A funny thing happened at the last McHenry County Public Health Committee meeting.
Recommended to the County Board to fill a vacancy on the McHenry County Mental Health Board was Sam Melei.
There was a vacancy, so that someone was recommended is not of particular interest.
What was interesting is that Melie is the Vice Chairman of the McHenry County Democratic Party Central Committee.
One would expect Democratic Party Board member Paula Yensen would have known that. After all her husband is Chairman of McHenry County Democrats.
What was more interesting is that Sandra Salgado provided the vote for Anna May Miller’s motion of recommendation to pass.
Salgado is seeking the chairmanship of the McHenry County Republican Central Committee.
And, if one goes back a year or so, one might remember that Scott Summers, who ran for County Board in District 6 as a Democrat also was approved by the Committee.
He, however, was rejected by the full County Board.
The rumor floating around was that he might run for Judge against Michael Feetterer.
That was absurd on its face, because Summers does not even live in the same district as Feetterer.
THIS IS A NON-PARTISAN POSITION, IF this person was selected on what he could bring to the table for McHenry County?
then lets Move on!
Let us pray any change in the leadership of the McHenry GOP does not make it more liberal than it already is!!!
As I understand it there was another candidate, a Republican, conservative, that initially lead the vote count with 3 in the affirmative vs Melei who only had 1 in the affirmative.
It was then that Anna May Miller motioned to nominate Melei and he,too, received 3 votes from Miller, Yensen, McCann and then the deciding vote which was cast by Salgado in favor of Melei.
As I understand it, Sam Melei is by far the most competent person willing to be sullied by the circus of the 708 Board.
Let’s not let partisan politics dissuade Mr. Melei from jumping on this grenade.
markmguire – If logic prevailed, your reasoning would serve well.
But, one can only surmise why, if Mr. Melei was in fact the “most competent person”, as you say, that the initial 7 member vote resulted in but 1 vote in Melei’s favor – while 3 votes were cast to the aforementioned gentlemen, with 1 vote being split between the two and the 2 remaining votes going to an entirely different candidate.
If logic served, and your depiction of Mr. Melei’s measure of competence was, in fact, accurate – the initial vote tally would have yielded Mr. Melei with a majority vote, if not unanimous.
In contrast, logic clearly indicates that receiving 1 vote of 7 demonstrates the antithesis of what you suggest.
What is even more interesting, Cal, is that the person who encouraged Sam to apply for the position was Mr. Walkup.
There’s a pretty good chance he knew Sam’s position with the Dems, too, since they have known each other for years.
Maybe sometimes partisan politics simply has nothing to do with it.
Failure of leadership from the committee not to have this person identified.
Every try google?
This is why we need new members on the county board.
Frankly – the Mental Health Board continues to be a cesspool for graft. M
iller, McCann, Yensen, Hill, and Martens must be laughing at how broken this committee is.
All the appointments to date from this committee have been Democrats with good people being shot down left and left.
Shameful.
When the next appointment comes up let us hope that Carlos Acosta is NOT chosen as he was not this time.
He has been a divisive force in McHenry County and would bring his divisive viewpoints with him.
Carlos is receiving your tax dollars in his current job as he did when he was the director of the Latino Council which folded when the money ran out!
Yes Mike, and at the time I contacted Sam during a previous round we didn’t have any other good applicants.
As it turned out, we had someone with what I felt was a better skill set apply this time but Sam was still my second choice.
He was actually the second choice for most of the committee as well.
We had five good applicants this time and any one of them would have been a good choice.
I agree that the party label should not be a factor in this position. (Paula had mentioned in an earlier round that she was uncomfortable with Chuck Wheeler for mentioning he had worked for the Republican Party in the past in his application).
Hopefully, Sam will be an independent voice on the MHB particularly as it moves to make a critical decision on a new Executive Director.
Yes Mike and if you remember in the same breath Ms. Yensen made the assertion that “You Mr. Wheeler don’t know about diversity!”
Where did this come from, she didn’t even know me?
Imagine that, me, an African American conservative businessman that does “not know about diversity?”
Has she looked around?
When I put on my application that I was a committeeman in the Republican Party or that I was Henry Hyde’s Bloomingdale Twp. Bloomingdale Twp. Coordinator it was to let the committee know that I have no problem with volunteering my time.
I was simply being factual and truthful.
Had I not mentioned it someone might have claimed that I was “being deceitful”.
In the long run I am glad I pointed it out in my application to the 708 Board committee.
Honesty is the best policy!
Good luck Mr. Melei on your appointment to the 708 Board I am sure you will do a fine job!