McHenry County Blog

With a wish fulfillment that newly-elected Grafton Township Supervisor Linda Moore would go poof and disappear in the night in the Huntley Park District meeting room last night being unattainable, the other four members of the township board decided to do the next best thing.

Watercolor of $3.5 million Grafton Township Hall the majority of the township board tried to build without adequate notice to the taxapyers. Linda Moore was party to the suit that stopped expenditures before she became township supervisor, basing her campaign on opposition to the proposal.

To punish the person they blame for derailing their new $3.5 million township hall, they voted to hire a township administrator, a post unheard of in McHenry County, but apparently common in patronage-ridden Cook County Townships seeking ways to justify their existence.

The trustees’ minds were obviously made up before the meeting began.

As Trustee Gerry McMahon pointed out to Moore after LaPorta had taken the high road by vowing the township was going to “follow best practices,”

“There are going to be a lot of changes. Get used to it!”

At the annual Grafton Township meeting, Huntley Village Trustee Pam Fender was standing to the left of the trustees (in the photo, a bit to the right of the 20 MPH sign) voting with them to approve a new $3.5 million ($5 milion with interest) township hall. (Click to enlarge.)

The perfunctory discussion of the need for such an employee to effectively replace the township supervisor and the presence of the person being hired—political ally and Huntley Village Trustee Pam Fender—in the audience is evidence of the choreographed nature of the meeting.

In the next to the back row, Huntley Village Trustee Pam Fender waited to be hired as Grafton Township Administrator, akin to a city manager, with her male supporters beside and behind her.

The cost of the action to taxpayers taken by the four Grafton Township Trustees will be in the $50,000 range once family health benefits are added to the $35,000 salary.

LaPorta pointed out that the compensation “was about half what other townships pay their administrators.”

Linda Moore’s reaction:

“It’s another waste of taxpayers’ dollars. No township of similar size or in McHenry County has seen a need to spend money for this purposed.”

Led by Rob LaPorta, he, Barb Murphy, Betty Zirk and Gerry McMahon voted as a bloc to hire the Fender, who told McHenry County Blog she is a decorator and contractor as well as village trustee.

When asked, she said she considered this a full-time job.

Asked whether she would run for township supervisor, a rumor about town, Fender replied, “I have no idea at all.”

Ancel Glick attorney Keri-LynKrafterfer offers explanation of other townships, none in McHenry County, that have hired adminstrators.

No job description was available and there was not evidence that anyone else had been considered for the position.

LaPorta turned to Ancel Glick attorney Keri-Lyn Krafterfer for help in explaining what a township administrator would do and other townships who had them.

“Counselor, explain what other townships do,”

LaPorta asked.

“They serve the equivalent function of a city manager,” Krafterfer replied. She then added that an administrator could

• order the thank you plaque for the just-resigned Township Clerk Dina Frigo,
• get bids for surety bonds for trustees whom the board majority wants to countersign all checks and issue them, if Moore refuses to do so within a specified time,
• “do whatever,
• recreation programs,
• transportation services,
• health,
• youth,
• day-to-day” management,
• “assemble the board packets,
• all the things that go into the day-to-day running of the township.”

When pressed for other townships that have administrators, Krafterfer cited

• Palatine (112,740 population found here)
• Orland (91,418)
• Elk Grove (94,969)

“There’s dozens of others. It’s very common.”

Grafton Township had 45,427 people as of 2007.

After that brief description that most people would think contains the duties of a township supervisor, LaPorta said,

Dan Ziller, Sr., and Dan Ziller, Jr., leave Grafton Township meeting after the board selects Pam Fender to take over Supervisor Linda Moore's duties. Dan Ziller, Jr., was the lead plaintiff in the suit that stopped the building of the new township hall and required a referendum on the subject in November.

“I would like to nominate somebody this evening to provide the best services to the township… Pam Fender.”

She had “significant government and leadership background, has a proven history of getting things done for the community…in a timely fashion.”

Dan Ziller, Sr., and Jr., strong supporters of Moore began expressing their displeasure.

“If you can’t keep quiet, I’m going to ask you to leave,” LaPorta said.

After a few more words, the two walked out the door.

“We need to diminish your troublesome conduct,” McMahon next said to Moore. “You’re not doing a good job for the township. It’s as simple as that.”

Huntley Village Trustee Pam Fender makes presentation to the Grafton Township Board after Rob LaPorta made a motion to hire her for $35,000, plus health and other benefits, to become Township Administrator.

Fender then made a presentation including, “I would like to serve the whole of Grafton Township.”

Moore asked Fender,

“When the Village of Huntley hires someone do they hire a friend or the best qualified person?”

but received no satisfaction.

McMahon yet again aimed his ire at Moore by stating to 11-year resident Fender,

“We want you to be a good public relations person. You’re working for the board.”

Fender’s start date is Tuesday. Yet unsettled is where her office will be, but Trustee Zirk thought it ought to be near the front door in the same office as Moore.

Although no job description was available at the meeting, the attorney said,

“We’ll get a job description.”

Neither Barb Murphy nor Zirk had questions for Fender.

Gerry McMahon

Linda Moore

The hiring came after a another bill of particulars of things Moore had done wrong leading up to a second censure resolution.

Displeasure over the roll Moore played in killing the township hall was evident periodically throughout the meeting.

“We’d have our own building…”

Rob LaPorta, the leader of the four trustees whose goal is to freeze Linda Moore out of township affairs.

Gerry McMahon said at the end of the meeting before being interrupted by Rob LaPorta, who said,

“Gerry don’t go there,”

as a lease requested by the Huntley Park District was discussed before being assigned to Fender for investigation.

Earlier McMahon strayed from the script by saying,

“We could have had our own building and been in it by now,”

adding, “That’s satire,” after Moore explained that the park district had expressed displeasure with the township board’s late meetings.  (This one ended after 11.)

The meeting was calmer than the one Moore posted, first on the township web site, then on her own after outraged township trustees order them removed.

I only watched the first part of the meeting, but it must have been a doozy because when Loretta Wuich complained about the way she was treated, LaPorta offered an apology for not acting the way he does in other circumstances.

All the officials are Republican.

Getting rid of the deals that went down to build a new town hall on Haligus Road without a referendum was the primary campaign promise that propelled challenger Linda Moore to a 30-vote Republican primary victory over Grafton Township Supervisor John Rossi.

The message was

“What is someone put a second mortgage on your home…without asking your permission?

“Your Grafton Township Supervisor and his township trustees have done something very close to that.

“Borrowing $3.5 million to build a new township hall without voter approval…in the middle of a recession…while spending less than $17,000 last year helping people in need with General Assistance…is bad government.

“You will have to pay that $3.5 million – PLUS interest – back with your property taxes.

“If you want an elected official who will ask your opinion before you are put into debt

“Vote for Linda Moore for Grafton Township Supervisor”

Put on a yard sign, the message was

NO TAXATION WITHOUT REFERENDUM

A court case led by Dan Ziller, Jr., in which Moore was a co-plaintiff forced to repayment of a $3.5 million township loan intended to pay for most of that building.  Judge Michael Caldwell made the decision.

(Ziller ran an unsuccessful write-in campaign for township trustee in which he emphasized the $3.5 million loan on his yard signs.)

It also forced a voter referendum on whether to borrow $3.5 million to build a new township hall.

Another $611,000 was raised by selling the current town hall to the to the Township Road District. Moore said last night that transaction did not end up in the minutes.

(Two different legal entities were created by the General Assembly resulting from township road commissioners wanting less oversight from township boards.)

In any event, the township hall is now controlled by the Road Commissioner Jack Freund. He has to be repaid over $611,000. He was planning to do so by charging the Town Fund rent, plus kicking in the difference from Road Fund taxes. The township board even paid a $66,000 commission on the transaction to McHenry County Board member Marc Munaretto.

When I left the Grafton Township meeting last night, the board was hiding behind closed doors so the public could not hear what its members were saying or what the two lawyers present were advising.

Newly-elected Township Supervisor Linda Moore had not fared well earlier, as she had been advised that her 7 PM meeting had been improperly posted and the 7:30 meeting, which has also been improperly, but not fatally wrongly posted, had gone according to the majority bloc of four trustees plans.

But when the doors at the Huntley Park District opened, the board took action to “unwind” the loan Grafton Township took out to buy its own township hall (after taxpayers had already paid for it once).

Only Moore’s erstwhile running mate Gerry McMahon voted against

When the vote was taken, Moore wasn’t the lonely girl that she was before going in

So, what happened?

“We were informed by the township attorney that the way things were done were not in accordance with the law,” Moore told me, “and it left the township open to suit.“In order to avoid further legal expenses, four of the five members of the board voted in favor of Barb Murphy’s motion to unwind the selling of the township property to the Road District.”

At the October board meeting Trustee Barbara Murphy signaled her desire to undo the Town Hall loan:

“My own opinion—I say we do the unwind. Put it all back to where it was and start from scratch.“Frankly, in my own opinion, I’m tired of this garbage.“I’m tired of it.

“I’m tired of it. (I want it done.)”

An all-female panel of Illinois’ Second Appellate Court ruled today that McHenry County Circuit Court Judge Michael Caldwell was right when stopped the building of a new Grafton Township Hall which was approved without public notice or vote by Supervisor John Rossi and his four-member township board.

In the too little, too late category was a September 17th letter from the four Grafton Township trustees’ attorney, Jim Kelly, offering to settle the suit in exchange for next year’s fall referendum on the subject.

Grafton Township taxpayers Dan Ziller, Richard and Tamera Lueth, Tom Halat, Frank Kearns and Township Supervisor candidate Linda Moore filed the original suit.  Moore withdrew from the suit when she was sworn into office.

Justice Ann Jorgensen delivered the opinion with Justices Susan Hutchison and Mary Seminara-Schostok concurring.

Jorgensen and Seminara-Schostok were in Crystal Lake recently attending the Nunda Township Republican Picnic.  They are both appointed justices running for their first ten-year term. 

Justice Susan Hutchison is a resident of Crystal Lake. 

Crystal Lake attorney Jim Bishop represented the winning side.
= = = = =
The photo is from the Nunda Township Republican Picnic.  You see McHenry County Republican Party Chairman and State Rep. Mike Tryon posing with Jorgensen and Schostok.

A fight has been between Republicans who want to borrow about $5 million to build and finance a new Grafton Township Hall on Haligus Road in Lake in the Hills and those who don’t.

On the one side was insurgent Grafton Township Supervisor candidate Linda Moore versus incumbent Township Supervisor John Rossi.

Moore won the Republican primary by 30 votes, using the argument that taxpayers should be allowed to vote on whether to put themselves in debt for a new township building.

In July, after pretty much all the fireworks were over, the Northwest Herald editorialized against a new town hall. (Lots of links to what happened during the fight–the township meeting with its tie vote, the court case, etc.–in the link in the preceding sentence.)

February 26th citizens including Dan Ziller, Jr., filed a petition with Grafton Township Clerk Dina Frigo requesting a referendum on the township hall issue.

The question was

“Shall Grafton Township borrow in excess of Three Millions ($3,000,000.00) dollars to build a township hall and issue bonds for the building?”

The cost is probably $3.5 million to construct the building, plus another $1.5 million or so for financing, but you and voters will get the idea.

Finally, Frigo has filed the petitions with McHenry County Clerk Kathie Schultz.

The referendum will be on the ballot November 2, 2010.

Assuming that township building proponents (all the township board, except Moore) are willing to wait for the results of the citizen vote and abide by those results, healing can begin within the Republican Party and citizenry in Grafton Township.

Those who passed the petition can be seen above. From left to right, they are Frank Kearns, Dan Ziller, Jr., Tom Halat, Tammy Lueth and Rick Lueth

= = = = =
The top photo is of Grafton Township Supervisor candidate Linda Moore at the Huntley Home and Business Expo.

The bottom photo shows the Grafton Township Trustees voting at the annual township meeting to approve the construction of a new township hall.

Back in late February Dan Ziller, Jr., put signs up in Crystal Lake and elsewhere in support of his write-in candidacy for the Grafton Township Board.

On the bottom of the signs was

Before that, on January 26th, township supervisor challenger Linda Moore surfaced her opposition to the $3.5 million new township building.

Moore made a mailing I posted on February 9th asking

In all, there have been 39 McHenry County Blog articles mentioning the proposed $3.5 million town hall.

Today, when I opened up my Northwest Herald, I saw its editorial’s headline:

Of course, earlier this week Moore and Ziller won their battle to get rid of the loan that Judge Michael Caldwell ruled had been approved with inadequate public notice.

It cost the taxpayers bundles of money. And it cost those who sued Grafton Township to stop the trustees from proceeding with the building thousands, too.

The editorial mentions that Moore would like a referendum, concluding that the need for a new building is “frivolous at best,” while hinting the paper would editorialize against any such referendum.

None of the trustees, of course, favor holding a referendum, because they think it would be defeated.

They don’t accept the 30-vote margin that defeated incumbent Township Supervisor John Rossi as a proxy for a referendum.

Then, the editorial notes that Grafton Township homeowners are overtaxed.

For an explanation of why, click here.

Ziller lost his write-in attempt, but he won the policy battle.

At least so far.

No one ever said that Democracy was supposed to be neat and tidy and Tuesday night’s annual Grafton Town meeting certainly was messy.

The Huntley Police were in an adjacent parking lot just in case there was more trouble than the Town Moderator could handle.

The small parking lot was quickly filled, so people parked along neighboring roads and parking lots. Note the township’s senior van unloading electors.

They walked to the township garage under rolling clouds near sunset.

There were lines outside the township garage as people waited to verify their residency.

The meeting was standing room only.

There were only 103 chairs. Clerk Dina Frigo prepared 75 copies of the minutes and the agenda. Frigo is seen on the left counting votes for the meeting moderator.

McHenry County Board member Scott Breeden, who previously served as Lakewood Village President and President of the Crystal Lake Park Board, beat out Lake in the Hills Trustee Steven Harlfinger 78-46.

Clerk Frigo sworn Breeden in.

Then, the fun began.

The minutes were read in full. Frigo apparently had not posted draft minutes of last April’s town meeting on the township web site, but agreed to do so this year within two weeks after complaints on lack of transparency on the part of township officials.

Last year’s moderator Terry Hoeft asked that they be corrected to read that a Planning and Visioning Committee be appointed and convened “prior to construction.”

The committee was never appointed by the township board.

Dan Ziller, Sr., then moved that all electors “have a right to speak and vote on every item on the agenda. The motion passed.

Don Glogovsky, a running mate to newly-elected Township Supervisor Linda Moore who came in sixth out of six candidates, made a motion that “the public be informed of all costs involved before any decision is made by the board.”

The motion passed.

Jerry Berquist objected strenuously to not knowing the public had a right to vote at the town meeting.

“I’ve lived here ten years and didn’t know that,” he said, explaining he would have urged his neighbors to attend had he know.

He referred to “a certain group,” who had urged people to attend the meeting. He supported the new building, so I guess he was talking about the opponents.

At that point Huntley’s Randall Hart moved to adjourn the meeting. That motion failed.

Then, it was on to item G on the agenda on a motion:

Should Grafton Township construct an office building on real estate purchased by the township on Haligus road in Lake in the Hills, Illinois?

Don Bond started off the discussion by pointing out that in addition to the $3.5 million that township officials always said the new building would cost, there was interest to be paid. He calculated it to be $1.9 million, bringing the cost to $5.4 million.

Township Trustee Betty Zirk then took the floor in front of the proposed building’s floor plan and rendition.

She began by explaining that the meeting had to be held in the township garage because the Huntley Park District “make us quit at 9 o’clock.”

“The park district told me we could stay as long as we needed to,” Dan Ziller, Jr., interjected.

“The bids are out and it’s coming in $200,000 less than the $3.5 million,” she explained.

She pointed out that “half of that garage we’re going to put the food pantry in.

She revealed they had already spent $99,600 on purchasing the land from the Village of Lake in the Hills.

“Wasn’t it supposed to be donated?” someone asked.

Zirk told the audience that LITH trustees didn’t think it was “fair to their people” to give away the land, so the township bought it.

As a trade-off the village trustees agreed to limit fees to $12,500 for sewer.

Dan Ziller, Jr., then pointed out that the land contract had a clause allowing the township to return the land and get its money back.

Bond then expressed his frustration that Zirk had not mentioned the interest on the $3.35 million that had been borrowed.

“They don’t want to talk about what the interest is,” he said.

“What are you going to do if you don’t build this building?” a woman asked.

Dan Bristol Shaw observed that the board got permission in 2006.

“You should have been there two years ago!”

A lady read part of the statutes that said before townships could issue bonds the public had to approve them at a referendum (60ILCS1/140-5).

“We’re not talking about a bond,” Gerry McMahon, the running mate of Linda Moore who won the Republican nomination by beating out incumbent Lois Brothers, said in rebuttal.

“You can either have a referendum upfront or one in reverse,” incoming Township Supervisor Linda Moore said.

Then came the vote. First those in favor of approving building a new town hall.

Next, those opposed.

There seemed to be some confusion at the head table.

“It’s very close,” Moderator Breeden announced.

The “No” votes were counted again.

And, maybe again.

Finally, Breeden announced,

The vote was 70-70.

People wondered why the “No” votes were counted more than one time, but the “Yes” votes only once.

“When we counted the ‘Yes’ votes, we both agreed. When we counted the ‘No’ votes, we didn’t agree, so we counted until we did,” Breeden explained.

Since tie votes fail, Breeden declared the motion lost.

Let’s look at the language again:

Should Grafton Township construct an office building on real estate purchased by the township on Haligus road in Lake in the Hills, Illinois?

Don Glogovsky then moved that the issue be put on the ballot.

Agreeing with Trustee Betty Zirk, Breeden pointed out that such a question could be discussed but not voted upon, because it was not on the agenda.

Then, it was on to the second major question:

Should Grafton Township enter into construction contracts for the construction of a Town Hall on Haligus Road in Lake in the Hills?

This motion passed 70-64.

Some of the opponents had obviously left after the first vote.

“How are we going to spend money on a building we haven’t approved?”one woman asked.

“It sounds like we’re going to have to depend on this tremendous board,” Breeden said pointing to his right where the incumbent trustees were standing.

Crystal Lake’s Peter Hoffmann, sitting across the aisle from me, took an active part in the meeting.

When the discussion got to rescinding the contracts that had already been let, it was revealed that they amounted to $285,000.

“We can cut out losses,” Hoffmann said. “If we rescind these contracts, we can stop squandering money.

“If we defeat the contracts we’ll be cutting back at the cost of (maybe) $5 million.”

The motion to kill the contracts was defeated 72-61.

After that the meeting seemed to lose steam. It was about ten.

Motions about how much money should be spent and whether the township should rent space to the Grafton Township Food Pantry were tabled without strenuous objection.

The meeting was adjourned.

As I left the garage, the township’s senior bus was loading up the votes that allowed supporters of the new township hall to tie the first vote and carry the day on the others.

Dan Ziller, Jr., a write-in campaign for Grafton Township Trustee against four candidates nominated in the first Republican Party primary election, ramped up his campaign Sunday.

First there were yard signs.

Then there was a telephone survey asking whether residents favor a new township hall and whether they want a chance to vote on it in a referendum.

Next, there was a post card asking for a write-in vote.

Now, Tom Halat has bought a half-page ad in the Northwest Herald on his behalf.

It’s split into two parts.

The left hand side is headlined,

Beneath is the following text:

The current Trustees and Supervisor of Grafton Township are not representing the voters. The Trustees have voted to build a new Township Hall in excess of $3.5 million. Their only reasoning is to improve senior transportation and the food pantry. But, in fact, the food pantry is a 501c, a separate non-profit organization. It’s not even a part of Grafton Township any more. But the Trustees are using this in defense. The food pantry is presently only open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 1:00 p.m. To 4:00 and that suffices in these difficult times.

For four years their monthly meetings and annual meeting have been held at the Park District with ample room for the public. Now when this great issue has been revealed, they are having the annual meeting at the township garage, with less than adequate space. How childish and inconsiderate the trustees are to the voters to prove a point they need more room.

On April 7th we will elect a new Supervisor, Linda Moore. Let us help her with a trustee we can actually trust, Dan Ziller Jr. He has been monitoring the board’s past activities. Dan has some common sense solutions. Dan Ziller Jr. is a write-in candidate for Grafton Township Trustee. Please write in Dan Ziller Jr. as Trustee for Grafton Township. Also, come to the annual meeting of Grafton Township on April 14th to oppose the spending of $3.5 million for the new township hall.

Paid for by Tom Halat in support of Dan Ziller Jr.,
a write-in candidate for Grafton Township Trustee

On the right hand side is a flag-bedecked message with larger print.

WRITE IN
GRAFTON
TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE
“DAN ZILLER, JR.’

VOTE “NO” AGAINST THE PROPOSED
$3.5 MILLION DOLLAR TOWNSHIP HALL

APRIL 7, 2009

Dan has led the fight opposing the construction of the new “town hall”. But he cannot continue without your support at the ballot box. In order to have the best chance of controlling the Grafton Township Board of Trustees, write in “DAN ZILLER, JR” at the April 7 election. BE SURE TO VOTE!!!

WRITE IN—DAN ZILLER, JR.

Dan supports Linda Moore, the unopposed candidate for Township Supervisor who favors a referendum before the Township spends $3.5M for a “town hall”.

Please attend the ANNUAL MEETING OF GRAFTON TOWNSHIP Electors, Tuesday, April 14, 2009, 7 pm, at the Grafton Township Offices, 10109 Vine Street, Huntley.

FILL IN CIRCLE WRITE IN

DAN ZILLER, JR.

Paid for by Tom Halat in support of Dan Ziller Jr.,
a write-in candidate for Grafton Township Trustee

You can read a comprehensive article on McHenry County’s six write-in candidates this year here.

There are six people who figured out sixty days before the election that they could run a write-in campaign and registered such an intention with the county clerk. That’s what a new state law requires.

Two of the six write-in contests are sure winners.

Jeff Mason has filed to run as a write-in candidate for the Crystal Lake Grade School District. Two people are running and three seats are available. With one, vote Mason will elect himself.

Similarly, Stacy Iwanicki, a write-in candidate for the Rural Woodstock Public Library District, will get elected because there are three 6-year seats and only two candidates on the ballot. That’s assuming she votes for herself.

As mentioned in a previous article, Dan Ziller, Jr., is running an independent campaign against the four township trustee candidates nominated at the Republican primary election.

He has a real campaign with a phone call survey campaign and, late this week, a post card based on his opposition to the $3.5 million township hall pushed by John Rossi and the incumbent township trustees. Rossi was narrowly defeated by Linda Moore, largely on her opposition to the new township hall.

You can see the post card here. Click to enlarge.

Ziller has a real campaign. Look at his endorsements:

• Mayor Chuck Sass, President of the Village of Huntley
• Paul Mercer, Huntley Village Trustee
• Niko Kanakaris, Village of Huntley Trustee
• Scott Breeden, McHenry County Board Member
• Mary McCann, McHenry County Board Member

But let me point out that Chicago Sun-Times political reporter Lynn Sweet said my 2002 campaign for governor against Rod Blagojevich and Jim Ryan was “a real campaign.”

That got me 2% of the vote and I was on the ballot.

The same problem of a write-in running against people on the ballot faces Greenwood Township Road Commissioner candidate Tom Borta.

From looking at signs throughout Greenwood Township, I can tell you he has a “real campaign.” Besides this homemade one, there are professionally printed yard signs.

But Borta has three opponents on the ballot:

• Tom Ganka
• Donald Goad
• Thomas Wise

They also have “real campaigns.”

There are two write-in candidacies in the hotly contested Island Lake village election. Former village trustee Sally Fleissner is running for mayor against John Ponio and Debbie Herrmann. Both are village trustees. Herrmann is an ally of outgoing Mayor Tom Hyde. Ponio has been one of Hyde’s strongest critics. David Meeks is running for trustee against six others who are on the ballot. I don’t know what kind of a campaign the write-ins are waging, but the two factions have full slates on the ballot and seem likely to wipe out the write-ins.

I will repeat, for a write-in to run against someone on the ballot is almost unheard of.

The story of the most famous McHenry County write-in victory, that of Algonquin Township Assessor Forrest B. Hare’s 1973 re-election victory, is contained in these two articles:

To Let People Vote in Township Primaries or Not – Part 1

To Let People Vote in Township Primaries or Not – Part 2

The candidates nominated in the Grafton Township Republican primary election don’t have any opposition on the ballot, but Dan Ziller, Jr., is running one of the more high profile write-in candidacies in recent memory.

Early last week, there was an automated telephone survey asking Grafton Township residents if they favored building a new $3.5 million township building.

A second question asked if people wanted an opportunity to vote on the issue in a referendum.

Only after the two questions, did listeners learn that the robo-calls were connected to a write-in campaign for township trustee for Dan Ziller, Jr.

You may remember that Linda Moore based her campaign to oust Supervisor John Rossi on her opposition to that proposal.

Rossi has not used his control of the issue on the current township board to push the issue.

Across from the Lakewood Village Hall, I found the sign you see here.

It says,

Not a bad sign, in fact, an excellent color choice for a snowy background, but Grafton Township is a big one. It will take a lot of signs to get the message across.

I have observed only one successful write-in campaign in my political life.

It was Algonquin Township Assessor Forrest Hare’s re-election campaign in 1973. He had been ousted (of maybe not, because no recount was allowed) by 3 votes in a township caucus in which the exhausted judges finished counting paper ballots in mid-morning darkness. Hare won the write-in with about 60% of the vote in an intensively organized campaign and radio support virtually every weekday from WIVS-AM talk show host Mal Bellairs, who incensed that the Algonquin Township Republican Central Committee would not allow a recount.

The details are contained in these articles:

To Let People Vote in Township Primaries or Not – Part 1

To Let People Vote in Township Primaries or Not – Part 2

It should be noted that none of the Democrats running for Algonquin or Nunda Township office were nominated at the ballot box. All were picked in party caucuses on one of the coldest nights of the winter.