If there ever were an indication of what is wrong with the Republican Party in McHenry County, it is the heading over the following list of names on the county GOP’s web site:

Nothing wrong with listing the names of contributors and giving them recognition. I know the Wheeling Township Republican Organization puts their pictures on one of its walls, right out front.

But suggesting that these are the only members of the local Republican Party, as I believe it could easily be interpreted to mean, seems self-defeating.

Anyone who wants to be a Republican should be made to feel welcome. And, I won’t make a big deal about the contributor I saw at the January McHenry County Democratic Central Committee meeting.

I don’t believe this particular part of the local GOP web site has that needed welcoming feeling.

It undoubted flows from ex-Republican Party Chairman Bill LeFew’s effort to get people to pay to belong to the Republican Party. I wrote this article in December of 2006.

Registered Members of the
McHenry County Republican Party

Chairman’s Circle

Scott Breeden, Jim Schaid, Phyllis Walters,

Sponsors

Robert Boncosky

Patrons

Dean Cunat, Walter Frett, Joseph Hagenbruch, Mark Justen, Vince Nett, Brian Sager, Jack Schaffer, Todd Schroll, Frank Stampler, Michael Sullivan, Henry Tonigan, Lexie Workman

Individuals & Couples

Greg Austin, Yvonne Barnes, Beth Blaschak, Doug Blasinski, Kathleen Caldwell, Michael Caldwell, James Daley, III, Geri Davis, Gene Dawson, Jane Dawson, James Dunning, John Landon, Marlene Lantz, Emily LeFew, LuAnn LeFew, Steven LeFew, William LeFew, Mary Lesch, Walter Liedtke, Sue Low, Tom Low, Norman Mathews, TP Mathews, Terry Mathews, Timothy Mathews, Tony Mathews, Glen “Max” McGee, Linda Mueller, Mike Mueller, Preston Rea, Bart D Schnulle, Kent Seering, Ken Shaw, Bonnie Simon, Kathleen Simonson, Lloyd Simonson, Steve Spoden, Erv Staveteig, Ruth Staveteig, Melissa Walsh, Chari Zanck, Tom Zanck

The program even engendered a joke.