McHenry County Blog

On Friday, October 19th, right before the election, Governor Pat Quinn took Amtrak on a 15-mile trip.

From Dwight to Pontiac, I think.

The train went 111 miles per hour.

The problem is that a car can still drive from the Chicago area to Springfield faster than the train.

And the Governor can fly in one of the State’s fleet of planes, just like the influential Chicago legislators.

They won’t take the train.

During the 1970′s when I had a lot of time, I often took the train from Crystal Lake to Chicago and from Chicago to Springfield and back.

But it didn’t save me time. Didn’t save me money either, because the State reimbursed the cost of the train ticket.

The train looking like a bullet train, but it’s maximum speed was only 69 miles per hour, just like now on most of the route.

I’d look out the window and see cars passing the train.

After a stop in Joliet and Dwight and Pontiac and Normal and Lincoln, I’d see the same cars and trucks passing us again.

It’s going to be a long time–probably never–when someone from the Northwest, Western or Southwester suburbs is tempted into Amtrak to go to Springfield.

Except to the train riding experience maybe.

And, I’m bold enough to suggest that there are not a lot of regular travelers from Downtown Chicago to Downtown St. Louis.

Hey. It only is going to cost $4 billion.

That would build a lot of roads.

Multiply the 40,239 student figure for spring 2011 enrollment by 50, just assuming that high speed rail would have a life of fifty years.

They divide that by six, just assuming that the average student takes six years to get through college.

The result is 368,658 students. Let’s round down, assuming that the average student doesn’t take six years to get through college.

The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Governor Pat Quinn is allocating $1.25 million in planning money.

The article says construction of a system that would allow 220 MPH bullet trains would cost tens of billions of dollars.

OK, let’s assume that its only three tens of billions of dollars.

What is $30 billion divided by 300,000.

It’s only $300 per student?

That’s assuming equipment is included in the $30 billion and no annual operating subsidy is required.

And assuming all the students will use the train to get to and from home.

Neither assumption is likely.

In the 1990′s, when I calculated how much it would cost in operating subsidies to keep Amtrak running to Macomb, it came out to over $2,000 per student.

I figure it would be as cheap to buy each student a car.

I’m betting a similar conclusion can be reached after the U of I study is completed.

First he said he would.

Governor Pat Quinn, that is.

That was in Rockford.

Then, Quinn said he was going to re-study whether Amtrak should go through Genoa instead.

And, he’s decided to run it through Genoa.

Not Huntley, where Quinn’s first announcement said it would run.

Lots of folks in Genoa, don’t you know?

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady favored the McHenry County route.

State Rep. Mike Tryon has sent the following to those on his mailing list:

Dear Friends,

The General Assembly has adjourned for the summer, and while the State’s financial situation continues to deteriorate, I am happy to report that I was able to accomplish many of my legislative goals for 2009-10.

With regard to the budget, the leaders in Springfield still refuse to change the way Illinois appropriates money. In homes across Illinois, family budgets are being managed by people who are making difficult family decisions in order to balance the money coming in against the money going out. As unpleasant as it is, people are adjusting their home budgets to current economic conditions. They are living within their means.

Unfortunately, the ruling party in Springfield refuses to do the same.

The result?

Since 2000, Illinois’ annual spending has grown by more than 20 percent while the economy has grown by only 12 percent. Illinois’ debt has grown by more than 57 percent over the same period. Spread out over the population of Illinois, it could be said that every man, woman and child in the state now owes the state’s creditors $4,125.

During this legislative session, I sponsored House Bill 5212, the Truth in Accounting Act. If approved, this act would have imposed a highly stringent set of accounting standards to the Illinois state budgeting process.

Simply put, it would prohibit the General Assembly from passing appropriation bills until it adopts a joint resolution reflecting for that fiscal year the state’s estimated income, balance sheet, cash flow, and surplus or deficit.

What this would do is put everyone involved in the budgeting process on the same page by offering a real look at the fiscal condition of the state annually. It would allow the legislature to focus on long-term, responsible budgeting instead of the ineffective, piecemeal approach that the legislature currently takes. Unfortunately, this bill was never called for a vote.

In spite of the many financial challenges that face our State, many of my legislative initiatives were approved during this session and are now on their way to becoming law. Below are just a few of the many bills that I sponsored that were approved:

HB 35: The Accountability Portal

By approving this bill, Illinois has taken a huge leap forward toward transparency in government. The bill, which addresses the “pay-to-play” culture which has become all too prevalent in Illinois, increases transparency in government by establishing a website that residents can visit and easily look up all state contracts and government expenditures including employee salaries and tax credits given to businesses. The information is available on line through a searchable and user-friendly database. You can visit the accountability portal at http://accountability.illinois.gov/.

HB 5214: Military-Veterans Court Act

This public act, which will be signed into law by the governor on Friday, June 11, creates a veterans court and helps service men and women who have been properly diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Through this public act, veterans can be adjudicated in a special court for non-violent offenses and offered a therapeutic sentence rather than a criminal sentence for their non-violent offenses.

HB 170: Private Sewage/Surface Discharge

This new law protects public health by improving surface water quality. The law puts in place a permit system that controls waste water discharge by residential property owners. Through this act, by 2013 Illinois will be in compliance with the federal Clean Water Act.

HB 1142: Modular Housing Buyer Protection

In response to a request by a constituent, this new law provides modular home buyers a process by which they can appeal or arbitrate the installation of sub-standard quality modular homes.

Recently I led a delegation of federal and local officials to meet with the state’s railroad director in support of a Huntley Amtrak station along the Chicago-to-Dubuque Amtrak route that is currently under development. Joined by officials from Huntley and Congressman Don Manzullo’s office, I made a compelling case for why a Huntley stop would improve the viability of the entire route and ensure its success for years to come.

We were told that the Huntley proposal offered “quite a bit of potential,” and officials from the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Division of Public & Intermodal Transportation were very impressed with Huntley’s offer to solely fund construction of a train station in Huntley. If approved, Huntley and other area residents will be able to enjoy this new Amtrak service as soon as 2012.

I will continue working very hard this summer and am in the process of filing several new bills that will be considered when the General Assembly reconvenes.

One bill that I recently filed calls for a re-write of the Illinois All-Kids Insurance Program.

Today approximately 70 percent of the people who are utilizing the All-Kids Insurance Program are undocumented (can not provide proof of U.S. citizenship), and 43 percent showed no proof of age at the time of enrollment. The new language would, among other things, require applicants to provide proof of age, proof of identity and proof of residency. Since only documented citizens of a certain age qualify for federal reimbursement dollars, Illinois must at the very least maximize its federal reimbursement opportunity by requiring those who utilize All-Kids to show proof of birth when they apply for benefits.

As always, I am available to meet with my constituents about issues that are important to the people of the 64th District. Please do not hesitate to call my Crystal Lake legislative office at (815) 459-6453 if you would like to set up an appointment to speak with me about state issues. My legislative assistant Tina would be more than happy to assist you.

It is an honor and a privilege to serve you in Springfield.

Sincerely,

Michael Tryon
State Representative
64th District

A friend of missing Woodstock mother Beth Bentley asks for help in finding her below:

Hi friends,

My friend Beth has been missing for 8 days and I am doing anything and everything I can to help in the search for her.

Today, I put up a website. Aand there is also a Facebook group page for her at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=122739057758360.

I have put together a press release tonight in hopes that friends and friends of friends and so on can forward to any media outlet – websites, radio stations, TV channels, anyplace to spread the word.

Please forward to all your friends in a continued effort to spread the news about Beth’s disappearance. Let’s find her and bring her home! The press release below should be sent as body text in an email rather than an attachment, so please forward on in that form.

Please let me know if I can answer any questions or provide anything further. There are also printable “missing” posters on the bethismissing.com website for anyone who might wish to use them, and more resources are being created and will be uploaded to that site soon for all to use.

Please note that photos of Beth are also available on the Facebook page or bethismissing.com.

Thank you very much for any help you can give.

Here is additional information:

Name: Benedetta “Beth” Bentley
Age: 41
Height: 5 ft 6 in (165 cm)
Weight: 165-ish (about 75 kg)
Last seen: Sunday May 23, 2010 in Centralia, IL
Hair color: Platinum blonde
Eye color: Brown
Race: Caucasian
Wearing: Black tank top, blue denim miniskirt, flip flops, Pandora bracelet, wedding ring, carrying a large white purse and a pink and orange Vera Bradley overnight bag
Residence: Woodstock, ILPlease help us find Beth! Beth stands out in a crowd. She is very kind, and will talk to anyone. Her three sons and husband love her, miss her and are scared! Someone saw her the evening of May 23—did you?

It is thought that Beth was going to the Amtrak train station in Centralia, IL to catch a 6 PM train to Union Station in Chicago.

The train she was supposed to be on arrived at Union Station around 11 PM Sunday night. It has not been confirmed that she actually boarded the Amtrak train from Centralia to Union Station as planned.

She did not arrive home as expected, and a missing person’s report was filed by her husband on Monday, May 24 with Woodstock Police.

Search areas of concentration include Mt. Vernon, Centralia and Chicago, IL.

Police believe that neither marital nor mental health issues contributed to Beth’s disappearance. It is very unusual that Beth would not be in communication with her family and friends.

Any information you may have that could be helpful in locating Beth should be directed to the Woodstock Police Department at once. They can be reached at (815) 338-2131.

With the McHenry County Board supporting Amtrak stations in both Marengo and Huntley, but common sense saying that Amtrak, which did not want to slow down service to Rockford and beyond with any stops in McHenry County, State Rep. Mike Tryon has put his support on the most logical of the two towns—Huntley.

Below is his press release about the subject:

Tryon Sends Letter of Support for Huntley Amtrak Station

SPRINGFIELD… In a letter to Governor Quinn, State Representative Mike Tryon (R, Crystal Lake) expressed his support for the Village of Huntley, which is seeking to have the newly slated McHenry County train station located within its municipality.

“Looking at the potential sites, the Village of Huntley makes the most sense for many reasons, not the least of which is their financial commitment to the project.

“There’s an opportunity here that needs to be taken advantage of,”

stated Tryon.

The opportunity Tryon is speaking of is the willingness of the Village of Huntley to shoulder most of the financial burden for the proposed station, including road improvements along with the construction of the station itself.

Upon the announcement by Amtrak that McHenry is likely to have a stop on a new service line from Chicago to Dubuque, Iowa, the Village of Huntley has actively sought the station.

With this, they have committed to an investment of $6 million for the construction of a full interchange at Illinois Route 47 and Interstate 90, $5.8 million to widen Illinois Route 47, and the construction of the station itself.

“No other community has made this type of financial commitment, and that accompanied by their potential rider based from the Del Webb Sun City retirement village makes Huntley the obvious choice,” said Tryon.

In addition to the close proximity to Del Webb, the Huntley location would also provide greater accessibility to rider from the densely populated Kane County area, which currently travel to Elgin for train service to Chicago.

Yesterday I drove a friend to Belvidere for medical treatment. I had about an hour to wait, so I went exploring in the city I represented in the Illinois House of Representatives for eight years in the 1970′s. Since I knew that the Amtrak route selected by Governor Pat Quinn when through the town, I wondered where the station would be.

I stopped on Business Route 20 (State Street) and took the picture above. I wondered if the little white building across the tracks might turn into a train station.

The train would be coming in from the east. The empty spaces you see on the left and right on the other side of the street to the east are parking lots. I drove down to see if Pat Mattison, the publisher of the Belvidere Daily Republican I knew, who was running Belrock Printing after he sold the paper, was still in there.

He wasn’t.  His old office and plant was now the new Belvidere City Hall. I figured someone inside would know where the new train station would be located. I hit the jackpot.

Alderman Andrew Racz was walking in the building as the woman at the City Clerk’s office was telling me that a display was inside the locked door. He recognized me and, while I couldn’t pull his name out of my ancient memory vault, I did remember his face.

He ushered me into to see the mayor, Frederic Brereton, who was outside in his reception area. I thanked him for his council’s having endorsed an Amtrak station in McHenry County before the McHenry County Board did. He told me there was a good working partnership.

Brereton showed me the display outside his office, telling me the train station was going to be across the street from City Hall.

“Go out the front door, stand in the middle of the street and look to your left. That’s where the station is going to be.” He told me that State Senator Brad Burzynski had gotten some state aid and that by eliminating a grad crossing by putting the station across Whitney Boulevard, he hoped that Amtrak might kick in some money as well, since the fewer grade crossing the better, as far as Amtrak was concerned.

So, I went outside, stood in the middle of the street and took the photo you see above. What will the station look like?

Here’s another drawing I found outside the Mayor’s office.

I don’t know which is the bigger story:

• Green Party candidate Rich Whitney’s coming to McHenry County or
• the Northwest Herald’s finally covering a 2010 gubernatorial appearance in McHenry County

Let’s start with Whitney.

I made it to the Woodstock train station before the train pulled in.  There were messages telling folks to stay behind the yellow line.

Waiting were local Green Party candidates Frank Wedig and Scott Summers, plus a Northwest Herald reporter Sarah Sutscek.  (You can read her story here.)

Both Summers and Wedig, McHenry County Sheriff’s candidate Gus Philpott, owe their ability to be on the fall ballot to Rich Whitney’s receiving more than 5% of the vote for governor in 2006.

That accomplishment—one that I spectacularly missed for the Libertarian Party in 2002—established the Green Party as what I call a “power party.” It meant local Green candidates could get on the ballot with the same relatively small number of petition signatures as Democrats and Republicans.  To continue to have that privilege for the next four years, someone on the Green Party ticket must get 5% this fall.

I wanted to get a photo of Whitney getting off the Metra train, but the announcement of today’s schedule didn’t reveal in which car he would ride.

Philpott had gone to Barrington to ride with the candidate and campaign manager Lynne Serpe. He got off first and got the photo I wanted. Mine had to be taken from afar.

But I did get one of Philpott and Whitney approaching those of us who were awaiting his arrival.

Greetings and introductions were exchanged among the Green candidates.

The Northwest Herald reporter introduced herself.

Whitney started his press conference and I took pictures, as did Philpott.  His Woodstock Advocate story can be found here.

He told of how this was the early part of his tour of Illinois by mass transit and bicycle.

It reminds me of the way that Dan Walker walked the state, starting in Southern Illinois and working north. He go incredible publicity, plus lots of blisters.

Far before the time he got to the Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago television stations were doing stories.

By enticing the Northwest Herald to send a reporter, Whitney could be starting on a similar publicity roll. He is, however, missing the opportunity to build momentum Downstate while working his way toward Chicago.

Whitney told of how he had participated in the Ride of Silence in Chicago. Its route featured bikes painted white where cyclists had been killed while riding.

Commenting on riding a bicycle in Chicago, he said,

“It’s a challenge.”

While I was taking photos the Northwest Herald reporter was asking questions.

She asked about whether Whitney expected to be included in any debates. Whitney explained that he had sent invitations to both Governor Pat Quinn and State Senator Bill Brady requesting nine debates. When contacting potential sponsoring organizations, he said they had been receptive.

Whitney, of course, was promoting the use of bicycles and mass transit.

“All of us benefit from a healthier environment.”

People “should be able to get from place to place without using an automobile,” he said.

In the state capital bill, Whitney bemoaned that only $4 billion was earmarked for mass transit when $10 billion had been requested by mass transit advocates.

Since he brought up the capital bill, I asked if he favored financing it with video poker.

“No. We need to stop looking at gambling. We’re not going to smoke and drink and gamble our way to fiscal health.

“Gambling tends to act as a hidden tax on the poor.”

Whitney then revealed that he supports a “tax on speculation,” mentioning the Board of Trade and the Board of Options in Chicago.

I asked what income tax hike Whitney favored. He said he favored Senate Bill 750.

As supporters of income taxes always do, Whitney would not say that it was a 67% tax increase. He said the increase was from “3 to 5%.”

He pointed out that it was not just a tax increase, but a “tax restructuring” in which “the bottom 60% don’t pay the higher tax.”

I asked about its imposing an income tax on retirement income, something Illinois presently does not do and he conceded the point, but pointed out that until that pension or other retirement income went “over a certain amount, it wouldn’t tax retirement income.”

His second choice for an income tax hike is House Bill 174, which he described as “705 light.”

There was one intriguing idea about which I had not heard previously.

Whitney said he favored a state bank similar to what North Dakota has. The advantage would be that state government could borrow money at the same rate from the Federal Reserve System which private banks can obtain.

That’s zero to .025% in this economic recession.

If Illinois had a state bank, the money could be borrowed to make the multi-billion pension payment now for next to nothing.

I asked if Whitney were willing to support a tax on bicycles to help pay for the bike paths he supports. Specifically, I asked if he would support licensing of bicycles.

“I would be willing to consider that. I think the priority should be simply subsidizing it.”

Green Party candidate Bill Scheurer had arrived at the station and observed mischievously,

“So, you’re not in favor of an Allen wrench tax?”

I mentioned that Governor Quinn had announced that an Amtrak route would run from Chicago through McHenry County to Rockford and beyond and asked if he favored such an expansion of service.

“Absolutely. That’s one think I would agree with the Governor.”

I asked if he favored a stop in McHenry County, something the original Amtrak plan for this route does not envision.

Naturally, I pointed out the relative large population McHenry County has attained. While the smallest county in the six-county Chicago metropolitan area, McHenry County is larger than any other county in Illinois.

“There’s a certain logic. I think you need one in McHenry County.”

With Summers leading the way, Whitney and Serpe rode off to see Woodstock’s windmill at Other World Computing.   Summers took them to the Woodstock Square so they could see where Eugene Debs had been incarcerated.

They then headed down Business Route 14 after making appropriate left turn hand signals at the four-way stop.

The campaigners took the train to Harvard and, then, will bicycle to Rockford where they ought to get good TV coverage. Tomorrow they will bike 50 miles to South Elgin via DeKalb County. I warned the campaign manager Serpe that they might get an Amtrak question in DeKalb County from those whose track route was rejected by Quinn.

= = = = =

Oh, about the Northwest Herald’s coverage of the 2010 gubernatorial campaign.

GOP nominee State Senator Bill Brady has been in McHenry County several times, most recently at the April 15th TEA Party demonstration, where he spoke.  It may just be a case of bad advance work on the part of the Brady campaign, but he did speak and got no newspaper coverage.  STAR101-FM’s Stew Cohen did interview Brady there, however.  Earlier, Brady spoke at the McHenry County Republican Central Committee Lincoln Day-Valentine’s Day Dinner Dance.  He also sp0ke at State Rep. Mike Tryon’s fund raiser.

There was no coverage of any of these events in the Northwest Herald.

Although it was not the first to pass a resolution asking for Amtrak service to a station in McHenry County, the McHenry County Board last night did so last night.

Governor Pat Quinn announced the route March 29th.

Three weeks later 16th District Congressman Donald Manzullo sent out a press release supporting a stop in McHenry County. And two weeks ago, he announced endorsements of the idea from elsewhere.

The county board’s resolution is a bit unrealistic in that it asks for stops in both Huntley and Marengo, but the message is clear:

If Amtrak trains go through McHenry County, McHenry County Board members want their constituents to be able to climb aboard.

The problem is that neither town has a train station and Amtrak will not build them.

There is a little station in Union at the Illinois Railroad Museum.

Plenty of long-term parking could be available for a reasonable price. Union was not mentioned in the resolution. And those in charge of the museum so far have shown no interest in being an Amtrak stop.

True to his word, 16th Congressional District United States Representative Don Manzullo is doing his best to assure that Amtrak will pick up passengers in McHenry County.

So far, he has gotten the Rockford Metropolitan Agency for Planning and the Belvidere City Council to pass resolutions in support of a McHenry County stop.

The Republican’s press release follows:

Manzullo Rallies Regional Support
for McHenry County Amtrak Stop

[CRYSTAL LAKE] Congressman Don Manzullo (R-IL) is rallying support from communities west of McHenry County in his mission to secure an Amtrak stop in Huntley or Marengo.

At Manzullo’s request, the Rockford Metropolitan Agency for Planning (RMAP) and the Belvidere City Council passed resolutions of support in the past week for a McHenry County stop along the Amtrak line that will proceed from Chicago to Elgin and through McHenry County with stops in Belvidere, Rockford, Freeport and Galena on the way to Dubuque, Iowa. RMAP board members include the Mayors of Rockford, Belvidere, Loves Park and Machesney Park as well as the county board chairs in Winnebago and Boone counties. Copies of the resolutions are attached.

“The mayors and county board chairmen in Boone and Winnebago counties understand that a McHenry County stop will be a boon for our overall passenger rail efforts in northern Illinois, and I thank them for their support,” Manzullo said.

“A McHenry County stop will help increase ridership and make the Chicago to Dubuque route more viable in the long run. It will also expedite the eventual extension of Milwaukee District/West Metra commuter rail service from Big Timber to Huntley and Marengo and beyond to Belvidere and Rockford since they will traverse the same tracks.

“A McHenry County stop is a win-win for all the communities along the Amtrak route and I urge Governor Quinn to designate a stop in McHenry County, the only county between Elgin and Dubuque currently without a stop.”

Manzullo, who has worked closely with U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) to return Amtrak and commuter rail to northern Illinois, sent a letter to Governor Pat Quinn last month requesting a McHenry County stop as part of the state’s decision to start a Chicago to Dubuque Amtrak line beginning in 2012.

The $60 million in funds necessary to upgrade the tracks for the Chicago to Iowa Amtrak route were included in the state capital bill, and construction is expected to take 18 months with service scheduled to begin in 2012. Gov. Quinn announced earlier this month Amtrak would follow the northern route that runs through Huntley and Marengo in McHenry County. The mayors of both communities have expressed interest in a stop.