Jack Franks Taxpayer-Financed Giveaways Resolution Sent Back to Committee

The resolution that would allow McHenry County Chairman Jack Franks to buy stuff to give away at business expos and elsewhere for “cicic engagement” was sent back to the committee by the Board Tuesday night.

At the presumably taxpayer-financed 2017 McHenry Business Expo booth for McHenry County appeared these campaign tools of now-Chairman Jack Franks.  The were being given away by patronage worker Oliver Serifini.

Franks, as readers of McHenry County Blog know, sent his patronage worker Oliver Serifini to the McHenry Chamber of Commerce Business Expo in February of 2017 to pass out his campaign stickers and emery boards that were used in his 2016 campaign.

Discussion on the comment boards under several articles about the requested “laying on of hands” resolution pointed out that other countywide officials use their money for similar name identification enhancement purposes.

The commenters suggested that no county official be allowed to spend taxpayer money that way.

Illinois Leaks, which blew the whistle on this, still wonders what part of state law Franks will cite that says such purchases are legal.

The day of the vote, McHenry County Republican Party Chairman Diane Evertsen sent an email asking recipients to contact their County Board members.

Twenty-three of the twenty-foiur are Republicans, but Franks regularly is able to muster majority Board votes.


Comments

Jack Franks Taxpayer-Financed Giveaways Resolution Sent Back to Committee — 11 Comments

  1. These morons are lying about the purchasing ordinance again. Presently, county officials are buying branded items including the states attorney and the treasurer and they give them out at expos. Former States Attorney Bianchi even bought candy that he had the taxpayers pay for it to be used at parades. The resolution as read requires them to sign an affidavit that they are not using it for political purposes in order to stop these abuses. Just the opposite of what idiots claim they are trying to do. It’s clear that the republican party will do anything to protect the status quo and oppose all good government reforms when it applies to them. These Republican office holders have been doing this for years.

  2. This will go back to the Finance Committee which meets on Sept. 6 at 8:15 AM.

    People who wish to do so may make public comment during that meeting.

  3. Cal,

    While I agree with your position, it would carry much more weight if your outrage was applied to any politician.

    When Serwatka gave away free buckets of golf balls at Redtail for likes on his political facebook page you didn’t care. Why now?

  4. Perhaps you would agree that no giveaways should have an elected official’s name on it.

  5. Elected officials should not be allowed to put their names on anything that is paid for with taxpayer dollars, other than maybe stationary.

    There is no need to do “outreach” to let people know who the current office holder is. We have a Sheriff, States Attorney etc. So if they want to have a booth or a parade entry featuring the name of the office, that is fine, but it shouldn’t include the name of the current office holder in huge letters along with their picture.

    In the last election Mary McClellan had a huge poster of her face and name in the Clerk’s office facing the booths where people were doing early voting while she was a candidate for another office in the same election.. It reminded me of the picture of Chairman Mao on Tien An Min Square.

    Lou Bianchi routinely had his own parade entry with people (sometimes office employees pressured into doing so) walking with T shirts with his name emblazed on them.

    Keith Nygren had his name on the vehicles.

    Don Kopsell, when he was Road Commissioner in Nunda, had his name on the senior bus that would be parked outside of Old Country Buffet.

    THAT should be the rule. NO use of your name other than on office stationary and business cards. Period.

  6. McHenry Township racketerrs are even worse.

    Jim Condon gives out automotive items with his name on them

  7. I agree that this has been going on for to long!

    I listened to both the COW and the County Meeting and will say this again.

    Jack Franks brought this forward to the Finance Committee as written which then was passed onto the County Board.

    People that I have talked with also say that this may have been pulled because it didn’t have the votes and didn’t want to embarrass Franks.

    Gottemoeller pulls it from the agenda.

    I heard listening that Rein had an amendment to this.

    Anyone know what it said or who he might have given the amendment to?

  8. I agree 100%, no giveaways.

    In fact, there is no need for a politicians name anywhere on public property.

    I emailed you the screen shot.

  9. Was it a year ago that the CHAIRMAN of the county mailed congratulatory letters to high school graduates.

    Who paid for that? Did he do it this year?

    id letters go out to graduates in 2018 from the ENTIRE McHenry County Board rather than only one individual?

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