Union & Trial Lawyer Money Finances Three More Pieces Hitting Steve Reick and More

The goal of the no-name pop-up committee called is, quite simply, to destroy Steve Reick as an effective opponent against a cowering incumbent State Representative named Jack Franks.

Franks, just two years from maxing out his legislative pension, is the only beneficiary to a series of hit pieces financed by the Political Action Committee of the Illinois Education Association–the larges teachers’ union in the state.

The original goal of the Democrats was to pave the way for Franks to have no one campaigning against him this fall.

They put up a guy named Jeffrey Lichte, who, from all available evidence, has been a strong supporter of Franks.

Think writing letters to the editor for years, having his name on Franks’ fundraising committee’s “Host Committee” and having Franks’ yard signs in his front and neighbors’ yards.

The first negative mailing came the Tuesday before the Republican Primary Election.

The second one came a day later from the so-called “Government for the People” committee.

Now come three more hit pieces, which you can see below:

Black and red are the colors of choice of the Democrats trying to protect Jack Franks' seat.

Black and red are the colors of choice of the Democrats trying to protect Jack Franks’ seat.  Note the lack of an address in the lower right hand corner of the mailing.  State law requires the identity of the sender of mailers like this.

The hit piece helping Jack Franks, but "officially" disassociated from him alleges financial problems of Republican Steve Reick.

The hit piece helping Jack Franks, but “officially” disassociated from him alleges financial problems of Republican Steve Reick.

All of the hit pieces have a common theme.

Reick hit piece 3-12-16 1 2 address

Another hit piece from a Mike Madigan proxy to try to re-elect Jack Franks this fall.

Another hit piece from a Mike Madigan proxy to try to re-elect Jack Franks this fall.

Here's a third mailing smearing Steve Reick's name.

Here’s a third mailing smearing Steve Reick’s name.

More financial images.

More financial images.

From 3-6 Sunday afternoon the McHenry Township Republican Central Committee is holding a Meet & Greet and Candidates’ Forum at the Johnsburg Community Club right across from St. Patrick’s Catholic Church.

The corn beef and cabbage affair costs only $5 and Reick will be one of the major speakers.

Reick replies in a post on his blog.

Here is part of it:

Steve Reick

Steve Reick

“Here’s where I’m going with all of this.

“If I were an IEA member, or for that matter a member of any public sector union, I’d be more concerned about the bills that Jack Franks is running up down in Springfield.

“While my failure to pay bills on time hurt no one but me and my family, Jack’s responsible for running up over $100 billion in debt that you’re going to have to pay for.

“In 2005 he voted to not fund Illinois’ five pension plans, and we’ll be paying that off for years to come.

“As an extra added bonus, his failure to fund the plans (and don’t think it wasn’t him, that bill passed by only 2 votes) makes it much more likely that those same people funding hit pieces on me will see their pensions dry up and blow away.

Franks Overdue“You can thank Jack Franks for that. His phone number is (815) 334-0063.

“I’m not going to run away from my past, the financial setbacks I’ve had make me a lot more like many of you out there than Jack Franks ever will be.

“You see, I wasn’t given a partnership in my daddy’s law firm on the day I was born.

“I’ve had to work for a living, and sometimes things just didn’t work out.

“But those things happened years ago, and my financial problems weren’t nearly as dire as the flyers make them seem.

“All my bills are paid.

“Can you say the same for the bills that Jack Franks has piled upon you?”


Comments

Union & Trial Lawyer Money Finances Three More Pieces Hitting Steve Reick and More — 12 Comments

  1. The attacks against Mr. Reick is all about the Democrats maintaining supermajority power in the Illinois State House of Representatives.

    The money for the attacks is largely or entirely coming from outside the district, the majority from public sector unions, and some from the Trial Lawyer Association (Jack Franks is a trial lawyer.

    Money from outside the district is nothing new for Jack Franks.

    Mr. Franks has received well over $800,000 from unions, largely from outside the district, since 1998.

    Mr. Franks has annual fundraisers in Chicago, which is obviously far outside his district in western McHenry County (Rockford is closer than Chicago) … think about why … because Jack Franks supporters from outside the district know Mr. Franks is a key for Democrat power in Illinois

    Mr. Franks has voted for many legislative pension benefit hikes to underfunded pensions, which is akin to charging more on a credit card when you do not pay off the monthly balance.

    What has caused taxpayers more financial hardship?

    Steve Reick past due bills?

    Or Jack Franks voting for legislative pension benefit hikes to underfunded pensions.

    It’s not even close.

    Jack Franks is the problem.

    He has to go.

  2. So Mr. Reick, who has faced all the same financial challenges of every normal family in trying to make five days of earnings last seven days, is somehow terrible while Jackie Boy, who hasn’t known a financial struggle in his whole life, somehow sits in judgement of us all while the system he’s rigged against us is supposed to be okay.

    Hmmm.

    Who is more likely to work for the average family?

    Who is more likely to stand against lawyers who pillage those families while laughing all the way to the bank?

    Who is more likely to fight special interests who support further stripping of the present and future financial prospects of normal families?

    These mailers tell the whole arrogant story of an entitled little child in Jack who wants all your money and none of the responsibility for why we all struggle.

    What a sick disconnected entitled person Jack and all his supporters appear to be.

    Reick will win the primary because there are more hurting hard working families in McHenry County than entitled people.

    The general will be the trick because tens of millions of dollars are in play to keep those entitled in place churning out our money to pay for their lifestyles.

  3. Excellent response by Steve.

    We need to get him through the primary (educate your friends, relatives, neighbors) and then we need to work our tails off to defeat those behind the attacks.

    The terrorists shut down a campaign event in Chicago on Friday night.

    WE need to shut down Jack Franks plus his socialist union and lawyer pals in November.

  4. Everywhere I go my voters are telling me they are sick and tired of the constant ROBO calls of negative material about Steve.

    They ask me who is behind it…

    I say..Can you spell Democrat machine.

    Oh.. now I get it they say.

  5. Madigan aide Shaw Decremer behind “Republican” mailer opposing Reick

    What do McHenry County Republican 63rd District candidate Steve Reick and Cook County Democrat 22nd District (Michael Madigan’s district) candidate Jason Gonzalez have in common?

    Shaw Decremer.

    The IEA teacher union PAC, IPACE lists the home address of Democrat Shaw Decremer as the location of the supposedly “Republican Political Party Affiliation” “Independent Expenditure Only PAC” named “Government for the People.”

    ————

    Recap from past articles on this blog.

    Jeffery Lichte’ public voting records which have surfaced indicate Mr. Lichte voted Democrat not Repbulican.

    A Google maps picture of the Jeffery Lichte residence shows a Jack Franks campaign sign in front of Mr. Lichte’s house.

    Mr. Lichte has no campaign website, no campaign literature, did not show up at the League of Women’s Voter Forum at McHenry County College for the race in which he is supposedly a candidate, and no Republican has surfaced that knows Mr. Lichte.

    If he prevails in the Republican primary, how likely is it, given the above information, that Mr. Lichte would make any, much less a serious, Republican attempt to campaign against incumbent Democrat Jack Franks?

    ——————-

    Chicago Tribune

    Editorial: Michael Madigan vs. somebody

    January 15, 2016

    “He waited until 15 minutes before the close of the last day of filing to turn in his signatures at the Springfield office of the Illinois State Board of Elections. But Madigan’s top campaign aide, Shaw Decremer, was there. Waiting.”
    http://www.chicagotribune.com/ct-michael-madigan-primary-edit-bd-20160115-story.html

    Illinois State Board of Elections

    PAC: Illinois PAC for Education (IPACE)

    Expended to: Government for the People

    Address: 2857 W. Leland Ave. Unit 1 Chicago, IL 60625 (Shaw Decremer residence)

    Purpose: Mail pieces opposing Steven Reick candidate for State House 63rd District

    Amount: $12,500

    Date: March 8, 2016

    http://www.elections.state.il.us/CampaignDisclosure/B1List.aspx?ID=1169&FiledDocID=603064&ContributionType=AllTypes&Archived=False

  6. the Opposition must be running scared…

    it’s plain to see by the amount of Money time and effort being spent against Steve ……

    we need Steve Reick in office………….

  7. I heard Reick mouthing off at a local restaurant a little less than a week ago.

    Here’s the impression I get: He isn’t running because of any specific agenda.

    He’s literally running because he has the hubris to believe he can serve this district better than Jack Franks.

    What was shocking to me was how utterly negative Reick was the entire time he was sitting at the table opposite – I’m assuming – people working on his campaign. Reick wasn’t inspiring.

    Reick wasn’t enlightening. He literally spent 45 minutes b****ing and moaning and complaining.

    He talked about everything that was wrong with Illinois and is running a campaign based on what he WON’T do than what he WILL do.

    That’s not leadership, it’s punditry.

    These letters are spot ON.

  8. Here’s Shaw Decremer, the Michael Madigan aide unleased on Mr. Reick.

    Chicago Tribune
    Madigan consolidates power by holding sway in legislative races

    House speaker’s massive campaign operation chooses winners and losers in primary battles

    June 05, 2012

    By John Chase, David Kidwell and Ray Long

    “‘You aren’t going to like me,’ Shaw Decremer declared to those inside Carole Cheney’s headquarters, according to several Cheney staffers in the room.”

  9. **Money from outside the district is nothing new for Jack Franks.**

    LOL – that’s rich, considering that Reick has reporting just under $40k this year, with only $1k being from within the district.

    Hypocrisy much?

  10. Keep in mind the attack ads on Steve Reick in the 63rd Representative District are coming from a political action committee (PAC) which supports a fake Republican, Jeffery Lichte, and is backed by teacher unions, the trial lawyers association (incumbent Jack Franks is a trial lawyer), and others.

    The attack PAC is named Government for the People.

    Here is the filing on the Illinois State Board of Elections website registering Government for the People as opposing real Republican Steve Reick and supporting fake Republican Jeffery Lichte.

    —————-

    Illinois State Board of Elections

    Government for the People

    D-1 Statement of Organization

    Date Committee Created: March 7, 2016

    Independent Expenditure Only PAC (May not make direct contributions or coordinated expenditures)

    This Committee Will Primarily Operate in the Following District: 63rd Representative District (Illinois)

    Political Party Affiliation: Republican

    Purpose of the Political Committee: Elect Supported Candidates in the 63rd

    Candidates the Committee is Supporting or Opposing:

    Jeffery Lichte: Support

    Steven Reick: Oppose

    http://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/CDPdfViewer.aspx?FiledDocID=603111&DocType=Image

    http://www.elections.il.gov > Search Options > Committee Search > Committee Name: Government for the People > D-1 Statement of Organization

    ——————-

    As indicated in the comments above, Shaw Decremer, described by the Chicago Tribune as Michael Madigan’s top campaign aide in a January 15, 2016 article, is behind the mailer funded by the Illinois Education Association (IEA) teacher union PAC named Illinois Political Action Committee for Education (IPACE).

    All of the mailers posted on the blog have been attack mailers against real Republican Steven Reick, with the hopes of electing fake Republican Jeffery Lichte.

    A glimpse into how teacher union PAC contributions are being expended in McHenry County…attacking a real Republican so a fake Republican can win.

    Teachers attack real Republican so fake Republican can win.

    Fake Republican would in turn no doubt allow the incumbent Democrat to win in the general election, since the Google map picture fake Republican Jeffery Lichte’s residence has a campaign sign in his front lawn of incumbent Democrat Jack Franks.

    IEA is the biggest statewide teacher union in Illinois (the other being IFT – the Illinois Federation of Teachers), one of the biggest political influences in Illinois, in some years, arguably the biggest political influence in Illinois.

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