Joe Gottemoller
Jack Franks
Gottemoller was bested for the opportunity to run against Franks for Board Chairman in the 2016 GOP Primary Election and lost his campaign for re-election on the Board to Democrat Kelli Wegener.
He has been a favorite of Franks, who contributed $250 to his campaign for re-election–the only donation made to a politician the Democrat made during the second quarter of 2018.
Gottemoller was named by Franks to head the Transportation Committee under Franks’ first tow years.
He applied for the recently-filled Associate Judgeship.
Another Republican Board member–John Hammerand–applied for the vacancy created by the resignation of Craig Wilcox, who was appointed to the State Senate to replace retiring Pam Althoff.
Not one of Franks’ favorites, Hammerand, who had served since 1998 and decided not to run for re-election, was passed over when he recommended Stephen Doherty to fill out the Wilcox term.
Here is the Jack Franks’ press release:
Chairman Jack Franks nominates Joe Gottemoller to fill McHenry County Board vacancy
WOODSTOCK, Ill. – McHenry County Board Chairman Jack Franks has nominated Republican former board member Joe Gottemoller to fill the vacancy in County Board District 3.
Franks, D-Marengo, said Gottemoller’s wealth of knowledge and professionalism makes him the best choice to fill the vacancy left when Republican Michael Walkup resigned in December.
“Joe proved himself an invaluable leader who accomplished a lot during his six years on the County Board, and he will serve the people of McHenry County and District 3 very well,” Franks said.
Gottemoller, a zoning and land use attorney, was made chairman of the board’s Planning and Development Committee shortly after his 2012 election – his knowledge and leadership proved instrumental in the development and approval of the county’s Unified Development Ordinance. He served as County Board Chairman from 2014 to 2016, where his leadership proved to be an example to follow. As chairman, he spearheaded an advisory referendum to reduce the size of the County Board; its overwhelming popularity prompted board members last year to eliminate six of its 24 seats, effective with the 2022 redistricting election. In 2016, Gottemoller was made chairman of the Transportation Committee, where he continued to excel.
“We received a pool of very competent and dedicated applicants who stepped forward to serve their communities, but Joe’s credentials, and his accomplishments on behalf of the people of McHenry County, make him the best choice to fill the vacancy,” Franks said. “While the County Board has benefitted from the infusion of new faces from the November election, we lost a very talented and dedicated lawmaker, and it is my distinct honor to bring Joe forward for consideration.”
Joe owns the law firm of Gottemoller & Associates. He earned his bachelor of arts degree in 1979 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and his law degree in 1982 from American University’s Washington College of Law. He and his wife, Christine, live in Crystal Lake, and have three grown sons.
The County Board will vote on Gottemoller’s appointment at its next voting meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19, at the county Administration Building, 667 Ware Road, Woodstock.
District 3 covers Nunda, southeast McHenry, and northeast Algonquin townships, and includes all or parts of Crystal Lake, Bull Valley, McHenry, Prairie Grove, Holiday Hills, Lakemoor, Island Lake, Oakwood Hills, Port Barrington and Cary.
Blows his chance to get me off the streets, so ole hobo DJ will continue raiding backyard clotheslines, stealing pies off windowsills and spinning Jack Franks fart jokes.
To his credit, Joe (probably not intentionally) led off what became a walk out on Franks during the latter’s pointless and politically motivated questioning of Joe Tirio.
The little lapdog named “Joe” yapped at the naughty conservatives, but quickly lept back into the lap of his doting Master, aka ‘The Jackal,’ when the conservatives snarled at the spoiled, perfumed poodle of a man.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_WeD6wy7N5SQ/SYoDGfFov6I/AAAAAAAAEAQ/f5VfYccNcU8/s400/poodles-miniature.jpg
Who applied for the position to the McHenry County GOP?
Who is the McHenry GOP’s choice?
Or are they once again caving to Franks?
This appointment was a foregone conclusion, whatever way Franks wanted to frame it.
Who were the other interested citizens who applied for and were interviewed for this vacancy?
Did they all complete Framks’ personal, financial questionnaire?
These applications should be available on request,
While county board chairman,
Gottemoller represented the power plant who tried to precipitously jam a huge facility into Oakwood Hills, in the dead of afternoon.
The plant could be expected to use more groundwater (of the sweetwater aquifer providing most of our county water) in one day thsn city of Crystal lake.
He does not represent the interests of the county citizens, based upon this history.
We voted him out.
Let’s hope the board respects this. Of course they will. They respect the voters.
x-Kelli Wegener (D): 9,832 votes/31.82 percent
x-Lori Parrish (R): 11,888 votes/38.47 percent
Joe Gottemoller (R): 9,181 votes/29.71 percent
Sheesh, Joe, you can’t deal living without power?
Jack pwns the GOP again
This is like the fourth or fifth time he’s gotten someone confirmed.
Jack dominates the GOP.
He tells THEM who they’re going to have and they go along with it.
-The last time the GOP didn’t even recommend someone until AFTER jack picked them. Weak. Did they even recommend someone this time?
-Jack has gotten them to publicly complain about his selection and then they melted down and voted for the person anyway.
-Jack has gotten people with less experience appointed. How will they say no?
-Jack has gotten people with a lot of experience appointed and this is one of those cases. They’re not going to say no now.
-Jack recommended someone they’ve worked with. Now they’ll feel guilty for saying no to their buddy.
-Even when the GOP did make a recommendation, Jack ignored it, recommended his own guy, and they went along with it.
-Jack appointed a guy who just lost. Voters are going to be outraged that they just rejected Joe G and now the board is going to approve of him. That blame is going to fall on Republicans, not Jack. He knows how to maneuver. They are clumsy political amateurs.
-Jack knows that seat will be Democratic next time it’s up.
-But Jack can dangle the possibility of giving Joe a chance at re-election by not involving his money into the next election — if Joe cooperates with him.
That means no more walkouts.
Just when you score a point on Jack he comes back owning the GOP, promising taxpayers 15 million dollars, and fighting back with a public smear campaign against Tirio in the newspapers.
GOP has NO idea how to handle this guy.
They think having a disgraced and rejected politician constantly bloviating about him being a dictator is persuading people Jack is bad, when it’s probably doing the opposite.
GOP better hope some strong, independent, progressive woman challenges him because he’s going to keep wrecking them.
Franks offered this to Joe months ago but Joe turned it down thinking he had a shot at the judge position.
He didn’t get it because it was decided to make it a subcircuit position and Joe didn’t live in that subcircuit. Perhaps not coincidentally the new Chief Judge gave it to one of his former law office associates.
Making the position a subcircuit one gave him cover for that.
Joe will probably apply for the next judge position and leave a vacancy again.
Meanwhile, there is zero chance that the Board will reject him.
After all, a majority voted for him for Chairman back when the Board made that selection.
Meanwhile again, Pritzker hasn’t yet appointed Franks to anything but the Secretary of State position may open up.
Let’s see if he still has a chance at that after more is revealed in Tiriogate.
That is the only way McHenry County will get rid of him.
When did they start putting Associate Judges into subcircuits?
I thought that was just for full Circuit Court Judges.
And this just in:
McSweeney is introducing a bill that would give the McHenry County Board Chairman authority to line item veto budget items approved by the County Board….
Why is McSweeney obsessed with trying to get state legislation passed that applies exclusively to McHenry County?
Glad to see the media being critical of McSweeney for once.
Props to Ed Komenda.
McSweeney is working with Democrat Franks to give him what he wants because that’s what’s best for McSweeney, NOT what’s best for McHenry County or her citizens! How quickly these piliticians fall from grace.
Tirio should run for Chairman and drain this swamp!
That is so not how sub-circuits work.
I believe it is.
Beware citizens of McHenry County!
McSweeney’s play to expand JFs power is NOT what you voted for!
Hit the road Jack and don’t you come back no more.
Well Michael, when the position was announced, lawyers who were not in the subcircuit applied for it Why would they do that if it was already a subcircuit position?
Then when the selection was announced it was a subcircuit position.
So how exactly does that work?
The article on the McSweeney/Franks bill can be found here. https://www.nwherald.com/
As a resident of district 3, and a member of a significant group of voters who helped remove Joe Gottemoller from office in the last election, it is very disappointing to see that he has been nominated by Jack Franks to fill the open vacancy.
Instead of protecting his constituents, he worked for the failed power plant which was planned for behind closed doors in Oakwood Hills.
Because of that conflict of interest, we do not want this person representing us.
Mr. Gottemoller was soundly defeated in the last election because the voters didn’t want him. T
o the McHenry County board: Please do not vote for this appointment on February 19th.
Cal and KnownExtremist –
The County was divided into sub-circuits years ago. At the time, we had Resident Judges and County-Wide Judges (both were Circuit Judges). The judges were not placed into sub-circuits when the division occurred; instead, whenever a Resident Judge leaves office, that person’s position becomes a sub-circuit position.
So, when former Chief Judge Sullivan retired, he was a Resident Judge, so his seat became the 3rd sub-circuit and was filled by Judge Hansen by an appointment from Justice Thomas.
Judge Hansen will have to run for the office in 2020.
Unlike Circuit Judges, Associate Judges are appointed by the Circuit Judges.
That is the position that 19 attorneys applied for, not any sub-circuit.
There was no conspiracy to suddenly make the vacancy a sub-circuit vacancy – it was automatic once Chief Judge Sullivan retired because the law that created the sub-circuits made it so that the Resident Judge positions became the sub-circuit positions.
Oh, and Judge Hansen never worked for the current Chief Judge – Jim Cowlin; he worked for at Cowlin, Naughton, Curran and Coppedge for John Cowlin.
Well spoken mike shorten
Thank you Michael > So explain please why 19 lawyers would apply for a position that they weren’t eligible for if they didn’t live in subcircuit 3.
Is that Associate position still open?
Why then would Joe accept appointment to the Board if he is still in the running?
@KnownExtremist
Fact check: The new judge did NOT practice with Judge Cowlin’s former firm.
Once again you should review other posts here where it is explained that the Chief Judge is only one vote of all the circuit court judges.
Ballots are cast and forwarded to the Supreme Court where the winner is declared.
@KnownExtremist
Circuit Judge positions may be in sub-circuits.
Associate Judges are not.
If you have evidence to the contrary post it.
If not, remember: Ignorance can be cured; stupid is forever,
KnownExtremist – Robert Zalud was appointed to be the next Associate Judge.
It is a county-wide appointment, meaning you must live in the county in order to be eligible for the office.
No sub-circuits.
Gottmoller’s brown nose is legendary.
Ma Barker!
You made me laugh so hard with the photo of Joe. G., I inhaled my coffee.
Please issue a warning before you key in such photos.
I’m worried I’ll stroke out at another great picture!
Michael, thanks for explaining all that, saved me the trouble.
Dude’s one of the frequent anonymous slanderers of the judiciary.