McHenry County Blog

Algonquin Township 19 Republican Precinct Committeeman Joe Stecker must have endorsed Kirk Dillard for governor because he got almost twice as many votes as his nearest competitor Andy McKenna.

Take a look at the results for governor in these 2 of 68 Algonquin Township precincts (listed in ballot order and excluding electronic, absentee and early votes);

• Dillard 35
• Brady 6
• Schillerstrom (who dropped out and endorsed Jim Ryan) 0
• Andrzejewski 8
• Proft 12
• Ryan 17
• McKenna 20

In my Algonquin Township Precinct 7 there were radically different results.

• Dillard 13
• Brady 5
• Schillerstrom 1
• Andrzejewski 7
• Proft 8
• Ryan 9
• McKenna 30

For lieutenant governor, Algonquin 19 turned out this way:

• Tracy 5
• Plummer 35
• White 4
• Cole 4
• Murphy 31
• Cook 4

In Algonquin 7 the paper ballot votes were

• Tracy 1
• Plummer 18
• Cole 3
• Murphy 31
• Cole 6

In Algonquin 19, Congressman Mark Kirk won 59 to 16 for Hughes to 10 for Lowery to 5 for Martin. I don’t have totals for Arrington and Thomas. Sorry.

In Algonquin 7, the totals were Kirk – 38, Hughes – 11, Thomas – 9, Lowery – 5, Martin – 4, Arrington – 2.

In any event, as virtually everyone predicted Kirk is victorious.

Not today.

Today I heard this ever-so-positive ad on radio driving to pick up my son from school.

But Friday night’s and Saturday’s phone calls were something else.

A woman’s voice comes on the answering machine:

The Jason Plummer campaign for lieutenant governor was calling, but Jason wasn't on the phone. It was a woman criticizing rival Matt Murphy.

“Hello. I’m calling with an important election alert about Matt Murphy’s campaign for lieutenant governor.“Matt Murphy would like you to believe that he’s opposed to taxes when in fact the opposite is true.

“According to the National Taxpayers United of Illinois, last year Matt Murphy voted to raise taxes four times.

“What was he thinking about?

“Tell Matt Murphy we can no longer afford his bad judgment and tax increases by telling his campaign for lieutenant governor, ‘No thanks!’

“Paid for by Plummer for Illinois.”

Who paid for the phone call was barely audible.

First of all, the phone call means that Murphy is the only candidate for lieutenant governor who has a chance of beating Plummer.

Or, maybe it means Murphy was running ahead of Plummer in Plummer’s polling.

You don’t take the chance of alienating voters, as this phone call did my wife, by going negative… unless you think that’s the only way to win.

Both candidates are attractive, but obviously Murphy, who has served on the Harper College Board and in the state senate has more experience. Even I, at the same age as Plummer, had more experience when I ran for state representative. (I had worked for the better part of a year in the United States Budget Bureau—now the Office of Management and Budget—and four years as McHenry County Treasurer.)

My guess is that Plummer’s polling showed Murphy ahead.

I decided to do some research on the NTU scorecard mentioned in the robo-call.

Here are the four times Murphy voted “wrong,” according to NTU President Jim Tobin:

• House Bill 405 – allows the government of a park district to increase the property tax for aquarium, park and museum maintenance by 600%, if voters passed a referendum.
• Senate Bill 345 – allows county governments to raise local sales taxes for the purpose of public safety and road construction/maintenance, if voters passed a referendum.
• House Bill 1921 – imposed a 25 cent charge to every disposable cigarette lighter.
• Senate Bill 837 – doubles the tax surcharge for 911 calls place in Chicago from $1.25 ro $2.50. This $8 million increase will be used to “fund non-Chicago infrastructure and vague, wasteful ‘anti-terror’ project,” Tobin write.

You can decide their importance.

Plummer, it should be noted, has the advantage first-time candidates always have; they have not had to take any votes on any issue.

But, Friday night’s negative call was not enough.  There was another one Saturday while I was out passing out my recommendations and literature for every candidate I could find.

It came after a Matt Murphy phone call:

“Hi. Matt Murphy here again asking for your help in electing Andy McKenna as our governor. Andy and I worked together to fight Governor Quinn’s enormous tax increase and showed how we could balance the budget without raising taxes.“Meanwhile, Jim Ryan and Kirk Dillard have no trouble raising taxes.

“Ryan supported a $5½ billion tax increase and Dillard, like Todd Stroeger, voted for a $500 million suburban sales tax increase. And when asked about raising taxes in the past said, quote, ‘What’s the big deal? It’s not that tough,’ unquote.

“I know Andy McKenna can balance the budget and not raise taxes.

“So, please join me in supporting Andy McKenna for governor and, of course, Mike Murphy for lieutenant governor.

“Thank you for your time.

“Paid for by McKenna for Illinois.”

Next came another negative call from Jason Plummer Saturday from the same woman:

“Hello. I’m calling with an important election alert about the Matt Murphy campaign for lieutenant governor.“Matt Murphy would like you believe he is for real ethics reform when, in fact, he continues to display bad judgment by taking questionable contributions directly or indirectly from state contractors.

“What was he thinking?

“Tell Matt Murphy we want to clean up the corruption in Springfield by telling his campaign for lieutenant governor ‘No thanks’ on election day.

“Paid for by Plummer for Illinois.”

This time the “paid for” tag line was easier to understand.

While I was out knocking on doors in my precinct Sunday, my wife answered a positive call about Plummer.  No details, just the tone.

And, today, I received my first phone call from Molly Murphy.

Apparently the tax hike charge from Plummer merited a response.

Molly wanted me to know that her Dad Mike Murphy “cares about my future.”

She said he had never voted to raise taxes.

“It’s not easy to be a kid,” she said, “but he’s always’ been there for me.”

So, it’s the day before the election and what do I get?

Andy McKenna talking to the McHenry County delegation at the Illinois Republican Convention in Decatur. McKenna surprised everyone by attacking DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom for his role in tripling the RTA sales tax. He also went after former Governor Jim Thompson.

A robo-call from Republican candidate for governor Andy McKenna.

He said he was “humbly calling to ask for your vote.”

Caught without the ability to take a lot of notes, I caught,

“I have a plan to cut spending and not raise taxes.”(no

Right on message there.

He explained that the Chicago Tribune had decided to endorse only me”(no Democrat was endorsed), the endorsement saying he would bring “ethical and financial stability” to Illinois.

McKenna called once before in a Telephone Town Hall format. On the phone was his lieutenant governor running mate, but on the ballot separately, Matt Murphy.

It was over a month ago and, although I took notes, I didn’t find time to write the story about it I should have.

I just listened and took notes while others from the area asked questions.

Murphy seemed to have a good grasp of state finances, but McKenna delivered the lines I remember to this day.

But the best two sentences came from McKenna.

“My wife tells me if I do what I say I’m going to do I’ll only be a one-term governor.

“I told her, ‘That’s OK.’”

Oh.

About that McKenna’s asking “humbly” remark.

Having run for office 23 times (19-4), I can tell you candidates lay their egos on the line when they run for office.  (It took me about six months to recover by self-esteem each time I lost.)

It is a humbling experience to ask for votes.  You know there are people in your community who could do a better job; you just hope you can do a good enough one, if you are honored by your fellow citizens to get enough of their votes to win election (or party nomination, as is the case Tuesday).

Something called Illinois Election Research called last night.

I’ve never heard of such a business and neither has Google.

They wanted to know who we were going to vote for.

My wife, who cannot abide such calls, but knows they interest me, handed me the phone.

The recorded caller read off

• Kirk Dillard
• Dan Proft
• a third name
• Andy McKenna
• More names

I pressed one for McKenna and did whatever else was requested.

Anyone have any idea who paid for the survey?

Was it a voter identification call?

Or what?

If you looked at the front page of the Chicago Tribune Sunday, you saw five candidates on top of the page.

They are ones that the Tribune’s poll found leading in both the Democratic and Republican Party primaries.

It was Pat Quinn and Dan Hynes for the Democrats. In that race, the Tribune endorsed no one.

In the GOP contest, the heads of Andy McKenna, Jim Ryan and Kirk Dillard appear. The Tribune has endorsed McKenna.

Maybe the supporters of a GOP candidate not in the top three (and who found less than 10% support in the Tribune poll) can surpass the three front-runners.

But, I don’t think it will happen.

If my analysis is correct, people who want to play a role in the decision-making process regarding who the Republicans put up in November have to select among McKenna, Ryan and Dillard.

Having run against Ryan (and Rod Blagojevich) as the Libertarian Party candidate for governor in 2002, I have seen him cozy up to Blagojevich to make sure I was not allowed to be any of the debates.

(If you are interested in the details, here they are.  The Illinois League of Women Voters had sponsored debates for each statewide race for decades.  in 2002, the League said everyone would be include who received at least 5% in an independent poll.  The Daily Southtown, a newspaper, showed me slightly above 5% prior to the League’s deadline.  Ryan and Blagojevich decided not to participate in that debate.  For that reason, I know that Ryan is capable of cutting deals with Democrats when it is in his personal self-interest.)

Then, there is Stuart Levin, Ryan’s law school study partner, long-time supporter and largest lifetime contributor.  To say that that relationship is a problem strikes me as something of an understatement.

It’s not that I think Jim Ryan is dishonest.  It’s not that I think he knew his friend was a crook.

It’s that I know how large contributors often get rewarded.

If Levine had asked Governor Jim Ryan to appoint him to the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board, I think Ryan would have appointed him.  (Levine was involved in the licensing scandal involving the Mercy Health System hospital application in Crystal Lake.)

If Levine had asked Governor Jim Ryan to appoint him to the Downstate Teachers’ Retirement System board, I think Ryan would have appointed him.

After all, Levine contributed over $800,000 over Ryan’s career and he trusted Levine.

Therein is the problem.  Levine would have been right where he was when he committed felonious acts during the Blagojevich administration.

So, here’s the question I ask of Jim Ryan supporters:

If Jim Ryan had been elected in 2002, how much less corrupt would his administration have been than Rod Blagojevich’s?

Certainly somewhat less corrupt.  As I said before, no one thinks Jim Ryan is a dishonest man.

But his level of discernment about the motives of this man he had known all of his adult live was subpar, to put it as mildly as possible.

And, that doesn’t get into substantive issues like gun control.  Ryan would never win the support of fans of the movie “Red Dawn.”  I know.  He wouldn’t appear on the DeKalb radio station in a forum about gun control when he learned I was in the studio.

That leaves two candidates:

• Kirk Dillard
• Andy McKenna

I can enthusiastically support whichever one wins the primary.

However, Dillard has one vote that is just horrible, in my opinion.

It is his vote to triple suburban collar county RTA sales taxes.

To solve DuPage County budget problem, DuPage County Board President Bob Schillerstrom and State’s Attorney Joe Birkett successfully prevailed upon Dillard and two other DuPage County state senators to vote for what National Taxpayers United of Illinois’ Jim Tobin calls the “CTA bailout.”

Kirk Dillard

It was that, but it was also a bailout of DuPage County because, contrary to the first suburban “bribe” plan–allowing the collar county boards to spend one-quarter of one percent of the three-quarters of one percentage point increase on roads–after the DuPage County officials got involved, it could be spent on transportation or law enforcement. DuPage County had a referendum on the ballot at the time to raise the sales tax of law enforcement purposes, but, hey, if you can get your state senators to take the heat, why bother the voters.

Not only did Dillard’s vote raise our taxes, it rendered asunder the suburban bipartisan coalition on the Regional Transportation Authority put together in 1974. I can only remember a couple suburban legislators who voted for RTA who got re-elected. (Both the Republican Senate and House bill sponsors were defeated.) I guess I take that a bit personally.

Other than that, I find his and McKenna’s positions fairly similar, except that Dillard has not taken a no tax increase pledge and McKenna has. (I have to admit that having the Illinois Education Association, surely an income tax hike organization, endorse Dillard raises my eyebrows.)

Andy McKenna

One more thing about McKenna.  At the GOP convention in Decatur, he heatedly criticized DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom, who just withdrew his name from consideration as a candidate for governor (but who will still be on the ballot) about his lobbying DuPage County state senators to triple the RTA sales tax.

Only State Senators Carol Pankau (now a candidate for DuPage County Board President) and Randy Hultgren (now running for Congress in Kane County and more) voted against the 300% increase in the RTA sales tax.

How hot was the criticism?

Most of the DuPage County delegation walked off the convention floor.

In addition, taking on Thompson’s continuing show of support of incarcerated former Republican Governor George Ryan, McKenna said,

“It disappoints me with a former governor lobbies the president to pardon a former governor.”

So, which of the top three are you leaning toward?

Kirk Dillard

Andy McKenna

As I suggested after I got Mary Pat’s call on behalf of Andy McKenna earlier today, the race for the Republican nomination for governor has narrowed down to three candidates:

• Andy McKenna – 19%
• Jim Ryan – 18%
• Kirk Dillard – 14%

The Tribune’s Eric Zorn is reporting the results seen above.

17% reported still being undecided.

Among those with less than 10%, here are the results:

• Bill Brady – 9%
• Adam Andrzejewski – 7%
• Dan Proft – 6%

Bob Schillerstrom had 2%, but he dropped out in favor of Jim Ryan today.

In the Democratic Party primary, Zorn reports

• Pat Quinn – 44%
• Dan Hynes – 40%

As Zorn puts it,

“Game on.”

Who?

Mary Pat.

Didn’t sound like the Mary Pat I know.

Turned out it was a robo-call in support of Andy McKenna for governor.

It talked about Jim Ryan’s having supported a $5.5 billion tax hike. I presume this was when he was on the board of the union-financed not-for-profit tax hike advocacy organization run by Ralph Matire.

Mary Pat told me how Kirk Dillard had raised taxes millions of dollars, presumably by being one of the three DuPage County defectors who supported the tripling of the RTA sales tax rate in the collar counties.

This quote was attributed to Dillard about some tax matter, but I didn’t catch which one:

“What’s the big deal?”

So, what’s the message of this little bit of campaigning.

First, it interrupted a call I was having with a Crystal Lake number on a different exchange.

Second, when talking to an acquaintance in southern Kane County, he had gotten the call, too.

Andy McKenna

Kirk Dillard

So, it’s probably going to Republicans throughout the suburbs.

But there’s something more importantly.

It signals that McKenna’s polling shows the governor’s race in the Republican primary has narrowed down to three people:

• Kirk Dillard
• Andy McKenna
• Jim Ryan

In December, the Chicago Tribune poll said Ryan was leading by over 2-1, but still in the middle 20 percentage range.

So, if you think Jim Ryan can’t win in November and you want a Republican elected, the choice pretty much narrows down to McKenna or Dillard.

I had previously thought that Bill Brady might be one that  could catch up with Ryan, but this robo-call does not indicate that is the case.

In the governor’s race, here are the figures offered up by Adrian G. Uribarri in Chicago Current:

• Pat Quinn: $3.15 million in receipts, $2.36 million in expenditures and $1.5 million in available funds at the close of the period
• Dan Hynes: $2.32 million, $2.75 million, $3.1 million
• Andy McKenna: $2.23 million, $2.17 million, $63,500
• Kirk Dillard: $1.4 million, $1 million, $369,000
• Adam Andrzejewski, Republican: $752,000, $775,00, $334,000
• Bob Schillerstrom, Republican: $661,000, $674,000, $120,000
• Bill Brady, Republican: $443,000, $662,000, $192,000
• Jim Ryan: $313,000, $123,000, $190,000
• Dan Proft: $169,000, $135,000, $51,300
• Rich Whitney, Green: $6,120, $6,260, $2,570

He has an analysis in his article.

State Senator Matt Murphy called on behalf of his running mate Andy McKenna this morning. Murphy is running for lieutenant governor.

Good day to call, it’s being Martin Luther King’s birthday holiday and all.

Unfortunately, he interrupted our family’s watching

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

I listened anyway.

The robo-call recording was of Murphy’s telling me that other candidates would not rule out raising income taxes, that McKenna had promised he wouldn’t it.

Early on, Murphy was running for governor and came to Crystal Lake and met with some folks, including Algonquin Library Board member Joe Stefani, at Nick’s Pizza and Pub . Murphy’s district is close, one district away, based in Palatine.

The movie, by the way, reminded me a lot of “Chicken Little.”

About the same time the Northwest Herald was endorsing Jim Ryan, the man whose buddy and over-$800,000-contributor arranged (without Ryan’s knowledge) for Mercy Hospital to gain approval from the Illinois Health Facilitates Planning Board, my friend former State Rep. Penny Pullen was endorsing Andy McKenna. Below you see the front of the pamphlet I’ll be distributing in my precinct for Ryan.

The same day of the NW Herald endorsement, I received a mailing from McKenna emphasizing his stand against raising taxes, something that McKenna is bashing both Ryan and Kirk Dillard on not promising.

The front runner for governor, according to a now-probably-outdated Chicago Tribune poll, was former Attorney General Ryan.  The three second tier candidates were Andy McKenna, Kirk Dillard and Bill Brady.  They had about half the percentage Ryan showed.

Here’s pro-life leader Pullen’s endorsemen of McKennat:

Conservative Leader Penny Pullen Endorses
Andy McKenna for Governor

Key conservative endorsement in final weeks of campaign

Highlights McKenna’s work to defeat tax increases

CHICAGO – Conservative pro-life/pro-family leader and former State Representative Penny Pullen today endorsed Andy McKenna for Governor of Illinois. Pullen is one of the most influential and respected leaders in the conservative movement in Illinois.

“It is with the utmost honor that I accept this endorsement from such a respected leader in the conservative and pro-life community,” said McKenna. “Penny’s endorsement is further indication that top leaders and activists across the state are joining our campaign.”

“Andy McKenna is just the person we need to lead us out of the fiscal mess Democrats have put us in,” said Pullen. “His background as a successful business leader gives him insight and strong determination to advocate for taxpayers and for job creators.

“Further, I like the fact that Andy McKenna knows his way around Springfield — as former state GOP chairman — but has not been a part of the Springfield problem; quite the contrary — he has a proven track record of working to defeat tax increases.

The inside of the Jim Ryan precinct piece.

“I believe Andy’s conservative credentials make him the best Republican to win in November, and I trust him to promote strong traditional family policies and justice for vulnerable human beings at any age.”

Pullen served 16 years as a member of the Illinois General Assembly, served on three councils under Presidents Reagan and Bush, is a former Illinois GOP National Committeewoman, and founder of the Illinois Family Institute. Pullen resides in Arlington Heights.

An associate from years past who seems to think he is more of a “Movement Conservative” than Penny replied that he couldn’t understand Penny’s endorsement. He also questioned McKenna’s intellect.

He said he expected Penny would be in the camp of two candidates that registered about 2% on the Tribune poll.

Here is Penny’s reply:

The inside of the Andy McKenna mailing that came the same day the Northwest Herald endorsed Jim Ryan.

My endorsement is based on what I know, not on what others say.

How nice to hear from you. Brings back old times. Really old times!

I know that Andy met with pro-life/pro-family leaders not once but several times, at his own initiative while state chairman. I know that no other state chairman in my time of involvement in the Republican Party had done that even once. I know that whatever we laid before him, he listened to with respect and attention, responded to, and on everything he agreed to do (which was most), he pursued it thoroughly (even if without fanfare).

I know that he committed the State GOP to join the Marriage-Amendment petition process the second time around — the time he was asked to — but the organizers themselves chose not to move ahead, so this initiative ended up not becoming public.

I know that he exerted great personal effort to prevent Republican legislators from voting for the RTA/DuPage sales tax and wrecking the GOP brand, only to be undercut by Bob Schillerstrom at the last minute. I know that he worked against the Dem income tax hike.

I know that he sought to get the McCain people (who controlled the process) to name at least one pro-life/family at-large delegate (by name) to the 2008 National Convention. I know that he went into the delegation selection committee (controlled by the McCainiacs) at the state convention and publicly argued that Jim Thompson and Bob Schillerstrom were unworthy to be named to the Illinois delegation and then called down the committee in front of the entire convention, specifically criticizing them for including Thompson & Schillerstrom.

I know that he worked to raise funds for specific conservative campaigns.

I believe - and trust – based on much interaction with him, that he is a heart-committed pro-lifer.

Yes, his chief pursuit in his campaign for governor is to get spending under control and give the entrepreneurs who are still left in Illinois an opportunity to build ventures that succeed and offer workers an opportunity to feed their families. Controlling spending and taxes used to be important to conservatives; that agenda is still important to me and appears to me to be of critical importance in 2010.

The address side of Andy McKenna's mailing also talkks about holding the line on taxes.

It was Andy McKenna alone who outlined a concrete agenda for getting the state’s fiscal disaster under control while addressing the Tribune editorial board; it was Andy McKenna alone who criticized the lousy quality taxpayers are getting for the billions we spend on public schools. (I watched the interviews online.)

I am aware that Andy is reserved; as someone who has seen him at work, I reject your assertion that he is intellectually weak. And I am personally aware that he has a good ability to choose the right strategy after collecting sufficient information to make an informed choice.

I knew that my endorsement would not be popular, because I know all the buzz that has attached itself to his name.

Someone sometime has to stand up for what they know to be true and not just listen to the buzz.

I have confidence in Andy McKenna, because I have good reason to. And by the way, I haven’t forgotten who I am.

Thanks for asking.

Penny

PS – I would not be found in the Adam or Dan camp for various and good reasons. But I choose not to bash other candidates or their supporters, so I won’t go into that.

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Click to enlarge any image.

There is a certain irony to Jim Ryan's use of a Chicago Tribune quote to try to convince voters to support him for governor. The Tribune endorsed Andy McKenna.