Unnamed “Has Been Blogger” Credited with Using “Fake News” to Drive State Reps. Out of Office

Woodstock resident Elliot Cassidy, who wrote the following letter to the Northwest Herald. In an email he gave me permission to re-publish his letter.

Cassidy says I am the reason that State Rep. Mike Tryon stepped down and State Rep. Barb Wheeler is retiring.

Interesting assertion, even if there is no evidence.

But, let him speak for himself.

Here’s his letter:

Problem with McHenry County Republican Party

There’s a problem in the McHenry County Republican Party.

Within the past seven years, radicals descended into the ranks and decided to shirk civic responsibility to the citizenry, instead prioritizing politics over policy.

They have pushed out common sense conservatives such as Mike Tryon and Barb Wheeler.

These radicals would like you to believe our local government is like Washington D.C. and the stakes just as volatile.

The radicals are wrong and we need to address the underlying problem.

Our local Republican Party has a distraction.

He is a blogger and former state representative who I will not name.

The blogger advocates for candidates only loyal to him, which is to the detriment of the party.

Look at his win/loss record of hand-picked candidates: Mike Walkup, Steve Reick, Joe Walsh, Tonya Franklin, Joe Rosner.

They lose – bigly!

The blogger stocks them with research devoid of facts and his candidates lose the moderate-leaning silent majority.

We need a resurgence of common sense conservatives willing to work together to solve problems, not pick petty fights.

Let’s address the real issues facing the county and focus on the facts.

Not fake news from a has-been blogger.


Comments

Unnamed “Has Been Blogger” Credited with Using “Fake News” to Drive State Reps. Out of Office — 25 Comments

  1. I do believe our Fallen Angel has struck again, or we have two.

  2. It is obvious that many of the posts from those on the left are from a single person using several names.

    They also talk about Cal’s low number of visitors to his blog.

    You can see their rationale if everyone is like them using four or five names.

    It also comical when the same person uses another of his names to praise himself.

    Very entertaining.

  3. Very entertaining except your have zero proof.

    Cal,
    Be a dear.

    Please list every IP address who visits your blog.

  4. The blog could require commenters to identify themselves.

    When the Herald adopted that system, the comments became less childishly insulting.

  5. No Martin, the comments became inconsequential because only liberal goons post in there. Who with an ounce of sense has a fakebook ID?

  6. Perhaps Cindy is correct about “liberal goons” posting on the local paper’s site. They leave Cal’s blog for the anti-American tin foil hat crowd. Conspiracy onward Cal’s herd.

  7. My favorite is when the goons on the board spew the crap from this blog at a meeting. It really shows their lack of any reasoning or thoughts of their own.

  8. Cal will never do that because then he will have to show how many of these handles are actually him.

    I don’t read that to say you were the direct cause but rather you are the indirect cause of the extreme view, narrow focus, poorly informed group that is driving those interested in promoting good governance and forward thinking.

    There are many of us who are just friggin tired of trying to advance the county when so many are interested in hearing themselves talk about taxes while- a. not paying them and b. collecting a paycheck from said tax payers.

    Few on the county board have any demonstrated personal success.

    Take away the healthcare and see what happens.

    They have a narrow, self serving agenda that is ridiculously easy to see through IF you have an open mind.

    Which means you are likely not reading this blog.

  9. Mike Tryon as a Conservative?

    He was a low level wannabe for the George Ryan Culture of Corruption.

    Joe Walsh beat an incumbent Democrat, and then was redistricted out by Madigan.

    A Badge of Honor in my book.

    I thought Steve Reich was a State Rep.

    Nice work Cal.

    It seems Elliott is trying to latch onto a nubbin of fame by being the Purveyor of fake news.

  10. Inish,

    Ask Czar Franks to cut health insurance board members, and you know what he will tell you?

    A big fat no!

    Why?

    Because it’s one thing Franks can hold collateral over the likes of Skala, Gottemoller and others who leach insurance from taxpayers instead of having their businesses pay for the coverage.

  11. Jack used conservative cut taxes talking point of 10% and it got him elected.

    It looks like next years county levy will be cut 10%.

    The Rino’s and Jack are making the far lefties here look like fools for not supporting what you all say you want, lower property tax.

    Your own inaction is now biting you where?

    The lack of support for the McSweeney bill to let us vote on levies here sucks also.

  12. Is Elliot Cassidy a registered Republican?

    Has he voted in Republican primary elections?

    Has he voted Republican in General elections?

    +++++++++++++

    Is there any validity to the claim that Cal Skinner handpicks candidates?

    The only people who seem to say that are Democrat Jack Franks supporters.

    ++++++++++++++++

    Here is a more comprehensive review of the candidates in Mr. Cassidy’s letter.

    +++++++++++++++

    Steve Reick

    Steve Reick lost as a candidate for 63rd district State Representative (representing western McHenry County) in the November 4, 2014 election against Jack Franks.

    Mr. Reick won in the March 15, 2016 primary for 63rd District State Representative (defeating Democrat Jack Franks supporter Jeffrey Lichte who ran as a Republican) and won in the November 8, 2016 general election (defeating Jack Franks friend John Bartman who was appointed by the Democrats to run after Jack Franks decided to run for County Board Chair and withdrew as a candidate for 63rd District State Representative).

    Former Northwest Herald Reporter (he was since been hired by Jack Franks to replace patronage hire Oliver Serafini) Keven Craver wrote the following article about Jeffrey Lichte being a Republican candidate in that primary election.

    nwherald.com/2016/02/25/63rd-house-district-candidate-maintains-hes-a-legit-republican/agltd6n

    Mr. Lichte’s has been photographed several times wearing Jack Franks campaign gear and / or at Jack Franks campaign events.

    John Bartman is a former chair of the McHenry County Democrat party.

    John Bartman was included in a letter that Jack Franks sent to then Governor Rod Blagojevich, asking for jobs or political appointments for those in the letter.

    John Bartman got a job in the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) subsequent to that letter.

    All of that has been reported on this blog.

    No wonder the Democrats attack the blog.

    ++++++++++++++

    Mike Walkup

    Mike Walkup has been elected and appointed to various offices, boards, and commissions:

    – McHenry County Board, District 3, since 2012.

    – Crystal Lake Park District Board member for five years.

    – McHenry County Regional Planning Commission

    – Nunda Township Planning Commission

    – McHenry County Historic Preservation Commission

    – Crystal Lake Historic Preservation Commission

    Mike Walkup won as Republican candidate for McHenry County Board Chair in the March 15, 2016 primary election defeating Joe Gottemoller, then lost in the November 8, 2016 general election to Jack Franks.

    Mr. Walkup remains as one of the four county board members for district 3.

    ++++++++++++++

    Joe Walsh

    In 1996, Joe Walsh was defeated by Sidney Yates in the general election as a candidate for US Representative in the 9th Congressional District, 71,763 votes to 124,319 votes.

    ——–

    In 1998, Mr. Walsh was defeated by Jeffrey Schoenberg in the general election as a candidate for 58th District State Representative, 14,324 votes to 23,340 votes.

    In that primary election, there was no Republican candidate and Mr. Schoenberg ran unopposed.

    ———

    In the February 2, 2010 primary election, Joe Walsh was a Republican primary as US Representative for the 8th Congressional District, defeating 5 other candidates:

    Joe Walsh – 16,162 votes

    Dirk Beveridge – 11,708 votes

    Maria Rodriguez – 9,803 votes

    Christopher Geissler – 4,267 votes

    John Dawson – 3,921 votes

    Gregory Jacobs – 1,445 votes.

    Melissa Bean basically ran unopposed as the Democrat candidate, with 25,000 votes, while Jonathan Farnick received 25 votes.

    The Green Party candidate, Bill Scheurer received 207 votes.

    In the November 2, 2010 general election for the 8th Congressional District in Illinois, Joe Walsh defeated Melissa Bean, 98,115 votes to 97,825 votes.

    ———-

    As a result of the 2010 US Census, the legislative and congressional maps were re-drawn in 2011 by the Democrat controlled Illinois General Assembly.

    In the March 20, 2012 primary election for the 8th Congressional District, Joe Walsh received 35,102 votes v 54 votes for Bob Canfield, while Tammy Duckworth received 17,097 votes v 8736 votes for Raja Krishnamoorthi.

    In the November 6, 2012 general election for the 8th Congressional District, Joe Walsh was defeated by Tammy Duckworth, 101,860 votes v 123,206 votes.

    +++++++++++++++

    Tonya Franklin

    She was never on a ballot.

    That culminated when the Republican party did have enough Precinct Committeemen present at a June 2, 2012 meeting to even hold the meeting dealing with signatures to get on the ballot, and thus Tonya Franklin never appeared on a ballot.

    But while she was attempting to drum up support for her candidacy at Vaughn’s Restaurant, guess what appeared in front of Vaughn’s restaurant?

    Jack Franks campaign signs.

    mchenrycountyblog.com/2012/05/30/jack-franks-notices-tonya-franklin

    Complete with the infamous Franks wave through the lower bar in the letter F.

    The same wave that was present with former Jack Franks patronage county hire manning the McHenry County booth at the McHenry Chamber of Commerce expo on Saturday February 25, 2017, as photographed by McHenry County board member Chuck Wheeler, who just happened upon the patronage hire displaying his bosses political items at a government booth.

    mchenrycountyblog.com/2017/02/26/jack-franks-patronage-worker-caught-wearing-campaign-stickers-at-mchenry-expo-booth-for-mchenry-county-government

    +++++++++++++

    Joe Rosner

    After Tonya Franklin, during the same election cycle, came Joe Rosner.

    He volunteered as a write-in candidate for 63rd District Republican State Representative, v Jack Franks, in the November 6, 2012 general election.

    35,349 votes v 296 votes.

  13. I think the no name/unnamed was meant to be an insult, Cal.

    They were trying to claim you were a nobody, not that you do not have a name that you actually use.

    Why would you bother to address this nitwit? (The wording sounded very much like your lover, Moderate.)

  14. I think the Joe Rosner campaign is the perfect illustration of how small Cal’s readership is. Rosner had less than 300 votes. That campaign was driven by Cal.

    Why is the McHenry GOP so afraid of Skinner?

  15. Sunshine blogger: Please provide evidence that many of your sunshine compassionate conservative commenters are actually your ugly, lazy, overweight cat, and your honorable reputation of a distinguished elder statesman will be cleared forever…tic, tock, tic, tock…

  16. Fair and balanced:

    The Rino’s and Jack are making the far righties here look like fools for not supporting what they all say they want also, lower property tax.

  17. On, that’s going right back up next year, accomplishing nothing!

  18. Nob, that’s going right back up next year, accomplishing nothing.

    And it’s surely not 10% off our real eastate taxes as Franks falsely ran on.

  19. Herb it’s better than nothing is it not?

    I’d like to see some support for the McSweeney legislation that allows us to vote on levies.

    With that power would we let the levy go back up?

    Without really good justification I don’t think so.

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