Aavang, McCann Township Consolidation Votes Ruled Invalid, But Motion to Kill Stands

On October 6, 2015, the McHenry County the McHenry County Board voted down proposals to allow citizens to vote on whether they wanted to consolidate various townships.

The vote was defeated 9-13.

In early December, Wonder Lake’s Bob Anderson filed an Open Meetings Act complaint with the Public Access Bureau of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.

He claimed that the votes of Michele Aavang and Mary McCann were invalid.

Aavang was in Washington, D.C., attending a Farm Bureau meeting.

At the beginning of the meeting, a vote of the Board allowed her to participate remotely.

McCann, who attended the meeting, had to leave before the vote was taken to catch a plane at O’Hare.

Before the vote Donna Kurtz challenged the right of McCann to vote by telephone.  Chairman Joe Gottemoller agreed, pointing out that she was leaving on vacation. (Board minutes are here.)

By voice vote, the Board passed a motion allowing McCann to vote by phone.

Below is the determination of Supervising Attorney Joshua Jones:

This is the decision by the Public Access Bureau of the Illinois Attorney General's Office on Bob Anderson's Open Meetings Act violation complaint.

This is the decision by the Public Access Bureau of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office on Bob Anderson’s Open Meetings Act violation complaint.

As you can see, Anderson’s complaint that Aavang and McCann should not have been allowed to vote by phone was upheld.

It is something of a pyrrhic victory for Anderson, because, even without those two votes to kill the township consolidation referendums, the motion would have still failed.

The opinion will be indexed in the Attorney General’s Office under

“attendance improper county.”


Comments

Aavang, McCann Township Consolidation Votes Ruled Invalid, But Motion to Kill Stands — 9 Comments

  1. IMHO People such as Anderson are responsible for much of the difficulty we encounter in recruiting people to ‘serve’ on committees and run for office.

    He is totally ‘agenda’ driven and appears to care less about the negative impact he has.

    The use of “pyrrhic” is very appropriate.

    Does this ruling mean an end to Hammerand’s remote attendance?

  2. In this day of the “communication age” it is time to change how governments operate. ALL MEETINGS SHOULD BE ELECTRONIC!!

    Electronic meetings would mean an end to the need for metal detectors or ‘wanding” prior to public meetings.

  3. The decision speaks to procedural problems, for example, neither Aavang nor McCann requested permission to participate by phone prior to the meeting, which is required.

  4. Since nothing changes and Bob knew it wouldn’t, Bob Anderson just wasted some of our tax $$$$ for nothing really!

    Got it!

    So one board member can be in FL for a few months and vote, but not asking a head of time, a board members that had to leave the meeting and were maybe even still in the county can’t?

    Definitely legislation written by a politically driven lawyer.

    Well Bob thanks for clearing that up for us, our Hero!

  5. Status Quo is not what the taxpayers need!

    We have what we have like it or not.

    To change without a good plan, will cost us more.

    Sadly the pro side doesn’t want to put in the time needed to prove their plan.

    It would be better to look at the whole of county wide services, not just a part.

    Way more time, but a good plan would require that.

    That whole consolidation deal was just a power play, don’t ya know.

  6. We need to get rid of McCann.

    She doesn’t find it necessary to be at meetings!

    She feels taxing citizens is something they can do ‘without the taxpayer noticing’.

    And rid the board of anyone else who does not have good attendance!

    ENOUGH!

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