outraged by this double-dealing scenario.

Not to mention Republicans.

But, Republicans interested in the health of the local GOP couldn’t be much more disturbed at LeFew than they are now, could they?

Rather than risk their reputations, some Democratic candidates could well abandon their local Democratic Party candidacies in protest.

With Republican Party coroner Marlene Lantz openly criticizing State’s Attorney Bianchi after the primary, thereby offering evidence for what had only been rumors about her attitude toward him previously, my guess is that former Crystal Lake funeral director Dave Bachmann might be one of the candidates willing to drop off the ticket.

Bachmann polled more Democratic Party primary votes than Lantz received in the GOP primary.

First time I’ve seen that happen.

There are about three weeks for the Democrats to decided if they want to run any more candidates.

They are allowed to appoint them to the ballot.

No need to be on a primary ballot and have to answer early media questions.

With Jack Franks having benefited from the Republican Party split between the Establishment, who supported appointed State Rep. Mike Brown of Crystal Lake, and fourth time primary candidate Steve Verr of McCullom Lake, maybe the Dems have a chance of electing a state’s attorney.

But it is doubtful they can find someone with as much energy as Franks or with the ability to take as much time off from work.

Most lawyers don’t have families as well off as Herb Franks’ family.

Would Democrats be able to put together the resources needed to beat an incumbent countrywide officeholder the way Jim Kennedy did for county board?

Multiply six times what Kennedy spent and then add a lot more to counter the grassroots organization Bianchi has.

Somehow I doubt the Democratic Party chairman has as much power as Al Jourdan did when he engineered the appointment of Mike Brown to replace Ann Hughes in the Illinois House.

Appointing oneself would surely make enemies.

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