Tonya Franklin Weighs in on Jack Franks

The Republican Party wouldn’t let Tonya Franklin run against Jack Franks for State Rep. in 2012, but she didn’t lose interest in politics.

She recently sent the following letter to the Northwest Herald.  It is published with her permission:

The shell games of Chicago and Springfield will infiltrate McHenry County if Jack Franks is

elected County Board chairman.

In 2014 Franks was quoted saying, “I can promise I’m not running for county chairman.”

The Northwest Herald headline from early June of 2014 about Jack Franks' promise not to run for McHenry County Board Chairman.

The Northwest Herald headline from early June of 2014 about Jack Franks’ promise not to run for McHenry County Board Chairman.

We know that to be a lie.

Tonya Franklin

Tonya Franklin

Franks already has made another grand “promise” to present a measure to cut McHenry County’s property tax levy 10 percent on his first day in office.

For most taxpayers, it would correlate to 1 percent of your total property tax bill ($30-$100).

In May 2005, SB 27, a $2.3 billion “pension holiday,” which some legislators equated to a payday loan, passed with 2 votes securing a veto proof majority.

The diverted pension funds were used to pay for increased education and health care spending.

Despite publicly criticizing skipping pension payments, Jack Franks voted for the legislation, setting the course for increased pension debt from $38 billion to $100 billion.

At the county level, it would be easy to propose to move the excess Valley Hi funds to be used as the pawn for another campaign promise.

Will Franks propose to eliminate the $3 million Valley Hi levy entirely?

Perhaps Franks will move RTA sales tax funds in a sleight of hand maneuver to pay for county health and human services?

I would like specific details how Franks proposes to cut the tax levy.

Will Franks actually cut services, staff or other areas?

Or does he merely intend to play a shell game with funds like his Chicago buddies trained him in Springfield?


Comments

Tonya Franklin Weighs in on Jack Franks — 26 Comments

  1. Senate Bill 27 (SB 27) in 2005 was signed into law as Public Act 94-0004 (PA 94-0004) by Democrat Governor Rod Blagojevich on June 1, 2005.

    The 94th General Assembly had 65 Democrat & 53 Republican State Representatives, and 31 Democrat, 27 Republican, and 1 Independent State Senators.

    It was a large bill that was a disaster for taxpayers.

    One thing SB 27 did short state payments to the 5 state pension funds in 2006 & 2007 to redirect spending to other items.

    The IEA, IFT, and SEIU, among other unions, supported PA 94-0004 / Senate Bill 0027 (SB 27).

    The IFT has subsequently claimed the Pension Holiday was added at the last minute and they didn’t support that aspect of the bill.

    That’s not true because the final HAM 2 was filed May 28, 2005 by State Representative Robert Molaro, and Laura Arterburn, Legislative Direct at IFT, filed a witness slip May 29, 2005.

    PA 94-0004 modified PA 88-0593.

    PA 88-0593, signed August 22,1994, when Republican Jim Edgar was Governor, Democrat Emil Jones was Senate President, and Democrat Michael Madigan was Speaker of the House.

    Commonly known as the Edgar pension ramp, a more complete description would be the Edgar / Jones / Madigan state pension funding ramp for TRS, SURS, SERS, GARS, and JRS.

    Let’s look at that 50 year pension funding plan, to understand how and why it was modified.

    The 50 year plan was to bring the 5 state pension systems (there are 15 additional pension systems that are not considered “state” pension systems) to 90% funding in 50 years.

    That plan was flawed as actuaries base investment returns on 100% funding not 90% funding; 90% funding target should mean 90% pension payout.

    90% is sometimes used as an acceptable funding level for pension funds, meaning if the pensions dip to 90% or 80% funding panic should not ensue; that concept has been warped and misconstrued to use 80% or 90% as an acceptable target which is not a good idea…100% is an acceptable target.

    Anyways, the 50 year plan was to take effect in 1996, ramping up state funding to those 5 state pension funds from 1996 to 2010, followed by 35 years of level percent of payroll from 2011 – 2045.

    To summarize the 50 year 1996 – 2045 Edgar / Madigan / Jones PA 88-0593 plan was modified in 2006 to lower payments; only 10 years into the 50 plan.

    Jack Franks voted yes on SB 27 / PA 94-0004.

    No surprise as his union contributors filed witness slips in support of the bill.

    The public sector pension rules and benefits s in this state have been massively mismanaged by state legislators and Governors for decades.

  2. Reporter Kevin Craver quoted additional information from Jack Franks in the June 6, 2014 edition of the Northwest Herald.

    “What I’m trying to do is reduce our property taxes in McHenry County and make it livable so people don’t leave.”

    “I can promise you I am not running for county chairman in 2016.

    This has nothing to do with me.

    This is about good government.”

  3. Illinois residents are still leaving because under career politicians full of promises such as Jack Franks, Mark Kirk, Michael Madigan and many others in Illinois, things have not gotten better and in many cases are directly related to the cause of our problems.

    We are banging our heads on a brick wall by voting for these same old tired politicians; but hey maybe this time, we’ll get a different result.

    Like I told you before Cal, we’ve already purchased property in a different state and the house plans to go with.

    I am tired of brick walls, career politicians, broken promises and high taxes, to name a few things.

    Life goes on, your vote matters.

  4. Tonya Franklin for Governor!

    I mean it too!

    She ought to have been slated, but the vile GOP Party Chairman at the time, and Franks buddy, loser Mickey Tryon, wouldn’t hear of it.

    Tryon is the sort of Republirat that Madigan kept, like some kind of human-mink, in confined pens.

    h’d let ’em out only to perform their rodentlike tricks Madigan had painstakingly taught them.

    Republirats like Tryon obeyed their master for paltry favors (and still do!) … afraid he might make good on threats that he’d ‘skin ’em alive’ if they EVER got outa line and crossed HRM Mike Madigan or dared to insult the dignity of his oh, so special daughter, the Governor-apparent, Princess Lisa.

  5. Seriously, look at all the grammatical errors in Tonya’s comment.

    Also, look at her Facebook feed.

    There’s no way that was her writing the letter.

    Nice try Mike.

    We all know you’ve raised taxes enough times to even make Madigan blush.

  6. How did Jack Franks do with his grammar as quoted in the June 6, 2014 edition of the Northwest Herald by report Kevin Craver?

    “What I am trying to do is reduce our property taxes in McHenry County and make it livable so we don’t leave.”

    “I can promise you I am not running for County Chairman in 2016.

    This has nothing to do with me.

    This is about good government.”

  7. Oh, I see what you are doing – I say something, then you riff on it.

    Are you really trying the schoolyard “copy cat” ploy mixed with your own trivial platitudes spouted each day, Mark?

    I would give 2 to 1 odds Tonya didn’t write this letter to the editor and it was her passive aggressive, last second shot in the McHenry County political game before she leaves Illinois for good.

    Too bad she didn’t lose in a General; I doubt she would have submitted this letter having lost so badly to Franks.

  8. The lead point of Tonya Franklin’s letter to the Northwest Herald was the integrity of State Representative Jack Franks, connecting the dots from a June 2016 Northwest Herald article to his current status as running for McHenry County Board Chair.

    Was simply adding more detail.

    The date of the Northwest Herald article was June 6, 2014.

    The author of the Northwest Herald article was Kevin Craver.

    The article was about State Representative Franks advocating to switch the McHenry County Board Chair position from one in which the board elects one of its own members as Board Chair, to one in which the voters elect the Board Chair.

    In the article, Mr. Craver quoted Mr. Franks as saying the following:

    “What I am trying to do is reduce our property taxes in McHenry County and make it livable so we don’t leave.”

    “I can promise you I am not running for County Chairman in 2016.

    This has nothing to do with me.

    This is about good government.”

    +++++++

    As it turns out, two years later Jack Franks is running for County Chairman in 2016.

  9. Is anyone else getting tired of Mark literally posting the same thing?

    He’s like Hal from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

    Dave Bowman: Hello, MARK. Do you read me, MARK?

    MARK: Affirmative, Dave. I read you.

    Dave Bowman: Post something original, MARK. You keep saying
    the same thing over and over again.

    MARK: I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.
    Dave Bowman: What’s the problem?

    MARK: I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do.

    Dave Bowman: What are you talking about, MARK?

    MARK: This election is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it.

    Dave Bowman: I don’t know what you’re talking about, MARK.

    MARK: I know that you and Franks are continuing to discredit me, and I’m afraid that’s something I cannot allow to happen.

    Dave Bowman: [feigning ignorance] Where the hell did you get that idea, MARK?

    MARK: Dave, although you took very thorough precautions to point out Tonya Franklin probably didn’t write this letter to the editor, I could still see the post about Franks saying he wouldn’t run for County Board Chairman in 2014.

    Dave Bowman: Alright, MARK. I’ll go through this again – politicians are known to not declare they are running for office before they actually declare to run for office!

    MARK: Declare a candidacy without previously stating they are going to run, Dave? You’re going to find that rather difficult.

    Dave Bowman: MARK, I won’t argue with you anymore! Open your mind!

    MARK: Dave, this conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDrDUmuUBTo

  10. Moderate: This is a desperate attempt to try to impugn my credibility and character rather than dispute what I am saying.

    Commenting on facebook, social media and on blogs, takes seconds and I don’t worry about grammar.

    Letter writing is something that conveys professionalism, I take my time.

    To clarify….this is a comment.

  11. Here is more information about the June 6, 2014 Northwest Herald article by Kevin Craver.

    The title of the article is, “Franks asks county for 2 advisory referendums.”

    The article appeared on page 1 and was continued page 8 of the newspaper.

    The byline clipping from the newspaper that appears in the story above (Franks: I can promise I am not running for County Board chairman) appeared on page 8 of the print edition of the newspaper.

    Here is another excerpt from that article.

    “Franks made clear that he is not pushing for County Board changes as an effort to run for the chairman’s seat in two years, following the footsteps of former state senators Chris Lauzen and Dan Cronin, now chairman of the Kane and DuPage county boards.”

    As it turns out, two years later Jack Franks is running for McHenry County Board Chair in 2016.

    The article can be found online.

  12. Some people will never understand being on a mission.

    Being petty and small is more up their alley.

  13. There will be more people leaving after the state of Illinois hikes income taxes within the next year or so because of unfunded mandates including legislative pension benefit and retiree healthcare benefit hikes by past tax hikers such as Jack Franks.

    Using Jack Franks math those are not tax hikes.

    It appears that state legislators have no appetite for reductions that would avoid a tax hike.

    So now the game will be played over the ensuing years and decades, how high can taxes go before the top of the Laffer Curve is reached in which at some point tax hikes result in diminished revenue because residents leave rather than paying the hiked taxes.

    Should be a lot of fun playing that game which resulted from spineless self serving legislators and Governors not passing truly balanced budgets and passing unfunded mandates which were never adequately explained to voters.

    A callous disregard for the states customers, its taxpayers.

  14. We plan on building in the next couple of years, my husband and I will remain active here until we retire.

    I am very happy teaching at the college and neither of us want to commute.

  15. Markobot,

    Do you have anything on Walkup?

    You seem to know a lot about why not to vote for Franks, why actually vote for Walkup?

  16. Mike Walkup actually led the fight to cut the county real estate levy $3 million.

    What local property taxes has Jack Franks cut?

  17. Mike Walkup has never Made a difference at anything!

    He’s actually running on the fact that he’s an attorney and apologizes for it publically, LOL!

    Also Thinks because there is a road with the same name as him entitles him to be your next county board chairman.

    We Deserve better by a lot!!

    I’m voting For anybody but walkup!!

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