Joe Alger
Last meeting, Joe Alger criticized nepotism during the public comment period at a County Board meeting.
He was back again Tuesday night to point out that the minutes said his comments had to do with hiring practices.
Alger said his comments were about “nepotism, not hiring practices.”
Woodstock’s Joe Tirio also spoke on the subject. Here’s what the Woodstock resident said:
“I’ve two issues to speak of today.
“First, I’ve come to voice my surprise and disgust at the recent Human Resource issues in the Clerk’s office.
Mary McClellan
“Specifically the hiring and effort to reclassify Ed Gil, the husband of our clerk, Mary McClellan.
“This is abhorrent in so many ways, starting with the fact that Ms McClellan either thinks its ok, or thinks that she will be able to take these actions without scrutiny.
“How could she even consider him for the role?
“I’m sure his skills are not truly unique.
“I recall hearing Mr Gottemoller saying that there is a limit as to what can be done based on current policy.
“I know many of you, and know you to be good people and proper public servants.
“Many of you have spoken publicly and/or taken action on the matter, and I thank you for that.
“For those that have not yet at least spoken publicly, I urge you to do so.
“We know right from wrong, even if it isn’t codified in law or policy.
“What she did was wrong, and if she didn’t know it then, she knows it now.
“I publicly call on Ms McClellan to re-post the job for public application and call on Ed Gil to resign his post as soon as a suitable replacement can be found.
“In the meantime, I think its important that the board use whatever means it has at its disposal to send a message to Ms McClellan and to the people of this county.
“That message should be, you won’t stand silent when members of government take advantage of their position for personal gain.
“Second, I’d like to address the practice of asking for the name and address of people who wish to make public comment.
“As it is not required and could cause one to feel intimidated, I am asking that the board consider rephrasing their approach to the matter.
“Perhaps you could instead ask, ‘Would you like to provide your name and address for the record?’
“Phrasing this as an optional request rather than a directive sets a more collegial tone and may make the process more approachable for those who might otherwise be dissuaded from participating.
“Do you have any questions regarding my comments?”
Way to go Joe Alger!
Duncan – That comment was Joe Tirio’s
I think Joe is right, you should not use your position for personal gain and people should stand up to this.
I hope Joe Alger comes back to every single county board meeting, looks her in the eye, and calls McClellan a crook to her face.
He should do the same thing for Anna May Miller as well.
After Tirio made his public comment, McClellan was seen taking a picture of him with her cell phone when he was back in his seat.
What a strange thing to do.
Wonder what the picture is for??
The woman has no shame.
Alger criticized nepotism.
That is what I was referring to.
They all did a great job presenting their cause.
2014: Mary McClellan is a Cook County Assistant State’s attorney and McHenry County Board member running as a Republican candidate for McHenry County Clerk.
On her campaign website is an endorsement from Ed Gil, Nunda Township Trustee.
The campaign website fails to mention that Ed Gil is her husband.
September 2014: Ed Gil resigns as Nunda Township Trustee.
November 04, 2014: Mary McClellan elected McHenry County Clerk.
November 18, 2014: Ed Gil approved for re-hire (he had previously left the County August 21, 2001) by the Department Head for the position of Election Administrative Supervisor at an hourly rate of $25 which the county calculates to be an annual salary of $48,750.
November 24, 2014: the McHenry County Human Resources Director approves the hire.
December 01, 2014: Start date for Ed Gil, whom is newly elected County Clerk Mary McClellan’s husband and endorsed her political campaign.
February 05, 2014: Mary McClellan attempts to reclassify her husband from hourly position as Election Administrative Supervisor to salary position as Chief Deputy. The Northwest Herald reports that measure is tabled indefinitely.
Northwest Herald
Clerk’s hiring of spouse makes McHenry County Board committee uneasy
Feb. 9, 2015
by Kevin Craver
http://www.nwherald.com/2015/02/09/clerks-hiring-of-spouse-makes-mchenry-county-board-committee-uneasy/ae8b08v/?page=1
How can a system includes poliies which, if practiced by all human components of system, will crash the system?
Every public officeholder is in a position to practice nepotism.
If all appointments were to be friends/relatives, would the governmental system collapse?
If yes, it suggests that the positions of appointment wield great power and influence, great responsibility.
Such a position of power and responsibility should require some screening and qualification process for applicants, and an open application process.
For the ongoing protection of systemic survival.
If no, the position of appointment does not require a level of competence or relative merit, then it doesn’t matter.
The system can survive with 100% of appointments having been decided by nepotism.
Elections can be the mechanism to filter the decision-makers empowered to appoint through nepotism.
Voters must choose based upon the assumption that every officeholder will take advantage of any systemic policy which is of personal benefit to officeholder.
With any luck we are set to see the replacement for one of the most respected and longest serving county officeholders become a “one term wonder”; as in, I wonder why the h*ll we ever elected her.
Hearing a lot of mumbling about McClellan…
Some folks say that she doesn’t have the morals of an alley cat, but others say she does.
McClellan needs to go and take her husband Ed Gil with her!
County Board do your job!
That’s what we hire you to do.
Funny, this has been discussed in prior County Board Meetings.
Has even one county board member make a call to form a committee to put forth a change in guidelines that would stop this blatant unethical practice?
How can McClellan sit there and take notes about what public comment is saying about her and not make this right?
@ Huh?
‘a one termer’?
No she needs to do the right thing OR be RECALLED.
Every public official should not have the chance to screw the public TWICE!
Once done, they should be done!
THIS ISSUE ISN”T GOING AWAY!
McClellan stopped the Provanzano nepotism machine and did us all a service.
After his family got thrown out of Maine Township, they came to Nunda.
After making backroom deals, his not very hieable wife was handed the Clerk’s job, and with no qualifications ran for Supervisor.
And lost, just like Nick.
Charles, the fact that Nick Provanzano is a sleezeball doesn’t change the fact that Mary McClellan is a sleezeball as well.
She stopped Provenzano and now SHE’S DOING IT, and so blatantly!!!???
WOW, so if she stopped another person then she KNEW IT WAS WRONG and did it anyway.
She needs to be recalled.
There is no recall law in Illinois.
You’d have to move north to Wisconsin to have that option.
I Knew I liked Wisconsin!!
thx
Franks is trying to change the law to allow recall for College Trustees, maybe he could do the same for County Clerks!
Ah Yes some more Chicago Politics moving in up Northern part of IL…
you people are a bunch of haters why not ask if the job is being done and if the person is qualified not one of you seem to care.
And by the way Kathie Schultz son and both of her husbands worked for the clerks office why did you not question it than
Fedor:
Point taken, thanks.
You make it sound like Mary McClellan invented nepotism.
You might find it interesting how many “families” have been employed by a relative, in County departments, administration jobs, contracts/awards and how they have benefitted fron perks not usually known by the general public.
Big can of worms is nepotism; case in point, Townships.
More blowhards besmirching the good name of Mary McClellan.
This would have NEVER happened under Mike Tryon or Mark Daniel.
It is shameful who is being given prominence in the Republican Party right now.
Proud Republican:
To who or what are you referring?
WTH does McClellan taking a picture of a member of the audience have to do with Tryon and the other enforcer – Mark Daniel?
Or are you saying that if the County GOP was under the thumb of those two, McClellan would behave differently?
BTW, McClellan now runs the County elections.
No, there is no recall and the County Board can do nothing to stop McClellan – she holds a Constitutional office and the only restraint the County Board can place on her is budgetary control.
And, why Mary, were you taking cell phones pictures of the opposition?
That is just weird!
Again, nepotism is legal, or legal.as a practical matter.
It is up to informed voters to be aware of such rife practice and either condone or condemn.
Those who engage in nepotism will be rewarded by financial gain in the near term .
This is an opportunity to quantify the monetary price of the office holders’s honor.
For example in this case, .the office holder’s honor has a price tag of $50 k a year plus bennies.
Now she has sold her honor; her honor is gone.
If voters do not value honor in a political candidate, she will be reelected.
If honor is a necessary characteristic of officeholders, she will not be reelected.
If it is crucial to the population willing to be governed by honorable or dishonorable humans that nepotism should be discouraged, this population must insist on systemic qualification requirements for all new hiring and appointments.
Hey ‘Proud Republican’ are you kidding???
sometimes I can’t pick up on sarcasm which I hope that statement was! “blowhards besmirching the good name of Mary McClellan”.
What ‘good’ name.
She ruined her reputation all by herself, Pal.
I don’t think she EVER had a ‘good name’ but now it is ‘DIRTY.
DIRTY MARY.
This should come as no surprise to anyone.
Mchenry county is part of Illinois, LAND OF CORRUPTION!
I challenge each of you to go through each county board member and look at what other families are doing- and don’t stop there- townships, Mayors, even heads of political organizations.
It is a family business and always has been in this county.