McHenry County Blog

A press release from Cliff Surges:

Surges Thanks Family and Supporters for Campaign

Cliff Surges

Gilberts, IL – “I would like to begin by thanking my wonderful wife Audrey and our three children; Jake, Colin, and Talia for all their love and support throughout this long and difficult campaign. Without their support and encouragement, I could never have sustained this campaign. I would also like to thank our volunteers and supporters, for they are the true warriors and did the work needed for us to carry our campaign message to the voters.”

“Although we were not victorious tonight, I want to congratulate and wish Ms. McConnaughay well. We both fought hard in this election, and in the end the results are what they are, and in this great democracy we will always respect the decision of the voters.”

“Our Republican party must come together now, and fight for the hard working citizens and taxpayers in this State. I pledge to the people of the 33rd Senate District and all the people of Illinois, that although our current campaign is ended, I will continue to fight for our true Republican values of smaller, more efficient government and lower taxes in Illinois.”

“Once again, thanks to my friends and supporters in this campaign, and to all the citizens in the 33rd District. I will never forget your support, love and kindness to me and my family during this campaign.”

Enough of the results are in for one to tell that Karen McConnaughay will be the next State Senator from the new 33rd District.

As you can see from the McHenry and Kane County results, she beat her opponent Cliff Surges by a considerable margin.

With most votes counted Karen McConnaughay was leading Cliff Surges by over 1,800 votes in McHenry County.

In Kane County, McConnaughay got a smaller proportion of the vote than she did in McHenry County.

Karen McConnaughay led Cliff Surges by over 2,200 votes in Kane County where she served as Kane County Board Chairman. That was 53% of the vote.

Karen McConnaughay

Cliff Surges

63%-37% was what I learned from the Illinois Manufacturers Association today.

I figure that the poll taken last night, reported on here, was done on their behalf.

All that was asked was whether the person called would vote for McConnaughay or Surges and the person’s gender, undoubtedly for balancing purposes.

State Senate candidate Karen McConnaughay is charging “mudslinging” in her reaction to an email and mailing sent out by Adam Andrzejewski’ For the Good of Illinois PAC.

You can read the mailing and Andrzejewski’s motivation for sending it here.

First I’ll show you McConnaughay’s rebuttal, then the original email with links to sources concerning the charges:

Statement from Citizens for Karen McConnaughay regarding continued baseless mudslinging from the desperate Surges campaign

There is nothing surprising about activist Adam Andrzejewski’s mudslinging at Karen McConnaughay.

Karen McConnaughay

In his bid for political relevance he joins in the chorus of baseless, unfounded attacks that have characterized the Surges campaign.

With no meaningful experience, no substantive knowledge of the issues and no relevant accomplishments, Cliff Surges and his attack dogs have resorted to assailing the character of one of the most respected local elected officials in the area.

No matter that the Chicago Tribune, Daily Herald, Kane County Chronicle, Northwest Herald, Examiner Newspaper, Congressman Roskam, Congressman Hultgren and many others have attested to the achievement and integrity of Karen McConnaughay, we are supposed to believe outlandish accusations offered with no substantiation and no basis in fact.

It is also extremely curious that Adam’s electronic assault came two days after Cliff Surges paid him $3,200.

If you apply the same standard of proof that Cliff and Adam use that is clear evidence of corruption.

If Surges makes a donation to Adam and then Adam launches his attack, it is rock solid evidence of a quid pro quo.

The double standard is mind-boggling.

The voters of the 33rd District are smart enough to know that Karen has never engaged in any pay to play antics and has never made any personnel or policy decision based on anything other than merit and the best interests of the taxpayers.

Nothing in this, or any other politically-motivated attack, has shown or even claimed that anything Karen did was in violation of the law or any county policy.

This is just another example of the sad depth to which the Surges campaign has sunk.

Below is the blast email that Andrzejewski sent out, apparently last night:

“Converting government employment, salary spiking, pension padding,
& paid consulting into… campaign cash.”
Adam Andrzejewski | Chairman, For The Good of Illinois PAC

Does the Kane County Board Chairmanship come with a license to print campaign cash?

Karen McConnaughay must think so.

So many county vendors became campaign contributors that the Daily Herald Editorial Board wrote, “We encourage McConnaughay to quit taking money from county vendors…”

She’s now running for state senate on a track record of presiding over a legalized money laundering scheme™.  Here are the details–

In 2004, McConnaughay won election as Kane County Board Chairperson. From 2004-2009, the salary of  Phil Bus- county development director- was spiked 71% from $93,481 to $158,923, graph.

Then Phil Bus retired (2009) on the largest pension in Kane County history-  $113,277/ year, proof.  The salary spiking had padded his pension.  But only two months later, Bus was re-hired by the county on lucrative consulting contracts. Look up FoxPlans, LLC by year, here.

Sourced by a local newspaper, Bus’ wife and brother (Randall) contributed $9,300 in campaign cash to McConnaughay. We confirmed $4800 from the state board website.

The Bus brother Randall’s engineering company, according to published reports, became the “go-to consultant on almost every unincorporated county subdivision plan”.  We sourced tens of thousands of dollars in “consulting” payments flowing from Kane County.

Karen McConnaughay’s political paradigm isn’t new to the GOP.  Governors Thompson-Edgar-Ryan pioneered the patronage model. The Republican Party then split between political bosses who needed taxes to fund patronage, and our conservative, productive, tax-paying base.

You can’t reform Illinois if you don’t reform the IL GOP.  And, you can’t reform the Republican Party if you elect politicians like Karen McConnaughay.

Period.

Sincerely,

ADAM ANDRZEJEWSKI
Chairman | For The Good of Illinois PAC

PS. On March 20^th, you and I can stop “McConnaughay Money Magic”.  Please give online $25, $50, $100, $250, $500 or $1000 to For the Good of Illinois PAC today. Thank you!

Here is a piece mailed by Cliff Surges, who is running against Karen McConnaughay:

This is the address side of Cliff Surge' "Are You Satisfied?" mailing.

The back of the "Are You Satisfied?" piece. He pledges to restore "the Public Trust."

Here’s how State Senate candidate Karen McConnaughay merchandised her sweep of newspaper endorsements:

Portions of each newspaper endrosements are reprinted.

The back of the piece reprises her campaign platform.

McConnaughay is running against Cliff Surges.

Here’s what is on the way to mailboxes in the 33rd State Senate District.

That’s where Kane County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay is running against former Gilberts Village Trustee Cliff Surges.

One could logically observe that the gloves have been taken off for what appears to be a bare knuckle end of the election fight.

For the Good of Illinois, the Political Action Committee run by Adam Andrzejewski, is sending the following post card.

The word "Crooked" is the one that pops off the address side of this mailing against Karen McConnaughay.

Coincidences cited on the back of this anti-Karen McConnaughay post card are "taking money from county contractors," plus the pension of former county employee Phil Bus and contributions from his family.

In the email accompanying the images, half of which I found in an email forwarded by a reader, Adam wrote the following:

Adam Andrzejewski

“Please note that I actually signed the mailer.”Republican primary voters need to understand exactly what the stakes are in this race.

“As you know, my father ran against George Ryan in the late 1970’s twice.

[I did not, so I asked for details and here's what I received: "My dad (John Andrzejewski) was a conservative Democrat in the elections of 1976 and 1978. He ran to the right of Ryan on the ERA amendment and forced Ryan to take a hard stand. To Ryan’s credit, it was one issue he didn’t sell his vote for a bridge. As House Speaker he voted against it and ERA failed by one vote (if memory serves). This is why it is important for good people to make a principled stand in elections."]

When Reagan came through in 1980, our family became Republican and never looked back.

“I see McConnaughay as a George Ryan repeat: the establishment of this party knows exactly what she’s about- just like they knew and promoted George Ryan.

“If we don’t stop her now, she’ll cost us all a million dollars in 2014.

“We faced the same ‘institutional force’ in the Roger Eddy race: former gov Jim Edgar, Assistant Minority Leader Dale Righter, all six Republican county chairs, most pc’s, the nested state reps, the Illinois Chamber of Commerce alongside the teachers unions, AFSCME and SEIU.

“I think people are looking a little deeper this year.

“Everyone endorsing McConnaughay should be asked to recant, and if not they are held accountable too.

“The country/state is in crisis- there is no room for compromise on fundamental, basic principles.

“As you know, this race is our fourth situation where our research has uncovered gross ethical lapsed or legalized money laundering schemes.

“This is very embarrassing for our party.

“In one IL GOP primary season, I have the material for a national best-selling book.”

The blast email forwarded to me ended,

“You can’t reform Illinois if you don’t reform the IL GOP. And, you can’t reform the Republican Party if you elect politicians like Karen McConnaughay.”

Cliff Surges

Karen McConnaughay

Help me out here.

It’s Thursday night before the Tuesday election.

What good does it do to know whether Karen McConnaughay or Cliff Surges is in the lead and the gender of the personal answering the phone?

Got any ideas why someone would pay for such a poll?

A press release from Karen McConnaughay:

McConnaughay earns NRA endorsement

Further solidifies support among Conservative leaders

Karen McConnaughay

St. Charles, IL—State Senate candidate Karen McConnaughay(R-33) has earned the endorsement of the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund, the campaign arm of the largest Second Amendment advocacy organization in the country.

McConnaughay, who currently serves as Chairman of the Kane County Board, is a staunch supporter of firearm owners’ rights and will advocate for reform of state laws that restrict the ability of law-abiding citizens to protect themselves, their families and their property.

“I am very pleased to have earned this endorsement,” said McConnaughay. “The protection of Second Amendment rights along with respect for traditional values, fiscal discipline and putting families first, are the foundation of my conservative beliefs.”

McConnaughay has also received the support of Tax Accountability, McHenry County Right to Life and numerous business advocacy organizations. The NRA Political Victory Fund endorsements are found at http://www.nrapvf.org/grades-endorsements/2012/Illinois.aspx?f=11308.

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McConnaughay is running against Cliff Surges.

A press release from State Senate candidate Karen McConnaughay:

Leading transparency advocacy group again lauds McConnaughay’s efforts to reform government

Kane County winner of “Sunny Award” for making abundant information available online—one of only 19 Illinois governments to be recognized

Geneva, IL—National government transparency advocacy organization, the Sunshine Review, has again awarded Kane County its highest honor in the pursuit of open government.

The Kane County page on Sunshine Review. Click to enlarge.

The “Sunny Awards” are granted to those local governments “who are doing it right and setting a transparency standard that all governments can, and should, meet,” according to Michael Barnhart, President of Sunshine Review.

The Sunshine Review evaluated over 6,000 government web sites and gave awards to just over 200 entities that are the most transparent with government budgets, expenditures, contracts, personnel records and other vital information that helps the public monitor the performance of their elected officials. (http://sunshinereview.org/index.php/2012_Sunny_Awards)

Kane County’s second Sunny Award is the result of efforts by County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay to make government more accountable, cost effective and transparent.

“When I took office we had no formal procurement office and public disclosure of government contracting was almost non-existent,” said McConnaughay.

“Today the public can see virtually every step in the process—contractor bids, reviews, expenditures and payments, as well as vast amounts of other information. This award is another validation of the great strides we have made towards reform and open government.”

McConnaughay is hoping to promote this same transparency as a member of the State Senate.

“When I get to Springfield, I will work hard to ensure that state agencies are making full use of the technology available to open up government. I won’t put up with excuses for why the public can’t access this information,” she said.

“We were able to make these strides in Kane County during tough budget times while we were cutting spending and headcount, so I know it can be done if the commitment to transparency truly exists,” added McConnaughay.

McConnaughay is seeking the Republican nomination for the State Senate from the 33rd District which includes northeast Kane and southeast McHenry Counties.

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McConnaughay is running against Cliff Surges.