McHenry County Board Outmaneuvered by Nimble Jack Franks Again

Democratic Party Jack Franks has a great sense of timing.

And, as I have told many folks, timing is pretty much everything in politics.

Franks pushed for an elected County Executive and ended up with an elected County Board Chairman.

Less power–not even a vote on the Board or veto power–but elected at-large.

Franks advocates for a smaller County Board and the Republicans on the County Board put such an advisory referendum on the ballot this fall, even though every County Board member knows it will pass.

Franks called the County Board out for taking pensions for their part-time jobs.

He asked the McHenry County State’s Attorney to appoint a Special Prosecutor to see if County Board members had criminally violated the law which says members must work 1000 hours a year to qualify for their pensions.

Lou Bianchi made a move to do so, then backtracked.

Franks convinced the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund to probe the situation and it is.

On May 3rd, Republican County Board Chairman nominee Mike Walkup  called for abolishing those IMRF pensions starting next term, but the Northwest Herald ignored that.

Jack Franks demonstrates he is physically nimble.

Jack Franks demonstrates he is physically nimble by jumping over a road barrier at the Marengo parade.

When Franks caught State Senator Pam Althoff’s bill (Senate Bill 2701) to require time sheets to be kept to document the 1000 hours, the NWH ran an article.

This past week, Franks snagged another article by amending the bill to abolish such pensions.

It does mention the Walkup call for abolition, but Franks got top billing.

Of course, “Franks rejected the idea that he amended Althoff’s bill as part of an election campaign,” he told the Northwest Herald.

The amendment is in the House Rules Committee and awaits judgment from House Speaker Mike Madigan before it can be considered further.

(A Sangamon County Board member, Tony DelGiorno, got caught in the Jack Franks trap.  The Springfield attorney is running for State Representative as a Democrat against an appointed Republican woman, Sara Wojcicki Jimenez.  Will the legislation help or hurt Madigan’s candidate?)

The McHenry County Board could have preempted that legislation by expeditiously following Mike Walkup’s advice.

But it did not.

And that is the problem with the County Board.

It is not nimble.

Perhaps that is a consequence of its being a relative large legislative body.

Whatever the reason, Jack is nimble.

Jack is quick.

When he sees an opening he jumps, not over a candlestick, but over his opponents’ possible response.

The County Board is not.

That may cost Republicans seats in November, not to mention the County Board Chairmanship.


Comments

McHenry County Board Outmaneuvered by Nimble Jack Franks Again — 28 Comments

  1. Great, post Cal.

    It was well balanced and factual.

    Didn’t know about the Althoff bill.

  2. Fighting – What’s your address?

    I have a uniform and Pom-Poms to send you

  3. Quit promoting gas bag Cal.

    Your attacks on Franks show your bias.

    The county board is a bunch of wanna be politicians who only care about themselves.

    They take pensions.

    They take health care.

    Jack Franks will bring balance to the Republican County Board.

    Look closely… this is a Republican problem and a gas bag problem… not a Jack Franks problem.

  4. “It does mention the Walkup call for abolition, but Franks got top billing.”

    But what it fails to mention is DEMOCRAT Lying Jack Franks support for the DEMOCRAT plan to put tranny washrooms in McHenry County schools.

    Cover your ears kids this is going to get ugly.

  5. The crooks will always outcrook the yokels.

    We have a preponderance of yokels running the county.

    Just following Cal’s blog would show the evidence of that.

  6. You, of course, know that Andrew Gasser does not participate in the County’s Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund pension plan.

  7. Folks….to the point…you have to listen to Michael’s speech again….I was the last board member hired…There was no guidance during the onboarding process to help me in the IMRF decision….Indeed it went unquestioned as it has since 1999….does anyone think that Mr Franks was in the dark about this IMRF thing all that time? C’mon, people! this issue rested like an arrow in the quiver…until such time as it was expedient to political advantage..Someday perhaps people will grow tired of being emotionally played in this manner…Personally I was very angry that as one wished me well on my appointment…..he did not let me know what was ahead regarding IMRF…I chose not to take it for my own reasons…luckily or as Mr Walkup has stated I would have been stuck in that motel..

  8. Jack is the Jack of all cards, Jack of skipping, Jack of avoiding, Jack of swerve and deflect, Jack of empty promises and Jack will soon be falling down the hill and Jill and his misguided constituents will be tumbling after him.

    Good rid dens Jack!

  9. Thank you Mr. Thorsen for jumping in & explaining this
    Yet again !
    This was a intentional DISGUSTING attack on the Board by Franks.

    As mentioned before, does he contact board members, or do any
    Investigating ?

    No, Franks goes directly to the States Attorney & starts
    Making accusations.

    Wake up & see the manipulative career politician playing
    Dirty public tricks on real public servants trying to create
    Good change & do their jobs !

  10. It’s hard to follow this argument. Are you guys (who are usually so anti-spending) pissrd at Jack Franks for pulling the chain on how many thousands of dollars going into part-time county board membered pensions? Is that what you’re passed about? Because whether he has a D or and R after his name, Jack’s pulling the pig heads out of the trough.

  11. Rested like a arrow in a quiver by no one’s fault but their own.

    The County Board ACTIVELY voted to raise the requirement from 60 hours to a 1,000.

    Now they want to claim they had no idea.

    Sorry- no pass.

    They are elected to be responsibility for millions of dollars of tax dollars and decisions that impact hundreds of thousands of people- and I should just accept they didn’t read?

    Sure- this is a political stunt- and you know why it is working- because rather than correct the issue and move on- they are trying to shift the blame to say that somehow, this very real, concrete issue is not relevant because Franks brought it up.

    This is exactly why he wins every time- the Republican leadership reacts to whatever Franks does rather than respond.

    Instead of spending so much time on whether he will run for one or the other- why aren’t you concentrated on figuring out how to beat him?

    Because at the end of the day you know he can, and likely will win both.

  12. Great point you bring up, Inish.

    Did they actually make their own rule up and then claim ignorance?

    Are we beginning to see my point about yokels running the show?

    Clearly no match for the devious snake in the grass.

  13. Come on, Devious snakes??

    Your bias is showing- Jack is just a better strategist and smarter.

    Not devious- strategist.

    Yokels making multi million dollar decisions and then crying foul when they get bit by the dog of their own creation.

    Just fix it and move on- but NO- keep pointing the finger at Jack- never realizing it just makes him look good.

    There is no defense.

    Fix it- show some leadership.

    But no- your readers want to say- Jack should give up his pension instead…

    You were in the House-

    I am guessing you worked more than 1,000 per year.

    The issue isn’t about Jack- he just shined the light on their own mess- and we both know there is no shortage of other examples to do the same thing over and over…

    they leave themselves exposed.

    Keep your own house in order and you don’t get played.

  14. Inish you are forgetting that IMRF gets to keep every dollar accumulated that was paid into it by the county after the individual contributions are refunded…..

    17 years ago the county changed the hourly requirement…

    How many there now were there then?

    Your logic assumed a tenure that is beyond the norm…

    in any event the county board at that time said the job was a 1000/yr job…

    without a punchclock and an hourly wage..

    the only way you account for that is by keeping an ongoing journal….

    like attorneys do…

    I don’t believe this has ever been required or expected by county boardmembers throughout the state….

    I did not take IMRF and I believe IMRF wanted elected officials to be involved as many of them would facilitate contributions from the county and WOULD NOT BE IN OFFICE LONG ENOUGH TO EVER COLLECT…

    because you see…I think the system is corrupt at the admin level of IMRF…

    clearly they were in the most unique position to understand the legal dynamics in play here…..FROM DAY ONE…

    and they allowed this to become the norm…..because it funded IMRF…

    Still no one sees how we are being played by this argument….

    alas we are being played so very well…

    as for you, Cal…I think you serve us still

  15. JLet us remember that Jack Franks was a key proponent of an elected McHenry Countyt Board Chairman.

    He set the stage by claiming that the Board Members did not work hard enough, got pensions for part time work and failed to lower property taxes.

    When I read that Franks was pushing for voters to support an elected County Board Chairman instead of being elected by the Board, I knew that Franks was going to run for the Chairman position.

    Jack makes all of the usual democRAT populist noise about lowering property taxes and making the Board more responsive and efficient.

    Like all democRATS he will do and say anything to get elected and then forget what he promised.

    Jack threw his hat in the ring because he is setting himself up for retirement and, would like to turn the McHenry County Board from Republican to DemocRAT.

    Please tell me when a democRAT ever advocated for lower taxes and smaller government.

    Jack will retire from the state legislature with a pension and then plans to retire from the McHenry County Board Chairmanship with another pension paid for by us, the taxpayers of McHenry County.

    Please tell me how Franks plans to lower McHenry County property taxes when,

    (1) the Chairmanship will have budget which is on top of the current Board Budget, and,

    (2) the chairman will have a pension and healthcare upon retirement.

    These are additional costs that will be paid by McHenry County taxpayers so that Franks can live comfortably in retirement.

    His claim that he will lower property taxes is a lie.

    He can’t.

    His own chairmanship will add to the county’s cost of doing business and to the contrary will require tax hikes.

    Jack Franks has three favorite people, me, myself, and I.

    He is a lying, feckless, little democRAT who supported Mike Madigan on all important legislation that has crippled the state of Illinois.

    Given the power he will do the same in McHenry County.

  16. The new McHenry County Board Chairman will not receive a pension.

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