District 6 is the largest in area.
Democrats in McHenry County couldn’t find people to run for lots of county board posts last December.
That’s why there were so many vacancies on the ballot.
Then, they held a secret meeting to slate folks for the offices.
Now one of those who volunteered, District 6’s Allison A. Barnard has dropped out. (Actually, she did it June 24th.)
It appears there has now been another secret meeting at which Cathy Johnson, 8610 S Hill Rd in Marengo has been slated to take on Republicans Jim Kearns and Mary McCann.
Johnson is the Chair for Democrats of District 6.
Andrew Georgi is Johnson’s running mate.
Well too bad McCann and Kearns didn’t just run as the Democrats that they are and then we could have had REAL Conservative Republicans run in the Republican positions.
That’s how honest Government should operate.
Didn’t McCann give money to the Democratic party ( could be a rumor) which is just like giving money to planned parenthood in my opinion.
And Kearns a township pension guy…AND Farmer..( potential tax payer subsidies as well )..
That’s the problem with the McHenry County Board we can’t get real reform, fiscal conservative Republicans in there because we are loaded with Democrats.
Just because someone doesn’t match your personal values, does not eliminate them from being a Republican- you might want to read your party platform.
Just like an organization holding a meeting for its members does not a secret meeting make.
You can not claim to be a journalist and write with such blatant bias and inaccuracies.
I would imagine if Jack Franks showed up at the Republican party meeting he would have been turned away as well.
Reading this blog would make one feel that perhaps this county isn’t the Republican strong you profess it to be if you are all that worried about having a challenger on the ballot.
Inish,
Your eyes are brown
I live and vote in D6 and will vote for anyone rather than McCann.
She has laid waste to Seneca township property values.
Seneca township properties are assessed substantially higher per acre and per square foot of (older) home size than neighboring townships.
She is non-responsive to citizen pleas for responsible spending, protecting our water rights, and freedom to own and operate firearms.
Specific examples;
1. She instituted attempt to essentially ban firearm discharge in our township.
2. She stood aside (did not reply to emails either) when Oakwood Hills power plant incursion threatened all her district’s homeowners’ and farm properties’ water source (well water from aquifer).
3. She is unresponsive to emails asking for her to investigate the alleged quota that Seneca township assessor is subject to, thereby unnaturally elevating the home assessment of our properties relative to the neighboring townships.
4. She votes yes to all County profligate spending including the Randall Road obscenity (as far away from her district as you can get in the county.
It amazes me how completely challenged you two are at having a conversation with anyone who disagrees with you.
You resort to school yards taunts and name calling.
Perhaps you might want to talk to an average citizen in the community.
Attend an event where regular taxpayers are and talk to them.
You have a narrow, skewed, generally inaccurate view of the feelings of your neighbors.
We all agree the state is a wreck, but I never hear a single solution- just meanness and spite.
This is a Republican county- Your school boards are Republicans.
Your county board is Republicans.
The shifting of funds and under funding the pension obligation started under Republican Governors.
You think it is any easier for young families to pay their property taxes?
You think because you are retired you are somehow more entitled?
I am not happy about my taxes either- but I can have a conversation without acting like a 5 year old.
Other than Jackie, has anyone even heard of the other dem “candidates”?
I mean the candidates that have not yet dropped out of their races.
Why are they dropping out before their campaigns even begins?
That raises questions about the effectiveness of your selection process and the quality of your candidates.
Exactly how did you choose your candidates in your highly transparent, dark of the night, behind closed doors meeting, with a whopping 31 people choosing your candidates?
I assume there are more than 31 dems in the county.
What input did the rest of your party have in choosing THEIR candidates?
It appears their input was excluded, and I thought you guys always brag about being the party of inclusion.
Maybe the email defining the selection process was deleted from Hillary’s unprotected, home server.
McCann also refused to protect her district from the devastating financial effect of the Lakewood TIF (which will insert all school cost responsibility on Woodstock D200, while collecting all tax revenue for Lakewood benefit).
We pleaded for McHenry County Board intervention, and McCann kept her silent distance from the issue.
McCann has also been a primary driver behind Valley Hi $41 million surplus recalcitrance toward any equitable intervention to protect taxpayers.
Thanks for the information Susan.
It doesn’t matter how many Dems there are in the county- but how many are precinct committee members- just like for Republicans – that is who votes to caucus candidates.
To position a meeting that was held in alignment with the by laws of an organization as “dark of night” or “behind closed doors” is ridiculous.
The Dem party is this county is small and does not include everyone who votes Democratic.
Just as the Republican party doesn’t.
If someone wants to run for office – they run in the primaries.
Same for both parties.
If someone is caucused in after the primaries, they are voted on by the precinct committee member.
I believe the process is the same for both parties.
Why does that matter to you anyway?
There were five or six Dem candidates in the parade that Cal is covering.
If you want to know go look them up.
Why do you think they need to communicate with you as a register Republican?
I find your assumption of transparency interesting.
There is nothing transparent about the working of the McHenry County Republican party.
SO concentrate on your own house.
Why not find out why Swerka dropped out so abruptly.
Or how Salgado got her job with the Sheriff department given you are against patronage.
Allison Barnard ran in the March Primary and was elected in the March primary.
Her replacement was chosen according to the procedure as outlined in Illinois state statues on elections and the bylaws of the McHenry County Democratic Central Committee.
And, of course, those state statutes don’t require open meetings.
Inish, I believe the Northwest Herald, Daily Herald, Chicago Tribune and this very blog, were abundantly clear on why I “dropped out so abruptly” as you put it…
As far as the resolution to stand against Nepotism that you speak of goes – if you recall, the term “patronage” was very intentionally omitted from the resolution – and one can only suspect that that which you speak of had a great deal to do with why the term was omitted.
I personally found that to be hypocritical, myself.
**And, of course, those state statutes don’t require open meetings.**
Correct, because they are not government meetings, or government funded in any way.
They are private organizations.
I will tell you the difference between being caucused in then running in a primary.
Because you do not know their views on what is going on at the time during the primary.
How many voters would like to know how the Dems that were caucused on the Randall Rd project?
How about Prevailing Wage?
How about pensions?
How about I90/Rt. 23?
How about the unions?
Each month goes by and different things are voted on?
Randall Rd, Prevailing wage and the Pensions.
Randall Rd and Pensions have been voted on now they can react to what the Board did.
It is much easier to sit back and play armchair then to be upfront on your views.
This goes for all levels and both parties.
I don’t think that you should be able to caucus anyone unless that a person runs in the primary and for a medical issue/death is unable to continue.
If you are not in the Primary it is easy to caucus.
So anyone that caucused in my mind should lose automatically!
No, it is not easy to caucus candidates in to fill a vacancy in nomination from lack of a candidate in the primary.
It needs to be done with petition signatures equal to what was needed to get on the primary ballot but those signatures can not be gathered until after the candidate is chosen by the district committee.
In practical effect, that is less than half the time given to collect signatures for the primary.
Moreover, you should avoid having anyone who voted in another party’s primary because their signature could be challenged and kicked off.
It is for the ELECTION in November that voters really need to know what all the candidates, no matter how they legally got on the ballot, believe.
Start asking them now.
Kathy your are trying to educate people who don’t want to know the truth I am a republican but I am sad because the people that call themselves republican in McHenry County eat their own and do not understand the democracy process nor do they support it.
Kearns is no republican. He ran 4 grafton township sup as an independent candidate.