Found this press release from McHenry County Board Chairman Joe Gottemoller. It went unpublished while we were on vacation.
Joe Gottemoller Announces Candidacy for County-Wide-Elected County Board Chairman Position in 2016
CRYSTAL LAKE….. McHenry County Board Chairman Joe Gottemoller has announced he will run for the chairman seat when it becomes a county-wide elected position in 2016.
Leslie Munger
“I’m glad Chairman Gottemoller is stepping up to run in McHenry County’s first ever county-wide election for County Board Chairman. I just wish I could take some of Joe’s fiscal responsibility and McHenry County’s AAA credit rating back to Springfield with me where we deal daily with a nearly $6 billion bill backlog and huge budget deficits,” said Munger.
“The State of Illinois could certainly take a cue from the McHenry County Board and Chairman Gottemoller who have passed balanced budgets and frozen property taxes the last three years.”
Gottemoller, a Crystal Lake attorney, was first elected to the McHenry County Board as a District 3 Representative in 2012. He was re-elected to his seat as the top vote-getter in November of 2014, and then elected by his peers a month later to serve as their chairman.
Joe Gottemoller
“When I ran for County Board for the first time in 20 12, it was because I wanted to promote job and economic growth, protect taxpayers from unnecessary tax increases and improve the efficiency of County Board operations,”
said Gottemoller. “I have a record of success in those areas and continue to hold them as priorities today.”
Since Gottemoller was elected to serve on the McHenry County Board, the county’s taxpayers have saved over $10 million in roperty taxes.
This savings is the result of deliberate action by the board not to access additional tax revenue available annually though the property tax cap law.
“Here in McHenry County we have some of the highest property taxes in the nation,” Gottemoller said. “While the majority of a residential tax bill represents school taxation I believe we have a duty at the county level to do everything in our power to control our portion of people’s taxes.”
One North Virginia Street, Crystal Lake, IL 60014 • 815-459-5155 In addition to holding the line on taxes, Gottemoller said he considers other key achievements during his tenure on the county board to be:
• Creation of a Unified Development Ordinance (UDO):
The UDO will guide growth and development in the McHenry County for the next decade. Through the UDO, all land and development regulations were consolidated into one central document, making it easier for people to know the county’s zoning rules/regulations.
• Creation of a Statute of Limitations for Building Permit Violations: Through this update to the county’s zoning regulations, there is now a 10-year limit for how far back the county can go when issuing fines for zoning violations. This emoves issues that arose when property owners were being fined for property issues that pre-dated their ownership of land.
“I believe I have made some great strides since being elected to the McHenry County Board in 2012 and becoming the Chairman in 2014,” said Gottemoller.
“Now that the county’s voters will, for the first time, start choosing the board’s leader in 2016, I hope my record has earned me the support of the voters for the position of County Board Chairman.”
This is the third time, at least, that Joe has announced.
We get it already. Also, we know “Tina Buy me a Beer Hill” is running for some official office…( Good Lord, can we get some new names to run for office, I’m tired of hearing the same old names running over and over and over again and again and again!
Now how about showing us those great parade shots you provide us each year Cal?
Also, your “Fire Works” shots, those brighten our day!
Thanks Cal!
Gottmoller has been the local George Ryan Culture of Corruption stooge as a Pro-lifer who endorsed the Culture’s pro-abortion candidates.
And he seems to have been rewarded for it consistently.
Your record of representing the largest natural gas power plant in the U.S., owned by Canadian interests located across the street from a school and a stones throw from homes in the district you currently “represent”, or your fiasco with Ryland homes in Crystal Lake, next to Prairie Grove homes, where you mocked the neighboring homes?
Where the gravel pit that wasn’t a gravel pit was built on Rt. 176?
When you consistently represent developers in the district where you were elected to serve? Your statement of economic interest must be a doozy.
Joe doesn’t represent US, I will work tirelessly to make sure you are not elected chairman.
Dislike so strong I would vote for a democrat.
I think your day job presents a huge conflict of interest.
I have to admit that Joe did an excellent job in shepherding the UDO through to conclusion.
It has a few glitches (such as the sign portion having just been declared unconstitutional based on a U.S. Supreme Court decision on a case out of Arizona), but is generally a great improvement.
However, he should not be taking credit for the Board’s tax policies and other things that were a joint effort.
Most notably Joe got up and declared at a special meeting of the PHHS committee that the next person we nominated to be on the Mental Health Board should be someone with good financial background.
Then we proceeded, at the same meeting, to nominate Jeff Thorsen, a banker.
Joe then voted on the floor against that nomination and in favor of another Crystal Lake City Council member before whom he appears regularly on behalf of his clients, and who has no financial background. (In all fairness, he also appears before Jeff).
As the above illustrates, it is an inherent conflict of interest for an attorney who specializes in representing developers of various sorts to even be on the County Board much less be the Chairman.
Think of what it would have been like in Oakwood Hills had Joe been the County Board Chairman instead of just one of four County Board Members who were supposed to be representing that District.
For that reason alone I don’t think he should be the County Board Chair elected at large and will not be supporting him.
I should point out, especially after being yelled at by Joe at yesterday’s Board meeting and briefly having my microphone shut off, (the tape is for some reason not posted yet on the county’s website), that I am not impugning Joe’s integrity.
To the contrary, I have always found him to be highly ethical and honest in everything I have seen him do.
However, appearances are what count, and the fact that there are these types of conflicts can give rise to questions.
That’s why it is not wise to have someone with those types of outside activities in that type of position.
That’s all I am saying.
OK Mike you have some valid points.
I do think Joe is a decent person and a gentleman.
But who is going to challenge him?
Not me.
I think Joe Gottemoller is reasonable, rational, measured, professional, and smart.
He’s a pro-life Catholic who is a gentleman.
Politics is not a pleasant world….and Mr. Gottemoller has to “play the game” at times like everyone else.
But I’ll take Joe Gottemoller over any of the people on the board.
CLM
Joe is a local cheap lawyer who will and has sold out everything and anybody to keep his practice afloat.
If he is so pro-life, why did he support pro-abort Ann Hughes every time over a Pro-life Catholic?
What I heard coming from the mouth of the guy in front of the County Board last night was far from what I have come to expect from an honest unbiased gentleman.
Since when does the Board Chairman give legal opinions to the Board?
If he becomes County Board chairman, expect a further decline in Board decorum.
The tape of the meeting is finally up after an inexplicable delay.
You can listen to the dialogue about the attempt by Mike Skala and Anna Mae Miller to return the power to appoint committee chairs to the Board Chairman at 2 hours, 30 seconds.
Mike Skala and Anna Mae Miller, two big fat red flags!
Mike Walkup, if you don’t like Joe, why aren’t you running against him?
I listened to the meeting as you suggested, sounded like you were throwing rocks at Joe in your own lawyer way, and as a lawyer himself,he realized your intent and called you on it.
Your double take and need to back step and explain yourself show me he was right or you make poor arguments.
I see in your comments above talking about Oakwood Hills power plant and more rocks at Joe, as that had very little to do with the county and everything to do with that village which he had no control over.
I can see your point that he could be in conflict at times because of who he represents.
Run Mike run, stand up and be counted.
You often whine about board members being lumps and going with the flow, here is your chance to shine.
When we voted for the ability to directly elect the Chair, there was no mention of changing the rules and draining of the chair power already in place.
I’d have to wonder if those that voted for or even against would want what was there already changed without their direct approval in the form of a vote?
From listening to that meeting and knowing some history related to the internal power struggle, Joe’s announcement had no effect on the two Mike Walkup mentioned above, as I believe they have always not been for the new rules.
I observed more rock throwing and suggest comments in the meeting about that also. Just an observation Mr Thin Skinned.
No matter who gets elected to County Board chairman, expect a further decline in Board decorum.
Unfortunately that is just the way the country is heading, look at the nonsense the last two Commander Guys had to deal with as proof, or listen to the county board meeting around 2 hours 30 seconds.
Mr. Nelson, weren’t you a strong supporter of Jack Franks against Pro-Life Republicans?
Thanks to Republicans like you we have a grandstanding liberal Madigan supporting Democrat running around.
People who live in glass houses……
CLM, during the time Jack was running, we did not have much choice, besides Hell No Jack and Brown. So a group of republicans started Republicans for Jack Believe me, at that time it was the only choice we could have gone with.
Oh, I see. When Joe Gottemoller supports a pro-Abort, he’s a RINO.
But, if Charlie Nelson supports a pro-Abort, that’s ok because Charlie is a REAL Republican.
What????
Cmon people. This is the definition of “duplicity”.