Since there are a lot more readers than member of the McHenry County Board, here is what McHenry County Board Chairman asked of all candidates for appointment to Andrew Gasser’s seat, plus Chritopher Spoerl’s replies.
Spoerl is the one nominated by Franks.
A special meeting of the McHenry County Board is scheduled for 10:30 AM on Thursday after the 9 o’clock Committee of the Whole meeting to vote on Frank’s choice.
Franks is calling County Board members to get commitments for Spoerl.
Professional Business Management
Christopher Spoerl, Principal
http://www.pbminc.net/index.php/about/our-leadership/103-christopher-spoerl-principal
As indicated on the application, Mr. Spoerl is a board member (he was appointed) of the Cary Police Pension fund.
Before looking into the particulars of the police pension fund, it is imperative to understand that pension funding status is largely outside the control of pension board members.
Pension board members primarily deal with the allocation of investment funds and issues related to the operation of the fund.
Not sure of all the details of board member involvement and influence in certifying the annual employer contribution or the plan to get pensions 100% funded, that would be good to know.
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Outside issue #1
Police pension fund board members do not vote on the village’s police collective bargaining agreement with FOP Lodge 31.
The village board votes on whether to approve a proposed collective bargaining agreement.
The collective bargaining agreement contains salary hikes, which results in hiked pensions.
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Outside issue #2
The pension benefits are determined by laws created by state legislators and Governors.
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By all indications, Mr. Spoerl is focused on costs.
Yet look at how the taxpayer IOU to the pension fund (unfunded liability), has grown over the years.
Without looking more into the details, that is likely primarily or possibly even entirely due to outside issue #1 and #2 listed above.
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Illinois Department of Insurance
Public Pension Division
2015 Biennial Report (covering years 2013 – 2014) – in other words the report is issued every 2 years, covering the previous 2 years
Report released October 1, 2015 (next report should be released around October 1, 2017
http://insurance.illinois.gov/Reports/Pension/pension_biennial_report_2015.pdf
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Cary Police Pension Fund
Increase in Unfunded Liability from April 30, 2005 to April 30, 2014: $3,393,899 to $8,008,961.
That is a 136% increase.
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Average active salary (years of service not indicated in the report, a problem in putting these figures into context): Increased from $51,312 in 2005 to $80,225 in 2014, a 56.35% increase.
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Income from municipality: Increased from $129,099 in 2005 to $508,418 in 2014, a 294% increase.
Income from members: Increased from $137,452 to $251,013, a 83% increase.
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The benefits were hiked and the salaries were hiked, resulting in very expensive pensions that are not sustainable at current taxation and service levels.
State legislators and Governors hiking pension benefits when pensions were already underfunded was stupid and costly to taxpayers.
The pension sentence prevents scaling back the benefits for current employees.
Changes to benefits would only affect future employees.
That result is Squeezy the pension python tightening its grip on the taxpayer, squeezing the taxpayer for more and more money for pensions.
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The problem with underfunded pensions, is taxpayers accrue interest on the unfunded liability.
Compare it to paying credit card interest.
Taxpayers are funding the results of the hiked pension benefits and salaries via interest which is amortized over the pension funding schedule.
The pension funding scheduled must abide by the state law for the pension funding schedule.
That information is not prominently displayed on the Cary Police pension website, and that’s the case for all cities, villages, and towns in Illinois which have a downstate police pension fund.
Time for more taxpayer transparency for police and fire pensions.
If pensions were fully funded, there would be no pension interest.
Almost looks like Jack answered the questions
I have my doubts about anyone who admires John McCain’s career as a US Senator, particularly his stance on campaign finance reform.
McCain only took up that issue to deflect attention from his role in the Keating Five scandal.
Spoerl has either forgotten his history, or else he is easily bamboozled.
We don’t need someone who is easily bamboozled dealing with a charlatan like Jack Franks.
So, assuming Mr. Spoerl is a Republican, which was suggested but not confirmed, what would be Democrat Jack Franks’ political motivation for recommending that Mr. Spoerl be appointed to the County Board to fill the spot of Mr. Gasser (who resigned to become Algonquin Township Highway Commissioner).
Other than he was not a candidate that the Republican party in the county had on their recommended list to Jack Franks.
Mr. Spoerl has experience that neither the board or Mr. Franks contains – how to reduce government costs on a local school Board.
Possibly Mr. Spoerl can come up with cost saving recommendations for other local school boards.
It seems Mr. Franks has no clue how to do that, since he has issued no such plan, even though he said he would produce a plan on his first day in office.
Second, related to the first point, from Mr. Coffey’s comments, it seems Mr. Spoerl has experience with analyzing collective bargaining agreements and school district costs and extracting cost savings for the taxpayer.
Perhaps Mr. Franks, having received over $1 million in contributions from labor unions, would like someone else to help the board with creating more taxpayer friendly county board collective bargaining agreements, while Mr. Franks could tell the unions he had nothing to do with it.
Ditto for other public sector unions in the county, as Cut 10 was a countywide initiative.
For higher office, it is to Mr. Franks’ benefit to walk five tightropes:
– Show he is bi-partisan
– Gaining power for the Democrats
– Keeping the unions happy.
– Keep the trial lawyers happy
– Keep the lobbyists happy.
Mark? Could it be they are both Jews?
**Could it be they are both Jews?**
Wow…
Cindy,
Antisemitism is disgusting. You are a nasty woman.
Cindy, time to log off. I think you’re late for your goose stepping lesson.
Stop it! Just because there is nothing but air in her head, that gives us reason to believe she is a nasty woman. I enjoy the entertainment she brings with conspiracy theories and childish insults. Tic, tock, tic, tock…
Why is that considered something I cannot say? What does it mean? It means nothing to me. Nice how the spooks came out of the cracks to castigate a simple question. You four are the ones that have some serious problems!
Unbelievable.
Cindy says spook and is antisemetic. I’m shocked.
Cal, you are complicit in her views of you continue to monitor but allow her hate.
A better way to phrase the question would be are there any connections between Mr. Franks and Mr. Spoerl, be it through friends, professional acquaintances, relatives, associations / clubs / groups, religion, children, etc.
Have not heard of any.
Given that Democrat Jack Franks helper Mr. Lichte ran as a Republican in the 63rd District State Representative primary, and then Mr. Franks’ friend John Bartman was nominated to replace Mr. Franks as the Democrat candidate for 63rd District State Representative in the general election, that would be a valid question.
To date it seems Mr. Spoerl would be an excellent choice for county board member based on his answers to the questionnaire and Mr. Coffey’s recommendation.
Except that he might be very stupid. He actually believes John McCain is someone to look up to! Have to be a special kind of stupid to let that slide. Billy BOb touched on the Keating Five. There is w-a-y more than that to hold McCain accountable for. He is at the very least an unprincipled man who will say anything. Not much of a hero there.
Fair Play? YOU are an idiot! You have no idea what I am. So quit the crap, you moron!
Please leave our sunshine blogger alone. He is innocent of any wrongdoing. We all admire his bitter irresponsible reporting, ridiculous political gossip, and reckless character assassination. Thanks to him we learned about landmark stories that forever defined the field of investigative journalism such as purse-gate and Raue-gate. We should all start working on fundraising to build a monument in his honor at the landfill closest to Crystal Lake. 2018, is that you? Tic, tock, tic, tock…
This year taxpayers accrued $9.1 billion dollars in pension interest on the unfunded liability of the state pension funds (TRS, SERS, SURS, GARS, JRS), 90% of which is to be paid by the year 2045.
The other 10%, well, just add more pension interest to fund that.
The unfunded pension liability is like carrying a balance on a credit card in that both result in interest owed.
That $9.1 billion equates to $25 million per day….in pension interest.
http://www.illinoispolicy.org/interest-on-illinois-pension-debt-is-9-1b-per-year
Cindy, we understand what you said all too well. When you’re in a hole, stop digging. Otherwise, it’ll be clear you do have a problem with Jews…
No chime in, Cal? You’re really helping your case that Franks overreacted to the statements you (still) maintain on your site, as publisher and editor.
At Berkeley in the old days they’d call it free speech.
It appears a socialistic left can dish it out but can’t take it.
She said nothing negative about Jewish people.
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Someone other than Mr. Franks and Moderate actually claim those statements were a legitimate threat?
The statements should be left on the blog so anyone can make their own judgement how “threatening” they are.
And by the way the alleged threat seems to be off since Mr. Franks’ son appears to have been in the local 4th of July parade.
More stupid people are chiming in. When did I say anything against any Jews? You people don’t even know what a Semite is. Why should I even talk to you really stupid fools! Suzanne? You understand NOTHING! You are not even smart enough to know that you all look like complete fools. Progressives are so stupid that they like to whine about nothing and complain that they are victims. You are all fools. I will not kowtow to fools.
The entertainment we find in our sunshine blog has no match in the limitless cyberspace. A clearly unbalanced, but very colorful human organism claims she writes nothing negative while spewing around every type of insult known. Sit back, relax, and enjoy all this compassionate conservative entertainment. 2018, are you here already? Tic, tock, tic, tock…
The two digit IQ, reflexive PC brigade has run amuck here.
If Franks were Irish or Italian, and Cindy had made her comment about an Irish or Italian nominee, no one would have said a word.
The grievance community needs to realize that they wore out their welcome a long time ago.
MAGA
Billy Bob? Trying to explain to them is fruitless. The thing about stupid is – they don’t know they’re stupid.
tic tock the pension interest clock.
$25 million pension interest per day on the 5 date pension funds (TRS, SERS, SURS, JRS, GARS) / 24 hours per day = $1,041,666 pension interest per hour.
Every hour, of every day, the million dollar pension interest clock is ticking.
**At Berkeley in the old days they’d call it free speech. It appears a socialistic left can dish it out but can’t take it.**
It appears that you truly do not understand free speech and the 1st Amendment. Valiant effort though!
No one said they are a threat.
The statement implies that Jack is partial to Jews, which has been the basis of anti-semitism for millennia.
The reason it is not even comparable to a statement about Irish or Italian ethnicity is that Irish and Italian-Americans were never systematically nearly eradicated, but many American Jews have that experience in living memory.
Claiming that people you disagree with are fools is the hallmark of an inferior intellect.
So, Hey!
You’re stupid and a racist!
Congrats!!!
If folks cannot see the antisemitsm in Cindys comment (and previous comments), y’all are more clueless than I thought.
There was no prejudice in the statement.
Could it be they both go to the same gym…is that prejudiced…not.
Could it be they both belong to the same political party…is that prejudiced…not.
Could it be they both live in the same town…is that prejudiced…no.
Alabama is another idiot that doesn’t have a clue who the Semites are. You are not going to win with morons that are determined to have a witch hunt, Mark. These are the snowflakes that think the Russians are behind everything. I said nothing disparaging and cast no aspersions on anyone; yet, they are absolutely certain they have found a witch. The willfully ignorant are stupid. That is the truth; and has nothing to do with invective.
LookB is another idiot. I imply nothing. I tell straight truth. Period. Don’t you ever try to tell anyone what I mean. You are not smart enough to even understand my words – so your silly accusations mean nothing. Your ilk is the reason people shout MAGA. We have been pushed too far for far too long. There is no such thing as hyphenated Americans. You moral relativists are disgusting AND stupid. Plus, you don’t have a clue about history. Don’t try to instruct others when you have it so very wrong.
Cindy said, “You are not smart enough to even understand my words…”
Yeah – everyone is an idiot. Except Antisemetic Cindy.
Says the agitator.
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There was no prejudice in the statement.
Could it be they are both Catholics?
Could it be they are both Methodists?
Could it be they are both this?
Could it be they are both that?
Mark isn’t trying to win the argument. He is employing a tactic of muddying the water enough until it seems no one has won the argument.
The fact that Cal has remained silent and allowed two racial slurs speaks volumes.
Could it be they are both “x.”
No prejudice.
No racial slur.
The very word “Jewish” is a racial slur…preposterous.
Very simple.
Moderate, you complete nincompoop! What is a Semite? You do not even know! Shake hands with Fair Play. They have no clue, either. Just what is disgusting to you? That you don’t even know the meaning of the words you are using? Is that the disgusting part? Get an education; and stop spouting cliches you have heard that mean nothing to you, because you are so dense. LookB doesn’t even know that this country forcefully put Germans, ITALIANS, AND Japanese in internment camps from 1941 through 1945. (Not to mention the relatives of those nationalities that were actual U.S. citizens.) But they think they know a Jew’s living memory which trumps ALL other “knowledge”. You are fools and ignoramuses. The fool, Fair Play tried to twist what I said into an argument. This is how stupid you are. You cannot even comprehend what was written. There is no argument. There is only truth – and YOUR lies! I am done talking to you fools. If you cannot ask questions and take the initiative to learn on your own, you are certainly not worth anyone else’s time. Mark can actually think for himself. Oh, how they hate that! With the exception of Alabama, the effeminate fools are probably all the same IP address anyway.
Time for an update on percentages and money down the toilet…tic, tock, tic, tock…
Good advice from the champion of nonsensical conspiracy theories. She advice us to get an education. Support public schools. See a teacher? Thank a teacher! Tic, tock, tic, tock…
Interesting how supposed discussion of merits of candidates has devolved into baseless personal attacks on commentors.
I suggest all take the time to actually read the questionnaires provided by Cal and objectively discuss the answers/non-answers by the candidates.
Further, attend the Board meeting on Thursday, if able, to hear from the two.
Is Mr. Franks’ nominee a shoo-in, or will the Board request nomination of Mr. Stieper, who has not withdrawn his name from consideration?
Cindy used to be called DumDum for a reason. She is, if nothing else, mildly entertaining
You are a liar AZ! I have never ever been called by that moniker. You may think you are being funny, but I will give no quarter to liars! I will call you out every time. I guess Jonathan has his answer on what the people think of Mr. Spoerl.
Wait?! Cindy was DumDum McHenry?!
Rest assured Fair Play, I have never been anything other than Cindy. My real name. I would love to tell you my last name; so that you could all choke on your anti comments. But, alas you fools are way too dangerous.