McHenry County Blog

Part of the April 15. 2009, Algonquin Tea Party demonstration on Route 31 across from Port Edward.

The Algonquin Tea Party has put on several roadside demonstrations.

Now, its leader, Julie Sanford, announces the group’s first meeting will be Tuesday night at the Nunda Township Hall.

Her email follows:

Here’s the final details for the Algonquin Tea Party’s 1st meeting. Feel free to publish & share this info.

Please invite your family & friends.

The Nunda Township Hall is between Walkup Road and Route 31.

We should have plenty of room.

Meeting info:

What: Algonquin Tea Party meeting – our 1st one!
When: Tuesday, November 29th
Time: 7-8 pm
Where: Nunda Township Office meeting hall

Nunda Township Office – meeting hall,
3510 Bay Rd, Crystal Lake, IL 60012

Nunda Township has asked that we pls not park on the grass.

There is plenty of parking in paved & gravel areas.

We look forward to seeing you there.

In addition, we have a couple candidates coming. If you’d like to chat with them after the meeting, my suggestion is to meet at McDonald’s, in Crystal Lake. It’s near the intersection of Rt 31 & 176.

McDonald’s
230 N Route 31
Crystal Lake, IL 60014

ps: If you have a laptop computer or hand held device that can access the internet, pls bring it.

fyi: This room doesn’t have internet access.

If you have any questions, please contact me.

Sincerely,
Julie Sanford
Algonquin Tea Party coordinator

A larger demonstration was held on Randall Road on September 12, 2009.

The Algonquin Tea Party folks would like to help you to arrange transportation.  Here’s the information:

Photo is from the September, 2009, demonstration on Randall Road.

I’m Julie Sanford, the Algonquin, IL Tea Party coordinator.

If you are interested, Illinois Tea Party Patriots is teaming up with the Illinois Policy Institute,,, for the 1st statewide tea party on 1/5 in Springfield, IL “Capitol Day.”

If you are in favor of SB600… you’ll want to be there.

SB600 is one of our big issues we want to see rectified.

The Illinois Policy Institute is providing FREE Busing to Springfield. Bus pick up locations are determing by RSVP’s … to see where stops should be added.

If you know of any like-minded people (who want to see the Republican Party in IL reformed,) pls invite them to attend as well.

Contact Julie Sanford
Algonquin, IL Tea Party coordinator
www.algonquinteaparty.com

Capitol Day Tea Party in Springfield, statewide event

Wednesday January 5, 2011 10:30 AM – 5:00 PM
posted by: Julie4God&liberty
301 South 2nd St, Springfield, IL, 62706  (map)

Signs like this would be appropriate late Thursday afternoon on Route 14 in Crystal Lake.

This is income tax day and this sign, while not local, is appropriate because TEA Party demonstrations are going to be held in Crystal Lake on Route 14 at Main Street and on Route 62 in Algonquin.

For the Route 14 location, one group is promoting 3-6 PM; another 3:30-6:30.

In Algonquin, the place to be is in Cornish Park across from Port Edward from noon to 1.

Crystal Lake Police Cars behind the TEA Party demonstrators last April 15th.

Last year there was a large police presence.

Demonstrators on Route 14 a year ago.

Worried about all those middle class folks who are fed up.  All those people paying the 75% higher city sales tax, if they stick around to shop.

I wonder if anyone will bring a sign expressing displeasure about Mayor Aaron Shepley and all of his city council’s having hiked the Crystal Lake city sales tax by 75%.

McHenry’s city council is contemplating a 50% increase.

If there is any criticism of the TEA Party movement I would offer, it is that virtually all of the effort is targeted at the national level.

Mike Hanson understands not all pocketbook threats come from Washington.

In Illinois, with Democrats in the Senate have actually voted to increase income taxes by 67%, I would think that demonstrators would be concerned enough to target Pat Quinn and his Democratic Party tax hiking colleagues.

And, complaints about local tax hikes, such as the Crystal Lake one described above, mainly to build a recreation lakeside resort area in the middle of the biggest recession in all but one of the city council members’ lives, I expect them to be non-existent.

In politics the hardest lesson to learn is that

“All politics is local.”

Democratic Party U.S. House Speaker Tip O’Neill is the man who said it. The Boston pol was right on.

It is easier to scare local officials than national ones.

That doesn’t mean that I am suggesting ignoring the Melissa Bean’s and Bill Foster’s of the world.

What you see here is the table with three Grafton Township Trustees--Betty Zirk, Rob LaPorta and Gerry McMahon--with Township Administrator Pam Fender between Zirk and LaPorta. Seen to the far left is Township Road Commissioner Jack Freund. The meeting has been going on for about a half an hour and the entire audience knows which way the wind is blowing.

It does mean when people get “mad as hell,” as the vast majority were Tuesday night at the Grafton Township meeting, big things can be accomplished.

The margin of victory for the opponents of buying new township offices were at least 5-2, maybe at high as 80%. All votes were by standing or raising hands with the pink paper ballots, which were never cast.

The Township Trustees seemed astounded that over 500 people would come to trash their plans to obtain new township offices.

= = = = =

Those attending the Route 14 TEA Party Thursday afternoon might want to consider coming early to have penny pancakes at Colonial Cafe.  The restaurant is holding an autism benefit for a local agency.