Andrew Gasser at a County Board meeting.
At the end of the last McHenry County Board meeting, McHenry County Board member Andrew Gasser announced that he would resign prior to taking office as Algonquin Township Road Commissioner on May 15th.
He said he “didn’t want to be a double dipper.”
In 2014, Gasser won the Republican Primary Election giving him the right to challenge incumbent Democrat Nick Chirikos.
Coming in second place behind Bob Nowak, Gasser beat Chirikos by 6,349 to 5,971.
After the 2016 GOP Primary Election, he won the post of Algonquin Township Republican Party Chariamn.
On the County Board Gasser was on the tax cutting side, suporting Mike Walkup’s lowering of the Valley Hi Nursing Home part of the budget by $3 million.
That was evident in last year’s tax bills.
This past November, Gasser was on the side of those who voted to zero out the Valley Hi levy, which would have eliminated the tax on a fund with more than $40 million in the bank and an operation that pretty much breaks even. (The tax cutters lost that tax abolition effort by a vote of 14-6 on the all-Republican Board.)
When asked about accomplishments, Gasser pointed to quarterly reports he initiated to show how much the legislative mandate to raise juror stipends was costing McHenry County. (This is legislation supported by then State Rep. Jack Franks.)
Gasser characterized that as “additional transparency.”
He also pointed to the resolution just passed to cut the McHenry County Budget by 10%.
He also urged County Board members to end their IMRF pensions.
On his blog, Gasser just put up the following:
I have made many campaign promises that I am going to fulfil. I made these three promises:
- I promised I would not take the Algonquin Township Highway Commissioner Health Plan.
- I promised I would not take the Algonquin Township Highway Commissioner Politician pension plan known as IMRF.
- I promised I would not be a double dipper and maintain two elected positions at once..
I want you to know I have made good on these three promises. You can read about it here.
When I won on April 4th there would be enormous pressure for me to resign immediately – I did not bow to this pressure.
My last day as your county board member is May 14th and I start work on May 15th as the highway commissioner.
Gasser’s replacement must be a Republican, according to State law, but, also according to State law, it must be made by the County Board Chairman, Jack Franks, a Democrat.
Bob Miller
That appointment, however, must be ratified by the McHenry County Board before it becomes effective.
Already more than a rumor is reporting that Franks wants to appoint Bob Miller, whom Gasser defeated in the Februrary 28th GOP Primary Election.
Franks has been a regular attender of Miller’s wine and cheese fundraisers.
Concerning his replacement, Gasser writes on his blog:
With that WE NEED TO FIND SOMEONE TO FILL MY VACANCY on the McHenry County Board.
If you are interested or know someone who is please have them contact me.
The process begins now.
We need to continue to build our local Republican Party with fiscally responsible people who will limit the powers of local government and embrace free market solutions to our needs.
Promise kept!
Gotta love that.
Taxpayers just lost a great board member…..
He was required to step down.
Since when did we start being impressed with people obeying the law?
It is like giving a trophy for participation.
Nothing like breaking your arm patting yourself on the back Andy.
Good riddins at least It will be only in Algonquin township now rather than the whole county
@Voter
From the Northwest Herald:
“Although state law allows a county board member to simultaneously hold a highway commissioner office, Gasser said he would not have time to fully devote to both. He also said he did not want to double-dip government salaries.
Perhaps you could call up the NWH and point out the error of their ways.
“Already more than a rumor is reporting that Franks wants to appoint Bob Miller, whom Gasser defeated in the Februrary 28th GOP Primary Election.”
And so the new era of unbridled patronage begins.
Is it too much to hope that our board has the stones to prevent another Madiganistan from developing in McHenry?
Voter is incorrect.
She inaccurately assumes Mr. Gasser is required to step down.
He in fact is not.
The County States Attorney’s Office said he could stay on if he chose to do so.
Perhaps Cal will FOIA the opinion.
Many of us asked Andrew to stay on the county board because it was rumored that Bob Miller would be nominated to take his seat but he decided not to do so.
He is taking a lot of grief for it.
It is nothing new on this blog.
Someone who no longer resides in McHenry County is still grinding her ax.
We all know who she is.
It is on this blog and social media for everyone to see.
Gasser is not perfect and in fact is far from it.
However, he is an excellent county board member who voted really well.
It is a shame his personality is like a 20 grit sandpaper.
You take the good with the bad.
Put your money on Democrat franks appointing miller.
Madiganistan has started when franks was elected.
Yes mr Madigan what do you want me to do?
This is the future of Mchenry county
Where do these people get their information?
He was not required to step down.
But He kept his campaign promise not to get two govt. paychecks.
Of course he gets grief.
People who are doing good, usually do take grief from the slimy underbelly of society.
Sure Andrew rubs people the wrong way, but he votes right 98% of the time.
That’s what he was voted in for.
Now he was voted in this new position because he said he wouldn’t take two salaries.
PROMISE KEPT.
He’s got to concentrate on his new job and his other campaign promises.
One thing we know is, he won’t be enriching himself monetarily with our tax dollars hiring family and friends.
Get the hell out of his way!
YetAnotherWatcher sums it up succinctly.
Sorry to see Andy leave the Board but very happy he ended what Bob Miller would not end voluntarily.
Now we will soon find if the County GOP can appoint a “Republican” Board member AND we will find out if the the current County Board has more “Republicans” than it does “Democrats” who ran for the position with an “R” behind their name.
There is current legislation that says you cannnot be a county board member while holding another elected position that pays over 10,000.
There is case law that says Gasser cannot hold both positions
say what you will he had to step down otherwise this will be challenged.
Hmm. there is also case law against any number of things the government does on a daily basis.
What makes you think anyone follows any of those rules?
In the case of conflicting offices, anyone may initiate what’s called a Quo Warranto legal proceeding.
That’s a Latin phrase asking the holder of a public office “by what authority” he does so.
In Illinois the case law’s pretty clear that when an officeholder is elected to another that conflicts with the first (or foreseeably will), he loses the original post.
Jack Franks and wine and cheese hand in hand
If the Republicans hadn’t run two stooges there could have been a different result.
Franks succeeds only because the Republicans failed.