McHenry County Blog

At last Thursday’s meeting of the McHenry County College Board, former State Representative Rosemary Kurtz addressed the board during the brief time allowed for public comments.

I included some of what she said, but asked her if she would send me the entire text. She has and it can be read below.

You can see why newly elected student trustee Tom Kendzie was so impressed with what she said.

Good Evening.

There’s a wise saying that makes me think of Erv LeCoque, your former Board Trustee and Foundation member.

“A bird in the hand is
worth more than 2 in the bush.”

At your December meeting he reminded you of his initiative to set up a fund, called the “Promise” which would provide tuition to any needy high school graduate who wanted to go to MCC. There are some Big Donors who have set a goal of $4 million as the first step.

Mr.LeCoque then announced that these donors have $2 million in hand right now to contribute to the “Promise” for student tuition.

How noble!

How generous!

These extremely successful business men and women, these donors, from their vast experience say that the College Board and President should drop the Minor League Stadium enterprise because this is a business that they know nothing about.

If the Board goes back to the business it was created for by the voters, which is EDUCATION, then these new donations of millions of dollars from these generous industrialists will be a “win-win” situation for the students and for all of us in McHenry County.

How did we end up with this business of a Stadium?

It is just a year ago when you were about to plunge into this unknown venture of risky investment with a Limited Liability Company.

To me it seems like “hedging your bets,” like buying into a hedge fund for us the taxpayers.

Investors don’t know what their hedge fund manager is doing.

His decisions are secret and it’s like a CLOSED meeting at the College. The investor is in the dark.

He may know the manager takes a big percentage, but it’s worth it to take the risk.

Every good economic advisor will tell you,

“if it’s too good to be true,
then it probably is.”

The message:

BEWARE.

Referring to the shady world of hedge fund management, I believe that the Public, the people who pay the bills for MCC have been forced into the same kind of secrecy by your Closed Meetings.

According to the Open Meetings Act and conversations I have had with the Attorney General’s assistant,

a unit of government does not always
HAVE to go into Closed Meeting.

The Act says that the officials “May” close the people out of certain discussions; but they are not mandated to do so.

I don’t believe that you had to go into secret session when you were entering into a relationship with the Stadium developers.

We were kept in the dark for 5 months until it surfaced with the petition before the Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning Commission.

In the future, I hope you restore the trust we the Public had in MCC from the time we voted the College into existence.

I hope you will open up those meetings to the Public because YOU TRUST THEM and YOU RESPECT THEM.

They only want what is best for this Place of Learning.

INDIVIDUALS, among Your Public, are EXPERTS in areas that elected officials and your loyal staff are not aware of. This County College deserves to hear that expertise in finance, construction, and land use in OPEN Meetings.

In conclusion, please reflect on Erv LeCoque’s business advice and his offer of millions for your students.

Please remember you Don’t Have to go into secret session (closed meetings) as often as you have done in the past. Put some Trust in Your Public who is very well-intentioned.

WE Care.

= = = = =
Newly elected McHenry County College student trustee Tom Kendzie is in the head shot at the top. Former State Rep. Rosemary Kurtz is see addressing the MCC Board. The other photographs of Kurtz were taken earlier. Crystal Lake retired investment banker Barry Glasgow is at the bottom.

At last Thursday’s meeting of the McHenry County College Board, former State Representative Rosemary Kurtz addressed the board during the brief time allowed for public comments.

I included some of what she said, but asked her if she would send me the entire text. She has and it can be read below.

You can see why newly elected student trustee Tom Kendzie was so impressed with what she said.

Good Evening.

There’s a wise saying that makes me think of Erv LeCoque, your former Board Trustee and Foundation member.

“A bird in the hand is
worth more than 2 in the bush.”

At your December meeting he reminded you of his initiative to set up a fund, called the “Promise” which would provide tuition to any needy high school graduate who wanted to go to MCC. There are some Big Donors who have set a goal of $4 million as the first step.

Mr.LeCoque then announced that these donors have $2 million in hand right now to contribute to the “Promise” for student tuition.

How noble!

How generous!

These extremely successful business men and women, these donors, from their vast experience say that the College Board and President should drop the Minor League Stadium enterprise because this is a business that they know nothing about.

If the Board goes back to the business it was created for by the voters, which is EDUCATION, then these new donations of millions of dollars from these generous industrialists will be a “win-win” situation for the students and for all of us in McHenry County.

How did we end up with this business of a Stadium?

It is just a year ago when you were about to plunge into this unknown venture of risky investment with a Limited Liability Company.

To me it seems like “hedging your bets,” like buying into a hedge fund for us the taxpayers.

Investors don’t know what their hedge fund manager is doing.

His decisions are secret and it’s like a CLOSED meeting at the College. The investor is in the dark.

He may know the manager takes a big percentage, but it’s worth it to take the risk.

Every good economic advisor will tell you,

“if it’s too good to be true,
then it probably is.”

The message:

BEWARE.

Referring to the shady world of hedge fund management, I believe that the Public, the people who pay the bills for MCC have been forced into the same kind of secrecy by your Closed Meetings.

According to the Open Meetings Act and conversations I have had with the Attorney General’s assistant,

a unit of government does not always
HAVE to go into Closed Meeting.

The Act says that the officials “May” close the people out of certain discussions; but they are not mandated to do so.

I don’t believe that you had to go into secret session when you were entering into a relationship with the Stadium developers.

We were kept in the dark for 5 months until it surfaced with the petition before the Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning Commission.

In the future, I hope you restore the trust we the Public had in MCC from the time we voted the College into existence.

I hope you will open up those meetings to the Public because YOU TRUST THEM and YOU RESPECT THEM.

They only want what is best for this Place of Learning.

INDIVIDUALS, among Your Public, are EXPERTS in areas that elected officials and your loyal staff are not aware of. This County College deserves to hear that expertise in finance, construction, and land use in OPEN Meetings.

In conclusion, please reflect on Erv LeCoque’s business advice and his offer of millions for your students.

Please remember you Don’t Have to go into secret session (closed meetings) as often as you have done in the past. Put some Trust in Your Public who is very well-intentioned.

WE Care.

= = = = =
Newly elected McHenry County College student trustee Tom Kendzie is in the head shot at the top. Former State Rep. Rosemary Kurtz is see addressing the MCC Board. The other photographs of Kurtz were taken earlier. Crystal Lake retired investment banker Barry Glasgow is at the bottom.

I read the minutes (click to enlarge) of the October 4th McHenry County College meeting last week and was struck with the misrepresentation of the public comments made.

Here’s what the minutes say about Barry Glasgow’s scathing criticism of the baseball stadium:

“Mr. Glasgow spoke about the need for a nursing program.”

Yes.

He did mention that, but he also talked about not seeing anything in the MCC mission statement about entertainment.

He talked about the baseball team promoter having virtually no risk.

Here’s part of what he said, none of which made the minutes:

“If they don’t have of their own money in it, they have no risk.

“We’re at risk for $45 million.”

He talked faster than I could write, but I did get these question:

”Did they give a five-year prepaid lease?

“Are they putting anything where their mouth is?

“The reality is we need a nursing system.

“It would be nice to have a baseball stadium.

”Do we have their personal guarantee?

“Is it an LLC (limited liability corporation [which it is]) and they can just walk?”

I guarantee the nursing program portion of his comments was not the most significant part of this former investment banker’s presentation.

I spoke after the Committee of the Whole meeting where Equity One’s Mark Houser was questioned on the expansion project.

Please compare my notes with what ended up in the minutes.

The minutes:

“Mr. Skinner congratulated the board for being more transparent, and then asked several questions of the board.”

My notes:

1) You’re getting more transparent. The type of discussion you have had tonight you should have been had in March.

2) To prove you are being transparent I ask for copies of the 4-page cash flow statement and the GANT chart present tonight be made available tonight. (They weren’t. I had to file a Freedom of Information request. It took 11 days to get them.)

3) I asked for the feasibility study, which I had already been refused 4 times. No dice.

4) I suggested if the college really wanted to be energy efficient, they should be building their gyms and offices using Solarcrete.

5) I asked if there would be an arcade in the baseball stadium that could suck up student’s money. I was told there would not be.

6) “Does the license factor in the extra interest cost on the $10 million stadium?” I asked. I got the feeling this was a question that had not even been considered. Because the stadium is not a governmental function, the college cannot issue tax-free bonds to finance it. Taxable bonds, of course, bear a higher interest rate.

7) “Are you and other MCC officials going to get free or discounted tickets?” was my next question. The reaction from Mary Miller was pretty much “Of course not.” But neither my question nor her and others’ negative reactions show up in the minutes. I pointed out that some park district that own golf courses let current and retired members play free.

8) The question had arisen in the discussion of the building project about how high the contingency fee should be. Ron Ally, the top finance guy, favored raising it from 5% to 10%. I pointed out that the Jefferson Wells forensic auditor of the Huntley construction projects said he raised his eyebrows when construction costs are higher than 5% of estimates and recommended the college stick with the 5% figure.

9) I asked if the board members knew about the allegations I’d read in a newspaper article that were made in a Wisconsin suit against baseball promoter Heitman. I heard one “Yes” and one “No.”

10) Finally, I asked why MCC was not offering to eliminate phosphorus on all of its property, including the farmland they want zoned for 50% impermeable coverage. I told them of a presentation made at the Crystal Lake Kiwanis Club about row crops being grown without phosphorus. I did not recommend the source of nutrients –pig farms–be allowed near MCC, but I used it as an illustration that it could be done if the college really wanted to protect Crystal Lake’s watershed.

I could go back to my notes for the others who made public comment and show how deficient the minutes’ representation of them are, but why bother?

Transparency is obviously not the goal of the person who edited these minutes.

I read the minutes (click to enlarge) of the October 4th McHenry County College meeting last week and was struck with the misrepresentation of the public comments made.

Here’s what the minutes say about Barry Glasgow’s scathing criticism of the baseball stadium:

“Mr. Glasgow spoke about the need for a nursing program.”

Yes.

He did mention that, but he also talked about not seeing anything in the MCC mission statement about entertainment.

He talked about the baseball team promoter having virtually no risk.

Here’s part of what he said, none of which made the minutes:

“If they don’t have of their own money in it, they have no risk.

“We’re at risk for $45 million.”

He talked faster than I could write, but I did get these question:

”Did they give a five-year prepaid lease?

“Are they putting anything where their mouth is?

“The reality is we need a nursing system.

“It would be nice to have a baseball stadium.

”Do we have their personal guarantee?

“Is it an LLC (limited liability corporation [which it is]) and they can just walk?”

I guarantee the nursing program portion of his comments was not the most significant part of this former investment banker’s presentation.

I spoke after the Committee of the Whole meeting where Equity One’s Mark Houser was questioned on the expansion project.

Please compare my notes with what ended up in the minutes.

The minutes:

“Mr. Skinner congratulated the board for being more transparent, and then asked several questions of the board.”

My notes:

1) You’re getting more transparent. The type of discussion you have had tonight you should have been had in March.

2) To prove you are being transparent I ask for copies of the 4-page cash flow statement and the GANT chart present tonight be made available tonight. (They weren’t. I had to file a Freedom of Information request. It took 11 days to get them.)

3) I asked for the feasibility study, which I had already been refused 4 times. No dice.

4) I suggested if the college really wanted to be energy efficient, they should be building their gyms and offices using Solarcrete.

5) I asked if there would be an arcade in the baseball stadium that could suck up student’s money. I was told there would not be.

6) “Does the license factor in the extra interest cost on the $10 million stadium?” I asked. I got the feeling this was a question that had not even been considered. Because the stadium is not a governmental function, the college cannot issue tax-free bonds to finance it. Taxable bonds, of course, bear a higher interest rate.

7) “Are you and other MCC officials going to get free or discounted tickets?” was my next question. The reaction from Mary Miller was pretty much “Of course not.” But neither my question nor her and others’ negative reactions show up in the minutes. I pointed out that some park district that own golf courses let current and retired members play free.

8) The question had arisen in the discussion of the building project about how high the contingency fee should be. Ron Ally, the top finance guy, favored raising it from 5% to 10%. I pointed out that the Jefferson Wells forensic auditor of the Huntley construction projects said he raised his eyebrows when construction costs are higher than 5% of estimates and recommended the college stick with the 5% figure.

9) I asked if the board members knew about the allegations I’d read in a newspaper article that were made in a Wisconsin suit against baseball promoter Heitman. I heard one “Yes” and one “No.”

10) Finally, I asked why MCC was not offering to eliminate phosphorus on all of its property, including the farmland they want zoned for 50% impermeable coverage. I told them of a presentation made at the Crystal Lake Kiwanis Club about row crops being grown without phosphorus. I did not recommend the source of nutrients –pig farms–be allowed near MCC, but I used it as an illustration that it could be done if the college really wanted to protect Crystal Lake’s watershed.

I could go back to my notes for the others who made public comment and show how deficient the minutes’ representation of them are, but why bother?

Transparency is obviously not the goal of the person who edited these minutes.

“There’s a pony in this pile of horseshit somewhere. We’ll have a nursing … program,”

Crystal Lake investment banker Barry Glasgow observed at the end of his penetrating questions about whether college trustees knew the people they were “getting in bed with” on the 20-year baseball stadium deal.

As I was going to sleep and waking up I wondered if I headlined the story correctly:

Should it have been

When, I awoke, it occurred to me that the headline should have been

“There is a Pony in this Pile of Horseshit Somewhere”

But, between “Flushing” and “Fleshing,” I think “Flushing” is the better word.

I’m pretty certain that “Fleshing” is usually the word used in the phrase “Fleshing out.” There’s even a book starting with that phrase.

But, I’m not the only one having the debate.

When I think of “fleshing out” I think of a medical book, maybe the “Grey’s Anatomy” I got my 9-year old at the First United Church Rummage Sale for 25 cents (hey, it was the paper back edition and paperbacks sold for 25 cents–and, yes, he read it) last spring. Flesh is put on the bones and muscle.

But in the case of the MCC baseball stadium, we have seen no bones, no muscle.

All we have seen is the flesh.

What will this deal look like down the road? Will “The Picture of Dorian Gray?” have any lessons for McHenry County taxpayers?

The details have been digested by the college administrators and trustees and are now inside the flesh of the public details of baseball stadium.

So, I think “Flush” is the better word.

Maybe I should have used the word “Purge.”

What the college needs and the taxpayers deserve is a purging of whatever is hidden in its digestive tract.

Then, with the right tools, we might be able to see if there is a cancerous growth inside that will severely injure the college before the 20-year debt certificates are repaid.

“There’s a pony in this pile of horseshit somewhere. We’ll have a nursing … program,”

Crystal Lake investment banker Barry Glasgow observed at the end of his penetrating questions about whether college trustees knew the people they were “getting in bed with” on the 20-year baseball stadium deal.

As I was going to sleep and waking up I wondered if I headlined the story correctly:

Should it have been

When, I awoke, it occurred to me that the headline should have been

“There is a Pony in this Pile of Horseshit Somewhere”

But, between “Flushing” and “Fleshing,” I think “Flushing” is the better word.

I’m pretty certain that “Fleshing” is usually the word used in the phrase “Fleshing out.” There’s even a book starting with that phrase.

But, I’m not the only one having the debate.

When I think of “fleshing out” I think of a medical book, maybe the “Grey’s Anatomy” I got my 9-year old at the First United Church Rummage Sale for 25 cents (hey, it was the paper back edition and paperbacks sold for 25 cents–and, yes, he read it) last spring. Flesh is put on the bones and muscle.

But in the case of the MCC baseball stadium, we have seen no bones, no muscle.

All we have seen is the flesh.

What will this deal look like down the road? Will “The Picture of Dorian Gray?” have any lessons for McHenry County taxpayers?

The details have been digested by the college administrators and trustees and are now inside the flesh of the public details of baseball stadium.

So, I think “Flush” is the better word.

Maybe I should have used the word “Purge.”

What the college needs and the taxpayers deserve is a purging of whatever is hidden in its digestive tract.

Then, with the right tools, we might be able to see if there is a cancerous growth inside that will severely injure the college before the 20-year debt certificates are repaid.