Tina Hill, Joni Smith and Joe Tirio seek the $100,000+ position of Recorder of Deeds.
The two women who seek to become Phyllis Walters’ replacement as McHenry County Recorder of Deeds ganged up on Joe Tirio to denigrate his idea to merge the office with the County Clerk’s office.
Joe Tirio
Tirio said erasing the elected official would save taxpayers $10 million over 30 years in the elected official’s salary, health and life insurance benefits, plus pension.
Joni Smith
Joni Smith, who works in the office now, defended its existence as a separate entity, pointing out that McHenry County is the sixth largest county in Illinois and none of the other large counties have merged the two offices.
Tina Hill, a County Board member who was its Chairwoman before Gottemoller, said that “erasing the Recorder’s Office had been looked at and [rejected].”
Talking about nepotism pitted Hill and Tirio against Smith.
Smith started by defining “nepotism” as “the hiring of unqualified family members.”
Smith is an ally of McHenry County Clerk Mary McClellan, who hired her husband.
Tirio pointed out that the definition was “not necessarily hiring unqualified family members,” but “using your leverage to gain favor in the employing of family members…”
Hill pretty much agreed with Tirio.
“I have never been a party to that and I do not intend to,” she stated.
Qualifications for the three boiled down like this:
- Smith – Works in the office of 24 and knows what’s going on; was a Nunda Township Trustee.
- Hill – Was Legislative Assistant to two State Reps. for seventeen years and County Board Chairwoman with 1,200 employees and a $230 million budget. She pointed out the Recorder has a $30 million budget.
- Tirio – Led teams of up to 400 people when SBC merged with Ameritech; I can manage a team of 20. He also pointed out that of the 24 employees, 8 are supervisors, a number his Human Resources background led him to believe was too many.
Cal, Correct me if i heard wrong, When the question came up about Nepotism didnt Joni Smith say she would not hire any family member?
I do not find that argument compelling: that because several wasteful, self -serving government bodies (including McHCBoard) have not done it, it should not be done.
Joe Tirio is a breath of fresh air in very polluted election season!
At the County level, we have very few candidates running for office who will actually represent the taxpayer.
A question to ask every candidate: Will you vote to stop wage increases for the employees under the control of your office?
Tina Hill has a track record of supporting wage increases.
I would expect the same from a member of the Smith union family.
As the cost of wages goes up so does the cost to fund GUARANTEED pensions!
I forgot to thank Phyllis Walters for making the office as efficient as it is, thus making it easier to eliminate it as a stand-alone entity.
Now wait a minute. County employees are still employees no matter how much you dislike it.
Why do they not deserve the measly 2% or so raises that are given?
Why should County employees work for low wages????
Yes, there are high level people making way too much money.
But go ahead and look at the salaries of the non-manager employees.
Every argument defending spending in this county is made without reference to the fact that property tax rates in Woodstock are 4.6% of total home value, in most other areas in this county property tax rates are above 3% of total home value.
Arguments make no sense when not put into that frame of reference.
Status quo is not sustainable at property tax rates well above 3% of home value, and spiraling higher in a negative feedback loop reinforced by commercial property tax revenue decline due to TIFs and Enterprise Zones.
Vote me in so I can abolish the office
Whats not to love
Go Joe
Joe,
The $10m over 30 years, or $333.333.00 savings a year, besides cutting one elected officials wages and benefits of around $125k a year, where does the rest of that savings come from, the $208,333.00?
Some detail to the answer would be appreciated.
Phyllis runs an efficient and professional office, based on my recent filings with her office.
However those filings are still not reflected everywhere else in the County bureaucracy.
Was told it takes several months, which suggests a lot of redundancy, when volleying these changes around different desks and Joe has the courage to do something about it.
You gals need to move to those County’s that don’t embrace efficiency.
Knowledge Voter, on a recent blog you asked me about Andrew Gasser (and some other lady on MCBOT who I never heard of) and whether I thought they were “Republican” and “Conservative”?
Since I have never heard of the lady you referred to I will answer your question only as to Andrew Gasser.
As to Andrew, let me say this, he had an opportunity to publicly admonish MCBOT and make demand upon the MCBOT to follow the “rule of law” (I have this Il case law cited in at least two prior blog comments) and return the excess tax reserves “illegally” assessed against McHenry County taxpayers ($41 Million Dollars) at Valley Hi to the taxpayers who were forced to pay this tax over many years under MCBOT compulsory tax system.
He did no such thing.
Instead, Andrew settled for misguided MCBOT plan that MCBOT agree to stop the illegal taxation at Valley Hi at least for this year.
But Valley Hi may keep the money already confiscated from taxpayers through MCBOT prior illegal levies. By doing this, what Andrew has said to all taxpayers in McHenry County is that Andrew is willing to “turn a blind eye” to prior MCBOT transgressions (even if they can be remedied) allowing ill-gotten “taxpayer booty” to remain with government entity, Valley Hi with the caveat that the transgression stop only for this year.
You can call Andrew “Republican”, “Conservative”, “Earth Teaparty”, “Space Teaparty” or “Walsh Freedom Walker” as these words or phrases are just “bones” without “flesh” meaning nothing to me.
It is the deeds we must judge our elected representatives by.
What I have learned from Andrew’s actions conceerning the Valley Hi tax debacle is that the Tax Watch Dog German Shepard featured on his politcal material and website has a much louder “bark” than “bite”.
So perhaps we can both agree Andrew Gasser is a “Republican” and even a “McHenry County Conservative” with plenty of “gum” but no teeth! Certainly not of the school of “Ted Cruz”, “Donald Trump” or “Ronald Reagan”; but maybe more akin to “Jeb Bush”, “Mitch McConnell” and “Paul Ryan”.
Knowledge Voter, thanks for the question and I hope I have answered it for you.
iWontHireMyWife.com and EraseThe Recorder.com
BRILLIANT (and newsworthy.)
Note that Hill said ‘Erasing the Recorders office has been looked at before and was rejected” (yeah by the board SHE was part of!!)
we’re likely to get a new board soon and the political climate has changed.
Taxpayers expect govt to do what it can to cut costs because what we have now is clearly unsustainable in McHenry County!
Susan you are obviously aware that it’s the school districts that are responsible for our high taxes, and the state formula that created, and continues to add to our tax problems.
When someone promises to lower my taxes I am rightfully suspicious.
I’ve heard it before without promises delivered
There is much talk of nepotism in various departments.
Ms. Smith stated she will not hire any relatives if she is elected Recorder.
Can she clarify if her daughter, or any relative of other elected officials, past and present, work, or have worked, in the Recorder’s office? or other County office?
On the subject of unions, would Ms. Smith support unionizing the Recorder’s office?
Is Ms. Smith’s husband, Brent, affiliated with the Local 150?
“Smith is an ally of McHenry County Clerk Mary McClellan, who hired her husband.”
Wasn’t Smith’s daughter hired in 2015 to also work in the same office as her?
School district is responsible for around 2/3 of our unconscionably high 4.6% property tax rate.
County and municipal spending accounts for 1/3.
The canard that State funding formula is responsible for Woodstock D200 tax rate has been proven false.
Comparison of SPENDING (not revenues or revenue sources) proves that this school district outspends beyond any rational range of fiduciary responsibility.
This County outspends its means as well.
Here is a Candidate with a specific plan to cut spending.
Everything else is irrelevant.
David?
I might have been with you until you tried to bring in some kind of an argument for an Ultra Zionist Canadian gay, a mob affiliated death clock shuttle owner, and a pedophile simpleton by holding those personalities in high esteem.
When are people going to wake up to reality and stop lookng for heros in elections?
Are you seriously considering either of the two proven really bad candidates by tearing down the only male in this? Your party affiliations are worthless at best.
Read Susan’s last line again.
If Tirio were to sign a legally binding agreement to resign and return half of the value of salary and benefits to the county if the consolidation fails to occur in his first year in office, then I’d grant him some credibility.
Until then he’s just another guy looking for a paycheck who will say anything to receive it.
My prediction… Smith wins, Hill orders a double…er comes in second and Tirio goes back to providing in home non-health care to seniors… whatever that means.
Hill may say she has “never been a party to that” but in 2012 she helped get 3 other Hills appointed to PC in Dorr Township (who were later removed).
While not paid positions, it still shows that she is willing to use her position of power to get her family similar positions and it raises suspicion about whether she’d extend that attitude into the Recorder’s office where she’d have a staff of paid employees.
justthefactrsmaam, Smith chose to redefine nepotism to fit her situation.
She said:
That speaks to her misleading of the people.
She already has 2 daughters working at the county admin bldg.
So she expects a pass for that.
The term ‘unqualified’ says she would deem any family member ‘qualified’ so she could hire them.
AngryHuman, he should work for 1/2 pay AND work himself out of elected office?
You’re ridiculous.
Neither of the other two are even talking of merging and saving the taxpayers. T
hey have both bended the truth on their involvement in nepotism.
Why so hard on someone willing to stick his neck out for the taxpayers.
You are either dumb, connected to Smith, or both!
Well the definition on Wikipedia is Nepotism is a common accusation in politics when the relative of a powerful figure ascends to similar power seemingly without appropriate qualifications.
So this is not a self serving definition.
This is not misleading.
Instead what Tirio is saying that he will save 10 million dollars is the misleading fat gorilla in the room.
The hiring of someone that is related to a person should be based upon whether they are qualified for the position the trust and work necessary for the position.
As far as Tirio sticking his neck out for taxpayers that is ridiculous he is self serving and looking for a paycheck for his own gain.
Using buzz words like erase the recorder or I wouldn’t hire my wife is nothing more pandering and polictical games.
The guy is stellar and will take this election!
Smith won’t win because people know it will be a disaster.
No efficiency, no qualifications, no Managerial skills, no budget skills, no IT skills, no merger skills, no leadership qualities/experience/skills.
Landon is right.
Smith already has 2 daughters working at the Courthouse Admin. bldg.
Her husband is operators Union 150, also on the govt. payroll!
She hasn’t been honest about her real roll at the recorders office as just a minion paper pusher who recently got a title boost and exorbitant raise for political optics so she could even run.
She feels entitled to this job because her arse occupies a chair from 9-5? (except when she takes off from her duties for political campaigning.)
She’s not ‘The office supervisor’ as she keeps claiming.
She’s one of several ‘working supervisors’.
The fact that she was just given the title of ‘working supervisor” just proves that her value lies in her ability to process documents, not in leading the team.
If she were fit to lead, they would get rid of some of the other ‘working supes” and make her a full time supervisor.
This gives credence to Tirio’s point that there is an unhealthy chiefs to indians ratio (and the courthouse admin is full of nepotism/patronage/favors and politics as usual! )
Joni got a 54% raise and her daughter got 10x the raise that her peers received!!
Anyone seeing this kind of raise in the private sector?
They cannot justify this.
Shame on Phyllis Walters for making/allowing these decisions AT THE EXPENSE OF THE OTHER WORKERS IN THAT OFFICE and the taxpayers!!
I guess you can screw up now that you’re not running again, huh Phyllis?
And Did you also make the deal that Joni keep the union at bay until you are gone and retired?
The two woman running feel entitled and didn’t even try to come up with substance to their campaign. (or they just lack it)
Both expected to waltz right in.
No pledge or plan. No Integrity or honesty there either!
This race wouldn’t even be talked about except that Tirio has made news!
He poses a real threat to the status quo, blatant spending, no accountability and politics as usual.
VOTE JOE!
Read in the herald today that Hill hasn’t only had DUIs, but Bankruptcies too?
And that was an in an “Endorsement letter!”
Oh my Lord,
She couldn’t pass a background check to work as an entry level bank teller!
And even with those negatives she still has more going on than that other woman!
Like Susan says:
Go Joe!
The Perfect is the Enemy of the Good”?
No.
The Generalization is the Enemy of the Good.
This election season we hear many generalizations and diversionary aphorisms.
There is one political candidate with a specific plan to save money for McHenry County: County Recorder candidate Joe Tirio.
He states intention to merge the office out of existence and save millions of property tax dollars by so doing.
The Perfect SHOULD be the MENTOR of The Good. And the Perfect is VERY specific.
I like your plan and so do several of the County Board members I know!
They said it’s very do-able and think you’re they right guy to do the merge.
This will help them get notoriety with the people in their districts for saving the county money.
Go Joe Tirio!
To expand and clarify on Observer’s post (i’m a bit embarrassed I didn’t think of this), using the example below, replace the left curly bracket with the “less than” sign (SHIFT+COMMA) and the right bracket with the “greater than sign” (SHIFT + PERIOD).
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