Democrat Jack Franks could be pondering whether there is legislation action he could take a veto-proof General Assembly that would further his McHenry County agenda.  Or maybe he will decide to pass another petition concerning the County Board.

Democratic Party Board member Paula Yensen set the agenda that did not include an action item for an April referendum on whether the County Board Chairman should be elected at-large or not. She was joined in seeking a delay by newly-elected Democrat Nick Chirikos. She opposed Franks’ County Executive referendum.

Yesterday’s meeting of the McHenry County Board’s Management Services Committee resulted in inaction on the issue of putting a question on the April ballot asking whether voters want a direct election for County Board Chairman in 2014 has given Democrat State Rep. Jack Franks an opening.

When he passed petitions to ask voters whether they wished to adopt the County Executive form of government, he said at times that he was doing so just because the County Board wouldn’t put a referendum on the ballot regarding the at-large election of the County Board Chairman.

So, might Franks again introduce legislation to force a referendum.

Could he convince his Democratic Party colleagues to go along with him?

If he doesn’t or can’t, would he pass another petition to see a referendum on single-member districts, something that might actually help the local Democratic Party?

If memory serves me correctly, he passed such legislation about ten years ago for advisory referendums, suggesting that if the County Board didn’t follow the wishes of the electorate, he might just pass a mandate.

In researching what advisory referendums can be put on the ballot by petition, I found the following language:

Advisory referenda. The voters of a county may advise the county board, through an advisory referendum, on questions concerning

1. the number of members of the county board to be elected,
2. whether the board members should be elected from single-member districts, multi-member districts, or at-large,
3. whether voters will have cumulative voting rights in the election of county board members, or
4. any combination of the preceding 3 questions

The advisory referendum may be initiated either by petition or by ordinance of the county board.

The usual expectation is that campaign signs should be taken down by the Saturday after the election.

This Dee Beaubien sign is in front of the restaurant on Route 14 in Cary.

Driving around Crystal Lake and Cary, the candidate with the most signs still up is Dee Beaubien.

Here’s a Dee Beaubien sign near the factory on Route 14 that Cary intends to tear down.

Also saw signs for the two Democratic candidates for Congress,

• Dennis Anderson and
• Leslie Coolidge

The signs from a so-called “Republican Party” group to which no one admits belonging, but whose art work was used by State Rep. Jack Franks in his handouts in support of his County Executive referendum still are up.

Some for County Board member and candidate Donna Kurtz could be seen. (One man near Crystal Lake Central High School had placed two of hers on the curb.)

And, there were signs saying, “Vote Yes. County Executive + Lower Taxes.”

The “Vote Yes” signs were allegedly paid for by a group no one is willing to own up to being a member of “McHenry County Republicans for Lower Taxes.”

Fat chance they will take them down, so if you want a Jack Franks political artifact for your rumpus room wall, feel free to stop and pick one up.

Jack Franks had two contests in which he invested political capita:

his County Executive referendum

the District 6 County Board candidacy of Ryan Heuser

In both efforts Franks fell short.

Franks’ County Executive push is failing

With 44% of the precincts counted, Jack Franks’ County Executive idea is losing big time.

Two-thirds of the electorate is voting against the County Executive referendum.

Jack Franks strongly endorsed fellow Democrat Ryan Heuser. With 52% of the precincts counted, Heuser is running sixth behind the four Republicans, plus Independent Larry Smith.

Franks used a lot of political capital this year and seems not to have purchased anything.

This afternoon came the third robo-call from Jack Franks urging people to vote for his County Executive referendum.

You can read the text of the first one here.

The last time he called, State Rep. Jack Franks (D-Marengo) told people to give him a call, if they had questions.

The one person I know who tried found nothing but a busy signal.

This afternoon when Franks called, there was no invitation for conversation.

While McHenry County’s most prominent Democrat, State Rep. Jack Franks favors passage of the County Executive referendum he put on the ballot, both Democrats on the County Board are in opposition. Here you see two “Vote No on the County Executive Referendum” signs next to ones to re-elect Democratic County Board member Kathy Bergan Schmidt.

Franks pitched his support for the referendum as a continuation of his fight for accountability and transparency.

Franks paints himself as a paragon of reform by pointing out he was the “lone voice against Governor Blagojevich.”

This February 27, 2003, memo from State Rep. Jack Franks asks for patronage appointments for Deborah Wolf Franks, Hebert W. Franks, David B. Franks, Michale Delessandro, Judge Erin O’Connell-Diaz, Nancy Vazzano, Fred Shay, Susan Van Weelden, Bill Clow, and Mary Kennedy.  Click to enlarge.

It does not surprise me that he does not mention the February 27, 2003, memo to Blagojevich asking for patronage appointments for his family and friends.

Franks argues that the leader of the McHenry County Board should be elected, but doesn’t tell how much more power an elected County Executive would have than would a County Board Chairman elected at-large.

Needless to say, he talked faster than I could take notes.

If folks remember more of the pitch, please add the information in the comments.

I mentioned earlier that my neighbor kitty-cornered across the street had his Obama and Jim Roden signs stolen and I think I mentioned that my Romney sign had been knocked down five times before it disappeared.

This morning as I was driving my son to school I noticed that both my and my neighbor’s Romney signs had disappeared.

So, when I got back home, I replaced them.  I even put my Romney sign in a more prominent place.

The signs in front of Cal Skinner’s home.  The one at the corner is for Congressman Peter Roskam.  On the other side of the street people will have the opportunity to vote for another Republican, Randy Hultgren.

And added another sign saying “Vote No.”

That’s a follow up to the four by four sign against the “County Czar” on the other side of the mail box.

Not favoring concentration of power, I shall be voting against Jack Franks’ County Executive referendum.

Labeling himself a “tax fighter,” Jack Franks-backed Democrat Ryan Heuser has launched a second attack on two of the most conservative Republicans on the McHenry County Board.

Ryan Heuser labels himself a “tax fighter,” but offers no tax hike that he has fought.

Hueser again uses a mailing to push for passage of Jack Franks’ County Executive referendum. He is one of very few candidates to support this concentration of power in the hands of one person. He makes no mention that a County Executive will be able to spend up to $25,000 without prior County Board approval.

The address side of Ryan Heuser’s attack piece on Ersel Schuster and Diane Evertsen does not use as attractive photos as did his first mailing.

On his web site, Heuser lists eleven unions and Jack Franks as endorsing him.

Ersel Schuster released this rebuttal to the two Heuser hit pieces:

Ersel Schuster, Member/Candidate McHenry County Board
408 S. Shannon Drive, Woodstock, IL 60098‐9474
815‐338‐2207 or ersel@sbcglobal.net

Dear Friends & Neighbors,

Ersel Schuster

It is with deep disappointment that I feel a need to get this message out to you at this time. However, to those of you who have received copies of the Ryan Heuser campaign pieces, I cannot allow his personal attacks on Diane and myself to go unchallenged.

Diane has responded and her e‐mail has gone out to everyone we could reach. In the event this transmission reaches someone new, Diane’s comments parallel those below.

My response to the deliberate untruths is as follows:

1.  “Work 10 hours a week,”

I would challenge this person and anyone who believes this statement to follow us around for just one week. My thought is that they may not run for the position once they see the effort it takes to do the job. His statement of a 10‐hour work week can be multiplied many times over.

We often field calls late at night or early, early in the morning. I cherish each and every opportunity to speak with and help anyone who contacts me. That is just who I am.

2.  “Raised their salaries three times, increased their pension and receive health care benefits”

• No. I did not vote to raise county board salaries “three” times… I have consistently worked to change the pay structure to a “per diem.” In essences, that would reduce pay as a members would only be paid for meetings they actually attended;
• No. I did not vote to “increase” board members pensions; and,
• No. I have never taken county health insurance.

3. “Raised our property taxes over the past 10 years to be one of the highest in Illinois”

While I have served on this board on prior occasions, this man states that “over the past 10 years” I have voted to increase taxes. I am just completing a “four” year term and Diane is completing a 2 year term on the county board. Had he done his own campaign piece and bothered to check the record, he would know his statement to be false.

4.  “Do NOT support a publically elected County Executive”

The one true statement is that I DO NOT support the County Executive form of government. Among other things, it is adding another level of government and can only raise the cost of doing the county’s business.

5.  “Give themselves hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of benefits.”

I would challenge this person to identify all these benefits! I’ve certainly not seen them.

While I know that folks running for these positions may not have all their facts, it does tell us something about the person when they would publish such outlandish statements without verifying them.

I want to thank you for your past support and encouragement. It is my hope that Diane and I will be able to continue the work we’ve begun in advocating for less county government.

Greeting me this morning was the following argument from State Rep. Mike Tryon against State Rep. Jack Franks’ County Executive referendum:

Mike Tryon

McHenry County Citizens,

As Election Day draws near, I would like to encourage you to exercise your right to vote in this critical election on November 6th. There is a very solid slate of Republican candidates from Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan all the way down to the good Republicans who are running in all six districts of the McHenry County Board. Voting straight Republican will result in sensible and stable leadership at all levels.

In addition to encouraging you to vote Republican in this election, I also wanted to take this opportunity to straighten out some misconceptions about the County Executive referendum.

Toward the end of your ballot you will see a proposition to adopt a County Executive form of government. The exact ballot question reads: “Shall the County of McHenry adopt the County Executive Form of Government and elect not to become a home rule unit?” It disappoints me greatly that proponents of this ballot question continue to spread false and misleading information regarding the issue. If you support smaller government, transparency and accountability, please join me in voting NO on this ballot question. I will list some of their claims and facts that dispute them below:

Proponents’ Claim:  A County Executive form will lead to more accountability and transparency.

FACTS: Under the County Executive form, there is less accountability and less transparency. Today’s county board is subject to the Open Meetings Act. All business, including committee meetings, is conducted in public and in front of the press. A County Executive (as an individual) is not subject to the Open Meetings Act. He/she can create the budget, redraw county board district boundary lines, and conduct a great deal of business behind his closed office door. Even more alarming, a County Executive can award no-bid contracts up to $25,000 to anyone he/she wants with no county board oversight. In addition, today’s county board chairman is elected for a two year term and during that time he is directly accountable to the 24 county board members, and by extension, the voters. The day-to day operation of the county is led today by a hired professional (not a politician) who can be fired at any time by the county board.  A County Executive is elected for four-year terms, and can only be removed if he/she is convicted of a crime. Otherwise this individual has a full four years to implement an agenda.

Proponents’ Claim: A County Executive form will lower your taxes.

FACTS: A change to a County Executive form of government increases the size of government. McHenry County currently has a 24-member county board and one of those individuals is selected to serve as chairman for two-year terms. Will County is the ONLY Illinois county to utilize a County Executive form of government, and a visit to their web site (www.willcountyillinois.com) clearly shows that they have a 27-member county board with one member selected to serve as chairman, plus an entire list of Executive branch employees, including: County Executive, his Chief of Staff, his Manager of Operations, his Finance Director, his Legal Council (serves in addition to the State’s Attorney), his Communications Director, and his Public Information Officer.

Proponents’ Claim: Will County has lower taxes than McHenry County.

FACTS:  Proponents continue to use an “apples to oranges” tax comparison between McHenry and Will counties. McHenry County has four voter-approved and mandated tax rates that do not exist in Will County. This includes our Valley Hi Nursing Home, Senior Services, Veterans Assistance and Mental Health services. These four districts represent approximately 30% of the McHenry County tax bill.  In addition, Will County has a much larger industrial tax base (24% in Will vs only 14% in McHenry). They do not account for this disparity in their numbers.

Proponents’ Claim: A County Executive form will not create a new layer of government.

FACTS: This is absolutely false. Today McHenry County does not have an executive branch of government. If the referendum is successful, a County Executive and the staff members mentioned above will be added.

Proponents’ Claim: Most of the United States is governed by the County Executive form.

FACTS: In reality, there are only 14 states that offer the County Executive as an option, and two of those states require it. In Illinois, even though it has been available to counties for almost 30 years, only Will County has chosen to use it. Ballot initiatives in other counties regarding making the change to a County Executive have failed by large margins.

Proponents’ Claim: The County Executive form leads to better representation.

FACTS:  To the contrary, a switch to a County Executive weakens county-wide representation. Today, McHenry County is divided into six geographic districts, and voters from each district send four people to the county board to represent their interests. Each vote, including that of today’s county board chairman, carries the same weight. Majority rules all decisions and the chairman’s job is to implement the majority votes of the board. A County Executive would have Governor-like veto power over the actions of the county board. Additionally, today every county board district is represented on each county board committee. A County Executive would be under no obligation to provide similar county-wide voices on committees since he puts the committees together without input from the board.

If you have not yet seen this short video which summarizes the many reasons why you should vote NO to this ballot proposal, please take three minutes to watch my closing remarks at the recent forum on the county executive proposal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epcWExi4W7Q

Again, please take time to vote, as the consequences of this election are significant.

Mike Tryon
Chairman
McHenry County Republican Party

New signs have popped up in conjunction with signs supporting the re-election of Ersel Schuster and Diane Evertsen.

They feature the phrase

You Don’t Know Jack

Little doubt who the Jack is.

“No County Executive, You Don’t Know Jack,” the new sign says.

The phrase is used along with a message to “Vote No” on Democratic Party State Rep. Jack Franks’ pet fall project–the approval of a referendum that will add another layer on McHenry County government called a “County Executive.”

Here’s a closer view of the new anti-Jack Franks sign.

It is not a secret that I don’t think the head of county government should have the authority to spend $25,000 without prior County Board approval.

This is Illinois, after all.

= = = = =

The phrase “You don’t know Jack” was popularized by the write-in candidate against Jack Franks, Joe Rosner.

A “kNOw RTA” button from 1974.

The first time I saw the “NO” in know capitalized was during our campaign against the creation of the RTA.  Opponents figured the more people knew about the Regional Transportation Authority referendum the more likely they were to vote against it.  Our side lost by under 13,000 votes and no recount was allowed.  Paper ballots were used.  When it appeared the referendum would lose and the first Mayor Richard Daley was asked about such a possibility, his answer was, “Oh, I don’t know about that.  We haven’t stopped casting the ballots yet.”  One Chicago precinct in a ward voting about 60% in favor cast 100% of its votes for RTA.  There were about 80 votes in favor, no votes against and 60 spoiled ballots.

I hate to tell you, “I told you so,” but the McHenry County Republican Party’s failure to allow Tonya Franklin to try to get on the ballot to oppose Jack Franks has indeed allowed him to play around more than he probably would have been able to do otherwise.

We all know about his efforts to change the form of county government from a weak County Board Chairman to a strong County Executive.

Now, he is found endorsing union-financed Ryan Heuser’s campaign for District 6 County Board member.

The address side of Ryan Heuser’s mailing

And, in an intriguing similarity to District 4′s Mary Margaret Maule’s attack on incumbent John Hammerand, Heuser’s oversized post card attacks the two incumbent Republicans most likely to be able to mount a challenge to Franks in the future–Ersel Schuster and Diane Evertsen.

There are so many misstatements above that perhaps pointing out the Diane Evertsen’s name is spelled wrong might indicate the quality of the effort that went into preparing it.

The bottom of the back of the post card is dedicated to promoting Jack Franks’ County Executive referendum.

Ersel Schuster and Diane Evertsen are attacked by Jack Franks’ endorsed Ryan Heuser on this side of the mailing.

There’s a pitch for Franks’ County Executive referendum, too.

The issues used are similar in Maule’s and Heuser’s hit pieces.

Contributors to Heuser’s campaign with donations large enough to be identified by name follow:

Ryan Heuser posting on FaceBook in favor of video gaming.

• 2-12-12 International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150, Countryside – $2,500
• 2-14-12 International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 117, Crystal Lake – $200
• 2-24-12 Laborers International Union Local 1035, Marengo – $300
• 3-2-12 Plote Construction, Hoffman Estates – $250
• 3-16-12 Northeastern Illinois Federation of Labor, Gurnee – $500
• 3-20-12 International Union of Operating Engineers Local 339, Chicago – $500
• 3-20-12 International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150, Countryside – $800 (20 4 by 8 pieces of plywood)
• 7-27-12 McHenry County Building Trades Council, Crystal Lake -$1,000
• 7-27-12 IronworkersLocal 498, Rockford – $250
• 7-27-12 Carey Electric, McHenry – $250
• 8-1-12 International Union of Operating Engineers, Countryside – $1,365.62
• 8-7-12 Bricklayers Local 21, Elgin – $200
• 8-10-12 Plote Construction, Hoffman Estates – $250
• 10-22-12 International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150, Countryside – $5,178.85
• 10-30-12 Cecily Heuser, Marengo – $5,500

That’s $9,844.47 from Local 150, whose primary interest in what the County Board does has had to do with legalizing slot machines in unincorporated areas.  In the 13-10-1 County Board vote to ban video slot machines the first of December, 2009,  Schuster and Hammerand voted against gambling.  Evertsen had not yet been sworn in for the two-year term she won in November.

The involvement of Local 150 in both lobbying for the legalization of video poker and support of County Board candidates (see Mary McClellan’s sign at the Lakemoor Banquet Hall, and got $300 on Sept. 26th, which, strangely, is reported by the union, but not by McClellan).

Mary Margaret Maule got $2,000 from Local 150 on October 27th and $250 on August 25th, a quarter in which there were five other union locals making contributions.

Remember those Vote Yes on the County Executive signs that showed up next to Ersel Schuster and Diane Evertsen signs on Route 14 near Harvard?

Photo taken the first time “Vote Yes” signs were put near the landowner’s Republican Party signs.

The homeowner removed them, but two more just showed up.

The people supporting Jack Franks’ County Executive referendum put up two more signs near Republican candidates’ signs.  (See lower left hand corner of the photo.)  The landowner thinks it is a deliberate attempt to make it seem as if Republicans are supporting the change.

The email read:

“A neighbor alerted me that two more of those pesky ‘Vote Yes’ signs had been put on our property along Rt. 14. I’ve attached a photo.

“Who ever puts them up is clearly missing a back bone and other anatomical parts or they would not be afraid of being open about who they are and who they represent.

“It is already openly known that whoever is printing and posting these ‘Vote Yes’ signs is fraudulently suggesting that they are representing the McHenry County Republican Party.

“Which they are Not.

“It also certainly suggests that the push to form an executive form of county government here in McHenry County is being driven by some pretty shady characters.”