McHenry County Blog

Tucked away in the McHenry County College agenda for April 23rd’s meetings is this little factoid:

Donna Magnani, Executive Director, Friends of MCC Foundation, has been on leave since March 13, 2009.

Todd MacDonald, Assistant Vice President of Finance, has been selected to to serve as Interim Executive Director of the Foundation until a search process can take place and the position is permanently filled. This assignment is retroactive to March 14, 2009. The interim assignment includes a stipend for the additional responsibilities of $500.00 per month.

The amount of the stipend is consistent with what has been paid to others assuming similar additional roles and functions.

This Item #09-87 is interesting on several levels. The following questions arise:

• Why is someone on leave, if she is being replaced?
• If Ms. Magnani is “on leave,” is it with or without pay?

Given that the college board has granted magnificent continuing pay (over $200,000 a year through mid-2010) for little work, plus family health benefits through August 21, 2012—3½ years after he resigned his full-time job, those seems like a reasonable question.

I have one other question:

Might MacDonald have time to respond to the question I left after reviewing Walt Packard’s restaurant bill in Washington to New York City, when it appeared he included his wife’s meal?

Click to enlarge the graphic. What’s on the billboard, composed by Crystal Lake Heck of a Guy blogger Allan Showalter, is worth the time.

Crystal Lake Heck of a Guy blogger Allan Showalter rightly thought I might have missed this story on McSweeney’s.

24.

I’m like a cat.

A powerful, hungry cat.

But I’m also a great man.

A man who helps people.

A man who helps people who is also a strong cat in the wild, taking what he wants.

I could be in movies, I think.

Or on television. You know what?

When this is over, I’m going to write a book.

Think of it as an advance on David Letterman’s Top Ten things about Rod Blagojevich.

= = = = =
With apologies to Keely cat, who I believe was just yawning, rather than getting ready to take what he wants.

Crystal Lake Heck of a Guy blogger Allan Showalter rightly thought I might have missed this story on McSweeney’s.

24.

I’m like a cat.

A powerful, hungry cat.

But I’m also a great man.

A man who helps people.

A man who helps people who is also a strong cat in the wild, taking what he wants.

I could be in movies, I think.

Or on television. You know what?

When this is over, I’m going to write a book.

Think of it as an advance on David Letterman’s Top Ten things about Rod Blagojevich.

= = = = =
With apologies to Keely cat, who I believe was just yawning, rather than getting ready to take what he wants.

Heck of a Guy Blogster Allan Showalter has come up with a list of Illinois-written songs appropriate for ill-starred Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.

Here are the first ten:

• “Kind of a Drag,” Buckinghams
• “Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)” R. Kelly
• “Illegal Smile” John Prine
• “I Confess” New Colony Six
• “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” Buckinghams
• “Surrender” Cheap Trick
• “The Search Is Over” Survivor
• “When I Think About Cheatin’” Gretchen Wilson
• “Here for the Party” Gretchen Wilson
• “The Lincoln Park Pirates” Steve Goodman

For the rest, click here.

“Jailhouse Rock” was not written by an Illinois resident.

Heck of a Guy Blogster Allan Showalter has come up with a list of Illinois-written songs appropriate for ill-starred Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.

Here are the first ten:

• “Kind of a Drag,” Buckinghams
• “Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)” R. Kelly
• “Illegal Smile” John Prine
• “I Confess” New Colony Six
• “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” Buckinghams
• “Surrender” Cheap Trick
• “The Search Is Over” Survivor
• “When I Think About Cheatin’” Gretchen Wilson
• “Here for the Party” Gretchen Wilson
• “The Lincoln Park Pirates” Steve Goodman

For the rest, click here.

“Jailhouse Rock” was not written by an Illinois resident.

$3,896.39, according to the latest campaign disclosure report filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections.

The only contribution the the McHenry County Young Republicans during the last six months was from the Algonquin Township Republican Central Committee.

The group did not spend any money.

Looking at the organization’s web site, I see there are possible logos.

Among them are Dick Tracy, first advanced by Crystal Lake Heck of a Guy blogster Allan Showalter.

There are also elephants, but not my hard-charging favorite from the mid-1960’s (which I will find one of these days and post).

And, no, I am not the one vote for the selection of Dick Tracy.

$3,896.39, according to the latest campaign disclosure report filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections.

The only contribution the the McHenry County Young Republicans during the last six months was from the Algonquin Township Republican Central Committee.

The group did not spend any money.

Looking at the organization’s web site, I see there are possible logos.

Among them are Dick Tracy, first advanced by Crystal Lake Heck of a Guy blogster Allan Showalter.

There are also elephants, but not my hard-charging favorite from the mid-1960’s (which I will find one of these days and post).

And, no, I am not the one vote for the selection of Dick Tracy.

That Heck of a Guy Crystal Lake blogger Allan Showalter surely has sharp eyes.

So much negative advertising.

I still can’t figure out how he can find these signs in McHenry County and I can’t.

Now, he has found one opposing Dick Tracy for McHenry County Seal because it would bring TOO MUCH ATTENTION to McHenry County.

And I thought the county board wanted to bring attention to McHenry County.

To help tourism, for instance.

Come to think of it, though, there were lots of folks in the courthouse who were not too happy when the Chicago Crime Commission was rooting around.

That reminds me.

If anyone would like to pass on tips of wrong-doing in the courthouse, a local school district, a city, village, township, fire protection district, you name it, here’s how to get in touch with the Chicago Crime Commission:

Those who would like to drop a dime on crime may do so by contacting the commission by calling 312-372-0101. There is also a way to communicate by email on the web site.

That Heck of a Guy Crystal Lake blogger Allan Showalter surely has sharp eyes.

So much negative advertising.

I still can’t figure out how he can find these signs in McHenry County and I can’t.

Now, he has found one opposing Dick Tracy for McHenry County Seal because it would bring TOO MUCH ATTENTION to McHenry County.

And I thought the county board wanted to bring attention to McHenry County.

To help tourism, for instance.

Come to think of it, though, there were lots of folks in the courthouse who were not too happy when the Chicago Crime Commission was rooting around.

That reminds me.

If anyone would like to pass on tips of wrong-doing in the courthouse, a local school district, a city, village, township, fire protection district, you name it, here’s how to get in touch with the Chicago Crime Commission:

Those who would like to drop a dime on crime may do so by contacting the commission by calling 312-372-0101. There is also a way to communicate by email on the web site.

Heck of a Guy blogger Allan Showalter has found more than one sign in opposition to electing Dick Tracy for McHenry County Seal.

Let him put it in his own words:

“Still other signs play on the viewer’s sympathies, nostalgia, and/or fear of change to blast Tracy. The above, crudely done specimen maligns the urban-based Dick Tracy as a bovine-bashing, corn-castigating, tradition-traducing architecturally elitist disrespecter of his fellow symbols.”

The symbols Showalter surmises old line interests want to re-cycle are found on the McHenry County flag, seen below: