This afternoon came the third robo-call from Jack Franks urging people to vote for his County Executive referendum.
You can read the text of the first one here.
The last time he called, State Rep. Jack Franks (D-Marengo) told people to give him a call, if they had questions.
The one person I know who tried found nothing but a busy signal.
This afternoon when Franks called, there was no invitation for conversation.
While McHenry County’s most prominent Democrat, State Rep. Jack Franks favors passage of the County Executive referendum he put on the ballot, both Democrats on the County Board are in opposition. Here you see two “Vote No on the County Executive Referendum” signs next to ones to re-elect Democratic County Board member Kathy Bergan Schmidt.
Franks pitched his support for the referendum as a continuation of his fight for accountability and transparency.
Franks paints himself as a paragon of reform by pointing out he was the “lone voice against Governor Blagojevich.”
This February 27, 2003, memo from State Rep. Jack Franks asks for patronage appointments for Deborah Wolf Franks, Hebert W. Franks, David B. Franks, Michale Delessandro, Judge Erin O’Connell-Diaz, Nancy Vazzano, Fred Shay, Susan Van Weelden, Bill Clow, and Mary Kennedy. Click to enlarge.
It does not surprise me that he does not mention the February 27, 2003, memo to Blagojevich asking for patronage appointments for his family and friends.
Franks argues that the leader of the McHenry County Board should be elected, but doesn’t tell how much more power an elected County Executive would have than would a County Board Chairman elected at-large.
Needless to say, he talked faster than I could take notes.
If folks remember more of the pitch, please add the information in the comments.
A refresher for the uninformed voter.
The McHenry County Board consists of 4 elected Board Members in each of its 6 districts, for a total of 24 Board members, and those board members in turn elect one of their own 24 members to the Chair position.
So the current County Board Chair is an elected official who is appointed by the elected board, just as it is in most counties in Illinois.
The Proposition to Adopt a County Executive Form of Government means that that McHenry County voters would elect yet another paid bureaucrat, as if the County didn’t have enough already, and furthermore is a strategy by Chicago Democrat Madigan and McHenry County Democrat Franks to extend Chicago influence and politics into McHenry County.
Cook and Will Counties have the County Executive form of government.
Cook has Home Rule authority; Will does not; McHenry does not and won’t even if this amendment passes.
This amendment is not about improving the life of the average McHenry County citizen.
This amendment is about political power.
**is a strategy by Chicago Democrat Madigan**
I have asked this before, but no answer was provided, so I will ask it again.
What evidence, if any, exists that Madigan is at all involved in this?
Because, frankly, Michael Madigan does not care about county politics.
He doesn’t care about any politics other than IL House of Rep politics.
So please provide some evidence that Madigan is at all involved in this country executive silliness.
And, FWIW, I voted No.