McHenry County Democratic Party Officials Oppose McSweeney Bill to Make Jack Franks More Powerful, Althoff Files “No Position” Witness Slip

Available on the Illinois General Assembly’s web site for State Rep. David McSweeney’s House Bill 3317 are records of witness slips filed by those in the room for the hearing, plus people filing via the internet.

Not surprisingly Jack Franks did not file a slip.

Since the bill pretty much makes him czar of McHenry County without having to win a referendum, which he previously failed to accomplish, there was no need to come out and contradict what he told the Northwest Herald when faced with a revolt from County Board members, Republican and Democrats.

Surprisingly, the head of the local Democratic Party, Kristina Zahorik, signed a witness slip against the legislation listing that she represented the Democratic Party of McHenry County.

Another, Barbara Sistak Baur, listed her affiliation likewise.

While not identifying her status as a Democratic Party Precinct Committeeman in Algonquin 50 and Vice Chair of the local party, Ruth Scifo, submitted a witness slip against the bill. Her husband, Joseph Scifo, who is running for the Crystal Lake Park Board, also registered his opposition to he bill.

Kathryn Potter, Democratic Party Precinct Committeeman in Algonquin 45 and District 1 Chair did the same thing.

There may be others, but I am not familiar enough with the Democrats’ Precinct Committeemen to identify them.

Kankakee County Democratic Party Chairman, John Willard, also signed in opposition.

Pam Althoff

Former State Senator Pam Althoff, now a Republican County Board member, indicated she had no position on the bill.

Under the column “Firm, Business or Agency,” she wrote, “McHenry County Board.”

The next column asks who the witness represents.

Althoff wrote, “McHenry County Board.”

There were other County Board members opposing the bill:

  • Joe Gottemoller
  • Jim Kearns
  • Lori Parrish
  • Carolyn Schofied
  • Larry Smith
  • Jeff Thorsen
  • Kelli Wegener

All are Republicans, but Wegener.

Three elected McHenry County officials registered opposition to the bill:

  • Leslie Schermerhorn
  • Shannon Teresi
  • Joe Tirio

Appointed to the Zoning Board of Appeals by the County Board Chairman, so did Charles Eldredge.

The witness slips were not persuasive, even though there were 171 of them in opposition versus 3 in favor and two with no position.

The bill was voted out on the floor by a vote of 12-2.


Comments

McHenry County Democratic Party Officials Oppose McSweeney Bill to Make Jack Franks More Powerful, Althoff Files “No Position” Witness Slip — 16 Comments

  1. It sounds like Pammie is planning on running for Chair.

    I’d love to see Jacko out of there, but I don’t think she’d be an improvement.

  2. “The witness slips were not persuasive, even though there were 171 of them in opposition versus 3 in favor and two with no position.

    The bill was voted out on the floor by a vote of 12-2.”

    Welcome to Clown World.

    Don’t forget to honk!

  3. Althoff has proven she is a liar but she still comes in second to her bosom weasel buddy.

  4. @Cal

    You really do need to pay more attention to your spelling, Cal. Your headline about Althoff’s position reads “witness” slip. Didn’t you mean witless slip?

  5. Jacko has finally managed to do the impossible, united the Democrats and Republicans on an issue of great importance to McHenry County!

    Thanks Jacko.

  6. Smart politics all the way around…

    McSweeney has now lost all credibility after bowing and scraping to Madigan’s wishes so he’s severely weakened as a Republican anything elected.

    Local Democrats get to take a populist stance in defending The People against the aggressions of Franks with zero consequence because this is in State hands and will pass handily.

    Franks will feign anger at local Democrats while Pam aligns him up the middle in a conservative county thereby strengthening her future position with McHenry County’s newly minted dictator while local Dems get to scream foul on both counts.

    Democrats will tout their break from Franks as a local difference in Democrat attitude from lunatic socialists and local cleptocrat Franks thereby offering a locally stronger Democrat Party while Republicans continue to destroy any illusions they work for The People.

    The Democrat plan is working brilliantly.

    Cook.
    Du page.
    Lake.
    Kane.
    Now McHenry.

    Well done McHenry County Republicans.

    You’ve allowed Cleptocrats entre into the last powerful conservative county and, like tics, they’re irrevocably burrowing in because you’re too stupid and weak to cut them out before they kill the host.

  7. Of course Pam Althoff opposes this and the Republicans! They want to keep doing things the same way!

    Cut or disperse Valley Hi funds? No.

    Cut taxes? No.

    Decrease the size of the board? No.

    If they could, I bet the board cronies would go back to how the Chair used to be elected so each of them get a ‘turn’ making $70k every few years.

    First it was Ken’s turn, then Tina’s and Joe’s and the list would have gone on if the people didn’t get a say.

    If you want to just evaluate party as the denominator for who’s responsible for where the county has got to, the simple, evidenced base fact is that Republican leadership has overseen the board, consecutively, for decades.

    IT IS A FACT!

    We saw taxes continue to increase, zero efforts of eliminating or consolidating government, no willingness to forgo healthcare or pensions – NONE of that happened without outside pressure.

    It’s very easy to sit and complain about the current state of politics, but if you look at where we were a few yearsa go and where we have since come, taxpayers are better off and voters have greater choice.

  8. You say “Surprisingly, the head of the local Democratic Party, Kristina Zahorik, signed a witness slip against the legislation listing that she represented the Democratic Party of McHenry County.”

    But is it a surprise that ANYONE would oppose this ?

    Democrats just get in on the county board and this bill takes away their ability to represent the constituents who put them there!

    Because this is ripe for a major thiefdom Dems chances of being elected to anything in the future in this county will be endangered.

  9. Althoff took ‘no position’ on this?

    Why fill out a witness slip to take no position?

    She’s either as useless as a shit-flavored popsicle or

    She wants to be next in line for this Dictatorship!

  10. Is the chairman a good friend past and present and supporter of Baark Hussein Obama? Would any REAL journalist from McHenry County ask the chairman if he supports this guy? And if so, why?

  11. Who cares?

    Illinois will sink.

    Who’s going to be aboard to drown when that happens?

  12. Fair Play, the Republican based board was pretty good.

    IT IS A FACT that the school districts are responsible for around 70% of our Real Estate tax bills so cut the bullish!t.

    Gee who sits on the school boards?

    The ones who the Democrats and UNIONS put the most money toward campaigns for.

    And they all have conflicts of interest!

    Spouses/family members as teachers!

    Or retired teachers and admin collecting pensions!

    No wonder they never met a tax hike they didn’t like?

    They’re all benefitting!

  13. Decreasing the size of the board doesn’t save when it leaves county constituents with less representation.

    We don’t want that, Especially if you have a power hungry Chairman like Franks.

    He wants Less people to have to bully, coherse, threaten, in order to get his way.

    His way is going to cost us dearly!

  14. GettaClue, you’re implying that any of our representatives listen to its constituents.

    24 or 4, they all plug their ears in the same manner.

    Some of the more arrogant ones even return to the board in spite of being voted out.

  15. You are conveniently forgetting the Mike Walkup led the fight to eliminate the Valley Hi tax for a year. With out checkig on the percentage of McHenry County government’s tax cut, I think it was 3.6%.

    Then, of course, the all-GOP County Board reinstated what had been cut so as not to lose the ability to tax more in future years.

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