McHenry County Blog

Most local candidates think campaigning time is over the Sunday before the election.

It’s not over, of course, until the polls close at 7 PM.

Zane Seipler, candidate for McHenry County Sheriff, greets Lakewood's Jane Rule before she votes at the Crystal Lake Park District's Main Beach House. Next to Rule is Eileen Marhoeffer, a pillar in the Seipler campaign.

Today, standing out in front of my Crystal Lake Park District Main Beach polling place was McHenry County Sheriff’s candidate Zane Seipler.

With so few people voting, that may not have been a good use of his time, but at least those coming through the gate were pretty sure to be people on the way to vote.

Pre-school kids play soccer in Crystal Lake's Main Beach House where voters from the precinct north and south of the lake regularly voted until the park board banished them to a back room.

Of course, they could have been on the way to pre-school soccer in the room where I dearly wish the Park Board would allow the polling place to be located.

I just can’t understand how elected officials can think that a handful of kids playing soccer is more important than an election.

Where voters are forced to vote if they live north or south of Crystal Lake in Algonquin Township.

Above is the backroom into which voters must go. It does not show that the park board members value the democratic process, does it?

Algonquin Precinct 19 voters line up to cast their ballots in the cramped room where the Crystal Lake Park Board allows two polling places to operate.

While you see the room virtually empty, there were voters lined up at one point to cast their ballots in the cramped facility.

A snowy Meridian Street (Gate 12) on Election Day.

Turnout was low, which would be expected on a snowy day picked deliberately by the Chicago Democrats who set the date in order to keep voter turnout low so Establishment candidates (mainly incumbents) would have the best chance of winning.

Prairie Ridge High School student Taylor Humm is the election judge handling electronic voting. At 10:30 she had only processed five ballots. Four were Republican and one was for a Democrat.

Handling the electronic voting in Algonquin 7 was Prairie Ridge High School student Taylor Humm.

One final word.

Park District employees remove signs about 10 AM from the Main Beach parking lot.

For those candidates who noticed their signs are missing from the Main Beach, above you can see where they went.  Frankly, I do not understand why such signs are not allowed on election day.  I got so angry the first time my candidates’ signs were removed I went to court and got an injunction entered preventing the district’s employees from removing them.  The district does have an ordinance preventing such political signs.

The rumor mill says that Crystal Lake Mayor Aaron Shepley now favors the Viking Dodge site for a pool and community center, so perhaps this graphic by “Heck of a Guy” Crystal Lake blogger Allan Showalter of its fiery demise was in error.

I would say, favors it “again,” but Shepley was not specific as to the location when he spoke  to Crystal Lake seniors January almost a year ago.

Then, Shepley told the seniors that one of the sites was nearby. He was standing in the Senior Services building next to City Hall on Woodstock Street.

“The park district is looking at one near where you are sitting,” Shepley said.

He talked specifically about the old Oak Manufacturing building, where I had my last legislative office.

“The site (the park district is looking most closely at) is a building that is already in place,” the Mayor continued.

“If a pre-existing building, it takes less work (than new construction),” he continued.

I didn’t speculate about Viking Dodge being the location, but in February, the rumor mill was throwing off information pointing in that direction.

That turned out, of course, to be Viking Dodge.

And the Crystal Lake Park District voted to pay $6.3 million for it.

Although, through a Freedom of Information Act request, I discovered Oak Manufacturing’s old facility was in play.

Shepley predicted it would be open within two years after passage of the referendum necessary to finance it–2012.

The city council turned against Viking Dodge in September, primarily for traffic congestion reasons.

Even with an eventual new entrance on Ridgefield Road.  That’s the black line above.

Now the grapevine is saying that the YMCA had decided not to proceed with a new swimming pool, which would have been privately financed, because of the litigation resulting from the deaths of Chicago high schoolers in the. paddle boat accident.

So, I tried to check out the rumor.

I emailed Shepley at his city council address.

It’s been a while since I asked. Certainly time for Shepley to have replied.

Without confirmation the rumor remains a rumor.

Let me know if you can confirm it.

This is the important part of the Crystal Lake Park Board meeting tonight.

After discussing the Crystal Lake City Council’s rejection of the park district’s proposed community center site, they came back into open session and adjourned.

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The picture is what spectators could see through the glass walls of the closed door meeting.

The Crystal Lake Park Board met behind closed doors Thursday night.

Before adjourning, the board made no decision regarding a location for the long talked about community center.

Through Freedom of Information requests, however, McHenry County Blog has learned that two of the properties being considered.

One, previously revealed, is Viking Dodge on Route 176 on the northern edge of town.

The other is the old Oak Manufacturing building at East Crystal Lake Avenue and South Main Street.

Out of contention is the old Cub Food store, which backs up to Vulcan Lakes.

Attending the meeting until nearly the end was Crystal Lake City Engineer Victor Ramirez and traffic engineer Gary Overbay. (Overbay is on the left; Ramirez on the right.)

One could imagine Overbay and Ramirez trying to figure out a way to get traffic into and out of the Viking Dodge property.

Perhaps Ramirez’ knowledge about water mains was also tapped, considering a pool is contemplated.

Present for the entire meeting was real estate broker Mike Deacon.

As you can see, board members continued their discussion after the meeting adjourned at about 10:10 PM. Here you see Richard Sexton, on the left, talking to Mike Walkup, while Angel Collins converses with Candy Reedy (back to camera).

The Crystal Lake Park Board met behind closed doors Thursday night.

Before adjourning, the board made no decision regarding a location for the long talked about community center.

Through Freedom of Information requests, however, McHenry County Blog has learned that two of the properties being considered.

One, previously revealed, is Viking Dodge on Route 176 on the northern edge of town.

The other is the old Oak Manufacturing building at East Crystal Lake Avenue and South Main Street.

Out of contention is the old Cub Food store, which backs up to Vulcan Lakes.

Attending the meeting until nearly the end was Crystal Lake City Engineer Victor Ramirez and traffic engineer Gary Overbay. (Overbay is on the left; Ramirez on the right.)

One could imagine Overbay and Ramirez trying to figure out a way to get traffic into and out of the Viking Dodge property.

Perhaps Ramirez’ knowledge about water mains was also tapped, considering a pool is contemplated.

Present for the entire meeting was real estate broker Mike Deacon.

As you can see, board members continued their discussion after the meeting adjourned at about 10:10 PM. Here you see Richard Sexton, on the left, talking to Mike Walkup, while Angel Collins converses with Candy Reedy (back to camera).

Four to be elected to the Crystal Lake Park Board and only four candidates filed.

They are

• Angel M. Collins
• Jerry P. Sullivan
• Debbie Gallagher
• Michael J. Walkup

Collins was appointed to replace Dave Phelps.

Walkup and Sullivan are elected incumbents.

Gallagher used to be the park district’s top financial person before she retired.

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Mike Walkup is the man on the left above. Jerry Sullivan is on the right. Angel Collins is in the middle.

Four to be elected to the Crystal Lake Park Board and only four candidates filed.

They are

• Angel M. Collins
• Jerry P. Sullivan
• Debbie Gallagher
• Michael J. Walkup

Collins was appointed to replace Dave Phelps.

Walkup and Sullivan are elected incumbents.

Gallagher used to be the park district’s top financial person before she retired.

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Mike Walkup is the man on the left above. Jerry Sullivan is on the right. Angel Collins is in the middle.

This photograph is now two months out of date.

Tonight was expected to be the time for the Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning Commission to hear the aroused neighbors of Ken Bird Park express their displeasure at the Crystal Lake Park Board’s decision to sign a lease with T-Mobile to put a cellular phone tower in the middle of their part.

Here’s the notice of the public hearing, which was originally scheduled for December.

This photo was taken before the date was postponed until January 7th.

Now it’s been postponed until the first Wednesday in February.

This photograph is now two months out of date.

Tonight was expected to be the time for the Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning Commission to hear the aroused neighbors of Ken Bird Park express their displeasure at the Crystal Lake Park Board’s decision to sign a lease with T-Mobile to put a cellular phone tower in the middle of their part.

Here’s the notice of the public hearing, which was originally scheduled for December.

This photo was taken before the date was postponed until January 7th.

Now it’s been postponed until the first Wednesday in February.

Having served in public office for 20 years, I can attest that there is an invisible line between an elected official and his or her electorate.

The problem is that the public official does not know where that line is.

But, once crossed, hind sight, as they say, is 20-20.

Approving a cellular phone tower for T-Mobile with room for a second company to piggy-back another set of aerials, was an invisible line between the Crystal Lake Park Board and neighbors of Ken Bird Park that breached the invisible line.

“I screwed up,” was the way Commissioner Mike Walkup put it.

Most of the board seems to understand that, even if some still thought they had made the correct decision made the audience aware of that by defending the decision.

But knowing they had at minimum made the mistake of not letting the Ken Bird Park neighborhood know what might happen ahead of T-Mobile contract signing time was the reason the park board delayed the Crystal Lake zoning hearing for a month.

They figured they better give the outraged citizenry a chance to vent.

And, vent they did.

There weren’t quite as many people in the board room as there had been for the Gay Games request to usurp Crystal Lake on one of the best summer weekend days, but it was the second-biggest crowd I have seen.

I’ll try to get to the details this weekend.

Let me give my impressions today.

T-Mobile really wants this site.

The Illinois corporate lobbyist Mark Wilson attended and spoke to the gathered throng.

Before you ask, he was safe.

No one brought pitchforks or torches.

But they did bring T-Mobile web site sales material that said Crystal Lake had no reception problem.

Hired guy Mike Howley couldn’t respond adequately to that seeming contradiction to the avowed need that led to T-Mobile’s approaching the park board in the first place to build the half million dollar tower.

The neighbors are intensely opposed to the visual pollution of their park.

As Lisa Ryan put it,

“I know where these (T-Mobile) people are coming from. What I don’t understand is (where you board members are coming from?)

“(I cannot understand) how having a cell tower, that kind of a grotesque structure in a very small park is really not in the best interest of the park district community.”

This is the kind of woman that park board members up for re-election better hope doesn’t decide to run against them.

And testimony from two women about the health hazards (and by that they meant deaths) in the family and among friends who lived near cell towers and high tension electric wires was so intense and emotional that it could not help but counter the “no health problem” testimony of Ph.D. Jerry Bushberg whom T-Mobile brought in.

Shelly Lentine, who brought her five children to the meeting radiated sincerity when she told of her uncle and cousin having died of cancer and another cousin suffering from cancer.

“They lived 200 feet from two cell towers,” she said.

The closest homes to the proposed cell tower are 181 feet away.

“This doesn’t affect any of you.

“Can you guarantee that this won’t cause (my children) cancer?”

Shelly Davidson, a two time cancer survivor, spoke of growing up in a neighborhood with high power lines and she listed her area friends and the ages they died of cancer. She pointed to a study that said there was a connection.

“It took 30 years. Those concerns were brought up early and people said, ‘I don’t think so.’

Looking at the park commissioners, she said,

“(This is) what I want you to think about:

“Is the health of our children for sale?

“The answer is, ‘No!’

“I don’t want any of those (Ken Bird Park neighborhood) kids to come back some day and say, ‘Who signed that contract?’”

So, having stepped over the invisible line and firmly gripped the T-Mobile tar baby, what can the park board do to cleanse itself.

The board has signed a contract on behalf of the taxpayers of the park district.

There are potential penalties if the park board breaks the contract.

That was made clear.

So, about all the park board members can do is hope that the Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning Commission has enough solvent to let them slip away from the tar baby.

One of the commissioners, Carolyn Schofield, attended most of the meeting and stayed until the end. She ran for city council two years ago, so that puts another element into play.

People can pass petitions for local governments like park board, city council, school board and township office right now.

What if the Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning folks approve the special use permit being jointly requested by the park district and T-Mobile, but Schofield votes, “No?”

She and any other reasonable person could argue that this type of skyline pollution is not appropriate for a city park. A candidate could win just by doing the right thing, which is all several members of the neighborhood asked park board members to do.

What if she runs for city council again? Three such commissioners ran two years ago and one was elected.

That means the three city council incumbents, if they are running for re-election, would create a ready-made issue should they vote in favor of T-Mobile.

A planning and zoning commissioner in opposition to T-Mobile and a candidate for city council could mobilize enough door-to-door campaigners to oppose anyone who voted in favor of the special use permit to cover Crystal Lake. I base that conclusion on the way non-Crystal Lake residents northwest of Crystal Lake mobilized to support Crystal Lake city council candidates who pledged not to zone a gravel pit near their subdivision.

And, should candidates pop up to oppose incumbent park board members up for re-election, those who have allies on the planning and zoning board and/or the city council could secretly encourage their political allies to get rid of the T-Mobile tar baby in order to make their re-election or election campaigns less of a trial.

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Photos are put next to the people’s names in the story. The only relative close-up with an unidentified person is the woman to the left in the bottom photo. The woman to the right whom I caught blinking her eyes is Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning Commissioner Carolyn Schofield.