NW Herald Finally Looks At Sheriff’s Race

Andy Zinke

Andy Zinke

Bill Prim

Bill Prim

The end of the summer, the Northwest Herald’s new editor wrote a column in which he said it was time to start covering the substance of the race for McHenry County Sheriff.

You may remember that the summer’s story about the Sheriff’s race involved my filing an ethics complaint with the McHenry County Ethics Commission about Undersheriff Andy Zinke’s having sent an email from his office account to County Board members claiming that he was not giving me the finger in Crystal Lake’s Independence Day Parade.

For text of email, see

Do Pictures Lie? Zinke “Victimized” by “a Local Blogger”? – You Decide

Zinke was found not to have done antyhing wrong even though he referenced his campaign close to ten times in his “I was just holding up the roof of the Sheriff’s Department vehicle with my privately paid for ‘Andrew Zinke, Undersheriff’ magnetic sign on its front doors” email.

Saturday night I noticed that there is a “kick-off the campaign” article about the contest in the  online edition of the NWH.

No mention of the summer “fluff” about the Ethics Commission’s inexplicable decision that Zinke had done nothing wrong. (To this date, no one has revealed the reasoning for the Ethics Commission’s ruling, by the way, so, if you are a county employee, I guess you can feel free to send out political email from your office account.)

Zinke is described as “the veteran with a history of successes, including handfuls of promotions, and numerous political endorsements.”

Prim is characterized as “another veteran cop supported by the state’s attorney…an outsider running against ‘the establishment’ who promises to put an end to the very public feuds between the two offices.”

And, guess what?

The story concludes there is little difference between the two candidates, except one is not supported by the establishment and the other is, plus one is supported by his boss Sheriff Keith Nygren, the other by State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi.

They both want to start volunteer programs. I have heard Prim say that from the beginning of his campaign. This is the first time I’ve seen a report of Zinke’s desire to follow his example.

Bill Prim's campaign literature says he was involved in the seizure of $20 million

Bill Prim’s campaign literature says he was involved in the seizure of $20 million in asset forfeiture

The article points out that Prim is “most proud of leading the [Des Plaines Police] department’s asset forfeiture program, which he said brought thousands of dollars back to the department.”

Note that there is not a direct quote from Prim.

From the part of Prim’s campaign literature you can see here, that the asset forfeiture was not “thousands of dollars,” but millions of dollars

Just a couple of missing zeros in the article.

Several local bloggers have aligned themselves with Prim, the story continues, but it only mentions Zane Seipler’s, Zinke4Sheriff.blogspot.com.

No mention of McHenry County Blog or the post that angered Zinke so much that he apparently forgot that he was using his Sheriff’s Department email to deny the intent of his parade actions. (And, he gave the same gesture to a friend of mind from the Sheriff’s Department Tahoe on Route 47 during one of the Bianchi campaigns.)

No mention is made of a very real issue brought up by Prim on November 4th–excessive spending in the Sheriff’s Department under Zinke’s watch. Read part of it below:

No mention was made in the article about the excessive spending brought up by Bill Prim on November 4, 2013.

No mention was made in the article about the excessive spending brought up by Bill Prim on November 4, 2013.

No mention is made of The First Electric Newspaper’s editor’s Freedom of Information suit against the Sheriff’s Department either.  That suit seeks to make public a Sheriff’s Department investigation of “Andrew Zinke, Undersheriff of McHenry County, [who] had compromised a U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency investigation by telling a private citizen, Brian Goode, that DEA agents had been tracking a shipment of marijuana destined for Goode’s Crystal Lake business.”

Zinke RITA NWH Admits tO Having Report 11-1-13 real date

The top of the editorial in which the Northwest Herald admits to having seen the Sheriff’s Department report on Andy Zinke that Keith Nygren won’t give to Pete Gonigam of The First Electric Newspaper.

Maybe that’s because “the Northwest Herald newspaper reported on November 1, 2013 that it had ‘seen the document’ at issue,” as Mary Gardner, Gonigan’s lawyer wrote.

But, as an editorial opined, there is no reason not to make the investigatory report by Don Leist public.

The article also notes that former Congressman Joe Walsh and State Senator Dan Duffy have endorsed Prim


Comments

NW Herald Finally Looks At Sheriff’s Race — 32 Comments

  1. Zinke is well known in McHenry County, he is a graduate of McHenry High School, he is self made, not some clone of Nygren.

    Let’s get serious, Prim is an outsider, unknown in McHenry County until he sought political gain.

    I know, like and support Andy and will watch him continue the growth and competency of our Sheriff’s office.

  2. Jim B are you an Attorney?

    If so, I am sure there will be many supporting Zinke, to stand in line to represent him, especially if the growth you see is his nose.

    It is time for new blood in McHenry County, not further growth of the Good Old Boys, that try to keep their ethics in every day business.

  3. ‘Jim B”

    You need a reality check.

    Zinke has been hired and groomed by Nygren to continue business as usual in McHenry County…

    Bill Prim did not join this race for political gain.

    Prim joined the race because he saw how Nygren in running the County and knows there needs to be change..

    The Good O’l Boys Club needs to go.

    Clearly, there is no competency in the current Regime that runs the Sheriffs Department…

    Next time you speak, you may want to think about getting your facts straight…

  4. Lol at Jim B’s suggestion that Andy Zinke, a career government bureaucrat, is “self made.”

  5. ‘markmcguire” Yes it is laughable….

    That Zinke camp, they all live in a fantasy world… LOL….

    Zinke was created, groomed, and refined by Nygren.

    Though, Keith is probably finding out throughout the election process and because of the way Andy and Kim Zinke have conducted themselves, that he did not refine his obedient soldier as well as he thought.

    The contributing author for Andy and Kim Zinkes new book “Political Campaigning for Dummies” is Keith Nygren… LOL….

  6. Duncan McHenry should check the history books, he must have forgotten how Zinke supported Tom Sanders who ran against Nygren way back when.

  7. Jim B, I supported Tom Sanders back in the 90’s, never saw Zinke there at any event.

    Sounds like another story from the Nygren/Zinke regime.

  8. It does not matter. Zinke is now a part of the Regime and Nygren is the leader..

    Zinke has been indoctrinated and groomed by Nygren..

    Zinke is no self made man, that’s for sure.

  9. RegimeOver, Jim Bishop is older than Methuselah.

    You’re making a big assumption that he knows what the internet is and has found this blog.

  10. markmcguire, don’t kid yourself, Jim Bishop has always been tight lipped about what he knows.

    If you listened to him way back when, it was always about Dog Lake!

  11. Jim B. Will you finish your sentence?

    Andy Zinke is a self made ____ (what)? self made stooge, a self made wimp, self made ??

    can anyone out there fill in the blank?

  12. “DUMMIE” His book “Political Campaigning for Dummies” is based on his his own experiences.

    He is the laughing stock of McHenry County….

    And, he is a self made Pinocchio.

  13. amused good one.

    Zinke’s choice of games, should not have been follow the leader.

    He is a self-made Bull’s Eye.

    His conduct, personal ethics, and arrogance has created disorder in the Sheriff’s Department.

  14. OK all of you Prim supporters, here are the pages I’d be very concerned about concerning where Bill Prim stands in the sheriff’s race today:

    http://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/CommitteeDetail.aspx?id=24932

    http://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/CommitteeDetail.aspx?id=23858

    Andy Zinke and his supporters have been clobbering the Prim campaign and their supporters with each fundraising triumph, and this will make a difference in this campaign.

    Prim supporters, you have until Tuesday, 12/31, to make an immediate impact in this race prior to the new year to help Prim’s candidacy.

    I strongly suggest you take it, or get used to saying “Sheriff Zinke” by this time next year.

  15. God you guys are fun to read- one-trick- ponies comments do, however, get old.

    Anybody else y’all would like to attack or slam for their views or opinions?

    Funk and I just ignore the stupidity shown here but you may get a rise out of some others…….

  16. Yes,Dum Dum,I am,as I’ve stated before , a Zinke supporter ,as are MANY others, so challenging me to do the obvious is just one more ” one-trick- pony” statement , much like your game show references or referrals to mr. Scharf’s book.

    You always prove my points.

  17. ‘AZsupporter”

    Whats the matter too many reruns for your favorite TV shows “Lets Make a Deal” and “The Price is Right”???? …

    Surely Gordy Graham and Nygren will “Come on Down” to help you find a newer and better show…

    Judge Gordon Graham must be at home watching his favorite TV shows during the holidays….

    Depositions in Rockford.

    Can’t wait, until the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth is revealed about all of you…

    Make sure you raise your hand Gordy to tell the truth, or they will surely hold you in contempt of court….

    Whatsa matter Gordy you don’t like parades anymore or you are just too embarrassed to show your face now that everyone knows the truth?

    More Zinke antics to come guaranteed..

  18. AZsupporter, can’t wait to hear what happens in Rockford next week . . . who will call and say they are too ill to travel.

    Nygren/Zinke people should be ashamed to show their faces.

  19. “AZsupporter’ Its about time… Now get along and return to the Nygren and Zinke Circus… More Zinke Antics to come that’s for sure.. Or, maybe you want to join the side show attraction at the McHenry County Detectives unit. They need to be taught how to do their jobs…. Let’s not forget Kim Zinke was a Detective until that infamous knife incident… Clearly, they need to raise the bar as far as who they hire as detectives over there. Hiring Kim Zinke, that says it all.. No wonder Gary Gauger was railroaded they can’t determine the difference between innocent or guilty people. Or, is it really all about those famous TV shows “Let’s Make a Deal” and “The Price is Right” ??. Hmm it’s both!.. You might want to sweep up your act over there in the detectives unit.

  20. Still waiting to hear something come outta your mouth worth listening to; truth isn’t anywhere near your lips

  21. “AZsupporter”

    Everything I have to say is worth listening to, because I have exposed the truth about McHenry County…

    You can’t handle the truth because you don’t even know what it means..

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