McHenry County Blog

The two roll calls on the Com Ed/Ameren electric rate hike bill have appeared here before.

Some might wonder why I feel so strongly about this legislation that will ad $6 a month to most homeowners’ electric bills.

The reason is that I was told on a train ride to Springfield in the 1970′s that by Samuel Insull‘s secretary that he got the Illinois General Assembly to create the agency because he was tired of having to pay off legislators. Insull figured, it seems, that buying off a majority of the ICC would be cheaper (probably easier, too).

Now that the Commerce Commission is not acting like the electric industries handmaiden, electric utilities seem to have reverted to the original way of doing business.

And, as far as the money being needed to upgrade the electric grid, I’d ask, “Wasn’t keeping the infrastructure in top shape part of the deal with Com Ed and Ameren were given their monopolies?”

State Representatives voting for the Senate Bill 9 who represent part of McHenry County are Republicans

• David McSweeney
• Mike Tryon
• Barb Wheeler
• Tim Schmitz

Democrat Jack Franks voted, “No.”

In the State Senate those voting in favor were

• Pam Althoff
• Karen McConnaughay

Dan Duffy voted against the bill.

I was driving through Ringwood

Chauffeuring my in-laws to their 65th Wedding Anniversary Dinner

We on the way to what turned out to be a very busy Olive Garden,.

Then, I saw one of those trees.

You know the ones.

The ones that “Chainsaw Jack” Franks thinks Commonwealth Edison should have a right to chop down.

Bad tree.

Poor tree.

I don’t know how you read the above letter, but it sounds to me as if Democrat Jack Franks is threatening to sue Republican Cal Skinner because of the critical articles I have posted on McHenry County Blog.

It seems to me that he is, as was McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren’s clone and endorsed successor Andy Zinke last week, trying to eliminate pretty much the only criticism he receives from anyone whose stories can be found on the internet.

No, I forgot the Northwest Herald criticized him for eliminating himself and judges from his meaningless Gubernatorial Recall Amendment to the Illinois Constitution and the Drano registration bill, a hint as to how much of a regulation mentality lies right under the surface of his public persona.

And the Chicago Tribune tore him apart for his bill to allow Com Ed to chop down any tree within 20-feet of a power line.

But, on the whole, headline-seeker Franks gets good press.

Franks says I’m not welcome at any of his personal or political events.

Pretty strange statement since I have never been closer to his home than the video tour his real estate agent posted when he was trying to sell his Bull Valley home to move to Marengo.

Pretty strange since I am not one of the Republicans who comes to his political fund raisers–not the cheap ones in McHenry County nor the big ticket ones in Chicago.  And I’m not a Republican who allows my name to be used as part of his “Host Committee.”

Franks says I don’t have his permission to post his picture or that of his family.

Come on.

For starters, I have no interest in his family.

I’m interested in what Jack Franks does in the public arena.

And I think I have taken every picture I have posted of Franks on McHenry County Blog in a public meeting or somewhere he showed himself in public trying to get publicity.

Those of us with long memories can remember the populist Jack Franks of the early days.

The guy who said he was “Pro-Choice,” but was not  Pro-Choice enough for Personal PAC, the pro-abortion Political Action Committeen to endorse him.  (In 2008 and 2010, Franks was endorsed by Personal PAC.)

Franks says I’m not a journalist and have “no right to any access.”

No credentials, don’t you know.

Guess I have no right to go to a parade or the Marengo re-apportionment committee meeting.

I’ll bet that those folks who wrote broadsides during the American Revolution didn’t have credentials either.

And lots of them didn’t use their own names as I do.

The folks who smeared Franks’ 2010 opponent John O’Neill right before the election weren’t brave enough to use their names either.

Although anonymous, the Founding Fathers who criticized King George fought for my right to criticize those who rule us.

One would think an attorney and seven-term Illinois State Representative would understand that.

The man who introduced a bill during the first part of his Springfield career to stop SLAPP suits filed by developers (think Richmond where the developer sued Village Trustees) is long gone.

(SLAPP, by the way, stands for “Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation.”)

When the Northwest Herald sued me, we used Franks’ law as part of our defense.

The article in question was about public policy.

So are my articles about Jack Franks.

I’m not an attorney like Franks, but I believe that political speech under the First Amendment has the highest protection.

If I wanted to distribute one of my posts, complete with photos, as a campaign piece in opposition to Franks’ re-election, or put it on the radio or television, I sincerely doubt anyone would take the complaints expressed in the above letter seriously.

Franks, like every candidate and public office holder, would love to get a free ride.

Franks has enjoyed that most of his career.

But the “populist” of the early days is long gone.

The “baggage” gets heavier as he seeks more power.

Now, instead of promoting an end to SLAPP suits, Jack Franks voted for the Commonwealth Edison rate increase bill.  The Illinois Commerce Commission in a most convenient recent decision put off that electric rate increase of $3 a month until January.

That’s after the election, not that the timing makes any difference to the three legislators from McHenry County who supported the bill.

None of them have opposition.

Franks last sentence says, “I trust that I have made myself clear.”

You have,”Chainsaw Jack.”

Your bill to allow Com Ed to chop down every tree within 20-feet of a power line shows how out of touch you are with McHenry County.  Even having been out of office almost twelve years, I can tell you that introducing that idea was about as far from representing McHenry County residents as one can go.

It’s clear you can’t stand the heat.

Right near the north end of the Virginia Street TIF District (you know the place, just look for the two $16,000 stone monuments) in front of the Crystal Lake Motel, high winds have snapped an electric line maintained by Commonwealth Edison.

In this case, it was not any of those nasty trees within 20 feet of a power line that “Chainsaw Jack” Franks wants to have cut down.

In fact, there were no trees near the line break.

The following notice was sent out by the Crystal Lake Police at 4:43 PM:

Temp Road Closure, All lanes Route 14 from Northshore Dr to Dole Ave are closed and being re-routed, down power lines

Police and fire equipment were there when I arrived.

But there were no Com Ed repair trucks when I left to write this article at about 5.

No doubt traffic reports will tell of the big jam on Route 14 in Crystal Lake.

Got this from the Crystal Lake Police:

“A power outage has occurred in the area of Dartmoor and McHenry due to downed trees.

“Comed is on scene working to address the problem as we speak. They estimate power restoration at approximately 10:00am.”

One might observe that there is no wind.

And ComEd found out about the outage without the so-called “smart meters” for which we will all start paying $3 more a month in January.

Voting for the ComEd rate increase bill were Pam Althoff (Senate Roll Call), Mike Tryon and so-called “populist” Jack Franks (House Roll Call).

Relevant Tweets:

If only “Chainsaw Jack” Franks had passed his bill to allow Com Ed to chop down every tree within 20 feet of an electric line.

Crystal Lake resident Paul Greenlee has shared his communication with the Crystal Lake City Council about a couple of items on tonight’s meeting agenda:

Mayor Shepley and Members of the City Council:

It is not clear whether or not I will be able to attend the Council meeting on May 15, 2012, but it is important that I comment on and call to your attention the following:

1. Our portion of our neighborhood (South of Barlina/West of Golf Course) had a power outage May 13, 2012.

It lasted about 30-45 minutes.

Given that there was no adverse weather and no other known condition, this kind of out of the blue occurrence is of concern.

Especially in light of Com Ed’s performance when we had such a recent significant storm, their inability to provide reliable service in relatively serene condition is a concern.

The outage was reported to Com Ed and their automated system indicated that there was no outage.

When I called it in, the power had already been out a little while; it wasn’t like they were called 30 seconds after the power went off.

When I held to speak to a customer service representative they indicated that their automated system was in error, but then contradicted themselves and said there was no outage in Crystal Lake, and then said that power from said non-outage would be restored about 12:45 a.m.

It came on earlier than that, but their inability to answer simple questions correctly is of great concern.

They should know from their grid where power outages exist, one would think.

2. On the agenda for your consideration is a request from Bernotas Middle School for an electronic message center sign. The Plan Commission previously rejected this request.

I am not a Bernotas parent (I am a Lundahl parent), but I support the school’s request for you to override the Plan Commission recommendation.

First the kids in that school worked quite hard to raise the money for the sign.

If you want to engender apathy within young people or upset parents, then support the Plan Commission’s recommendation.

The kids need to know (as do the parents who supported them) that their efforts truly meant something.

It sounds like the Bernotas group tried to follow the rules from the beginning but received faulty guidance or some other misunderstanding that caused the Plan’s recommendation.

Also, I think Bernotas is the only school in the district without some kind of sign of that nature.

Finally, if I WERE a neighbor of that school, I cannot imagine a sign like that (even with lights, for goodness sake) would be a nuisance.

I urge you to reward the efforts of the families of Bernotas Middle School and approve their request for a sign.

3. I notice a request for a business for Lightning Lazer Tag.

If established, I am sure my nine year old son and his friends would make use of this facility.

I suppose if I were a neighbor to this facility, I would have concerns about it becoming a nuisance.

If you receive significant complaints and concerns about establishing this business by the neighbors, I support your not allowing it.

If the neighbors do not raise issues, I still would ask that you strictly enforce anti-loitering ordinances to keep a “bad element” from initiating a presence.

[The location near the 7-11 on Berkshire seems to be the same space previously occupied by a lazer tax facility.]

Thank you very much for your consideration.

Paul Greenlee

A press release from the Northern Illinois Governmental Electric Aggregation Consortium and the Northern Illinois Governmental Electric Aggregation Consortium:

Direct Energy Offers Fixed Electricity Price to Five Communities in the Northern Illinois Governmental Electric Aggregation Consortium

Illinois (April 30-, 2012) – As part of its agreement with the Northern Illinois Governmental Electric Aggregation Consortium (NIGEAC), Direct Energy has set a new fixed rate for electricity customers in the cities of Genoa and Woodstock and the villages of Huntley, Lakewood and Ringwood.

For the August 2012 through July 2013 billing cycles, customers in the cities of Genoa and Woodstock and the villages of Huntley, Lakewood and Ringwood will pay $0.04169 per kWh for electricity supply (exclusive of utility distribution charges and taxes).

The current ComEd rate is $0.0773 per kWh. Please be advised that ComEd’s rates may change over time. [These delivery charges are the ones that State Reps. Jack Franks and Mike Tryon and State Senator Pam Althoff agreed to allow to be raised at least $3 a month.]

The NIGEAC has an agreement with Direct Energy for an electricity Opt-Out Aggregation Program, a program that is available to residential and small business consumers currently served by the local utility in Genoa, Huntley, Lakewood, Ringwood and Woodstock.

Under the Opt-Out Aggregation agreement, residents in those communities that are currently served by the utility are automatically included in the Opt-Out Aggregation pricing plan unless they contact Direct Energy to be excluded.

Direct Energy will be sending all residents of the five NIGEAC communities an opt-out letter in the coming weeks that will give them the option of starting service with Direct Energy or opting out of the program to stay with ComEd. The letters will explain how residents can opt-out of the program, if they so choose to do so.

“We are pleased that residents and small businesses in these communities represented by the NIGEAC will have the option of purchasing electricity through this agreement,” said Anna Moeller, Official Coordinator for NIGEAC and Executive Director of the McHenry County Council of Governments.

The NIGEAC is an intergovernmental consortium of five northern Illinois communities including the cities of Woodstock and Genoa and the villages of Huntley, Lakewood and Ringwood. It was created to coordinate the electricity aggregation process for these communities in order to achieve administrative costs savings and possibly more competitive electricity rates through the combined purchasing power of the five communities.

# # #

About Direct Energy

Direct Energy is one of North America’s largest energy and energy-related services providers with more than 6 million residential and commercial customer relationships. Direct Energy provides customers with choice and support in managing their energy costs through a portfolio of innovative products and services. A subsidiary of Centrica plc (LSE:CNA), one of the world’s leading integrated energy companies, Direct Energy operates in 46 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia and 10 provinces in Canada.

Not only was State Rep. Jack Franks spanked by the Chicago Tribune Sunday, but Chuck Sweeney, the political columnist for the Rockford Register-Star took negative notice of his Com Ed tree removal legislation, House Bill 3884.

After hostile reaction from those who consider quality of life quite an important reason for living in McHenry County, Franks has figured out his bill to allow chainsawing every tree within 20 feet of an electric line “too severe.”

That sounds like his reaction to the blowback from his co-sponsorship of the bill to allow red light cameras.

He even features a video on his web site on the issue.

It reminds me the “NOT ME”-themed cartoons of Family Circus.

Opposition came from municipal leaders, the McHenry County Defenders the Fleming Road Alliance and The Land Conservancy of McHenry County.

The Environmental Defenders of McHenry County picked up on the email alert from Lisa Haderlein of The Land Conservancy of McHenry County and sent our one of their own, which you see in part below:

“There is a bill in the Illinois House that would give the electric utilities the authority to remove any trees that can grow taller than 25 feet and are growing within 20 feet of their lines.”

Haderlein characterized the bill as “the ComEd Clear Cut bill.”

Franks told Sweeney, ““I’m not happy with the way it was drafted, that’s why I didn’t call it for a vote,” said Franks.”

Right.

The outcry from your constituents and potential constituents had nothing to do with your rapid retreat, your backing and filling.

The final two sentences in Sweeney’s column about his talk with “Chainsaw Jack” seems to refer to McHenry County Blog:

“Franks strongly objects to some bill opponents who are calling him ‘Chain Saw Jack.’

“’I don’t want to have clear-cutting going on,’ he said. ‘I live on a farm with a forest in back. No one can question my conservation credentials.’”

Well, maybe it’s not Franks’ “conservation credentials” that should be questioned.

Maybe it’s his judgment.

But, if the tool fits, maybe the nickname is appropriate.

What an argument for term limits and, lacking that, a Republican opponent who will knock on the door of every home with a tree within 20 feet of a power line and tell the owner, “‘Chainsaw Jack’ introduced a bill that wold have allowed Commonwealth Edison to chop down your tree without even telling you, let alone getting your permission.”

Who could have known that the Chicago Tribune would take on “Chainsaw Jack” Franks and use “Illinois Chain Saw Massacre” in it’s editorial sub-headline?

But there it was.

A whole editorial aimed at the overreach, no, that’s too mild a word for an editorial that uses the words “chop, chop, chop” to describe the Chainsaw Massacrer from Marengo.

“To his credit, State Rep. Jack Franks, the bill’s sponsor, has pulled back his measure for refinement,” the editorial points out.

“Pulled back?”

Franks stirred environmentalists and those who just like to walk along wooded streets to white hot anger.

The McHenry County Conservation District sent a letter.

The Environmental Defenders of McHenry County sent out a blast email.

Think maybe Franks’ office got enough emails to make him realized he had stepped into the Briar Patch?

Hey, a chainsaw could fix that problem, too, right?

The editorial bemoans the vague language in the bill which will allow Com Ed and Ameren to “butcher” some trees and treat others kindly depending on a utility’s “whim” and the “influence of those directly affected.”

See comment under this article of Franks’ throwing his weight around with Com Ed tree trimmers:

Jack Franks Shows Tree Killer Side

“Public relations’ hornets’ next” is used by the Tribune to describe what would happen if the bill passed and wooded suburban streets came under Franks’ chainsaw massacre.

Franks’ (House Bill 3884) will allow clear cutting within 20 fee of a power line, making “thousands of trees into live bait for the chain saw crews.”

No replacements necessary.

The editorial mocks Franks’ attempt to define what trees could be planted under electric power lines as those which would not grow more that 25 feet tall.

“More sawdust,” the editorial writer concludes.

The utility would have to consult the 1,300-page “Manual of Woody Landscape Plants” to figure out if the tree might grow more than 25 feet. To no one’s surprise, the maximum heights vary, depending on local conditions.

Lots of look – alike trees out there, too.

Will an arborist be assigned to every tree trimming crew?

And the new labeling requirement in “Chainsaw Franks’” bill?

A “do not plant under power lines” tag would have to be attached to every tree that might grow more than 25 feet.

Another example of what the Democratic Party is known as the Party of Regulation.

The editorial suggests that chainsaws carry the warning, “Do not apply moving blades to operator’s neck.”

“If Franks needs to build a new chopping block for Illinois trees, we hope a subsequent draft better balances the interests of utilities and nature-lovers,” the editorial concludes.

Plus asking utilities to bury more lines:

“Chain saws down. Shovels Up. Dig.”

= = = = =
Allan Showalter of “Heck of a Guy” blog created the mock movie poster.

It hasn’t been a good week for Democratic Party State Representative Jack Franks.

“Chainsaw Jack” got lots of blowback from his venture into playing gofer for the electric utilities of Illinois.

He quickly figured out he did not have the juice to get his bill to allow Com Ed and Ameren to cut down ever tree within twenty feet of a power line and turned the hearing into a “subject matter” hearing only.

What happened?

Locally, opponents mobilized.

Although Franks introduced the bill on November 21, 2011, amendatory language didn’t show up until February 21, 2012, a week before Franks received a $1,000 contribution from Ameren (Com Ed’s monopoly counterpart in Central and Southern Illinois).

A hearing was set a week later.

McHenry County Conservation District leaders reacted negatively to the language, sending the letter you see below to Franks:

The day of the Public Utilities Committee meeting, on which Franks’ serves, the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County sent out an email to its members urging them to contact Franks in opposition to tree demolition bill.

Today Franks told Republican colleague Mike Tryon that his House Bill 3884 needed an amendment and that he probably wouldn’t call the bill.

And today was a worse day for Franks than the day of the Committee hearing.

Franks carried his fight with the McHenry County Board to the House floor.

His bill to force election of the County Board Chairmen in McHenry and Lake Counties in an at-large election was voted upon.

“He didn’t even give the voters a chance,” Tryon told me of the bill.

Franks astonished Tryon by explaining on the House floor that the idea came from DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin.

“This could have been an ‘Elect Jack Franks for Life’ bill.

Tryon, a former McHenry County Board Chairman said,  “That’s not what McHenry County needs.  We need a facilitator, someone to make sure the County Board policies are being followed.

“We pay an administrator,” he stressed.

“We don’t need a ‘Boss Hog’-type.”

There was a vote on that House Bill 3953 today and it went down in flames.

16 votes “Yes” and 100 voting “No.”

Tryon argued against the bill, as did newly-appointed State Rep. Rita Mayfield, who served on the Lake County Board prior to being appointed to fill a vacancy last summer.  Mayfield explained that the Lake County Board was unanimous in its opposition to Franks’ bill.

The way things work in Springfield, her membership in the Black Caucus brought all of them to vote “No.”

As the roll call was being taken, retiring State Rep. Dave Winter stood up to observe that it appeared that Jack Franks was going to join “The Century Club.”

That’s a designation used to mock those who manage to get a bill out onto the floor, but who see it go down in flames with 100 or more of the 116 members voting against it.  When liberal Robert Mann chaired the Criminal Justice Committee, his criminal bills regularly got slaughtered by his generally “law and order” colleagues.

The 16-100 roll call on House bill 3953 calling for the at-large election of county board chairmen in McHenry and Lake Counties follows:

Now Franks isn’t the only McHenry County State Representative to have achieved that “honor.”

Yours truly, Cal Skinner, Jr., got the Century Club “award” on June 7, 1994, when I filed an amendment to Senate Bill 1595 that would require the DCFS to

• “maintain a central registry of all cases in which the Director of Children and Family Services, following an investigation and hearing as provided in this Act or the Department’s rules, determines that a person who is certified as a school teacher or administrator in Illinois is a perpetrator of sexual or physical abuse of a child,
• “the Department shall send the name of such person, by mail, to the chief administrator and president of the school board of each school district in this state and to the chief education officer of each state, the District of Columbia, and each territory of the United States.

“The Department shall make available to members of the public, upon request and without charge, copies of any information contained in the register maintained under this Section.”

I think the amendment was inspired by a former principal of Lundahl Junior High School in Crystal Lake named Virgil Lauglin, who led one of my honorary pages into a life of homosexuality, even molesting him in his Lundahl office, but it may have been a teacher there whom DCFS found had abused a student either sexually or physically or both.

When the “problem” with the principal was discovered, he was allowed to quietly resign and move to Iowa.

Exporting such “problems” or covering them up since then would have been a lot more difficult had my amendment be adopted in 1994.

Needless to say, the teachers unions killed the proposed amendment to Senate Bill 1695.

Click to enlarge the image above, examine the names, and you will find some current political figures who wouldn’t want this roll call used against them.

Only two besides myself were brave enough to vote for it:

• Bernie Pedersen and
• Al Salvi

Two, Terry Parke and future Congressman Jerry Weller, voted “Present.”

One of the best pieces of legislation I ever lost.