McHenry County Blog

Two issues were considered for the second time at Tuesday night’s:

• slot machines at bars and restaurants in unincorporated McHenry County
• electronic billboards outside of municipalities

Also called video poker machines, the electronic devices will be allowed after a 15-9 vote.

The argument that the unincorporated bars were playing on an uneven playing field seemed to carry the day over arguments that gambling can lead to addiction that can destroy lives.

In 2009 the McHenry County Board voted 13-10-1 to prohibit the devices.

At that time rules had not been promulgated and no municipality had voted to allow them.

As Ken Koehler, maker of Tuesday’s motion put it, “It probably made sense to send a message to the rest of the County.  Now twenty [cities and villages] have [approved video gaming."

Names of the fifteen who voted in favor follow:

• Michele Aavang
• Nick Chirokos
• Sue Drafkorn
• Joe Gottemoller
• Jim Heisler
• Tina Hill
• John Jung
• Ken Koehler
• Bob Martens
• Mary McCann
• Mary McClellan
• Anna May Miller
• Robert Nowak
• Sandy Salgado
• Mike Skala

Those voting “No” were

• Yvonne Barnes


Bethany Lutheran Church Pastor Carrie Smith, not speaking for her church, told of how gambling had devastated her brother’s life.

• Diane Evertsen
• John Hammerand
• Donna Kurtz
• Nick Provenzano
• Carolyn Schofield
• Ersel Schuster
• Mike Walkup
• Paula Yensen

The second issue was prompted by villages not wanting electronic billboard near their municipalities.

A moratorium enacted at their request was about to expire and, according to one village’s representative, “the word on the street” was that lobbying to let the moratorium run out was heavy.

Appearing were those wishing to keep the ban on electronic billboards in unincorporated areas.

Algonquin Village President John Schmitt. He pointed out that the issue was so important to him that he was missing only is fifth meeting in twenty years of having served on his Board.

Catherine Peterson, Lakewood’s Village Manager, also weighed in asking for a continuance of the billboards’ prohibition through the summer months until the new zoning ordinance could be approved.

Also present was Lake in the Hills’ Community Development Director Dan Olson.

Despite the apprehension of village officials, the County Board approved the requested extension by voice vote. I heard no dissension.

Lee Ellis, the Chairman of the McHenry County Mental Health Board, was not recommended for re-appointment by the newly-reconstituted Public Health and Human Services Committee.

Hearings have been held yesterday and today with applicants presenting their credentials and answering questions from the six committee members present.

After the interviews by the five women and one man were completed, members wrote down the names of their favorites for three four-year and one one-year term.

The following names were written on a white board:

• Carrie Smith
• Mary Donner
• Lee Ellis
• Bernadette May
• Heather Murgatoyd
• Rob Rontzahn
• Scott Summers
• Connie Meschini

Because Smith, the pastor at Crystal Lake’s Bethany Lutheran Church got four of the six votes, she was selected for one of the three four-year terms.

In a second round of voting, the committee singled out as finalists for the one-year term

• Donner, who was defeated for re-election to the County Board in last spring’s Republican primary election works for Pace and has been the liaison to the County Board from the 708 Board
• Meschini, also on the current Board

Finalists for the two remaining four-year terms were determined after another round of balloting.

Ellis and May got no votes that time around, leaving

• Murgatoyd
• Rontzahn
• Summers

In the fourth round, Mufgatoyd and Rontzahn emerged victorious.

That left the question of who was going to be recommended for the one-year term, Donner or Meschini.

The committee members split evenly with Mary McCann, Anna May Miller and Paula Yensen backing Donner and Committee leader Donna Kurtz, Sandy Salgado and Mike Walkup backing Meschini.

To break the tie, Committee members decided to await the return of the seventh member, John Hammerand.

Asked after the meeting if she expected any problem getting her the Public Health Committee’s recommendations approved by the full County Board, Kurtz replied, “No.  I think people will respect the balanced view of this Committee.  These are all qualified people and they have been thoroughly vetted.”

Rontzahn works for IBM out of his home office and serves on both the Crystal Lake District 47 Grade School Board and the County Housing Authority.

Murgatoyd is a clinical specialist (social worker) for DeVilbiss Health Care.