Franks Says He Is Against “Politicization,” Again Fails to Follow the Law

Michael Rein

Of course, there was no chance that McHenry County Board Chairman Jack Franks would nominate former McHenry County Board member Michael Rein–the Republican Party choice–to replace Republican Dr. Ann Majewski as County Coroner.

He made that clear in a Northwest Herald article earlier this week.

Rein was an effective check and balance on Chairman Franks on the County Board and, if there is one thing that Democrat can’t stand, it’s someone who thwarts his agenda.

Jack Franks

Rein most irritated Franks when, right after Franks took office, he saved the Personnel Committee that Franks wanted to merge into another committee.

Rein also forced savings on Franks when the Chairman sought to remodel the Administrative Building.

And, Rein was the leader in saving tax dollars on employee health benefits.

The constant give and take led to Franks’ Illinois Integrity Fund allies merciless attacks on Rein during the Republican primary and the general election campaign which led to the election of Democrat Carols Acosta.

Now Franks again ignores state law requiring the appointment of a replacement for a countywide elected official:

(10 ILCS 5/25-11)(from Ch. 46, par. 25-11) 
Sec. 25-11.

When a vacancy occurs in any elective county office…the county board…shall declare that such vacancy exists and notification thereof shall be given to the county central committee or the appropriate county board or board of county commissioners district committee of each established political party within 3 days of the occurrence of the vacancy. The vacancy shall be filled within 60 days by appointment of the chair of the county board…with the advice and consent of the county board…The appointee shall be a member of the same political party as the person he succeeds was at the time of his election and shall be otherwise eligible to serve. The appointee shall serve the remainder of the unexpired term.

Franks ignored this law first when Pam Palmer stepped down as McHenry County Auditor.

Having had disagreements about purchases which her Chief Deputy Shannon Teresi had denied (lip balm with Franks’ name and office printed on the tubes, for instance), Franks refused to appoint her until County Board members make it clearly known that his favorite, Nancy Gonsiorek, would not be approved.

Campaign material Jack Franks tried to sneak by the Auditor’s Office.

Gonsiorek had been a candidate in the District 3 County Board Republican Primary Election.

In the same NWH article announcing his support for Gonsiorek, Franks advocated abolishing the independent office of Auditor and replacing it with an Inspector General reporting to someone doing his will.

While Palmer resigned at the end of December, 2017, Franks did not allow the Board to vote for Teresi until April–clearly more than sixty days after the resignation.

Anne Majewski

It is now about four months later, that is, twice the sixty days in which state laws directs Franks to act.

Dr. Majewski resigned the end of February.

In the article, Franks attacks the qualifications of chiropractic doctor Rein.

“I want to professionalize the office and depoliticize our government,” the NWH quotes him.

Jack Franks patronage worker wearing twp Franks campaign stickers at the 2017 McHenry Chamber of Commerce Business Expo.

Close observers of what Franks has done to politicize McHenry County government since he took office must surely have chuckled, if not laughed out loud, when they read that.

There is no mention in the article of Jack Franks’ politicization of county government with the two patronage employees he hired or his refusal to put items on the agenda in a timely fashion that Coroner Majewski requested or those that committee chairwoman Yvonne Barnes requested. (The former putting stress on Majewski,)

[It should be noted that article author Drew Zimmerman joined the NWH staff less than a year ago.]

What makes Dr. Rein unqualified is that he has “no background in pathology or forensic science,” the NWH states in an indirect quote.

Missing is that of the nine applicants some clearly do not meet the specifications outlined in the law.

Note the requirement that the replacement be of the same political party as the resigning official.

One candidate who clearly does not meet that is Democrat Richard Jackson.

The other’s names, in alphabetical order, besides Rein and Jackson, appear below:

  • Patricia J. Bogard, previous McHenry County Deputy Coroner with a degree in Mortuary Science
  • Shannon Parker Havenhill, MSN, RN, Crystal Lake
  • Mark Justen, Owner of Justen Funeral Home and Crematory in McHenry
  • Lisa A. Maire, retired funeral director
  • Orlando Portillo, McHenry County Deputy Coroner and former Lake County Coroner Chief Deputy
  • Teresa Steph, attorney, Cary
  • Edith M. Varga, former McHenry County Deputy Coroner, degree in mortuary science

Since the new Coroner must be a Republican, a Friend of McHenry County Blog looked at voting records back to the turn turn of the century.

Here is what was found:

  • Bogard – no primary votes since 2000
  • Havenhill – no primary vote shown since 2000 – only shows one vote in 2018 general
  • Jackson – hard D
  • Justen – hard R
  • Maire – voted R once in 2002 – no other primaries shown for her
  • Portillo – two active voting records with same birth date – voted early in the 2018 general – no other votes showing
  • Rein – hard R
  • Steph – no primary voting record
  • Varga – hard R

While Jack Franks contends that he wants to take politics out of county government, state law obviously requires a political connection.


Comments

Franks Says He Is Against “Politicization,” Again Fails to Follow the Law — 19 Comments

  1. Jack ‘Little Ceaser’ Franks is a disaster for McHenry County.

    His goal isn’t just to turn McHenry County Blue but to get the credit, and gain the political mileage with the Illinois and National Democrat Party, for making that happen.

    It’s not about McHenry beyond where McHenry can benefit Franks.

  2. If you have no voting record wouldn’t you be able to claim you’re whatever?

    If you apply to be an election judge and have never voted before, you have to declare you’re something or the other.

    Even though you have no voting record indicating you are what you say you are, the election authority takes your word for it.

    Anyway, I see three candidates more qualified than Rein and one of them is a known loyal Republican.

  3. After 20 years of Franks, I still can’t imagine a single person voting for him, even himself.

    But hey, you do you McHenry County.

  4. Jack, who are you crappin, you are all about politics, that is why you wanted the Inspector General position, so you could control it.

  5. Franks is McHenry County’s mini Geo. Soros.

    A filthy Midas-Miser with tentacles all over the place.

    And a hate campaign against anything or anyone who stands in his megalomaniacal way & Christian aspects of civilization/governance.

    Gasoriek is a kind of remora, attaching herself to Franks to get her rotten scraps.

    It’s time this giant squid lost a few arms even if the NWH organ of the Franks’ giant squid starts shooting barrels of ink to obscure, lie and confuse the issue of Franks’ overlordship of McHenry County.

    Pokorny, DJ, Reston and ‘out’ are all right on!

  6. “I don’t like Jack Franks, simple as that!!” This summarizes the spirit of this sewer-sunshine blog. Stay tuned…tic, tock, tic, tock, tic, tock, meeeeeoooooooowwwwwwwwwwww…

  7. Jack Franks and his Acosta type skanks are what must be trashed if this County willl ever be set right again.

  8. Oh no another Tic tock from Angel! What shall I do? The Sky is Falling!

    Franks knows all too well that Acosta’s DCFS behavior was despicable. Yet he continued to say he was a model board member. Jack, tell that to AJ.

  9. Jack also violates federal law (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) every time I get one of his robo-calls at phone numbers which have been duly registered with the FTC on the “Do Not Call” list.

    Violations carry a $1500 fine for EACH instance.

    I’ll invoice him in the near future, but he owes me $4500 as of today.

  10. Angel, take a look, you are in your own sewer, you, yourself, created.

    You support Carlos Acosta the DCFS worker responsible for protecting AJ Freund. That says a lot about you.

    If you know Angel, run for the hills!

  11. “You support Carlos Acosta the DCFS worker responsible for “NOT” protecting AJ Freund”

  12. Cal, Jack’s robo-calls are disparaging toward other board members, and are quite often factually incorrect.

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