Only 7 Out of 27 County Board Candidates Have Not Yet Revealed Potential Conflicts of Interest

Two more county board candidates have filed their conflict of interest forms with the Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water.

That brings the total to 20 out of 27 candidates who have answered the ALAW questionnaire.

74%.  Pretty amazing.

McHenry County Board Distrist Map

District 1 incumbent Yvonne Barnes is one of the recent filings. She has a contested primary election with three candidates—fellow incumbent Anna May Miller, Algonquin Township Highway Commissioner Bob Miller’s wife, and Robert Nowak, neither of which have filed. At the Patriots United County Board Candidates’ Forum, Nowak was the only one of the three to attend.

The second new filer is unopposed District 3 Democrat Lori McConville. District 3 is where the Democrats picked up a seat two years ago when Kathy Bergan Schmidt beat incumbent Nick Provenzano. Provenzano is trying to regain that seat this year. All five Republicans previously filed forms.

That means both non-incumbent Democrats have filled out the form. The other is District 4 candidate Jeff Thirtyacre.

However, the Democratic Party incumbent who is up for re-election, District 5’s Jim Kennedy, has not yet done so. He will be on the ballot this fall whether or not he decides to reveal his potential conflicts of interest. His Democratic Party colleague from District 5, Paula Yensen, not up for re-election this year, has also voluntarily filed the form.

Twenty-seven people want to be elected to the McHenry County Board next fall.

Twenty-one are Republicans, three are Democrats and one is a member of the Green Party.

Although the February 2nd election will decide who will be on the GOP ballot, the Democrats and Greens could appoint people to the ballot after the primary to challenge Republicans in Districts 1, 2 and 6, where Republicans currently face no fall contest.

100% of the Greens have filed (Frank Wedig, running in District 5).

Two-thirds of the Democrats have filed.

Of the twenty-one Republicans, seventeen have filed. That’s over 80%.

So, which Republicans haven’t told us what land they own and what business interests they have?

  • District 1 – Incumbent Anna May Miller of District 1 and challenger Robert Nowak.
  • District 2 – McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler of District 1. ( All of his opponents have filed their ethics forms with ALAW.)
  • District 4 – Incumbent Pete Merkel
  • District 5 – Challenger Dave Frederick
  • District 6 – Incumbent Dan Ryan

Two-thirds of the non-filing Republican candidates are incumbents.

Of the ten Republicans and Democrats now in office running for re-election, sixty percent have now filled out the conflict of interest forms.

There’s still time to file and I’ll more than happy to write an article if addition people decided to reveal their potential conflicts of interest.


Comments

Only 7 Out of 27 County Board Candidates Have Not Yet Revealed Potential Conflicts of Interest — 2 Comments

  1. Public service is civil service not a right to privacy on matters that could affect personal interests. If there is no conflict of interest let the voters decide and disclose your investments in the County. If you feel its a private matter then let some else serve in your place.

  2. It is a hefty burden to allow the public to be responsible for making accurate assumptions about people. However, I share Brian’s sentiments. Politics should not be something you make, but rather what the voters are prepared to give and ask of you. Politicians must be careful with numerous terms as well as positions of increased representation. Voters are weary of change and it is your duty as a politician to mentor those who shall come after you, who are fresh and ready to serve. When your ceiling is met you must have the respect for those who put you there to know when enough is enough and step down. Only you should know when that is, and if the people decide before you, you have been in error of your duty and your party. If we are to call it service, why should we then not also consider doing what those who ask us to serve desire when transparency is requested, the answer is, because we should.

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