McHenry County Blog

Bob Abboud spoke to the McHenry County Democratic Central Committee when he unsuccessfully ran against Republican Congressman Don Manzullo.

Next month, Martin McLaughlin will take two-term Barrington Hills Village President Robert Abboud’s place at the spot with the gavel in front of it.

There will also be some changes on the Barrington Hills Village Board.

Let’s look at the numbers on a county-by-county basis.

Challenger Martin McLaughlin won in all four counties.

The margins were

• McHenry County – 42
• Lake County – 27
• Cook County – 72
• Kane County – 2

145 votes in all.

In McHenry County Martin Mclaughlin beat Bob Abboud by 42 votes.

In Lake County the margin was 27 votes in Martin McLaughlin’s favor.

In Cook County, Bob Abboud lost by 72 votes.

A small part of Barrington Hills is in Kane County.  Martin McLaughlin bested Abboud by two votes there.

Now, let’s look at the results for Village Trustee on a county-by-county basis.

Here are the results for Village Trustee in McHenry County.  Only 23 votes separated the five candidates.

In Lake County, the spread was 32 votes, but over twice as many people voted.

There were about half as many votes in Cook County as in Lake County.

Very few live in Kane County.

Here’s how the numbers add up:

• Colleen Konicek Hannigan – 604
• Michael Harrington – 573
• Fritz Gohl – 566
• Kelly Mazeski – 563
• David Stieper – 553

The top three were elected.

Harrington, Gohl and Mazeski were supported by Abboud.

A press release from Barrington Hills Village President candidate David Stieper. He is challenging Robert Abboud.

Barrington Hills Trustee Candidate, David Stieper, invites all candidates to Open Public Forum

David Stieper

David Stieper, an independent candidate for Village Trustee of Barrington Hills, announced today that he invites all candidates for President or Trustee in the Village of Barrington Hills to an open forum to discuss the important issues and their positions.

The invitation calls for an open forum hosted by an independent moderator to be named.

Citizens for Stieper reserved the “Multi-Purpose Room” at Countryside Elementary School on Tuesday, April 2 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM CDT.

In providing this open invitation, Mr. Stieper stated to his fellow candidates seeking office:

“All candidates have announced that government transparency is important to our Village. We should provide our fellow residents an open forum to learn firsthand our views on important issues such as fiscal management and transparent governance.”

In order to ensure fair and even representation, Citizens for Stieper recommends that an unbiased and independent organization such as Better Government Association provide a person to moderate and recommend a procedure for process.

Mr. Stieper also suggests that representatives of each campaign meet with his representative on March 22nd to confirm format.

In the absence of a moderator, all candidates are encouraged to attend and respond to Village voter questions.

Regardless of participation, David Stieper intends to be available for open public comment and questions on the date and at the location provided and listen to the ideas and concerns of citizens in order to promote good and open government practices in Barrington Hills.

Press Release by Citizens for Stieper: David Stieper is a practicing attorney in Illinois, holds a Masters in Business degree and has served the Village in capacities such as Chairman of the Plan Commission. His wife Darla and David have two sons, John and Michael. David is the only Independent candidate seeking election in Barrington Hills.

Martin McLaughlin and Colleen Hannigan introduce their candidacies for Barrington Hill Village Trustee in this mailing.

They are the opposition to Village President Bob Abboud.

Martin McLaughlin and Colleen Hannigan introduce themselves in their first “Unite Barrington Hills” sale mailing.

The mailing is dated March 11th.

Assistance is requested on the outs side of this United Barrington Hills maililng.

Here’s Barrington Hills Village President’s first mailing.  It is well ahead of the start of early voting on March 25th.

On the address side, Barrington Hills Village President Robert Abboud stands next to a fence.

The back of Bob Abboud’s first mailing in his re-election campaign.

It’s time for mail to start coming in hotly-contested, well-financed campaigns. (Candidates who want to share their efforts and those receiving them who would be kind enough to scan and send them to McHenry County Blog can expect to see them shared with our readers.)

Here is Barrington Hills Village Trustee candidate David Stieper’s first mailing:

The first mailing from Barrington Hills candidate for Village President David Stieper.

David Stieper’s message on the back compares the increase in the Consumer Price Index increases in the cost of Barrington Hills village government.

Route 62 through Barrington Hills was slow going, but the scenery was marvelous.

It took 30 minutes to get from Route 25 to Route 31 in Algonquin. The surface was bumpy ice.

Men were pushing this car up the Route 62 hill.

Two IDOT snow plows tried to make a difference on Route 62 in Algonquin.

Randall Road was backed up north of Miller Road in Crystal Lake.

A woman lost traction and plowed into the snow bank in front of the CVS Pharmacy across from Ackman Road in Crystal Lake.

Two McHenry County snow plows came east on Ackman Road onto Randall-Rakow Road.

A third snow plow from the McHenry County Transportation Department followed the first two.

All in all, it was a very bad night for traffic.

Route 62 was worse than that part of Algonquin Road east of Route 31, which is a county road. Maybe it was the beet juice mixed with the salt. The county section, however, had a dicey, snow-covered right lane.

The Cook County Treasurer’s Office has put online all sorts of financial information that was previouisly virtually impossible to a taxpayer to find.

Let’s look at the Home Rule municipality of Barrington Hills as an example.

Let’s look at the overall budget and liabilities for starters.

Debt for Barrington Hills is $21.7 million, up over $3 million in one year.

Next, let’s examine property tax revenues for the last ten years.  They almost doubled.

Property tax collections rose from just under $2 million ten years ago to$3.8 million this tax year.

Finally, let’s take a look at pension liabilities.  The fund for police is funded at 40% with a $6.3 million unfunded liability.

Pension liabilities increase

A press release about the dedication of historical plaques in Barrington Hills:

TWO BARRINGTON AREA SITES UNVEILING STATE HISTORICAL MARKERS

Haeger Cemetery

BARRINGTON HILLS: On Saturday, October 6, 2012 at 1 p.m., two Illinois State Historical Markers will be unveiled, a first ever for the Barrington Area.

Both markers represent sites of early settler history in McHenry County of Barrington Hills.

One marker is at the David Haeger Schoolhouse and Cemetery on Meadow Hill Road and the other is at the Ira C. Goodrich Homestead on Plum Tree Road. Each large historical marker will have a text detailing its history.

Historical markers identify, honor and commemorate the important places, people, and events that have contributed to the State of Illinois’ rich heritage. These markers are our windows to the past and vital education tool, informing people and students about the most significant aspects of Illinois’ past.

The dedication ceremony will begin at the Haeger Schoolhouse and Cemetery with special honor by War of 1812 soldier re-enactors and the Barrington VFW for Otis Drake, a War of 1812 soldier, and David F. Huntley, 95th Infantry Illinois, killed at Vicksburg, May 22, 1863. It is assumed these soldiers had not received this honor previously. Note: A historian and re-enactor from Fort Dearborn Historical Society in Chicago will be attendance.

Haeger School now a residence, was named for the David Haeger Family from Germany, who settled in this part of McHenry County.

Ira Goodrich Homestead

This area was the boyhood home of David Henry Haeger, the eldest son of the Haeger children, who founded the world renowned decorative pottery business in 1871, still in operation today.

The small adjoining Haeger Cemetery was dedicated by deed in 1854, some burials took place prior to this with the oldest headstone dating back to 1842. Four members of the Haeger Family are at rest here, along with the Ira C. Goodrich Family.

The second historical marker unveiling, will take place on the Ira C. Goodrich Homestead – Plum Tree Farm on Plum Tree Road at 3 p.m..

Mr. Goodrich came to McHenry County with his father Peter and his bride, Dolly Jane West in 1843.

This family came from New York leaving behind their relative, Benjamin Franklin Goodrich, who founded the famed rubber tire company in 1870.

As an early pioneer to McHenry County, Goodrich formed the local school system, served as its Director and was Road Master, in addition to farming his land.

This site represents the evolution of land and buildings originally homesteaded in 1843 as a traditional farm, to its adaptation as a gentleman farm in 1926.

It was Chicago Tribune owner and philanthropist Alfred Cowles, along with his sons, his farm manager, who came to Barrington Hills to farm and raise horses as a leisure venture, while enjoying the farm as their countryside retreat. Note: Son, Thomas Cowles was one of its first members at Barrington Hills County Club.

The Goodrich Homestead includes a portion of the road, on which was once an Indian Trail, providing early settlers entry into McHenry County.

After looking at the mailing that arrived today for Dee Beaubien (Ind.-Madigan) from the Democratic Party of Illinois, I continue to wonder if the Barrington Hills resident is suggesting that windmills should be allowed in her hometown.

This address side of Mike Madigan’s latest mailing on Dee Beaubien’s behalf has Dee Beaubien proclaiming her independence.

Dee Beaubien’s latest mailing financed by Illinois Democrats suggests windmills should be erected.

And, if the windmills should not be put in the open spaces of Barrington Hills, then would they be better located in Lake Killarney subdivision?

Part of the Barrington Hills Observer masthead.

I see the mention of the Village of Barrington Hill’s failure to answer Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas’ request for debt information in Tuesday’s Chicago Tribune editorial.

That failure was noticed and memorialized by The Barrington Hills Observer.

On that site is the press release that Pappas sent out which, I assume, led to the editorial.

In the FOI request, Pappas says, ““We are taking this extraordinary step of using the FOIA provision because government may not flout the law any more than an individual. If anything, government should set the example in obeying the law.”

Here is what she requests:

“This Office hereby requests a full, complete, unabridged and unedited copy of (your) most recent audited financial statement.”

And the reason for the headline?

I called the Treasurer’s Office seeking the press person. Before I was connected to Bob Benjamin I was able to file a Freedom of Information request via email for the Pappas Freedom of Information request.

So, I’d make two suggestions.

Get more people to answer the phone.

There is such a long introductory message pointing callers everywhere but the Treasurer’s Office that most people probably just hang up.

After pushing the button “8″ to talk to a real person, the phone rang, many, many, many, many, many, many…times. Not that the woman who answered wasn’t pleasant. She was.

There just aren’t enough of her, so to speak.