$11,000 More for John Reinert’s State Senate Campaign as He Faces Petition Challenge

McHenry County Board member John Reinert has had the legitimacy of his candidate petitions challenged by attorney Steven Robert Verr.

One can guess that Reinert has hired an attorney to defend his ability to stay on the ballot.

Attorneys cost money, of course, and, fortunately for Reinert, four entities donated a total of $11,000 on December 13th:

  • $1,000 – Heritage Title Co. of McHenry, Crystal Lake
  • $2,500 – William J. & Jean A. Rinn, Crystal Lake
  • $2,500 – Chicago Consumables, Inc., Woodstock
  • $5,000 – citizens for Pamela J. Althoff

Comments

$11,000 More for John Reinert’s State Senate Campaign as He Faces Petition Challenge — 19 Comments

  1. Pathetic.

    The Candidate is an embarrassment; Althoff is an embarrassment, and that’s being polite.

    We need representation in Springfield; not what Reinert has demonstrated on the County Board.

    Anyone who is a party to the circulation of these petitions should share the consequences and disqualification.

    Old adage; “you are judged by the company you keep.”

  2. This is the one sided garbage the Northwest Herald is spreading as news via email:

    McHenry County Board Insider

    A new target on the campaign trail

    Welcome to the Northwest Herald’s McHenry County Board newsletter. Each Friday, reporter Ed Komenda (@ejkomenda on Twitter) will provide exclusive content from what he’s been reporting, seeing and hearing from the county board members.

    A relative newcomer to McHenry County politics, John Reinert has become a target on the campaign trail.

    The McHenry County Board member is now gunning for the 32nd District Senate seat, slated to to square off against Democrat Mary Mahady and Republican Craig Wilcox for a seat held by Pam Althoff for four terms.

    Reinert filed his petitions and 1,000 signatures in early November to make his run official. Now, an objector has come forward to challenge the authenticity of Reinert’s petition.

    An objector you might recognize: Steven Verr.

    He’s an attorney and the head of the Republican Party in McHenry Township. He’s also a guy with an intriguing track record in McHenry County politics.

    In March 1998, Verr was involved in one of the closest and most fervent races ever recorded in McHenry County. Mike Brown defeated Verr by a few hundred votes to represent Republicans in the 63rd District general election against Jack Franks. In a bitter and brutal campaign, Brown attacked Verr’s past military, college and work years, while Verr accused Brown of serving as a political puppet with an unreliable voting record.

    Most recently, Verr lost a bid for McHenry Township supervisor against Craig Adams.

    Verr is now taking a shot at Reinert’s senate campaign, claiming Reinert’s petitions are forgeries.

    “I was appalled by what looks to me like complete forgeries,” Verr told me. “Reinert paid thugs from the City of Chicago [to circulate petitions]… I don’t know who they are, but I think they have police records.”

    Asked why he would go after Reinert, Verr had this to say:

    “It’s my job to find out what’s going on,” Verr said. “I’m appalled and sickened at what Reinert is doing.”

    McHenry County insiders say Verr’s objection is a veiled attempt to knock Reinert off the ballot to allow his Republican opponent Craig Wilcox to run unopposed.

    “This isn’t about the integrity of the process,” one insider said.

    Reinert has hired a Chicago lawyer named John Fogerty to handle the objection filed on Dec. 4 with the Illinois State Board of Elections. Officials there were not available to comment on Verr’s objection.

    “It appears that the other side feels like they have one opportunity to win, and they’re taking it,” Fogerty said. “It’s a really aggressive objection. This one, while they’ve reached a bit too far, it’s not unusual.”

    Fogerty us confident officials will squash the objection.

    “I like our chances,” Fogerty said. “Just because somebody throws it out there doesn’t mean it’s true.”
    Reinert had this to say about the objection:

    “We’ve talked to our counsel. We’re confident that we have the signatures we need to stay on this ballot,” Reinert said. “I am sure I’ll prevail. It’s a nuisance to slow us down.”

    The Northwest Herald will be keeping an eye on how things unfold.

  3. There’s an oft quoted line from the movie Aliens when the character ‘Newt’ (the little girl)

    is discussing with ‘Ripley’ the relative safety of being in the medical lab.

    ‘Ripley’ assures ‘Newt’ that the lab can be sealed up tight and Newt replies.

    It won’t make any difference.

    The challenge to the petitions will be examined in Springfield December 28th and just

    like ‘Newt’ said. “It won’t make any difference” The challenge will stick!

    It won’t be Aliens eating RINOs this Spring it’ll be Conservative Republicans.

  4. “This isn’t about the integrity of the process,” one insider said.

    As a journalist, how do you take a quote about integrity from someone who won’t let you use their name.

  5. best modern female actor movie lines ever:

    Ripley in Aliens (to Alien attacking Newt).

    Demi Moore in GI Jane

    Lucy Liu as O-Ren Ishii in Kill Bill (after severing Boss Tanaka’s head)

    Uma Thurman as Beatrix Kiddo (to Elle Driver during climactic sword fight) in Kill Bill

  6. Fogerty Works for the Republican Party and the Senate Republicans.

    Shows how inept Leader Bill Brady and the Senate Republicans are to get behind this weak clown.

    Ever wonder how Bill Brady lost the Governor’s race against Quinn in 2010, a total republican wave year?

  7. The Board of Elections has a natural tendency toward allowing the voters to decide.

    The purpose of the signatures is to show community affinity, familiarity and support.

    In the case of John Reinert he imported help getting signatures from outside(way outside) the community.

    If the signatures are found to be faulty in any way the Board should be apprised of the full picture of John’s lack of support in the community and a demonstrated lack of personal ethic by importing criminals to the community to attempt(perhaps succeed) in defrauding the electoral process.

    In Springfield this will actually be a strength in finding in favor of someone willing to be complicit in the destruction of McHenry County.

    In McHenry County it will be incumbent upon those interested and active parties to trumpet the fabulous lack of values, ethics and sense of community Reinert has displayed as a mere primary candidate.

    This will be hard as there is Establishment and Democrat money which will clearly be thrown behind Reinert to help him be the next person to work toward the destruction of this county.

    Consider, as well, how smart the Establishment and Democrats are for creating an incredibly bruising and expensive primary for Wilcox which will absolutely tee up Mahady for an easy win in the General.

    The season is long.

    Do you have the intestinal and monetary fortitude to fight on all the fronts the Democrats are presenting?

    They’ve had the minion in here and strengthened his hold.

    Establishment is coming home to help the minion.

    You, here, had better get quite a bit more active to turn your minority into widespread wins.

    There’s quite a bit of educating in every community necessary and a dozen “other people” just aren’t going to push this in the end zone for you.

    YOU are needed or the Establishment will help the liberal Democrats have their way with you.

    We will fight but you MUST help.

  8. @ Priest

    Never has it been said better.

    Merry Christmas!

  9. The NWH post states that Reinart filed in early November.

    Did Reinert violate state election law then also?

  10. Thank you. Priest; will send money for Wilcox win and for
    other candidates who have to campaign against the system*.

    * New Year’s resolution number one

    Merry Christmas

  11. Verr’s silly objection will go no where fast!

    He doesn’t know anything about proper petitions, that’s why his group of right wing extremists took over the GOP of MCHenry Township SO HE WOULDN”T HAVE TO BOTHER ABOUT GETTING PETITIONS!

  12. the Rinns have a long history of backing far-left tostados.

    Didn’t they give money to his Lordship Brian Sager?!

  13. Wilcox, Verr and Skinner are ultra-right extremists and demogogues.

    McHenry County deserves better!

    They make Trump look like Danny Quayle.

    Reinert will prevail because the objection is just hot air and mean-spirited. Wanna bet Calvin?

    Why does Wilcox want Reinert off the ballot?

    Why do dictators want to control the ballot?

    Ans. to both questions is the same. THEY WANT TO CONTROL EVERTHING!

  14. The last opinion comment is unsupported by evidence.

    There is evidence to the contrary.

    Mr. Wilcox was among a minority of County Board members who sought to protect taxpayers from the financial consequences of patronage hiring in contravention of salary administration policy and county code.

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