McHenry County Blog

Getting rid of the deals that went down to build a new town hall on Haligus Road without a referendum was the primary campaign promise that propelled challenger Linda Moore to a 30-vote Republican primary victory over Grafton Township Supervisor John Rossi.

The message was

“What is someone put a second mortgage on your home…without asking your permission?

“Your Grafton Township Supervisor and his township trustees have done something very close to that.

“Borrowing $3.5 million to build a new township hall without voter approval…in the middle of a recession…while spending less than $17,000 last year helping people in need with General Assistance…is bad government.

“You will have to pay that $3.5 million – PLUS interest – back with your property taxes.

“If you want an elected official who will ask your opinion before you are put into debt

“Vote for Linda Moore for Grafton Township Supervisor”

Put on a yard sign, the message was

NO TAXATION WITHOUT REFERENDUM

A court case led by Dan Ziller, Jr., in which Moore was a co-plaintiff forced to repayment of a $3.5 million township loan intended to pay for most of that building.  Judge Michael Caldwell made the decision.

(Ziller ran an unsuccessful write-in campaign for township trustee in which he emphasized the $3.5 million loan on his yard signs.)

It also forced a voter referendum on whether to borrow $3.5 million to build a new township hall.

Another $611,000 was raised by selling the current town hall to the to the Township Road District. Moore said last night that transaction did not end up in the minutes.

(Two different legal entities were created by the General Assembly resulting from township road commissioners wanting less oversight from township boards.)

In any event, the township hall is now controlled by the Road Commissioner Jack Freund. He has to be repaid over $611,000. He was planning to do so by charging the Town Fund rent, plus kicking in the difference from Road Fund taxes. The township board even paid a $66,000 commission on the transaction to McHenry County Board member Marc Munaretto.

When I left the Grafton Township meeting last night, the board was hiding behind closed doors so the public could not hear what its members were saying or what the two lawyers present were advising.

Newly-elected Township Supervisor Linda Moore had not fared well earlier, as she had been advised that her 7 PM meeting had been improperly posted and the 7:30 meeting, which has also been improperly, but not fatally wrongly posted, had gone according to the majority bloc of four trustees plans.

But when the doors at the Huntley Park District opened, the board took action to “unwind” the loan Grafton Township took out to buy its own township hall (after taxpayers had already paid for it once).

Only Moore’s erstwhile running mate Gerry McMahon voted against

When the vote was taken, Moore wasn’t the lonely girl that she was before going in

So, what happened?

“We were informed by the township attorney that the way things were done were not in accordance with the law,” Moore told me, “and it left the township open to suit.“In order to avoid further legal expenses, four of the five members of the board voted in favor of Barb Murphy’s motion to unwind the selling of the township property to the Road District.”

At the October board meeting Trustee Barbara Murphy signaled her desire to undo the Town Hall loan:

“My own opinion—I say we do the unwind. Put it all back to where it was and start from scratch.“Frankly, in my own opinion, I’m tired of this garbage.“I’m tired of it.

“I’m tired of it. (I want it done.)”

Four township officials, including all the full-timers, attended the Grafton Township meeting at Faith Community Church on Algonquin Road, but the four part-timers boycotted it.

Of the members of the township board, only Supervisor Linda Moore attended.

Barbara Murphy, Robert LaPort, Betty Zirk and Gerry McMahon were absent.

Township Clerk Dina Frigo, Road Commissioner Jack Freund and Assessor Bill Ottley attended the meeting.

Without a quorum of three out of five members of the township board, Moore adjourned the meeting.

To read what the township trustees did not want to discuss, click here.

At the last board meeting of Grafton Township, the one in which constantly interrupting, newly-elected board member Gerry McMahon was censured, there were comments from Trustee Barbara Murphy (the one seen on the far left of the table) that may portend for big happenings Thursday night.

I’ll quote her comments in their entirety, but, first, let me set the stage.

Township governments are two entities in one. There is the Town Fund. It pays for township assessing, public aid, officials’ salaries, etc.

Then, there is the Road District. It is run by the road commissioner. About the only control the township board has over the road commissioner’s operation is making sure he doesn’t spend more than is appropriated.

Township Road Commissioner Jack Freund had handed out a proposed rental contract which would have the separate Town Fund paying his fund $3,500 a month rent starting November 7th.

“Digest it and next month I will bring my attorney, if you’re ready.”

McMahon didn’t seem to have a clear grasp of the separateness of the two parts of township government.

“It’s like charging your son rent for the basement of the bedroom.“Why should one arm of the government pay another for something the township owns?

“I don’t get it.”

Senior Trustee Betty Zirk explained the situation:

“We had this offer for $1.2 million for our property.“Jack said, ‘I want to buy it.’

“So, Jack bought it. He paid the town (fund) $611,000. The agreement was we’d probably be out of the building by November 7th.

“The Road Commissioner owns all the property. If we want to stay we’re going to have to pay rent.”

“Are we signing for both the lessor and the lessee?” McMahon asked.

“The only thing we can do with Jack is is he has a budget. We have to make him stay within the budget,” Zirk replied.

“We really don’t have any control over it.”

Zirk had previously suggested that the township board look for rental property elsewhere.

“Well, then I agree with you,” McMahon replied, “…as quickly as possible. It’s time to look for other places to move.”

Road Commissioner Freund was getting a bit irritated as this point.

“The Road District paid twice for that property. Once when they bought it originally and once when we bought it from the township and paid the township a year and a half ago.”

Referring to the proposed $3,500 month rent, Freund said, “That isn’t even making the payments on this property I have to pay.”

Then Trustee Barbara Murphy entered the discussion:

“My own opinion—I say we do the unwind. Put it all back to where it was and start from scratch.“Frankly, in my own opinion, I’m tired of this garbage.

“I’m tired of it.

“I’m tired of it. (I want it done.)”

Newly-elected Township Supervisor Linda Moore put in her two cents:

This board never approved the ordinance to borrow $700,000.”

Moore also noted that,

“In the Town Fund, we have $600,000…We’ve got some unwinding to do just as we did with the three and a half million.”

She further pointed out that the loan was for 20 years, but that “the township can borrow for 10 years.

“Basically, we have not followed the statutes.”

McMahon interrupted, but Moore finished her thought:

“I am concerned that the public was not properly noticed. Unwind this and soon.”

At the beginning of the meeting, right after public comments and approving bills the board will go into Executive (secret) Session for the following purposes:

1.Sale of Real Estate to Road District
2.Pending Litigation

The next item on the agenda is

Action on Sale of Real Estate to Road District

There’s a whole lot more on the agenda for the 7:30 meeting, which will be held at Faith Community Church at 10,547 Faiths Way in Huntley. It is located west of Tom’s Vegetable Market on the north side of Algonquin Road.

Only reporter Pete Gonigam, who writes the First Electric Newspaper, attended last week’s Grafton Township meeting.

He writes of how the board, by a 3-2 vote censured newly-elected Township Trustee Gerry McMahon.  McMahon and Betty Zirk voted against the motion.  Township Supervisor Linda Moore and Township Tru

McMahon is the one who consistently interrupted his running mate, newly-elected Township Supervisor Moore.

The only other local public officials to have been censured are McHenry County Board members Donna Kurtz and Scott Summers.  They were not censured because of constant interruption of MCC board meetings.  They were censured for changing their minds on the advisability of putting their taxpayers in debt to pay for a minor league baseball team and announcing the change at a Crystal Lake City Council meeting considering the necessary re-zoning.

The photo you see above was taken from the video recording of the prior meeting.  From left to right you see the four Grafton Township Trustees, Barbara Murphy, Rob LaPorta, Betty Zirk and Gerry McMahon.

If you play this song while you are reading this article, it would be appropriate.

Johnny Paycheck’s “Take This Job and Shove It” pretty much sums up the message Crystal Lake attorney Joe Gottemoller gave to the Grafton Township Board last night.

Because Supervisor Linda Moore was absent due to having just had a myelogram, only her four political enemies on the township board were at the meeting.

Along with two lawyers, Joseph Gottemoller and Jim Kelly.

And a standing room only crowd.

Prominent Democrats were out in force. Both McHenry County Board member Jim Kennedy and Paula Yensen were in attendance.

Attorney Kelly was dismissed by Moore after she took office, but he’s still working for the four trustees. They voted to pay him “$5,724, the most recent portion of a total amount of $17,963.73 for services after May 18, 2009.”

The township trustees and Kelly went into secret session to discuss the lawsuit (Dan Ziller, Jr., et al. v. John Rossi, et al) that a number of the audience members had brought against the township to stop the building of a new township hall.

But Gottemoller’s resignation was the big story.

Right before the trustees went into Executive Session, he said,

“This will be my last meeting. I have spent a great deal of time and effort on this. Much more than I should have.”

He talked about all the local governments he had had contact with during his legal career.

“I have never been in front of of a board as dysfunctional as this one.”

He told of having had nine calls about the agenda for the meeting. He talked of the problems facing the township.

“I hope some day you will address them.”

He said most calls he had received were from people who were mainly interested in learning how to protect themselves from the other side.

“I don’t want my name to be associated with (Grafton Township).

“You’re spending thousands of dollars on legal fees, $25,000 in attorney fees since May 18th.

“Riley Township spent $500 its last full year.” (Riley is one of McHenry County’s smallest.)

“I hope sometime or other you’ll find a way to talk to each other.

“If we could just focus on the issues and not the personalities, it would be (a lot better).

Before the secret meeting began, Kelly revealed he had told the board in February that he wouldn’t continue as township attorney.

“It’s just outrageous we’re in this condition. I’m working on this issue (the lawsuit) only,” Kelly said.

As I was leaving, one person observed,

“They ought to sell popcorn.”

Tomorrow: What Joe Gottemoller wrote in his resignation letter.

= = = = =
In the top photo you see attorney Jim Kelly on the left and Joe Gottemoller on the right. The four trustees can be seen sitting at the table in the second picture. Trustee Barbara Murphy is in the foreground. At the left of the photo is Trustee Bob LaPorta. To his left are Trustee Betty Zirk and newly-elected Trustee Gerry MaMahon, elected with newly-elected Township Supervisor Linda Moore’s help, but now on the other side of the political spectrum. All the officials are Republicans. Flanking attorney Jim Kelly in the next photo are prominent Democrats Mike Bisset, his wife, McHenry County Board member Paula Yensen, and McHenry County Board member Jim Kennedy (standing). The larger head shot is of Gottmoller. The smaller one is of Kelly while Gottemoller was explaining his resignation.

There were so many signs in Crystal Lake and Algonquin at the 4th of July TEA Parties.

In view of the Grafton Township Board’s having stopped the $430 a day hemorrhage to the Harris Bank for the $3.5 million loan on a 5-0 vote last night, it seems appropriate to emphasize this placard found on Route 14 in Crystal Lake on Independence Day. (Click to enlarge.)

The upper corners carry the message

NO
New TAX

Below appears

It is held by a man with his wife who understands that “

as Democratic U.S. House Speaker Tip O’Neill once said.

One might fairly surmise that the two supported recently-elected Grafton Township Supervisor Linda Moore.

The names of the Grafton Township trustees are

• Betty Zirk
• Barbara Murphy
• Gerry McMahon (newly-elected with Moore’s help)
• Robert LaPorta

It also allows me to again observe that trying to make an impact on government is almost always easier the lower the level of government.

I’m still looking at photos that four people provided me of the TEA Parties, but, so far, I have found none protesting Mayor Aaron Shepley’s 75% Crystal Lake city sales tax hike.

I’ve seen nothing to indicate that demonstrators don’t want the Chicago Democrats’ 50% state income tax hike.

Too bad.

What a great opportunity to get through to state and local officials other than those of Grafton Township.

Here’s an all-purpose slogan that could be re-cycled.

It’s hard to tell what a township board will do when its leader goes down to defeat.

In Grafton Township, apparent narrow winner Linda Moore carried only one of her two running mates to victor – Gerry McMahon.

He placed third of six candidates.

The preliminary Republican Party primary election results follow (with the four winners on top):

• Betty Zirk – 1,254
• Barbara Murphy – 1,157
• Gerry McMahan – 1,025
• Robert LaPorta – 1,005

• Lois Brothers – 931
• Don Glogovsky – 816

Glogovsky was the second of Moore’s running mates. He was inexplicably separated from the other one on the ballot. I guess they didn’t file joint petitions. Had they filed joint petitions, Glogovsky would have been second on the ballot and had a better chance of success.

Since the township board has five members, Moore may not be able to accomplish her goals—the main on being to stop the proposed $3.5 million new township hall—unless one of the incumbent trustees is willing to cooperate with her.

The next meeting of the Grafton Township Board is Thursday night at 7:30 at the Huntley Park District Recreation Center.

I’ve written about having read a study about the value of ballot position while in graduate school at the University of Michigan. A couple of researchers looked at every paper ballot in a municipal election in that state.

There definitely was an impact in elections with six or more people on the ballot.

Not so much impact in contests in which there were few candidates.

Having said that, appearing first on the ballot for the first office on the ballot might impress voters.

They might just think the first person was the incumbent.

In Grafton Township’s Republican primary ballot, incumbent Township Supervisor John Rossi will appear second, below challenger Linda Moore.

Moore came within a couple of handfuls of votes of winning a seat on the Huntley School District 158 board of education in 2007. In fact, I thought she had won after looking at election night returns, but absentee votes put her slightly behind.

For township trustee there are six candidates, so ballot position might make a difference. Here is the result of the ballot order lottery:

1.   Gerry McMahon
2.   Barbara Murphy
3.   Betty Zirk
4.   Don Glogovsky
5.   Lois Brothers
6.   Rob LaPorta

Winning first position was Gerry McMahon, an ally of Linda Moore. Her other supporter, Don Glogovsky, drew a less favorable spot—4th. The others are incumbents.

Still the study showed the worst ballot position to be next to last. Incumbent Louis Brothers has that distinction.

= = = = =
Linda Moore is the woman on the right above who is just about to speak on the stage at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital’s intermediate care walk-in facility located across on Congress Parkway across from the new Pingree Road Metra Train Station. She resurfaced the idea to use wrist radios for elderly and youth who might walk away from home.

I’ve written about having read a study about the value of ballot position while in graduate school at the University of Michigan. A couple of researchers looked at every paper ballot in a municipal election in that state.

There definitely was an impact in elections with six or more people on the ballot.

Not so much impact in contests in which there were few candidates.

Having said that, appearing first on the ballot for the first office on the ballot might impress voters.

They might just think the first person was the incumbent.

In Grafton Township’s Republican primary ballot, incumbent Township Supervisor John Rossi will appear second, below challenger Linda Moore.

Moore came within a couple of handfuls of votes of winning a seat on the Huntley School District 158 board of education in 2007. In fact, I thought she had won after looking at election night returns, but absentee votes put her slightly behind.

For township trustee there are six candidates, so ballot position might make a difference. Here is the result of the ballot order lottery:

1.   Gerry McMahon
2.   Barbara Murphy
3.   Betty Zirk
4.   Don Glogovsky
5.   Lois Brothers
6.   Rob LaPorta

Winning first position was Gerry McMahon, an ally of Linda Moore. Her other supporter, Don Glogovsky, drew a less favorable spot—4th. The others are incumbents.

Still the study showed the worst ballot position to be next to last. Incumbent Louis Brothers has that distinction.

= = = = =
Linda Moore is the woman on the right above who is just about to speak on the stage at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital’s intermediate care walk-in facility located across on Congress Parkway across from the new Pingree Road Metra Train Station. She resurfaced the idea to use wrist radios for elderly and youth who might walk away from home.