If candidates send me their literature, I’ll do my best to share it with a broader audience on McHenry County Blog. Same with press releases. I want this to be a place were candidates and officials can speak directly to their potential or present constituents.
I’ve found that the greatest viewership of this publication is in the 24 hours prior to election day. All sorts of people are searching for information.
Ads by the way are $50 a month, except for political campaigns during any part of the last month of a campaign, when they cost $100.
Grafton Township Assessor candidate Al Zielinski’s campaign brochure follows:
Zielinski and incumbent Algonquin Township Assessor Bill Ottley are facing off in the Republican Party primary election later this month.
Per AL ZIELINSKI:
My Promises
“ALWAYS treating you with courtesy & fairness.”
Well, not always . . .
http://www.huntleyneighbors.com/forum/showthread.php?t=136638&highlight=Zielinski
I posted a comment – why won’t you display it?
You list Ethics first…
Yet there is a whole article and comments showing how you hid the fact that you were living at your girlfriends house when you submitted a BIASED appraisal to the board of review to get her taxes lowered. You never told them you had a relationship with her, and that it was your primary residence. (perhaps because you still lived in Lake Barrington where you were claiming your homestead exemption until you were caught doing that unethical practice as well.)
Regarding the “article”…
(1) There was no ethics violation, only biased personal conjecture. If I missed it, please cite it and your source.
(2) The appraisal had no impact on the sales price. The appraisal’s cover letter is dated 10/3/2011, 3 days AFTER the reported sale.
(3) The sale price was established by three competing offers which, when combined with the property’s 700+ days on market, fulfilled every definition of market value and constituted an arm’s-length transaction.
(4) As clearly pointed-out, the Board of Review used the sales price, not the appraisal, to set their assessed value. I will furnish the audio of that hearing to the Editor so he can post it on this forum if feasible. It also conveys the township assessor accepting the valid sale (after he woke-up and realized the weight of the data before him).
So, we have:
– a valid appraisal performed AFTER the sale,
– a valid appraisal that WAS NOT USED by the Board of Review,
– a valid appraisal that had NO IMPACT on the sales price and
– a valid appraisal of a property in which I have NO ownership interest.
All that piece of “investigative reporting” conveyed was that a valid appraisal of no consequence was performed!
Woodward and Bernstein better watch out…
I stand by my ethics.
Unlike the incumbent, I would never spend taxpayer dollars paying family members.
The incumbent took office 1/1/90.
Because he didn’t speak with them/ask them to stay, two experienced deputy assessors left: Ms. Kunde and Mr. Domagalski.
As of 2/8/90, the incumbent had hired his wife Carol and daughter Sherri. He later hired his other daughter Julie.
The incumbent’s wife was the highest paid hourly employee and all family members received benefits.
Between 1/1/06 and 12/31/12, the incumbent’s wife and two daughters accounted for 21% of the assessor’s payroll.
Now THAT’s a story!
Per AL ZIELINSKI:
My Promises
“ALWAYS treating you with courtesy & fairness.”
These comments were posted by “Al Zielinski” between 10/10/12 and 10/19/12 under one of the links provided by the original poster:
“Nonetheless, I’m glad my post brought some levity to your life.
The axiom “Simple minds, simple pleasures.” rings perfectly true in your case.”
“Looks like remedial reading isn’t the poster’s only fertile ground for education!”
“I refuse to continue mental combat with an unarmed opponent.”
“Your free education at my expense now ceases.”
“In your trite little world, that’s a memorable victory; savor it because it’s likely one of the few delusions of yours that are harmless.”
“For the literate readers of this blog, of which there are many, below are a few closing clarifications.”
“I’m capable of being extremely civil and usually am.”
“I’m proud of, and stand by, my character; that’s why all my postings are under my real name.”
Al does appear to be consistent.
The program I use requires approval for first time posters.
Your version of history is wrong…again Al.
Mr. Ottleys wife worked in the assessors office long BEFORE Assessor Ottley did.
He is not the person that originally hired her to her position, and she was there for years before he was elected.
I know this because it was discussed at the Assessors Debate where you stumbled.
Keep trying, maybe you will find a sliver of hope some where! I doubt it, but maybe.
I’m a huge believer in/supporter of family businesses and even grew-up in one: my Dad’s general contracting business.
My issue is when the “family business” is financed with taxpayer dollars (as was the case with the assessor’s family).
I’ll continue to trust the township payroll records provided via my FOIA request. They’re readily available to any taxpayer.
I’ll also stand by any comment I made when it’s kept in context. It’s a cheap political trick quoting outside of context and one that unbiased Grafton residents will quickly see through.
Al – would you give your “significant other” (the woman you are shacking up with) a job in the township?
” I won’t waste people’s time by responding to untenable, trivial issues.”
I’ll also respond only to valid questions posed with respect and dignity for all this blog’s readers.
Your candidacy, Al Zielinski, has treated the taxpayers with very little respect and dignity.
Just noticed you filed a D-1, signed it on Monday, after prompting from me.
Only $515 in your campaign account when you created your committee?
You’re not going to win this race with funds like that.
It was filed when it was required by the Board of Election’s rules and had nothing to do with your “prompting.” You flatter yourself.
Your lack of credibility deepens: the amount listed is as of the creation date not the current balance (it’s even clearly printed as such on the form!).
Rephrasing GeeWizz’s 4:16 pm question –
Al, If elected, would you ever hire any friends, relatives or paramours to work for Grafton Township?
Thanks in advance!
No Al Zielinski, you flatter yourself by pretending to be a winner, and everything I have seen of your campaign will make you a big loser in 3 weeks. Everytime you use the word “ethics”, you have lost all credibility due to the points documented about you from the First Electric Newspaper articles.
And, why is it that you are posting comments on blogs and on-line newspapers in order to clarify your issues/campaign!? Where are your volunteers, who will defend you? Your actions are hardly the place for candidate, let alone winning candidates. Again, you flatter yourself when in reality, you are cheapening yourself. Do what FEN’s editor said, and by an ad to get your point across if you have any. You do better for yourself to not post on blogs while you are a candidate — leave that to your supporters, if you have any.
And finally, let’s read what was on your D-1 vs. your primary opponent. He listed $2,000, and you listed a measely $515 & change. That’s nearly a 4 to 1 deficit you have against a six-term incumbent. Additionally, your opponent had to file his D-1 2 1/2 weeks ago (January 13), and you only did it when I pointed out we’ve seen no disclosure reports filed, and then bang, the next day, you filed your report.
And then, your chairman is a resident of the city of Chicago!? You couldn’t have a local resident serve as your chairman for your campaign? Filing that bit of information only showed again that you have no local support, then again, you barely have residency in the township.
And don’t think we didn’t notice who filed your D-1 as your treasurer, and signed her name on it. Echoes of ‘unbiased’ appraisal resonates when we think back to that Board of Review hearing she did, and your lack of disclosure before-the-fact that you had a personal relationship with her with the appraisal, though not used, was presented to them as ‘unbiased’.
I clearly stated my hiring hierarchy at the Sun City assessors’ forum:
– current employees (if properly motivated),
– appraisers (if properly motivated),
– Veterans (if properly motivated),
– handicapped (if properly motivated),
– all other qualified individuals (if properly motivated).
“Properly motivated” means dedicated to honesty, accuracy, conformity with state and federal valuation statutes/guidelines, “customer service,” an exemplary work ethic and the common good of Grafton Township’s residents and businesses.
An upcoming press release will further clarify my position regarding nepotism (and favoritism).
Succinctly for now, an emphatic “No!” to both.
Regarding “mouthpieces,” I’ve always researched my positions before forming them, been proud of them thereafter and therefore willing to personally and publicly state and stand by them.
Nobody can state/defend my positions better than I. Nor should they.
I’d raise the issue in its obverse: why hasn’t my opponent spoken for himself (or for his positions and record for that matter)?
More than likely…he is doing his job!
Not trying to find a new source of income because his 5 or 6 appraisal/consulting businesses have all gone in the toilet.
More than likely…NOT doing his job.
Didn’t bother to show-up for the Board of Review appeal hearing this morning.
Last year the incumbent was clueless about the proceedings and this year he was a no-show.
Grafton taxpayers deserve SO MUCH more.
Al,
Are you calling Mr. Ottley or his wife a liar regarding the fact that she worked at the assessors office prior to him running for office?
Actually Al, I agree with part of your point…
YOU DESERVE MOORE!
From your post about the Board of Review, are we to understand that you are still claiming that your “significant other’s” 5 bedroom house on 1.5 acres of lake-front property is still only worth half that of all your neighbors?
Personally, I find that incredibly insulting, and disrespectful. I don’t care what the circumstances of the sale were, that house is worth twice as much as you claim it is.
To my knowledge, no member of the incumbent’s family has posted here on the subject of their employment so it’s impossible to call them anything (not that I would in any case).
As previously stated, the incumbent refused my FOIA request for his family’s employment history within his office so my beliefs are founded on township records.
If the incumbent’s family would post their employment history with the assessor’s office here, it would make all taxpayers very happy and show the incumbent shares my quest for transparency in the assessor’s office.
Jack, the value of the property was determined by two independent parties in an arms-length transaction.
That value was confirmed by the Board of Review in open hearings for 2011 and 2012.
What’s insulting is why the neighbors received an average of 21% reduction in their assessments.
Talk about playing catch-up!
You should retract your statement that Assessor Ottley No-Showed on you.
Or at least admit that it was not a no-show the way you suggest.
They announced last night that he was in the hospital having surgery because he fell and broke his leg the night before.
Otherwise, I am sure he would have been there to greet you at your hearing.
Was this one for your girlfriends house too?
Delegation is a critical aspect of professional management.
If the assessor could not be there for any reason, someone from the office should have been.
It’s another example of how poorly the office is run and how it would benefit from my entrepreneurial business perspective.
Was it your girlfriends house again?
Irrelevant and off-point.
The Assessor or his delegate should show-up at a scheduled Board of Review appeal hearing regardless of the appellant.
so it was your girlfriends house again then???