The McHenry County Defenders was formed forty years ago, the press release below reminds folks. I joined that first year. This past year it has been re-named the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County. It was a spin-off of the Fox … Continue reading
Category Archives: Cal Skinner Jr.
That’s what Pat Quinn’s Department of Aging put in the Circuit Breaker forms being mailed out to seniors and the disabled. That’s what I learned in Sunday’s article by Daniel T. Zanoza of Republicans For Fair Media. Here’s the announcement … Continue reading
My niece Sarah, now in an artist’s residency in Priarietown, Massachusetts, sent me a letter she found from my grandmother Addie Watling-Skinner last month. Amazingly enough, the letter was addressed to my daughter Alexandra, 28 years old today. You can … Continue reading
First there was District 5’s Republican Virginia Peschke filling out the Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water’s conflict of interest form. Now her District 2 colleague Democrat Paula Yensen has done so, too. Neither had to do so anymore than … Continue reading
“Been there, seen that” was my reaction when I read former campaign manager Kieth Liscio’s press release about suing his former employer, 8th District GOP candidate Joe Walsh. Back in 1982 when I unsuccessfully ran for Congress against incumbent U.S. … Continue reading
Last night at Crystal Lake’s 1776 restaurant will be a night that Jason Plummer, an aggressive Downstate candidate for lieutenant governor, will remember forever. How do I know? Because I’ve been on the same route he took twice, once in … Continue reading
When on house of a legislative body like Congress passes one version of a bill and the other passes a different version, a conference committee is set up. When W. Robert Blair was Illinois House Speaker from during my first … Continue reading
McHenry County Sheriff candidate Zane Seipler is levying the same charge against his opponent Keith Nygren that Nygren’s candidate for State’s Attorney Dan Regna made against Lou Bianchi: Using his office for political gain Here are the details from the … Continue reading
In one of the first county board fund raisers of the year, McHenry County College Board member Donna Kurtz gathered supporters at The Cottage at the corner of Crystal Lake Avenue and Brink Street Thursday night. Kurtz is running to … Continue reading
Eight years after bringing too many boxes home my legislative office, I was doing some throwing away this past month. I found a roll call on an amendment I offered on June 7, 1994. It was my second year of … Continue reading
Yesterday, McHenry County Blog published a little of the unfocused situation surrounding the county board’s debate on gambling, as well as the roll call showing who was up for election this time around. Today, I’m going to tell you what … Continue reading
While I was searching for some old newspaper articles for a November 22nd article, I stumbled across two bits of memorabilia of no concern to anyone but myself. I found this picture of me at age 6 in a multi-colored … Continue reading
In 1963, my mother and I attended the Illinois Crime Commission’s summer hearings held in the old county board room at what is now Woodstock City Hall. It was twice the size of the current Woodstock City Council Chambers. Crime … Continue reading
This is the fourth in a serialization of my father’s biography. Previous parts can be found below on McHenry County Blog. One of Dad’s inspirations for running for office involved an unresponsive city government. Plunk, plunk, plunk. I can hear … Continue reading
Previous parts of this biography can be found below on McHenry County Blog. The night I was born, June 11, 1942, my father and his Methodist minister friend Charles (Charlie) Jarvis, who baptized all three kids and, having moved to … Continue reading
This past week 8th congressional district Congresswoman Melissa Bean got endorsed in her Democratic Party primary over peace candidate challenger Randi Scheurer. In the Republican Party primary, benefits consultant Ken Arnold got the nod over his two opponents, Steve Greenberg … Continue reading
This past week 8th congressional district Congresswoman Melissa Bean got endorsed in her Democratic Party primary over peace candidate challenger Randi Scheurer. In the Republican Party primary, benefits consultant Ken Arnold got the nod over his two opponents, Steve Greenberg … Continue reading
Since I have an article about the McHenry County Treasurer’s office below, today is as good a one as any to post this sign. It’s a political sign that helped me (barely) win the 1966 Republican June primary election for … Continue reading