Here’s the five-minute talk that Republican County Board Chairman candidate Mike Walkup gave Monday at the League of Women Voters event that Democrat Jack Franks refused to attend:
Mike Walkup’s Address to the League of Women Voter’s Forum
Mike Walkup
This is the first time in our history that the McHenry County board chairman will be elected by all of the people of McHenry County instead of being appointed by the board members.
It is therefore very important that both candidates have a chance to talk about the race and respond to questions posed to both of them with opportunities for mutual responses.
But where is Jack?
It should come as no surprise that Rep. Franks is not at this forum.
He also ducked this same forum two years ago when he was running for his 9th term as state representative.
Perhaps he didn’t want to have to explain then how he was supposed to have retired after 3 terms as promised before his razor thin victory in 1998.
Were he to show up this year, he would have to explain in addition how he was quoted by the Northwest Herald as saying, in response to a question about whether his campaign to have the county board chairman elected at large was because he wanted to run for the position;
“I will not run for county chairman in 2016.”
The Northwest Herald headline from early June of 2014 about Jack Franks’ promise not to run for McHenry County Board Chairman.
These….Were….Lies.
And they were not inconsequential lies because the first enabled Mr. Franks to eek out a 130 vote election victory to put him in Springfield where he has remained ever since, and the second enabled the referendum to pass which has allowed him to run for county board chairman this year.
He has continued along the same vein in this election by distorting what the position is all about and what he would be able to do if elected.
That is the same as a lie.
Unlike Mr. Franks, I am running for Chairman of the McHenry County Board.
Mike Walkup
He is running for dictator of McHenry County.
We know this because he told WGN radio in an interview earlier that he was seeking the office because he “wants to run McHenry County”.
McHenry county government does not ‘run McHenry County’ and the county board chairman does not run McHenry county government.
We have a professional county administrator for the latter.
No unit of government ‘runs McHenry County’.
We have over 100 separate and independent units of local government, most with their own taxing authority.
By state statute, the county board chairman merely chairs the meetings of the full county board and performs any other functions solely at the pleasure of the county board.
That’s why the county board chairman needs to be someone who has or can quickly forge a good working relationship with the board.
We will not get anywhere by having four years of ‘board wars’ similar to what we saw in Chicago during the terms of Jayne Byrne and Harold Washington.
It will paralyze county government.
Mike Walkup
We have, in McHenry county government, one of the best functioning governments anywhere around, certainly much better than the state government of which Mr Franks has been a part for 18 years.
We do not need a Springfield in Woodstock.
We do not need a Mike Madigan in McHenry County.
We need someone who recognizes that he is a facilitator, not a dictator.
As for myself, I have been on the county board for the past 3+ years.
During that time county government has reduced it’s budget by over ten percent, a savings of more than $20 million per year.
We were also the first local government of which I am aware that did not take the allowed cost of living increases, which is a permanent reduction of about $2.5 million per year amounting to over $10 million so far.
Last year I spearheaded the effort to take a temporary pass on the valley hi special tax levy, saving $3 million or 4.6% of the property tax bill attributable to county government, and am pushing for that to become a permanent elimination this year.
Despite all of that, the county retains a triple A bond rating and our financial director received a major award this year, one of several the county has received over the past few years.
Compare that with the situation in Springfield.
County government is doing its part to reduce property taxes. Other units of government now need to follow its example.
If elected the first ever county board chairman, I hope to continue with the good work we have started by recommending to the board further reductions in a responsible fashion that do not impair vital services on which our county residents depend.
Furthermore, I will not serve more than two terms as chairman, will not to seek any other offices during that time, and I will not back down from that pledge for any reason.
Thank you.
Wow Mike, so well said !
Hands clapping & doing
A happy dance ! 🙂
Vote for Mike both for Chairman and in his district for County Board member.
It would save taxpayer dollars.
You have our votes Mike.
18 yrs in Springfield and Frans has proved himself to be as useless as tits on a bull and a liar too.
We don’t need any more typical politicians in politics if we’re going to survive in IL and McHenry County.
Cut 10 is a fallacy (another lie) as the county board chairman would have no such power, and furthermore 10% is for all county operations so in order for the BOARD to cut 10, they would need to eliminate ALL services county govt provides.
Some can be cut but Franks wouldn’t have that power as chairman.
What will it take for people to see this liar for what he is?
Walkup has our support because while on the board he actually DID cut taxes.
I loved when that democrat stood up and yelled
I think when he was told no, there were some expletives an he left disgusted.
I always thought that the Leagues format doesn’t really help, but the other two races that were showcased that night were very helpful.
Tirio/Kenneally were the clear winners.
and for the first time I can remember, the highest attended with 103 people there.
Never miss an exciting episode – http://www.lyingjackfranks.com/
We need better transparency so voters know how their money is being spent.
– collective bargaining agreement change documents to compare the current agreement to the previous agreement (underline text for additions, stricken text for deletions)
– bond debt service schedules (annual principal and interest payments to bondholders)
– Statistics for each pension system in the taxing district:
* annual unfunded liability in dollars over 10 years
* annual employer pension contribution over 10 years
* annual state pension contribution over 10 years
* annual percent funded over 10 years
– Statistics for each retiree healthcare system in the taxing district:
* see above example
– Employee annual compensation including line item detail for all extras and fringes over 10 years.
– Explanation of current healthcare benefit coverage and amount employee contributes to t he plan.
– A calculator so taxpayers can estimate how much they would need in an annuity to match a public sector pension for any given employee; this varies by pension system.
++++++
Taxpayers are largely in the dark about the biggest cost drivers to higher property taxes:
– pensions
– bonds
– retiree healthcare
– collective bargaining agreements
– administrator contracts
– current benefits
– unfunded and underfunded mandates from state lawmakers (State Representative, State Senator, Governor) to Local taxing district boards
The hikes to those over time is what has driven up property taxes.
It’s a combination of state law hikes (unfunded and underfunded state mandates on local), and local hikes, over the years and decades that has hiked property taxes.
Because taxpayers don’t understand the basics of those categories, the changes over time, the hikes per employee over time, the taxpayers don’t have the information to advocate in a knowledgeable fashion.
The Republican County Board has a long way to go in those areas.
Democrat Jack Franks basically just tells the voters what they want to hear at any given moment, in particular with his future predictions (serve maximum 3 terms as State Rep, won’t run for County Board Chair, 10% property tax cut for all taxing districts).
And as long as its legal he’ll do whatever it takes to win, such as not debating the candidate (Mike Walkup) for the position (County Board Chair) he advocated to be voter elected (County Board Chair).
Here is the progression.
– Advocate to create the position.
– Say you won’t run for the position.
– Run for the position
– Refuse to debate the opposing candidate.
– Refuse to release the plan for the central campaign pledge (Cut 10) until after the election.
The last two points are out of order.
– Refuse to release the plan for the central campaign pledge (Cut 10) until after the election.
– Refuse to debate the opposing candidate.
No Mike, that bond rating was achieved by sap taxpayers, coerced into paying those over the top taxes every year.
And send that financial directors award to every homeowner.
We’re the ones actually performing financial miracles fighting off year after year increases.
Any and all in office up to now are responsible for this punitive tax environment.
As the song goes, this is a choice between “cancer and polio”, as far as I’m concerned.
And exactly what has Mike done other than claim his ancestors legacy?
That triple A rating is not his to claim.
How long were you on the Valley Hi board Mike as that surplus was growing????
Let’s see . . . 8+ billion in Illinois
State debt with Jacko in Springfield
For 18 years & hanging with the BIG
SPENDERS.
Those are the facts Jack !
Inish, they ALL were on the board when that was happening, including Democrat Paula Yensen.
But Mike DID lower taxes!
Franks never accomplished that in 18 yrs. in Springfield!