McHenry County Blog

Traffic will be a major sticking point on Metra’s proposed Ridgefield commuter station the same was it was for the baseball stadium proposed for McHenry County College.

The Crystal Lake City Council unanimously approved Councilwoman Ellen Brady Mueller’s motion to reject SEC, which used to be called Smith Engineering, as the firm to provide the traffic study for the Ridgefield station which Metra wants annexed into the city.

Council members decided they would rather have one of their already authorized consultants do the study.

Metra preferred SEC because it had been contracted to do a study for a future Lily Pond Road site called East Woodstock, as well as for Ridgefield.

Questions about traffic arose from all quarters.

Carolyn Schofield: “My main concerns will be traffic and the watershed.”

Brett Hopkins: “I’m concerned about traffic”

Jeff Thorsen concurred, “You’re engineer hasn’t addressed the western development we know is going to come…I’d rather go with our pool of traffic consultants. I’m already looking at two studies that are pretty opposite.”

Thorsen also made the same pitch he made in the baseball stadium traffic discussion–that Briarwood and Route 176 be included.  He pointed out that there had been another accident there earlier in the day.

Kathy Ferguson:  “I have some concerns about traffic. You’re going to change the whole tone and tenor of that area.”

Ferguson also told of driving to the courthouse on Country Club Road for jury duty. She commented negatively on the current danger at the curve.

“The line of sight when you’re coming around those corners has to be addressed.”

During extended public comment by Craig Steagall, the owner of land Metra considered buying across the tracks from that which is half-owned by McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler, he bent his arms to demonstrate the intersection problem in Downtown Ridgefield.

Mueller talking about traffic: “I don’t know how to make it work without moving the houses that are out there…I myself cannot support having a traffic consultant not going through the normal process.”

Mayor Aaron Shepley empathized with Metra: “It would be awfully difficult to change (horses in midstream).”

Ralph Dawson took a different approach: “What are we going to get out of it? How long will (it take for) my police cars have to be dispatched out there? Why do we want to annex it? We’re already stretched out. I have a county police department that is more than adequate to police that station.”

Metra attorney Joe Gottemoller explained that he thought Crystal Lake wanted to annex the entire watershed of Crystal Lake. The station is within that watershed.

Mayor Shepley summed up the reason for annexing the property: “With an annexation into Crystal Lake you have a greater control on what the project will look like,” adding the city would have more influence over the traffic problems.”

His conclusion: “The deal breaker here—it’s all about the traffic.”

Shepley specifically mentioned the inadequate Ridgefield railroad crossing.

Both Mueller and Steagall are candidates for a Republican nomination for the McHenry County Board, Mueller in District 2 and Steagall in District 3.

Joining former City Councilman Thomas Hayden on the Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning Commission is former City Councilman Dave Goss.

Goss seemed to have been left out of the “incumbent slate” during last spring’s election.

At least if sign placement is any indication.

Jeff Thorsen’s, Ralph Dawson’s and Carolyn Schofield’s signs regularly appeared together.

Goss seemed like the odd man out.

But Mayor Aaron Shepley, who had a Goss sign on his front year along with Thorsen’s and Dawson’s, has appointed him to the city Planning and Zoning Commission.

I don’t know whether he actually replaced Schofield on the commission, but that ’s what it looks like.

One thing is for sure.

Goss will do his homework. I can’t remember a time he didn’t do so when I attended council meetings.

Two years ago a Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning Commissioner ousted Howie Christensen from his city council seat.

Yesterday another Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning Commissioner defeated incumbent Dave Goss.

When swearing in time comes, Carolyn Schofield will join her former commissioner colleague Brett Hopkins in the council chambers.

This is the second time for this engineer’s name has been on the council ballot.

She ran two years ago and placed sixth out of six candidates.

Schofield ran first, undoubtedly aided by her being first on the ballot and her being a woman.

Second place went to incumbent Jeff Thorsen, while incumbent Ralph Dawson took third.

Goss, who placed fourth, was partially responsible for his loss in that he chose to file in the middle of the week, rather than at the beginning or at the end of filing.

That resulted in a less than ideal ballot position of fifth out of eight for Goss.

He got only 55% of Dawson’s votes.

The top three candidates on the ballot won. I’ve been calling them, perhaps incorrectly, the anti-McHenry County College baseball stadium slate.

Of course, part of Goss’ loss might be attributed to his having voted for the 75% city sales tax increase. But, so did Dawson.

The other five candidates received the indicated votes:

• Kay Stanish – 647
• Mike Shorten – 474
• Sal DiBenedetto – 414
• David Bradford – 399

Now, to the losers, I would suggest you take heart. Re-read the paragraph that says the top vote getter in 2009 was the lowest vote getter two years ago.

If you are a man, you can’t change your gender and get the five percentage point advantage that I am sure exists in this area, but you could get lucky and obtain first ballot position like Schofield did.

And you could be as determined to win as she was.

= = = = =
The winners appear from highest vote on down. Carolyn Schofield is on top, Jeff Thorsen second and Ralph Dawson third.

Three weekends ago I caught signs for three Crystal Lake city council candidates in Jeff Thorsen’s neighborhood.

There were for Thorsen, fellow incumbent Ralph Dawson and CL Planning and Zoning Commissioner Carolyn Schofield.

Driving around after spring break, I saw more of that combination on yards.

Incumbent Dave Goss was clearly the odd man out.

I wondered if his fate would be the same as incumbent Howie Christensen’s two years ago. He was clearly on his own.

He was beaten by Brett Hopkins, a Planning and Zoning Commission member just like Schofield.

But after the mini-vacation, there was a new combination.

It was of the three incumbents.

Although Mayor Aaron Shepley has clearly shown his dislike for the way Thorsen has challenged him in the last two years, he wrote a letter to the Northwest Herald endorsing incumbents Dawson, Goss and Thorsen.

If you doubt his occasional disdain for Thorsen, take a look at this photo of Shepley rolling his eyes while Thorsen was talking. I used red eye reduction, by the way.

The debate was over the Crystal Lake watershed ordinance and Thorsen was clearing asking some questions that Shepley thought were a waste of time.
This photo gets a number of hits on McHenry County Blog because Google’s search engine for images displays it on top of the “rolling eyes” images.

Shepley also has the signs of the three incumbents in his front lawn.

Maybe this is a case of

“the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t know.”

Across the street on Donna Kurtz’ front yard is the other combination.

You may remember that Thorsen and Dawson killed the McHenry County College baseball stadium re-zoning, while Schofield oppose the matter on the Planning and Zoning Commission (as did all the other members, which led to the requirement for 5 out of the 7 council members having to approve the rezoning for it to pass).

I am tempted to call this slate the “anti-baseball stadium” slate, but, when I asked one of my neighbors if that was the reason he was supporting the three, he told me it wasn’t.

I know that another precinct resident as deeply involved in the effort to kill the baseball stadium as Kurtz has those same three signs up that are Kurtz’ front yard.

It will be interesting to see the elections for Algonquin 10, where Shepley is the Republican precinct committeeman.

If Goss loses the precinct that either means Shepley wasn’t really supporting him or he did nothing in his precinct.

From their sign placement, I conclude that all the other four city council challengers but Schofield are running on their own.

One, Mike Shorten put together a solid door-to-door campaign, as I mentioned Sunday.

Interestingly, no one ran an ad in the Northwest Herald.

When legislators run for re-election, opponents search the record for votes they consider “bad.”

As far as I can figure out, none of the five challengers to the Crystal Lake City Council incumbents has cited any votes of the incumbent councilmen running for re-election. You see, from left to right, Councilman Ralph Dawson, Councilman Dave Goss and Councilman Jeff Thorsen.

When I wrote the Crystal Lake part of my Algonquin Township, Precinct 7 letter, I decided to include votes from the three issues I think were most significant in the last two years.

Below is what I wrote and distributed to the homes in my precinct on Saturday. About 125 are in Crystal Lake; the other 100 in Lakewood.

Let’s talk about the incumbent CL councilmen first. In the last two years, three issues have attracted the most attention—the 23-year Tax Increment Financing tax hikes, Mayor Shepley’s 75% city sales tax hike and building a baseball stadium on the lake’s watershed.

Here’s what the incumbents and a challenger who had a vote did:

Vulcan Lakes and Main Street TIF Districts, passage of which will cause every tax district to raise our tax rates to make up for the lost revenue taken for city-directed purposes:

Voting Yes – Ralph Dawson, Dave Goss and Jeff Thorsen

Hiking the city sales tax by 75%:

Voting Yes – Ralph Dawson and Dave Goss;

Voting No – Jeff Thorsen

Approving the poorly thought out McHenry County College minor league baseball stadium:

Voting Yes – Dave Goss;

Voting No – Ralph Dawson, Jeff Thorsen and Carolyn Schofield (on the CL Planning and Zoning Commission)

I then wrote some things about the challengers and made no recommendations.

I just tried to provide enough information for voters to make up their own minds.

Fellow Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning Commissioner Jim Batastini has made me aware of a Saturday fund raiser for Crystal Lake City Council candidate Carolyn Schofield.

Here is his message:

“I am sending this out to make you aware of an upcoming fundraiser for Carolyn Schofield. She is a candidate for Crystal Lake City Council. Carolyn has served on the CL Planning and Zoning Commission for a very long time.

“She would bring some fresh perspective and ideas to our City Council. She is a terrific person and would be a great leader for our city.

“There are many people running for Council, running an election is expensive.

“If you cannot make the fundraiser, please visit her website and contribute if you can. At the very least, please review her qualifications and VOTE on April 7th.”

Here are the details:

Her report is or will be, of course, filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections, 1020 S. Spring St., Springfield, IL 62704, or with the McHenry County Clerk, 2200 N. Seminary, Woodstock, IL 60098.

The Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce has put statements from all the Crystal Lake City Council candidates here:

• David Bradford

• Ralph Dawson

• Sal Di Benedetto

• David Goss

• Mike Shorten

• Carolyn Schofield

• Kay Stanish

• Jeff Thorsen

They might help make up your mind.

McHenry County Blog received the following from Crystal Lake City Councilman Jeff Thorsen, who is running for reelection. He, like others, have had trouble posting comments for well over a year…ever since Google “improved” the Blogger host that I use.

Below I have turned his comment into an article. Other council candidates who wish to comment are welcome to do so. Just email what you want people to read to the email address way, way down on the right hand side of the page.

I can’t post a public comment on your site for some reason. 

Anyway,  the real news about the (Crystal Lake city) budget occurred last year when the Home Rule Sales Tax was passed. 

Mr. (Mike) Shorten’s concerns would be valid if by approving this budget we were committed to the 31 million he is referring to. 

I can tell you that what is in the budget is not yet approved. 

Once it is approved, the items are budgeted pending approval of each individual item as they come before the council in there own due time. T

The budget process is a 0 sum game. 

The expectation of revenue (real) has to bury itself in the phantom expenditures allocated in the budget. 

Remember I did not approve the 2008- 2009 budget.  I voted no.

I did not approve the H(ome) R(ule) sales tax. I voted no. (Two articles are relevant: Mayor Aaron Shepley’s reasons for voting “Yes;” city council member’s reasons for voting “Yes.”)

I have not had the opportunity to vote on this budget. 

I can tell you that there was a budget workshop open to, and published to, the public and many attended. Carolyn Schofield was there.  You may want to ask her if she felt there were some kind of shenanigans going on there. 

Take any budget and compare it to its corresponding year’s audit….what do you find? 

We are usually pretty close on the estimate of revenue and have not done many of the projects whose cost helps us achieve a balanced budget as predicted at the beginning of the fiscal year.  

This has traditionally left us in the black and the excess revenue flows directly to the general fund. 

The trick then is that the same project is returned to a future budget and expected to be funded through that budget….i.e. not allocation carry over.

The rest of the ranting I hear regarding this issue seems to spew from Chicken Little. 

If we are going to the public on these issues we owe them the facts and not any fiction! 

Bottom line is that the Capital expenditures budget appears to be relying on the TIF’s for their respective bonding repayment sources. NOT the H(ome) R(ule) sales tax.

Believe me when I tell you I am not defending the H(ome) R(ule) sales tax, here.   I do not see a corresponding allocation in the H(ome) R(ule) sales tax fund.  What I do see are the expenditures that may occur this year that will be repaid to the general fund by the bonding of the TIF’s when and if they can produce enough increment to bond. 

The fact that the budget has a special section regarding the H(ome)R(ule) sales tax is both helpful and somewhat misleading.   It is helpful to know the extraordinary expenditures for the coming fiscal year are covered by the H(ome) R(ule) tax. 

But the reality is the H(ome) R(ule) sales tax fund is an unrestricted component of the general fund. 

The money spent or expected to be spent on any TIF will be repaid if and when we go to bond on each project.  

Because of the current economy, now is a great time to bond because money is cheap.  We have to be able to take advantage of that should the conditions dictate. 

I do not see it as a mandate to spend 31 million.  

I believe Mr. Shorten’s position on this is similar to crying “Fire” in a crowded theater.  I would love the opportunity to debate him publicly on this matter, or to talk to him privately if he so chooses.  

You know what I am telling you is honest, Cal.  You have been in these trenches.

Jeff Thorsen

= = = = =
Crystal Lake City Council challenger Mike Shorten is seen in the top photo. In the middle is a picture of Councilman Jeff Thorsen the night he voted against increasing the Crystal Lake city sales tax 75%. (You can read his comments that night here.) At the bottom is a photo of Jeff Thorsen (on the right), Kay Stanish (in the middle) and Mike Shorten (on the left) taken prior to the McHenry County League of Women Voters Candidates’ Night last Thursday. (The linked article is the most complete you will find.)

McHenry County Blog received the following from Crystal Lake City Councilman Jeff Thorsen, who is running for reelection. He, like others, have had trouble posting comments for well over a year…ever since Google “improved” the Blogger host that I use.

Below I have turned his comment into an article. Other council candidates who wish to comment are welcome to do so. Just email what you want people to read to the email address way, way down on the right hand side of the page.

I can’t post a public comment on your site for some reason.

Anyway, the real news about the (Crystal Lake city) budget occurred last year when the Home Rule Sales Tax was passed.

Mr (Mike) Shorten’s concerns would be valid if by approving this budget we were committed to the 31 million he is referring to.

I can tell you that what is in the budget is not yet approved.

Once it is approved, the items are budgeted pending approval of each individual item as they come before the council in there own due time. T

The budget process is a 0 sum game.

The expectation of revenue (real) has to bury itself in the phantom expenditures allocated in the budget.

Remember I did not approve the 2008- 2009 budget. I voted no.

I did not approve the H(ome) R(ule) sales tax. I voted no. (Two articles are relevant:

• Mayor Aaron Shepley’s reasons for voting “Yes;”
• City Council member’s reasons for voting “Yes.”)

I have not had the opportunity to vote on this budget.

I can tell you that there was a budget workshop open to, and published to, the public and many attended. Carolyn Schofield was there. You may want to ask her if she felt there were some kind of shenanigans going on there.

Take any budget and compare it to its corresponding year’s audit….what do you find?

We are usually pretty close on the estimate of revenue and have not done many of the projects whose cost helps us achieve a balanced budget as predicted at the beginning of the fiscal year.

This has traditionally left us in the black and the excess revenue flows directly to the general fund.

(How much revenue does a tax district need in reserve? An answer in this article.)

The trick then is that the same project is returned to a future budget and expected to be funded through that budget….i.e. not allocation carry over.

The rest of the ranting I hear regarding this issue seems to spew from Chicken Little.

If we are going to the public on these issues we owe them the facts and not any fiction!

Bottom line is that the Capital expenditures budget appears to be relying on the TIF’s for their respective bonding repayment sources. NOT the H(ome) R(ule) sales tax.

Believe me when I tell you I am not defending the H(ome) R(ule) sales tax, here. I do not see a corresponding allocation in the H(ome) R(ule) sales tax fund. What I do see are the expenditures that may occur this year that will be repaid to the general fund by the bonding of the TIF’s when and if they can produce enough increment to bond.

The fact that the budget has a special section regarding the H(ome)R(ule) sales tax is both helpful and somewhat misleading. It is helpful to know the extraordinary expenditures for the coming fiscal year are covered by the H(ome) R(ule) tax.

But the reality is the H(ome) R(ule) sales tax fund is an unrestricted component of the general fund.

The money spent or expected to be spent on any TIF will be repaid if and when we go to bond on each project.

Because of the current economy, now is a great time to bond because money is cheap. We have to be able to take advantage of that should the conditions dictate.

I do not see it as a mandate to spend 31 million.

I believe Mr. Shorten’s position on this is similar to crying “Fire” in a crowded theater. I would love the opportunity to debate him publicly on this matter, or to talk to him privately if he so chooses.

You know what I am telling you is honest, Cal. You have been in these trenches.

Jeff Thorsen

Inadequately.

Three seats are up on the Crystal Lake City Council on April 7th and eight people are running for them.

(You have to click on this photo taken at the McHenry County College Conference Center at the candidates’ night sponsored by the League of Women Voters of McHenry County to even be able to see their faces.)

Four years ago, as Councilman Jeff Thorsen pointed out, there were three candidates for three vacancies.

Three incumbents ran and were re-elected.

The same three are running for re-election this year.

Since then incumbents from elsewhere figured out that the more candidates, the better the chances incumbents would get re-elected.

So, instead of having a primary election to eliminate all but two for each office, the General Assembly changed the law to allow three candidates for each office. (Maybe it’s four times; I’ll have to check.)

In any event, common sense tells you that people tend to vote for people they know, other things being equal.

So, why no opposition three years ago and five challengers this year?

That question was addressed by Salvatorie Di Benedetto.

“Some think the bus is going in the wrong direction and it’s time for a U-turn.

“I think it’s time to stop the bus and change the people on the bus, three of them.

“It’s time to change the drivers,” he said in his concluding comments.

The biggest issue seemed to be the large number of vacant stores on Route 14.

City Planning and Zoning Commission member Carolyn Schofield, running for the second time, brought it up.

So did Di Benedetto.

As did David Bradford.

Kay Stanish wanted to know why businesses were leaving and going “down to Algonquin Commons.”

“I’ll tell you what we are doing,” Thorsen said when it came his turn.

“Vulcan Lakes.

“That’s going to attract redevelopment.”

Incumbents Councilmen Ralph Dawson and Dave Goss and Thorsen also pointed to the development of Vulcan Lakes as a recreational area as a magnet that would draw retailers to fill the empty storefronts.

“We have been ahead for the curve,” Dawson said.

While supportive of the Vulcan Lakes project, the five challengers generally contended that was not enough.

Di Benedetto, Mike Shorten and Kay Stanish had three versions on the theme that Crystal Lake is a difficult town in which to do business.

“We need a change in attitude,” Di Benedetto said. “It seems it’s difficult to start something when one comes to Crystal Lake.”

“Sometimes coming to Crystal Lake can be a little bit restrictive,” Shorten added.

“I think in the past business owners have found it difficult to deal with Crystal Lake,” Stanish.

A new concern showed up about how the city will pay to operate and maintain Vulcan Lakes, recreation having been provided by the Crystal Lake Park District since the 1920’s.

“There is no information it will be self-supporting,” Schofield pointed out.

“I share some of the caution Carolyn has,” Stanish added. “The last thing we want to happen is to see it turn it back into a liability for the city.”

At that point, Shorten dropped the bombshell of the night for me.

“The plan is to issue bonds against the Home Rule tax,” he said.

He had apparently spent a significant amount of time since Wednesday when the city budget was placed on display.

He revealed that in the 2009-10 budget, $158,000 has been budgeted for operations and maintenance of Vulcan Lakes…”not a full year or a full staff.”

(My suggestion, offered more than once, is for the city to pressure the McHenry Conservation District to take over and pay for the development of Vulcan Lakes as a recreational facility. Goodness knows, the MCCD sucks enough money out of the Crystal Lake area and has returned virtually nothing but a bike path and a future conservation area west of West School in Lakewood.)

The implication of borrowing money and promising to repay it with Mayor Aaron Shepley’s (and the city council’s) 75% last July 1st city sales tax increase is that the council wants to make certain that it is never repealed.

“Never” being defined as until the bonds are paid off.

Of course, that probably was the plan all along.

Not that any of the candidates said the tax should be repealed.

And, speaking of sales tax, Goss (as did Dawson) pointed out that receipts are holding up very well, despite having lost the Ford dealership. Goss thought it was down “1% or 2%.” Schofield said, “3.1% compared to 7% or 8%” in neighboring cities.

For some reason, the sponsoring League of Women Voters allowed a question about foreclosure.

Schofield supplied the facts:

“There are 214 or 240 out of 11,000 (housing units). It was surprisingly low.”

David Bradford supplied the story of one his neighbors whose home was just foreclosed upon:

“It’s just tragic. Kids and everything. It’s terrible. We need to provide more support for them.”

His suggestion: “Make information available on the (city) web site.”

Thorsen, President of the Corporation for Affordable Housing of McHenry County, pointed out that it was more of a county function to try to keep people in their homes than a city role.

= = = = =
From top to bottom, the candidates seen are incumbent Jeff Thorsen, challenger Salvatorie Di Benedetto, challengerCarolyn Schofield, incumbent Ralph Dawson, challenger Kay Stanish, challenger Mike Shorten, incumbent Dave goss and challenger David Bradford.