McHenry County Blog

The annual Pro-Life Pig Roast was held at Irene Napier’s Valley View Road farm northeast of Crystal Lake Sunday and there were candidates galore.

With Governor Pat Quinn’s having just signed the Democrats’ reapportionment bill for for congressional districts, the two incumbents living in the new 14th District showed up.

Joe Walsh, who lives between McHenry and Johnsburg, arrived first.

He worked the crowd, then spoke to it.

He and other elected officials were drafted to auction off donated items.

Randy Hultgren, from the DuPage County end of the new 14th District came with his family.

After speaking to those gathered, Hultgren also became a celebrity auctioneer.

State Senators Dan Duffy and Chris Lauzen told what was happening in Springfield.

Then, they were also impressed to be auctioneers.

Two people whose names have been mentioned as potential candidates for the Republican nomination for State Representative in the new 64th district, which is divided about 50-50 between McHenry County and Lake County were sighted.

Retiring McHenry County Board member Barb Wheeler was in attendance, as was McHenry Grade School and Library Board member John O’Neill.

Democrat State Rep. Jack Franks flattered O’Neill by removing the Spring Grove precincts where O’Neil beat him last year from the boundaries of his newly-drawn 63rd District.

Both are possibilities, as is attorney Joe Gottemoller.  Wheeler and Gottemoller have Crystal Lake addresses.  O’Neill lives in McHenry.

A potential candidate for the 8th congressional district is Rich Evans.

A CPA, Evans has contacts in the 8th District, although he now lives in Crystal Lake.

Incumbent 8th District Congressman Joe Walsh is not expected to run for re-election in the new district.

In addition to Barb Wheeler, three McHenry County Board
members were in attendance:

• John Hammerand of Woodstock,
• John Jung of Bull Valley and
• Nick Provenzano of McHenry

A potential candidate for District 6, former Huntley School Board President Shawn Green, attended with his toddler and pregnant wife Angela.

Other elected officials were also chowing down.

Included were

• McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi,
• Wonder Lake Fire Protection District Trustee Cheryl Hammerand, and
• Johnsburg School District Board member Steve Rooney.

Judge Michael Chmiel was there with his wife, Marie, a former McHenry County Board member.

Patriots United announced that Maria Rodriguez has been hired as Executive Director.

Out of the ordinary was the appearance of two guys not seeking office,

• physician Arie Friedman and
• former State Rep. candidate Dan Sugrue.

After his run against an incumbent Democrat in Lake County last year, Mike Madigan put the woman who beat him in a district with incumbent Republican Sid Mathias.  Any chance that Sugrue could win in the Green Oaks district where he lives is minimal.  He was elected the the village board his past spring, however.

Friedman ran in the 10th congressional district Republican primary against Robert Dold.  He has often spoken in public forms against Obamacare.

 

An announcement from the Huntley Area Tea Party:

HUNTLEY AREA TEA PARTY FORUM

This will be an eye-opening forum, so invite your friends, family and your family doctors.

OBAMACARE: One Year Later

May 25, 2011

Doors open 6 pm Session 6:30 – 8:30 pm

Cosman Cultural Center

Deicke Park, 12015 Mill Street

Huntley, Il

Speakers: Dr. Arie Friedman and C Steven Tucker

Ask Questions

Get the facts and be an informed voter

Event sponsored by the Huntley Area Tea Party

http://www.huntleyteaparty.com/

On Saturday October 2nd, 2010 Elemental Ministries, an evangelical ministry based in Northern Illinois, will be hosting a Free Health Fair at St. Margaret Mary Elementary School at 110 South Hubbard Algonquin Illinois from 10 am til 5  pm.

There will be speakers, booths and health testing as well as a Health Forum.

The Health Forum will have experts who have read the law discuss Obamacare from a medical, insurance and legislative point of view to educate people and businesses of its potential effects and will be held from 1 pm til 3 pm.

The schedule (subject to change) is:

• 10 am Open Doors
• 11 am Bruno Behrend of the Heartland Institute
• 12 pm Lunch
• 1 pm-3pm Health Forum on Obamacare with Dr. Arie Friedman, Dr. James Brown, Steve Tucker and Joe Walsh with some surprise invitees.
• 3 pm Joe Calomino of Americans for Prosperity

Please join us for this free event sponsored by Elemental Ministries.

For information please call us at 847 915 5065.

Brett Leifer
Director of Elemental Ministries
LBICorp@owc.net
847-915-5065

8th District Republican congressional candidate Joe Walsh held another health care forum on May 4th.

That was shortly after Fox News took a swipe at him.

It does not look as if the negative piece on Fox affected attendance too much.

This was the second Health Care Forum Walsh has held since winning the primary election. Incumbent Melissa Bean has never had an open-to-the-public Town Hall Meeting that constituents could attend.

Rep. Bean Ducks Walsh Health Care Forum (again); Residents Turnout for Thoughtful Policy Discussion

(Barrington, IL )–Melissa Bean may have declined Joe Walsh’s invitation, but more than a hundred concerned 8th district residents turned out for Walsh’s health care forum on Tuesday evening at the Barrington Park District Community Center.

In contrast to Rep. Bean’s controlled, closed-door, invite-only forums, Walsh’s was open to the public.

“It’s important that those who seek to hold public office make themselves available to the public they wish to serve,” said Walsh. “I hear daily from residents who are afraid of what this federal takeover of health care is going to do their insurance costs, their quality of care, and their job security.”

Walsh was joined by several experts for the discussion:

• Pediatrician Dr. Arie Friedman of Premiere Pediatrics,
• Urologist Dr. James P.  Brown of Associates in Urology Ltd. and
• Peter Fotos, Director of Government Relations at the Heartland Institute.

“I think it is important that the residents hear the facts from the people who know and understand this bill and its consequences, including those actually engaged in the practice of medicine,” said Walsh.

Both doctors gave presentations on the bill which they have, unlike many members of Congress, actually read.  “

Peter Fotos shared an insight from his inside-the-beltway experience.

“I know the girl that wrote most of this bill, I worked with her in DC.  And, I think that even she would tell you this isn’t the bill it was supposed to be,”

Fotos said.

Walsh reiterated his commitment to pursue a repeal, reform and replace of the Obamacare legislation if elected.

“This health care takeover was against the will of the people and against the will of 8th district families,” said Walsh.

“It is obvious that Rep. Bean isn’t interested in what her constituents think but I am concerned. Rep. Bean has made it clear she puts her party ahead of her district.  I will put the economic and quality of life interests of 8th district residents first.”

Walsh also noted the recent HHS report on the cost of Obamacare, noting it exposed the empty rhetoric of Rep. Bean on the issue of deficit reduction.

“Rep. Bean kept regurgitating the party talking points that the health care takover would reduce the deficit by $138 billion in the first ten years but even the administration’s own Department of Health and Human Services is now essentially saying this was a $500 billion lie,”

said Walsh.

The HHS report cited by Walsh also stated projected spending increases “could get bigger, since Medicare cuts in the law may be unrealistic and unsustainable.”

Walsh said he would be hosting more forums and he would continue inviting Melissa Bean to participate.

“I hope residents stay engaged and remember in November that when the time came to choose between her party and her district, Melissa Bean voted to serve the political interests of her party instead of the economic interests of her constituents,” said Walsh. “Voters have a crystal clear choice in this election.”

From the photo above you can see that 8th Congressional District Republican candidate Joe Walsh had a successful campaign event last Thursday night.

While the headline to his press release points out that Democratic Party incumbent Melissa Bean did not attend, no one expected her to be there.

After all, she has never had a Town Hall meeting where the public could come, see her in the flesh and ask questions about her health care vote. I image that there will be a number of signs from 8th district residents at the Tea Party demonstration from 3-6:30 on Route 14 in Crystal Lake, even though that stretch of highway is in 16th District Congressman Don Manzullo’s part of McHenry County.

The Walsh press release follows:

Bean Ducks Walsh Health Care Forum, Residents Come Out in Force

(Wauconda, IL)–Melissa Bean may have declined Joe Walsh’s invitation, but nearly 200 concerned 8th district residents turned out for Walsh’s health care forum on Thursday evening at American Legion Post 911 in Wauconda.

In contrast to Rep. Bean’s controlled, closed-door, invite-only forums, Walsh’s was open to the public.

“It’s important that all voices are heard,” said Walsh.  “I hear from hundreds of residents daily with concerns and questions about the federal takeover of health care and these town hall forums are an important means by which to hear from the folks I am running to represent.”

Walsh was joined by several experts for the discussion: Pediatrician Dr. Arie Friedman of Premiere Pediatrics, Cardiologist Dr. George Christy of Advocate for Christ Medical Center, and Joe Fehsenfeld, President/CEO, Midwest Printed Circuit Services.

“I wanted to make sure residents heard not just from the candidate but from medical providers and local businesspeople,” said Walsh.  “Don’t just take my word for the need to fight the Medicare cuts and tax increases in the Obamacare legislation, hear from professionals who are assessing the impacts.”

Walsh and others made the point that the devil is really in the details of the legislation.  For example, the cost projections Rep. Bean offers in defense of her vote for the federal takeover are based on 10 years of projected revenue but only 6 years of spending.
“It’s Bernie Madoff accounting,” said Walsh.  “At a time when Illinois is struggling under 12% unemployment, we cannot afford to stunt the growth of our job-creating small businesses and that’s exactly what Melissa Bean has done with her support of this new, unfunded entitlement.”

Mr. Fehsenfeld said frankly that the financial burdens of increased payroll taxes and other employer mandates could force him and other small businesses to cut jobs.
Walsh said he would be hosting more forums and he would continue inviting Melissa Bean to participate so that voters understand their very different policy visions on health care, job creation and the range of other issues that directly impact the quality of life 8th district families are able to enjoy.

“I hope residents stay engaged and remember in November that when the time came to choose between her party and her district, Melissa Bean voted to serve the political interests of her party instead of the economic interests of her constituents,”

said Walsh.  “Voters have a crystal clear choice in this election.”

An interesting twist on the health care debate is a Wauconda forum being held by 8th congressional district challenger Joe Walsh.   More interesting was the Republican’s invitation to incumbent Melissa Bean to attend.

Since she refused to hold any Town Hall meetings prior to the vote, no one expects her to show up.

Here’s the Walsh release:

8th District Health Care Forum Thursday Night!!

Please join our expert panel to discuss the recent health care vote and how it will affect the lives of 8th district families and businesses.

Unlike Melissa Bean’s private meetings, this forum will be open to the public. The panel will be fielding questions from the audience and sharing their information and experience relative to the government overhaul of the health care system that makes up 1/6 of the U.S. economy.

What: Health Care Forum
Sponsored by: Candidate for Congress Joe Walsh
When: Thursday, April 8, 2010
Time: 7 – 8:30 pm
Where: American Legion Post 911, 515 South Main St. Wauconda, IL

Panelists:

• Dr. Arie Friedman, MD, Pediatrician, Premier Pediatrics, S.C.
• Dr. George W. Christy, MD, Cardiologist, Advocate Christ Medical Center
• Peter Fotos, Director of Government Relations, The Heartland Institute
• Joe Fehsenfeld, President CEO, Midwest Printed Circuit Services, Inc.
• Joe Walsh, Candidate for Congress, Illinois 8th district