McHenry County Blog

Keith Nygren

There is no accurate way to tell how people voted on election night or even how many people voted on a precinct by precinct basis.

That’s because of the early votes and those cast by absentee are folded into totals after all the paper and election day computer cast ballots are tallied.

However, one can add up the votes cast in the precinct and get totals which might or might not mean much.

Excluding early voting and assuming that all absentee ballots were returned, Algonquin 7, the precinct where I am Republican precinct committeeman, saw 278 of 465 registered voters casting ballots. That is almost 60%.

In the precinct next door, Algonquin 19, 301 of 644 cast ballots, giving a turnout of 6.7%.

Lets look at the hot local races.

Republican incumbent Sheriff Keith Nygren carried both precincts, although Democrat Mike Mahon would have carried Algonquin 19, had Green Party candidate Gus Philpott not been on the ballot and all 21 votes he received had voted for Mahon.

The totals for Algonquin 7 were

• Nygren -135
• Mahon – 85
• Philpott – 11

In Algonquin 19, they were

• Nygren-128
• Mahon – 108
• Philpott – 21

For county board, the Republicans carried the day:

Algonquin 7

• Donna Kurtz – 167
• Ken Koehler – 104
• Mark Booras – 73

Algonquin 19

• Kurtz – 155
• Koehler – 110
• Borras – 109

Gordon Graham

For Judge, Republican Gordon Graham bested Sally Wiggins:

Algonquin 7

• Graham – 145
• Wiggins – 62

Algonquin 19

• Graham – 149
• Wiggins – 92

On statewide races, for U.S. Senate, Mark Kirk carried both precincts over Alexi Giannoulias:

Algonquin 7

Short Term U.S. Senate

• Kirk – 143
• Giannoulias – 77
• Jones – 13
• Labno – 3

Six-Year Term U.S. Senate

• Kirk – 148
• Giannoulias – 80
• Jones – 10
• Labno – 5

Mark Kirk

It is worth noting that the Democratic Party spent a whole lot of direct mail money to promote Libertarian Labno without much success.

Barack Obama carried Algonquin 7 by one vote two years ago.

Kirk got 61% of the vote this year for the short term, while Obama’s basketball buddy Giannoulias received 34% (54% to  33% for the six-year term). Third party candidates garnered the rest.

Algonquin 19

Short Term U.S. Senate

• Kirk – 156
• Giannoulias – 131
• Jones – 11
• Labno – 17

Six-Year Term U.S. Senate

• Kirk – 160
• Giannoulias – 139
• Jones – 12
• Labno – 16

Bill Brady

For Governor, Bill Brady carried both precincts.

Algonquin 7

• Bill Brady – 140
  Pat Quinn – 80
  Rich Whitney – 9
  Soctt Lee Cohen – 4
  Lex Green – 2

Algonquin 19

• Bill Brady – 129
• Pat Quinn – 107
• Scott Lee Cohen – 14
• Lex Green – 9
• Rich Whitney – 6

Brady won by 1.75 to 1 in Algonquin 7 and 1.2 to 1 in Algonquin 19.

What you see below are pages 2 and 3 of an insert that will be put in at least one of the local newspapers by the McHenry County Republican Party on Sunday:

First come Mark Kirk, Bill Brady, Don Manzullo and Joe Walsh. Click to enlarge the print.

Next come the other statewide candidates, Steve Kim, Robert Enriquez, Judy Baar Topinka and Dan Rutherford.

Again, if you click on the images, they will get large enough to read.

This Sunday, the McHenry County Republican Party will have an insert. It will feature GOP candidates on the ballot with little biographies and photos for each.

Since a lot of people don’t subscribe to local daily papers anymore, I thought I’d let you see the piece without having to pay for it.

Today, take a look at the front and back pages of the 8-page tabloid (click to enlarge):

The back page has three judges on the ballot:

• 22nd Judicial Circuit Candidate Gordon Graham
• 2nd Appellate Court Justice candidate Mary Schostok
• 2nd Appellate Court Justice candidate Ann Jorgensen

Remember to make the print large enough to read, just click on the image.

There’s even an offer of a ride to the polls. The number to call is 815-444-7115.

You can get it over with by voting early through Friday afternoon.

Vicki O'Donnell asked about linking drug tests to public assistance.

This is the final installment about GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady’s visit to Crystal Lake Saturday morning at the American Community Bank. Here are the links to Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

Local business owner Vickie O’Donnell brought up a subject not often broached at public meetings.

Pointing out all the drug testing by employers, she asked why there are not drug tests for recipients of public assistance.

Within Brady’s answer was that one state had cross-checked those on public aid with those having high priced cars registered.

Another audience member asked “the story behind ‘Bill Brady didn’t pay taxes.’”

Brady talked about the family home building firm, “one of the 20% of home builders still in business in Illinois.”

Bill Brady makes a point in Crystal Lake.

He related that it had built 200 homes in 2006 and 100 in 2010.

“We kept people on the payroll who had helped us make money (during the good times),” he explained.

“We had no taxable income,” he explained, pointing to the Chicago Tribune’s statement that he had paid all he owed.

Brady talked about how Democrat Pat Quinn can’t win on the issues. He specifically pointed out Quinn’s support of income tax hikes and his own opposition.

“I didn’t get the Chicago Sun-Times encorsement because they want a tax hike,” he explained. Same with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

He asked that people interested in his side of the negative ads to go to his web site, Brady for Illinois for clarification.

Tina Hill asks the trust question.

GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady visited Crystal Lake Saturday morning. Part 1 and Part 2 of McHenry County Blog’s coverage appeared Saturday and Sunday.

During the question period McHenry County Board member Tina Hill, dressed to campaign in the rain, told how she was trying to reassure people that he could be trusted.

She added,

“If you screw up, I don’t want it on me.”

Bill Brady

Expressing his usual good humor, Brady replied,

“In Illinois you can (never tell).

“You kind of have to take a leap of faith.”

He asked to be given the opportunity to show he is trustworthy.

“Pat Quinn has proven he isn’t that,”

Brady spointed to how a state vendor, the African American Transport Association, had scheduled a press conference to denounce Quinn for not having paid its bill, but that ABC News had reported that, right before the press conference, Quinn had promised payment within ten days. The press conference was cancelled.

Allusions of “pay to play” were made.

The income tax hike came up again. Brady mentioned the threat of a 5% income tax rate:

“We’d lose more than we’d gain.”

With regard to the minimum wage, Brady said his position was to keep the state minimum wage where it was until the Federal minimum wage caught up.

Jennifer Allare asked about the real estate tax, pointing out all the pension lines had gone up.

“We can’t over promise and underdeliver.”

He promised those who were owed money that it would be paid off “in two-three years.”

Asked specifically about the Pat Quinn ad attacking him about voting against mammograms, Brady pulled a couple of sheets of paper out of his coat pocket and read off the times he had voted for related items.

He explained that his “No” vote was against “a Christmas tree bill with a ton of mandates in it which would have practically doubled (insurance) premiums.”

Further commenting on the negative ads which are being hurled at him, Brady explained that “by dragging down character,” Quinn is following the example of ex-NJ Gov. Jon Corzine. The NJ Democrat was beaten by Republican Chris Christie, whose budget cutting measures in a state with a revenue structure similar to Illinois might provide a template for Brady.

More tomorrow.

Yesterday, the first part of Republican Governor candidate Bill Brady’s Crystal Lake speech was laid out.

Noting that the St. Louis Post-Dispatch poll last week showed him ahead of Quinn (44-40-8 for others), Brady covered a wide range of subjects.

His next subject was education.

“Choice” was the word.

An end to the limit on charter schools, plus support of Senator James Meeks’ bill to provide vouchers to the parents of kids in the worst Chicago schools.

Bill Brady in Crystal Lake where the Pledge of Allegiance started the meeting.

This is the bill that McHenry County Democrat Jack Franks refused to support, following his teacher union contributor wishes, costing taxpayers $240 million a year, as well as depriving poor inner city children of any chance at a decent education.

Brady talked of the potential of retiring House Speaker Michael Madigan [the defeat of Franks would assist, I would note].

But, “It can’t be done based on what we’ve done (so far). At least 25% of the people you run into won’t vote unless you ask them to.”

Brady also came out for reapportioning legislative districts by an independent body.

He said his Transition Process will be transparent, allowing those interested to provide input through the internet.

Public employee pensions was a lively subject. Brady said the people who have receive them should continue to receive them.

Prospectively, he proposed moving to adoption of a Social Security-401(k) type plan. (I didn’t catch the comments on transition.)

Bill Brady

Local governments should have the same option, he added.

Moving into a question and answer format, the Bloomington Republican criticized the power of the Illinois Education Association.

“I think that’s one of the biggest problems we have,” he said, “public service unions.”

He noted that they were writing large checks to opponent Pat Quinn.

A question brought the revelation that Brady had found rank and file union members were bothered at the unsustainability of the current pension system as well.

“We have to take back control.”

Brady talked of amending the legislative section of the Illinois State Constitution. He said he would be supporting a petition effort for term limits and several other aspects, but, to my disappointment, did not include term limits for legislative leaders.

More tomorrow.

ABC Channel 7 covered the appeared of Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady when he came to Crystal Lake Sunday morning.

He reminds me of Ronald Reagan.

Smiling most of the time, except when he’s serious. Then he sounds sincere.

Republican candidate for Governor Bill Brady spoke to a room where most of the chairs were filled in the basement of the American National Bank this morning.

He was introduced by State Rep. and McHenry County Republican County Chairman Mike Tryon, who said, “This election cycle is a defining time.”

Commenting on the state’s fiscal situation, Brady referred to what Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels had told Fox News.

He said that Illinois was facing the biggest tax increase in Illinois history and homed in for the kill:

“I guarantee that means more jobs for Indiana.”

Brady, of course, has been adamant against raising Illinois taxes.

How long will it take to work off the approximately $6 billion in overdue bills?

Unlike the Lake County League of Women Voters, this Republican event started with the Pledge of Allegiance.

Two to three years is his estimate.

But his pitch was that “this election is about family…bringing back opportunity, (so our kids will have the same opportunity we had).”

Brady went through the state’s liabilities, including 75 billion in unfunded pensions, $5 billion in unpaid bills, over $130 billion in all “one-half incurred in the last eight years when (the Democrats were in power).”

Bill Brady makes a point.

He pointed out that Illinois has a worse bond rating that Afghanistan.

The GOP gubernatorial candidate extolled the potential for the exploitation of the energy resources of Illinois, holding out the tantalizing factoid that Illinois has more energy in its coal than Saudi Arabia has in petroleum.

But “Illinois is the only large state still reported to be in a recession,” he said.

With the world’s 11th largest economy, Illinois has the potential to regain the 800,000 jobs lost in the last decade, if predictability can be provided to business.

“You can’t be for jobs and against business anymore than you can be for eggs and against chickens.”

“It can and must be done,” he said to reversing the financial problems Illinois faces. Brady pointed to Indiana, New Jersey, Virginia, Louisiana and “Florida, when Jeb Bush was governor.”

But first, he pointed out, business is “looking for defined stability. It is worried about the future. We need to bring certainly to the minds of people.

“If we do that, we’ll bring back the 800,000 jobs.”

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More tomorrow.

Sorry this is so late getting up.

A friend of McHenry County Blog received the piece you see from the RGA, the Republican Governors Association, which apparently doesn’t want its identify known.

It hasn’t arrived in my mailbox yet, but I expect it will.

Click to enlarge any image.

It is a piece intended to get people to vote for Republican Bill Brady, of course, and is highly negative of appointed Governor Pat Quinn.

Early voting starts Monday, if you can find any early voting place open on Columbus Day.

If your precinct committeeman brings you a precinct letter today, you know he or she is playing the role in the election process that he or she should be.

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Please let me know, if you get something at your door or in the mail from the precinct committeeman from now through next weekend.

And, if you get political mail, I would ask that you send it to me at 275 Meridian St., Crystal Lake, IL 60014 or scan it and email it to calskinner2@gmail.com.  I’ll pass it along to other readers.

It was 91% before the Chicago Tribune poll was put in the mix.

Click to enlarge any image.

Now Nate Silver sets the odds for victory for Republican Bill Brady at 79%.  (Polls are listed on the New York Times web site at the link above.)