Crowd reacts to McHenry County Board member John Reinert’s announcement that he is running for the State Senate seat now held by Pam Althoff.
Surround by local political influentials and friends, McHenry County Board member John Reinert announced his candidacy for State Senate.
In the crowd were current State Senator Pam Althoff, former State Rep. Mike Tryon, County Board members Chris Christensen, Joe Gottemoller, Donna Kurtz and Larry Smith.
Reinert’s announcement follows:
Today I’m here to announce my candidacy for the 32nd District State Senate to replace Senator Pam Althoff.
State Senator Pam Althoff and McHenry County Board members John Reinert and Donna Kurtz.
I’m proud to have Pam’s endorsement and with your help, I plan on continuing her amazing work of serving the people of Lake and McHenry Counties.
I have lived here all my life, my wife Cassy and I have reaised out family here, and we’re proud to call the 32nd District our home.
I am a local businessman with 30+ years experience as a Home Builder and Real Estate Broker.
I am an active member of the Heartland Board of Realtos.
Supporters of John Reinert’s candidacy for State Senate posed in front of the Crystal Lake train station.
Throughout my career I have served on the education committee and currently serve on the government affairs committee.
As a successful home builder for countless families here in Lake and McHenry County, I’ve seen the toll rising taxes and the housing recession have taken on all of us living in the great region.
I’ve sat across the table with many people struggling to pay the real estate tax bill or keep the mortgage payments current.
John Reinert hands a petition to Chris Christensen.
As a home builder I personally experienced the housing market evaporate from the devastation of the recent recession.
Two of the most important concerns I hear from voters are our high taxes and our lack of jobs and business growth.
I currently serve on the McHenry County Board and actively work towards reducing our property tax burdens and government mandates restraining business, economic development and home ownership alike.
I believe economic development is key. Homeowners are paying an unfair share of the tax burden,
Another view of John Reinert’s announcement for State Senate.
We need healthy, responsible business growth to help share the demands of our Real Estate taxes.
As our fellow neighboring Midwest states head away from this great housing recession, I’m concerned the state of Illinois, McHenry and Lake counties are struggling to regain our place in this growing economy,
Currently if you own a home in Lakemoor assessed at $185,000 your tax bill is $8,315, Woodstock an assessed value of $230,600
Congratulations its likely $9,872, Crystal Lake an assessed home at $235,000 a tax bill over $8,000!.
AND if you own a home over $500,000 with a tax bill over $16,000 and need to sell there’s a market time of 12 months or longer causing many to sell at substantial losses.
John Reinert hands out petitions to supporters.
As we are all aware, people are leaving the area to our less tax burdened neighboring states.
This weighs very heavily on me, and I want to continue to fight for families and struggling business owners, working towards their rightfully deserved success!
Everyone wants to reduce taxes, yet we keep raising our tax obligations without reducing any of our spending, we need to abate or stop raising our levies and unfunded mandates.
Every homeowner and business, small and large, have watched their budget and have gotten leaner, State government has been the biggest culprit, we need to improve this.
I’ll strive to work together with anyone and everyone willing to help in our challenges moving forward to success.
The state needs to work our way out of the burdens robbing everyone of the right to work and prosper.
A view of John Reinert’s announcement from the west.
I aspire to affect positive change and help bring back job and economic growth to our 32nd district – I’m running to help reduce taxes!
I urge you help me help you. I’m confident the best is yet to come for our families, our community, and our state. It’s all about the taxes, and, Let’s do this together!
NO!
I’d love to see him off the Board, but not at that cost.
Showing up late for the special meeting was worse than not showing up at all.
I have more respect for someone who admits that he is on Franks’ side than I have for someone who tries to have it both ways.
Besides, some of his supporters are pretty creepy, and you are the company you keep.
When Rauner announced that he was running for office, I told people that “if you liked the liberal policies pursued by Edgar you will love Rauner”.
With this announcement I offer the following: “If you liked the liberal / progressive policies of Althoff you will love Reinert”.
Personally, my support goes to Wilcox to replace the liberal Althoff.
Candidates such as Althoff, Tryon, Reinert, Kurtz, Christensen, Gottemoller, Larry Smith, Daniel are driving away Republicans in droves.
Personally, I have had it with those who run under the Republican banner but are not capable of adhering to the Republican banner.
In Illinois, ANYONE can run as a Republican or Democrat – once he / she wins a primary, NOTHING can be done to stop them from running under the same banner.
Should political parties OPENLY endorse candidates in the primary?
Should we vote based on how closely a candidate will follow the party platform?
Also agree with: “Besides, some of his supporters are pretty creepy, and you are the company you keep.”
Yuch. All the usual criminals.
The same old story – blah blah blah.
We should not be electing anyone to office who does not have defined benefits background and plan for entitlement reform.
Expending time on any other issue in State government is a waste of time.
Based upon this litmus test, there is nothing to indicate either candidate running for the Altoff seat is qualified.
I am not interested in electing another McConchie, a guy who is well intended but does not possess the personality or skill set to bend the entitlement cost curve in State government.
We do not need more economic development to “grow” us out of the deficit politicians (elected by the voters) have placed us in!
We need to reduce public sector spending!!
We need to elect people who will support a ballot initiative to eliminate public sector pension guarantees!
We need to elect people who will support an end to Prevailing Wage laws!
We need to elect people who will work with the federal government relative to immigration law enforcement!
We need to elect people who will end the ‘closed shop’ public sector unions in this State.
Reinart appears to believe we can “grow” our way out but he cannot even attend County Board meetings to discuss real solutions!
Only one person in the picture attended the Special meetings of the County (Kurtz via phone) because she believes she can ‘serve’ two masters.
Reinert refused on multiple occasions to sign the Call for the Special Meeting to oust the Franks deputies.
This was the chief reason it wasn’t done earlier.
He was then observed carrying a half smoked cigarette when walking through the parking lot to come in “late”, suggesting that he was perhaps sitting in his car watching for people to start coming out the door before he made an appearance.
He is clearly trying to play both sides , so that is what you are getting folks.
You all need to fact-check yourselves because every single comment here is wrong your one-sided thinking clouds your judgement Mr Reinert is for the community and only for the community
I would take Reinart over Wilcox any day.
Wilcox bought a $500k house and once he became part of the county board, stopped paying property taxes on it.
How can we expect Wilcox to represent the taxpayer when he isn’t a property taxpayer himself?
When I saw the losers Althoff, Tryon and the Goat-mauler applauding, that’s all I had to see!
NO Way, Jose!
Was this a convention of the RINO Party or what?!!
Col. Wilcox, we need you to defend our country again … From these:
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/b8/a5/96/b8a596da26331a23d232484598e417b0–conservative-politics-opinion.jpg
Sometimes the photographs of the politicians leave a greasy slime on my monitor.
This is one of those times.
Ed, I gave you more credit.
Denigration of a veteran who is reaping a reward for his service should be beneath you.
And, you obviously have not spent much time with Reinert.
Col Wilcox served his country and deserves whatever it is that he is getting, including the tax breaks.
I just wish that people who did not stay and make a career in the military but still served for some time and put their lives and health at risk for the rest of us could be better rewarded for their service.
Usually they are lucky to get $2500 or so a month for full service connected disability plus now the real estate tax break, assuming they can afford to own a home on that kind of income.
Col. Wilcox has been a real leader since Day One on the County Board while Reinert has been intent on figuring out where the fence is so he could sit on it. Col Wilcox vs Major Disappointment.
I think that speaks for itself.
Relative to: “How can we expect Wilcox to represent the taxpayer when he isn’t a property taxpayer himself?”
If a few more people devoted themselves to public office as much as Ed’s spouse has in the past and Wilcox is now, our property taxes would not be what they are!
Ok… it is time for me to make a statement of clarification!
The “Ed Schuster” commenting on issues these issues is not any relation to me.
Statements made by this person have been so far off the mark as to be laughable and highly questionable.
If Gottmoller and Tryon are supporting him, be very cautious.
Governor Rauner signed into law helping benefits to disabled veterans.
That requirement is a certain percentage of disability that has to be obtained.
Ask Mr. Wilcox meets those requirements just like a private citizen that has certain disabilities are granted benefits as well.
Does someone have to have their legs blown off for you to ok the disability?
People that want to make this an issue of who is best to lead the citizens of this district just trying to degrade a person that is clearly head and shoulders above Mr. Reinert! I hope there first debate is in January because Reinert has no clue of what he stands for!
Althoff and Tryon are going to be his coaches and that alone is scary in itself!
Don’t you want someone that has a backbone against Madigan?
Reinerts is made of putty!
Reinert couldn’t even vote against prevailing wage!
He couldn’t show up to the special meeting!
And he is in Jack Franks hip pocket along with Tryon and Althoff!
Understand the people that are still trying to control this county are Franks, Althoff and Tryon.
Those people need to go.
And just like anything with change it takes a little time to weed out the people that aren’t who they say they are.
Name one thing that Reinhert has lead at the county?
Mr. Wilcox is helping lead the charge against the patronage hires.
He is leading the charge to get rid of the RFQ for the leasing of Valley Hi and having an open and honest discussion about that going forward.
Reinhert will be useless the district/county and will be a coward when it comes to Madigan!
If he backs down to Jack Franks what do you think will happen when it comes to Madigan!
He might even vote Madigan in for another term! LOL
Houston has the floods: Florida the hurricanes and Mexico an earthquake.
Mchenry County has its own disaster.
It’s called the Republican Party.
Time to evacuate.
Thank you, Ersel!
That would make this the ‘other’ Ed Schuster who lives in McHenry and is a very sporadic voter?
We now have four parties in McHenry County.
The Democratic Party; The Franks Party; the Regular Republican Party, and the “Reform” or “Conservative” or whatever you want to call that Party.
The Democratic Party consists of Paula Yensen, her husband who is Chairman of that Party, Nick Chirikos, and the “progressive” people in that.
The Franks Party consists of Jack Franks, the Franks family, and all of the GOP County Board Members who have caved into him (D1: Nowak, Spoerl, D2: Reinert; D3: Christensen, Gott, Kopsell; D4, Bates, D5; Jung, Skala, D6 everybody).
There is an overlap with the Regular Republicans among the Franks Party members of the County Board, but then you add Tryon, Althoff, and the people who are in that picture at the train station with Reinert.
Kurtz appears to be shifting so who knows where she is at right now. She has been an outspoken critic of Franks on the Board.
Then you have the final group, whatever you want to call that, of which, I would say, Col Wilcox is the current defacto leader along with possibly Thorsen.
Those Board members who showed up that meeting are members although both Hammerand and Barnes had refused to sign the Call in advance and stick their necks out. At least they showed up.
Of those not on the Board but holding office or maybe running you have people like Ersel, Orv Brettman, Diane Evertsen.
Keep a watchful eye.
@Ed,
If you must comment, get your facts straight.
Mr. Wilcox purchased his home long before the possibility of a tax break for disabled vets hit the books. He chose McHenry for his family.
I can think of a dozen other towns for a tax break if that was his angle.
He became part of a broken community and started to listen.
He did his homework, was bold enough to call out the rule breakers.
Then decided to give it his all yet again because it’s the right thing to do.
It’s called integrity!!!!
Giving back, as he has done his entire life.
For what- to clean up the mess your elected officials of past got us into?
Your happy with it…perfect match for your vote.
His opponent has their endorsements.
Enough said!!!
Dear Cal: if it’s not too much trouble, could someone identify those in the larger picture?
Of the people I recognize in the picture, you have, from left to right in the posed picture, Larry Smith, Chris Christensen, Eileen Marhoffer, Mark Daniels, Donna Kurtz, Joe G., Pam Althoff, (jumping to far right), Melissa Sanchez, Mike Tryon.
Cal
thank you for posting these pictures …now I have names to put to the faces , and which faction of the party they are with…as they say a picture is worth a thousand words ….
Cal
the Caption should read
THE RINO COLLECTION
You people are so kooky.
John is a nice guy with a friendly moustache.
His portly belly makes me think he’s Santa Clause.
All of you revolutionary talkers are silly.
Do you really believe the world is ending?
Has John even found the men’s room at the county bldg yet?
Hah!
This just shows anybody can run for anything.
His campaign will be a miserable failure as is his county board position.
The folks gathered her are of two ilk: those working with Democrap Lyin’ Jack Franks and those who are afraid of him/riding the political fence.
Shame Eileen Marhoffer has gone to the dark, inept, ineffective side ( in other words Democraps masquerading as Republicans)
Hmmmm. Do any normal people support RINO-ert?
The photo op result LOSES the rat votes!
Keep publishing it!
Here is a more candid pix of Rienert:
https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/postandcourier.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/81/f8163686-9bd8-11e6-bf53-1f2b012cf8ec/5811450b07fa4.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C794
Funny picture. I thought Kurtz was good.
Q: Why are they at a train station?
A: They’re going to greet Tiny Dancer Rahm’s Chicago Storm-troopers who are being transported in by train to gather good (and not-so-good) signatures for Rhineheart’s petitions.
Who’s the goon in the purple tie?
Rhineheart’s LGBT coordinator?
I thought I saw that guy on a warning poster of some kind.
Whoa!!!!
I didn’t catch tired Tryon at the platform.
Question to Rhineheart?:
Really, these are your backers????
UGHHHHHHHHH!