McHenry County Blog

Having been vindicated by not one, but two verdicts of acquittal in Circuit Court, McHenry County State’s Attorney has decided to seek voter approval of his stewardship of the office he first won in 2004.

Speaking at his annual fund raiser, Festa Italiana, Bianchi said,

“I cannot think of a more appropriate (time or place) to announce to you and our community that I will be seeking another term as State’s Attorney.”

The place was packed with reporters and I would imagine there will be big stories tomorrow.

There were also lots of office holders and candidates.

Bianchi was introduced by McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler, as he was four years ago when Bianchi announced his run for a second term.

Four years ago, Koehler was reported to be filling in for Sheriff Keith Nygren, who went on to heavily support Bianchi primary opponent Dan Regna.

Koehler, of course, like all County Board candidates must stand for re-election in 2012.

I’m not aware of any incumbents who are not running for re-election, but Barb Wheeler, who is running for State Rep.  At the risk of missing some (whose names I shall add if they contact me), the following were at the fund raiser:

• Donna Kurtz
• Marc Munaretto
• Nick Provenzano
• Sandy Salgado

There were also challengers who wanted publicity:

• Jim Schlader, a Nunda Township Trustee, who is a candidate in District 3.
• 

  Rachel Smith said she "definitely" was running for County Board in District 6. Here she is taling to Hebron Village Trustee and County Board Chairman Ken Koehler.

  Rachel Smith, a Republican Precinct Committeeman from Greenwood Township whose mailing address is Wonder Lake.

And people thinking about running who were not ready to have their ambitions spread across the McHenry County Blog screen.

Plus former County Board member Yvonne Barnes, who, as indicated in the cutline under her picture above, is thinking about trying to regain the seat she lost to Robert Novak in 2010.

State legislative candidates were present, too.

Kane County’s Chad Koppie, who just announced he was running for the State Senate in an empty district where Kane County Chairman Karen McConnaughay has announced her candidacy was in attendance.

I did not see McConnaughay.

When she announced I asked when she would be visiting McHenry County.

There was nothing on her schedule at that time.

Arriving after the festivities had concluded was newly-appointed State Representative Kent Gaffney and his wife Elizabeth.

I vented about Governor Pat Quinn’s proposal to hike toll taxes by 88%, wondering why Republican legislators were not pinning the toll tax hike on the state’s top donkey.

Gaffney was not the only person in the room interested in being elected from the district represents.

Former Fox River Grove Village Trustee Bob Hannaford was discussing a potential candidacy in the Republican primary election against Gaffney.

Hanaford now lives in the southwestern corner of Lake County and has been active in the Cuba Township Republican Party.

So I won’t be accused of discrimination, let me point out that McHenry County Board member and State Representative candidate Barb Wheeler was escorted to the Festa Italiana by her husband Joe Wheeler, even though he was not in the photo published here.

 

Saturday afternoon, McHenry Township Republicans gathered at the McHenry Moose for a pig roast and to hear candidates make their pitches.

McHenry County Blog prevailed upon attendee Becky Kress to share her photos.

McHenry County Board member Barb Wheeler, who has announced her intentions to run for State Representative in the 64th District whose southern tip is my precinct in Crystal Lake and Lakewood and goes north to Antioch, was one of the speakers.

8th District Congressman Joe Walsh made a pitch for re-election, even though he doesn’t know who his potential future constituents will be. (He made a second appearance in Aurora at State Senator Chris Lauzen’s Porky Picnic later in the day. Lauzen announced he would give up his Senate seat to run for Kane County Board Chairman.)

A photo of State Senator Dan Duffy was captured.

Steven Rooney, recently elected to the Johnsburg School Board is caught with a John O’Neill for County Board tee shirt.

McHenry County Board members Tina Hill and Mary Donner were seen chatting at one table.

The star of the day may have been the pig.

State Senator Dan Duffy got a turn at the microphone.

Both State Senator Pam Althoff and State Rep. Mike Tryon were enjoying the roast pig.

Newly-appointed State Rep. Kent Gaffney spoke to the gathering, but the photo with his son was really fuzzy.

The event had at least one McHenry Alderman in attendance–Andy Glab.

McHenry County Auditor Pam Palmer was campaigning for re-election.

There were many others at the successful fund raiser.

A two-elected official family, McHenry County Board member John Hammerand and Wonder Lake Fire Protection District Board member Cheryl (seen with Joe Walsh above) were enjoying themselves.

While the teen were exploring other parts of the McHenry County Fair on Friday, I went looking for things political.

Democratic Party State Rep. Jack Franks’ tent was first.  It was closest to the free parking.

Then,  I saw the Sheriff’s Department’s Crime Stoppers Trailer.

The McHenry County Sheriff’s booth was at the front of the first building I entered, although Sheriff Keith Nygren had not yet arrived.

McHenry County Citizens for Choice was way around the corner.

The McHenry County Republican Party booth was down the aisle to the right. My second time around I found Jack Franks’ staffer conversing with the folks behind the table.

I found the Sheriff’s Department had a second booth location to the right of the main one.

In the next building, the Libertarian Party booth was the first I saw.

Most pennies were in the “Cut Spending” jar.

Next door was the best political story.

The booth was called “Peter’s Net.” Those in it were clearly Catholics and they were explaining how Catholics were Pro-Life.

Here’s a closer look at the models.

The booth renter across the aisle, described as a “modeling agency” complained about the medical models to Fair Officials. One came and, I’m told, said that the display might not be allowed next year.

Since I vividly remember a similar display from 2000 at the McHenry County Right-To-Life organization, I have a hard time understanding such logic, assuming the story that reached my ears was correct.

It certainly makes no economic sense for the Fair, since another Catholic group, renting three or four spaces–as many as the Sheriff’s Department–also had in utero models.

Maybe it was the message on the button saying, “It’s a child, not a choice” that bothered the folks across the aisle or maybe the models were drawing too much attention from the young girls the complaining booth was targeting.

Just around the corner was the McHenry County Democratic Central Committee’s booth.

They had an intimidating American history quiz that they were encouraging people to take.  I was told Jack Franks wouldn’t take it.

I hesitated, read the questions on the front page and figured by 7th and 8th grade American history classes would stand me in good stead.  Then I started checking off the best answer.  I did find until I got to the national debt question.  It asked when the first debt ceiling had been passed.  That was not in any of the American history classes I took.  I won’t ruin the quiz. Suffice is to say that was my only wrong answer.

As I continued my political tour of the McHenry County Fair, I found a second large Pro-Life booth.

Young girls were looking at a display of baby booties and shoes called “Little Soles.”

This is the other booth in which I found the in utero models seen above.

Right across the aisle was the booth of the McHenry County Sportsman’s Association and the McHenry County Right to Carry Association.

With Illinois’ being the last state in the union where individuals are not allowed to carry firearms to protect themselves, the petition signatures gathered in past years may have been the reason that Jack Franks’ flipped from being opposed to being favor.

President Anthony Lopez was standing out front talking to Barb Wheeler, who was helping staff the booth. His wife Laura Rakers was behind the table with Richard Pere.

I went looking for Congressman Joe Walsh’s outpost.

It was on the midway in a corner tent.

I doubled back to the building with the Sheriff’s display in hopes of finding Sheriff Keith Nygren and was rewarded by his presence.

I made another circuit and found Congressman Don Manzullo’s booth. Former Wonder Lake resident Marilyn Davis was behind the table.

As I left the building, Nunda Township Republican Chairman Brent Smith and Sheriff Nygren were having a conversation.

On the way out, I saw John O’Neill, an announced candidate for McHenry County Board staffing the Ray Chevrolet tent.

An impressive crowd turned out for McHenry County Board member Barb Wheeler’s fund raiser for her State Rep. campaign.

From those attending, I concluded that she will be the favorite of most of the McHenry County part of the 64th District that she seeks to represent.

There were candidates galore, including several thinking seriously about running for County Board, incumbents running for re-election, plus those interested in Grafton Township governmental slots.  Of significance is that none of Grafton Township is within the 64th District.

The idea of fund raisers is to raise money, of course.

There was no set price, so there is no way anyone outside of Wheeler’s campaign knows how much was contributed, but there are several observations that can be made.

A successful fund raiser has to keep down expenses. The private home eliminated the need to rent a hall.

Beer, wine, soft drinks and water were provided, as were Italian beef sandwiches. There were some other light snacks.

The execution of the event pretty much guaranteed the net would be as large as possible.

Although it doesn’t make much of a story, those who stay home and send money can increase the total contributed at events like this.

State Representative candidate Barb Wheeler has relocated her Friday fund raiser.

“It will be the same location of last year’s TEENI WEENI BIKINI MARTINI PARTY, 7707 Oak Ridge Ct., Crystal Lake,” Wheeler writes.

Oak Ridge runs from Hillside on the south to Crystal Springs Road on the north.

Oak Ridge Court is the first street to the left as one drives north from Crystal Lake.

There is no set price for the event, although campaign contributions will obviously be accepted.

Wheeler now serves on the McHenry County Board. She is running in the new 64th district, which stretches from just south of Crystal Lake (the lake) all the way to Antioch in Lake County.

Just over 50% of the new district, which has no incumbent candidate, is located in Lake County.

Just under 49% of the population is in McHenry County.

So far, no primary opponent has popped up.

A copy of the invitation follows:

Largely unnoticed in Illinois Democrats’ remapping of McHenry County’s legislative districts is what state representatives go with which state senator.

As the situation exist now, State Reps. Mike Tryon and and Jack Franks have Pam Althoff as their state senator.

Not after the 2012 elections.

Franks has eliminated Tryon as a possible competitor should he decide to run for the State Senate.

Under the reapportionment map Franks will be “nested” with Althoff and Tryon with a state senator to be named in 2012.

Franks would not run against Althoff.

One reason.

Franks would probably lose.

Althoff beat Democrat Patrick Ouimet’s heavily-financed campaign.

Ouimet spent $992,002.52 in his 2004 campaign.

Appointed incumbent Althoff came up with $638,344.03.  The GOP were not about to lose her seat, if it could be helped.

Franks now has about $467,000 in the bank, minus July’s expenses.

He is as well known, if not better known than Althoff, an advantage that Ouimet did not have in 2004, but Franks is a guy.

My analysis of elections in this area going back to 1966 have convinced me that men have about a five percentage point disadvantage when running against a woman.

Had Tom Salvi been a woman when he almost beat Franks in 2000, I am convinced that Franks would not have won re-election.  Salvi lost 51.54% to 48.37%, less than five percentage points.

So, in a Republican state senate district, would voters be more likely to vote for the female incumbent Republican or the Democrat running away from his party label as fast as he can?

No question in my mind.  Althoff would win.

But, what if Althoff decided to retire sometime in the next decade?

There is at least one Republican supporter of Franks who would like to run for Franks’ state rep. seat.

Would this Franks’ contributor support the Democrat for state senate against a GOP candidate?

Could a quid pro quo be that Franks make sure no Democrat ran against him in the fall election?

Gumming up the works of this scenario would be the emergence of a strong female state representative to replace Tryon.

Barb Wheeler might be that woman. She is running for the empty seat and has a Crystal Lake fund raiser Friday night.

She, as Althoff, would not be abandoned by Senate Republicans. They would not be willing to forfeit the seat to a union Democrat like Franks.

Some might be thinking that Franks will run for Congress next year.

More on that tomorrow.

Prairie Isle Golf Club was the site for a Tuesday fund raiser for District 3 McHenry County Board candidate John O’Neill.

O’Neill is one of five Republican candidates vying for four slots on the fall 2012 ballot.

With incumbent Barb Wheeler running for State Representative, only two Republican incumbents remain–Nick Provenzano and Mary Donner. Both are running for re-election.

Two non-incumbents besides O’Neill have made their intentions know–Nunda Township Trustee Jim Schlader and former District 2 County Board member Lyn Orphal.

It is expected that Democratic Party incumbent Kathy Bergan Schmidt will be running for re-election.

One of the advantages of being a political observer-participant who is a Republican Precinct Committeeman is that most candidates send invitations to their events. Here is the most recent:

Dear Committeemen:

Some of you know me very well. We have walked in parades, worked the fair, or have gone door to door together. For those of you who don’t know me, I am Barbara Wheeler, a McHenry County Board member since 2002.

Last year, I decided not to run for re-election to the board.

With the remap of all of the legislative districts in Illinois, the 64th State House District is an open seat without an incumbent.

I am writing to let you know why I am running for this open seat in the General Assembly.

The upcoming election in 2012 offers us a tremendous opportunity to send more Republicans to Springfield.

I know the people of the 64th district in Lake and McHenry Counties are fed up with the disastrous policies of Governor Quinn and Speaker Madigan.They are fed up with the 66% tax increase that was passed this year, with the huge debt and the complete and total lack of pension reform. We can do better, and that is why I am running.

For people that know me, they would tell you I am a hard worker and that I keep my word.

I pledge to you that if I am fortunate enough to have the honor to serve in Springfield, I will be a voice for your values and that I will always be willing to listen to your input and ideas on how we can make our community and Illinois a better place to live, raise our families, and do business.

In the coming weeks I will be calling you to formally discuss the seat and ask you for your input, advice and support.

For now, with this letter, I just want to say hello and tell you that I look forward to meeting with you, and seeing you along the campaign trail.

I have enclosed some further information with this email. If you would like to contact me, please feel free to call me at (815) 245-4556 or email me at barb@barbarawheeler64.com.

Also attached is my Kick Off Invite, Friday July 29, 6 – 9pm. (Please note the time change.) Please feel free to share.

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.

 

A roll call was not taken for the reapportionment straw poll questions asked by McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler.

Just a series of hand raising.

What you see above is a good indication that the size of the county board will not be cut.

Another raising of the hands indicated that a clear majority favor keeping six districts.

Several board members spoke in favor of a smaller board.

Pete Merkel suggested eighteen or twenty. He pointed out that Kane County was considering cutting its number. If the size were to remain 24, he favored either eight districts of three people or twelve with two each.

“When I first got on the board, I wondered why we had four people representing a district.”

But he really wanted a smaller board.

“We’re all good Republicans, most of us…” at which time laughter erupted in the room.

He was not in favor of twenty-four single-member districts.

Barb Wheeler agreed with Merkel that cutting the number on the board to twenty would be a good idea.

She favored single-member districts. In Lake County there are twenty-three districts.

“Everyone knows who their board member is.”

Democrat Kathy Bergan Schmidt wants twenty single-member districts. She pointed to campaign cost savings. To those who had extolled the current system of having one member from each district on pretty much each committee, she observed, “We can some up with another committee system.”

She also thought it would make the job a little easier with about twelve precincts per district.

“You (wouldn’t) have to have a private fortune or a good fund raising machine,” she pointed out.

“Newspaper aren’t what they used to be. We don’t get much coverage.

“A mailing costs you a small fortune.”

She argued that multi-member districts “makes for a less diverse group of county board members.”

Schmidt also pointed out that most of the large counties in Illinois have single-member districts or two-member districts.

“We should not be out of line.”

She also wanted to see some maps.

“Every ten years we have this wonderful opportunity to re-invent ourselves,” Donna Kurtz said.

She wants smaller districts so people can have “a personal relationship with their county board member.

“Pete hit the ball and hit it out of the park when he came up with two-member districts.”

Kurtz pointed out that 24,000-constituent districts, rather than 50,000-person ones would

• increase out own accountability and
• allow us to do more with less

Wonder Lake’s John Hammerand supported keeping 24 members.  In fact, he would support more, if state law would allow them.

He pointed out, if there were fewer, it would take people away from the full-time jobs.

He told of the gold bathroom fixtures in the Cook County Board’s complex.

Hammerand favored staying on township line, but thought that school district boundaries should be considered.

“I see nothing wrong with the size of out districts,” Union’s Randy Donley said.

“I can get across District 6 faster than people can get across Crystal Lake.”

His choice of size was twelve members with salaries set at “$40,000 to keep up with other counties.

“I know many board members agree privately.”

That “would attract a different element to the board.”

“The older I get, I realize that the more things change, the worse things get,” Ersel Schuster from Seneca Township said.

Of the apportionment of the county board, she observed, “It’s not broken.”

She said she’d be willing to look at two-member districts.  She noted it would make it easier to run for office.  And it would probably be a little less expensive if you broke it up into single-member districts.

McHenry’s Sandy Salgado said she “really like(d) Pete’s idea of two-member districts.”

She pointed out that Richmond and Spring Grove were quite different from the McHenry and Wonder Lake portions of her district.

She described that her constituents had told her it “was a pain in the neck to have to call four people.”

She joined Schmidt in wanting to see a map.

Reacting to the proposal for $40,000 salaries, McHenry’s Sandy Salgado said, “I don’t know if that would attract the caliber of people you’d like to have.”

McHenry’s Nick Provenzano emphasized the advantages of having one member from each district on each committee.

“I think we should have been talking about this a year ago,” he said.  Consideration should be given now to the governance of McHenry County when we reach 500,000, 750,000, a million people.

He wanted to know if there would be full-time county board members with district offices and staff.

“I think we’re underestimating the amount of time it’s going to take to draw a map.”

Lake in the Hill’s Paula Yensen, the second Democrat on the county board, pointed out she was the only one who represented the lower part of District 5.

“If you think we’re going to save money by having fewer districts, I really need to be convinced.”

Veteran Bull Valley member Virginia Peschke reflected on having represented all of McHenry County, except for Algonquin, Nunda and McHenry Townships when she ran the first time.  Then there were only three county board districts of eight members each.

All of the above took place in a Committee of the Whole meeting that ran from 6 o’clock to about 7:15.

Thereafter was a regular county board meeting at which Dr. Mike Fortner, an expert in statistics and reapportionment and, incidentally, a state representative from West Chicago explained the elements of redistricting.

Population could deviate as much as 10% from the smallest to the largest district, he pointed out.

The county board had previously agreed that the difference should not be more than 3%.  That would mean the largest district could be 3,000 more people than the smallest.

Although there has been a rapid growth in the Hispanic population, he has concluded that that “population does not yet rise to the level that meets the need for special redistricting treatment.”

He found no precinct in McHenry County where Hispanics were a majority.

Fortner, a professor at Northern Illinois University, talked of the role geography could play.

He told of the many measures used to define “compact,” mentioning that road and bridge connections might be relevant.

He also said political criteria could be taken into account, e.g., partisan election returns.

“Incumbent protection” came to mind.

Salgado asked about the Iowa method were staffers use computers to draw maps, regardless of where legislators live.

Fortner pointed out that criteria for the process were outlined in Iowa state law.

“It’s hard to know where to start except by starting with existing districts.”

Salgado wanted to see what a two-member district map would look like.

“We’d like to have that go through the Legislative Committee,” Chairman Koehler interjected.

“What if it didn’t meet that committee’s consensus?” Salgado asked.

“Where would that leave me?  Nowhere?”

In the Committee of the Whole meeting, she noted, she hadn’t gotten very far with that idea.

Yensen agreed she would like to see some maps.

Hammerand expressed his displeasure at having to consider race.  “It should be voters and citizens in the United States, which they don’t have to be…We should not be looking at the color of people’s skins.”

Later Fortner explained that the post-Civil War 15th Amendment is the hook that Congress hung the Voting Rights Act on.

Fortner is being paid $150 per hour and has worked four hours so far.  Since the contract is less than $10,000, no board approval was needed, County Administrator Peter Austin explained.

Looking at the six McHenry County districts, Fortner said three needed adjustment.