The following was written by former member and, now, candidate for the McHenry County Board Ersel Schuster:

Again, County Board Rules… be Damned!

Nauseating.

That is the nicest word that can be used to define one more spectacle witnessed during the 9/14/17 McHenry County Board Meeting.

It is curious how a person with nearly 2 decades of political experience in Springfield, and a law degree to boot, could be so incompetent in conducting a meeting.

Once again, you need to go to the county board website to personally hear how your “chairman” handles a meeting while some board members sat there like zombies letting him drone on.

For someone who has been part of the county’s political process since the mid 1980’s, I can say with absolute conviction, I have never witnessed anything like the show put on that day.

The actual meeting began with the chairman giving a gushing introduction of a “candidate” running for state-wide “political” office. Although enlightening, nearly an hour was spent on this “presentation” and it had nothing to do with county board business.

Getting on with the boards’ business, the chairman, from the podium, donned his “legal” hat and
launched into a barrage of personal slurs, bullying, innuendo, and threats aimed at those members who have, since January, been trying to follow board rules in doing the public’s business.

This “legal” dressing down of those members was completely out of line and the most disgusting display I have witnessed at any McHenry County Board meeting.

It was a political attack accusing others of being political.

Hats off… and huge KUDOS to Wilcox, Kurtz, Wheeler, Thorsen, Rein, Barnes, and Walkup; those who made the case supporting the resolution that caused the chairman’s panic.

Over the last 8+ months, the county chairman and administrator have made it impossible for the Internal Services and Facilities Committee (ISF) to address and resolve the case of the chairman’s hiring of 2 patronage employees (the chairman’s former campaign workers).

As stated many times over, there was no budget to fund these positions, no job descriptions noted, no right for personal staff, and a deliberate bypassing of the normal practice of posting for the open positions.

More importantly, the county board rules do not allow for the chairman’s action.

The chairman, as has been the case, is provided a beautiful office, an unrealistic high salary plus benefits, and secretarial staff to act on those directions of the county board.

Further, when the “second” referendum, asking the public if they should elect the county board chairman was rammed through the county board, it was never the intent that this elected chairman would have any greater authority than past chairmen.

A clear difference from the first referendum that voters resoundingly rejected.

Back to the business in question. The resolution was ultimately passed despite the fact it was amended to say the exact opposite of its’ original intent.

This chairman is completely under the misguided opinion that he is an “executive.”

Everything he has done thus far is pushing the envelope further and further in that direction. VOTERS, nearly 2 to 1, said NO to that form of county government.

The real problem is that the following elected, “so-called- law & order… Republican” county board members, willfully and deliberately choose to ignore their own board rules in approving the “amended” resolution supporting the illegal hires:

1. Michele Aavang
2. Kay Bates
3. Chris Christensen
4. Joe Gottemoller
5. John Jung
6. Don Kopsell
7. Mary McCan
8. John Reinert
9. Mike Skala
10. Larry Smith
11. Chris Spoer
12. Tom Wilbeck.

Watch for them to come back at the October meeting with re-written board rules allowing more uncontrolled actions from this chairman.

Whether Washington, Springfield, Chicago, or now, McHenry County, we are rapidly losing our country because of people who are so eager to gain elected office they are willing to lie to us as they represent themselves.

The public be damned!