A letter to editor of the Daily Herald from Wonder Lake’s Kelly Liebmann:
Think carefully before cutting board size
Before voting “yes” to reduce the McHenry County Board size this November, I would like you to consider the following: Advocates for reducing the county board size cited Los Angeles County’s enormous population and budget but meager five member board.
However, supporters have failed to explain to residents that Los Angeles County was also the first local government to be granted Home Rule in the U.S., having greater taxing powers than McHenry County’s system of county government.
Furthermore, unlike the committee format of government that McHenry County utilizes, LACB is the county legislature, yielding much more authority by operating in a legislative, executive, and quasi-judicial capacity.
The reach of power granted as an executive body is most distressing, allowing LACB the ability to dictate actions of county departments and their operations.
I discovered additional staggering facts about the Los Angeles County Board from a Los Angeles Times article describing the board as the “five kings,” enriched by a system with virtually no checks and balances.
In addition to their $189,000 annual salary, each supervisor is allotted $3 million per year for staff, cars, office expenses and pet projects.
McHenry County has yet to discover the reactions or consequences of having an executive county board chair.
The new position is not subject to the same rules as our 24 member board, it is a position supported by separate staff and independent legal representation. Voters, do not make the referendum decision with haste. Vote no to reducing the size of McHenry County Board.
do you work for the MCC Bd?
by chance?
or plan to ?
Too many cooks spoil the broth.
I will vote to reduce.
Several school districts have much more responsibility, more employees, thousands of students, bus transportation, meal service, and get by just fine with 7 non-paid board members.
How is it that a self proclaimed libertarian in Liebman is against decreasing the size of the board?
Also, strawman much?
“Don’t decrease the size of the McBoard because it will lead to Los Angeles’ problems?”
False equivalency.
Just because it happened there doesn’t mean it will happen here.
Also, the political constituencies of LA and McHenry County are vastly different.
Or, what if this system would actually work really well for the McBoard?
What if a strong executive is what we need instead of a weak, decentralized, bloated board?
Liebmann argues with far to much certainty.
Her criticisms are unwarranted and I’d be curious to see which board members or candidates would be willing to place their political futures next to proposing raising salaries after the recent cut to pension benefits.
Cal Skinner has repeatedly brought up this argument as well.
It’s nonsense.
There isn’t a single board member with the political cajones large enough to ask taxpayers for a six figure raise after cutting benefits.
Nonsense.
Daily Herald article from today
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160831/news/160839826/
“Costs to operate the county board in the collar counties ranged from a high of nearly $2.5 million in Will County to a little more than $700,000 in McHenry County last year. All five collar counties combined spent just $500,000 more than Cook County’s tab.”
If the Board is cut from 24 to 12 members, I have suggested that at some point future members will say, “We’re doing twice the work. We should get paid twice as much.”
Don’t know where the six figure suggestion came from.
Certainly not from me or anyone else with whom I have spoken.
Virtually every one of the school boards in McHenry County take as much extra money each year as the Tax Cap will allow.
I have to say I prefer a 24-member board that has kept the levy on current taxpayers flat or lower for the last four years.
I am absolutely FOR reducing the size of the board.
Unfortunately, this is NOT THE TIME to do this.
The huge problem staring you in the face is that the taxpayers cannot trust even one of those board members as far as they can throw them.
You risk way more than just Cal’s nightmare about asking for more money.
These are very dangerous times to relinquish what little control we can muster with the twenty-four.
When the elections are stolen and Jacko is the King; you will be sorry to not have anyone you can turn to.
Hell’s Bells ……..
Just make Lying Jack Franks king, and as they say in the Mob
Forget-about-it
Keep the 24 member county board.
++++++++++
7 non paid board members are found on most school boards which in many school districts are controlled by union supported candidates.
The County has 11 labor union locals.
+++++++++
Each politician on a 24 member board has less power than a 12 member board.
1/24 = .04
1/12 = .08
That’s one reason the Democrats want to reduce the size of the County Board.
Any elected Democrat would have more political power.
++++++++
Democrat Jack Franks’ County Board Chair campaign v Republican Mike Walkup centers on him exceeding the scope of the County Board Chair position in a ridiculous unsupported claim to reduce taxes 10% in every single taxing districts (each which as an elected board) in McHenry County.
Jack Franks refuses to release the plan until after the election.
You can’t see the plan until after you vote.
Jack Franks two years ago, while pushing two county advisory referendums, told Kevin Craver of the Northwest Herald he would not run for County Board Chair in 2016.
The story appeared in the June 6, 2014 edition of the Northwest Herald, titled, “Franks Asks County for 2 Advisory Referendums.”
One referendum would prevent taxing districts from increasing property tax levies if overall EAV falls.
The other referendum was to reduce the county board from 24 members to 16 members, each representing their own district (their is currently 6 districts, with 4 members per district).
Kevin Craver quoted Jack Franks as saying the following:
“I can promise you I am not running for county chairman in 2016.
This has nothing to do about me.
This is about good government.”
Mark, Mark, Mark!
You are talking facts and common sense to people that have only an emotional reaction.
More is better but less is cheaper.
That’s the kind of thinking you have to address.
Not facts and statistics.
They don’t understand all of that when their heart is telling them to reduce.
It is about power followed by money.
If you reduce the county board more power is granted to each individual.
Turn over for the board has been fairly good.
Now if you lower the board yes they will want and will get more money.
Committees will be dwindled to 5 or even 3.
Now add in outside influence to those board members.
It is much harder to buy 24 county board members than it is say 7.
Jack has been planning this for years and the public and the Republican Party has slept at the wheel.
When the board went to 24 members the population was much less.
Now you want to decrease the board with more population?
School Boards do not have committees that the County Board has.
They don’t have to deal with Planning and Development, DOT, Sheriffs office, States Attorney so comparing them is wrong.
I sure do hope that the Republican Party starts getting its act together because if not Jack will become King!
I have heard Serwatka state, many time, essentially the same thing as “Live” above.
That a 12-member board can much more easily be bought and controlled by outsiders or any politically ambitious person/entity with deep pockets – and that the maneuver of Chairman-at-large (which was a mistake) could very well be the first step toward a much bigger end-game of buying/controlling MC county government.
The two most vocal against Serwatka on this were Walkup and Kurtz.
Perhaps they have agendas of their own…
Live….
you say “school boards do not have committees that the County Board has”….
you know not of what you speak!!
There are always going to be some
Secret big spenders.
If no one opposes them on a committee things could get out of hand quickly & maybe under the radar.
With Jacko Franko wanting to wade in
And create his chaos this feeds into
His POWER HUNGRY plan
The timing is OH SOOOO WRONG, &
Voters need more education on this
So that it is VOTED AGAINST for now.
20,000 people as a guide line of how many people a board member should represent.
That would mean 16 county board members now with the possibility of more as growth occurs.
Single rep districts, not the 4 per district we have now.
No pensions or healthcare.
They should start by not allowing healthcare benefits
Take away everything from the board members and you will have the independently wealthy and retired public pensioners running the County Board.
You think you have problems now?
@Jim, Please read my comments again.
I said School Boards do not have the committees that the County Board has.
Tell me Jim what committees do the School Boards have?