McHenry County Blog

This Algonquin Township Precinct Map can be enlarged by clicking on it.

Republican State Rep. candidate Dave McSweeney’s overwhelming victory did not seem to suffer from the precincts in Algonquin and Nunda Township without Republican Precinct Committeemen.

So much for my hypothesis, posted on August 27th.

At that point, I looked at Algonquin Township precincts in McSweeney’s district that were unmanned.

It’s worth looking at them again, because only one new appointment has been made (Melissa Sanchez in Algonquin 61, part of which is in the McSweeney district).

And, because where most of the precincts are empty, Democrat Nick Chirikos beat Republican Bob Bless for a District 1 McHenry County Board seat.

With township elections coming up in April, the Democrats may figure out that some people with Chirikos’ energy could pick off some Algonquin Township Trustees or maybe even the Supervisor’s slot if they ran a campaign to abolish township government against people whose primary reason for running might be interpreted to be increasing a government pension.

Algonquin Township Precinct Committeemen and Vacancies in Dave McSweeney’s District

• 1 – None
• pt of 2 – Kenneth (Ken) D. Koehler
• 3 – Michael E. Barnas
• 4 – Andrew Gasser
• 5 – Charles A. Lutzow, Jr
• 6 – Anne Majewski (Appt 3/29/12)
• 8 – Neils Kruse
• 9 – Dan Shea
• pt of 10 – Aaron T. Shepley
• 12 – Raymond G. Chisholm
• 14 – None
• pt of 15 – Thomas Kantner (Appt 3/29/12)
• 16 – Lou Anne Majewski
• 17 – David W. Miller
• 18 – Mary Cardelli
• 20 – None
• 21 – None
• 22 – Lowell A. Cutsforth
• 23 – Anna May Miller (Appt 3/29/12)
• 29 – None
• 30 – Riley Quinlan
• 31 – None
• 32 – None
• 33 – Sean Murphy
• 34 – Joseph Powalowski (Appt 3/29/12)
• pt of 35 – None
• 39 – None
• 40 – Mallory A. Rosencrans
• 41 – None
• pt of 43 – None
• 44 – Patrick Colcernian
• 45 – Sharon Ann Meroni
• 46 – Kathleen R. DeRaedt
• 47 – Rebecca M. Lee
• 48 – Timothy J Corr (Appt 3/29/12)
• 49 – Demetrios Pete Tsilimigras
• 50 – Linda (Lyn) Orphal
• 55 – Derek Lee (Appt 3/29/12)
• 56 – Eugene F. Sittinger
• 59 – None
• 60 – None
• pt of 61 – Melissa Sanchez
• 64 – None
• 65 – Eleni K. Markos Tsilimigras (appt 5/26/12)
• 67 – Robert Miller (Appt 3/29/12)

There are also empty precincts in the Mike Tryon state representative district.

One example of the people not meeting somebody’s “muster” is former multi-term Crystal Lake City Councilman David Goss.  One can only wonder why this seasoned political campaigner is thought to be inadequate to be a Republican Precinct Committeeman.

Proving that Committeemen can be appointed–even a week before an election–is the appearance of Larry Emery’s name as the appointed Committeeman for Algonquin 61.

Just to complete the picture, here are the

Precinct Committeemen and Vacancies in Tryon’s part of Algonquin Township

• 11 – None
• 13 – Rita M. Heuel
• pt of 15 – Thomas Kantner (Appt 3/29/12)
• 24 – Bryan Javor (Appt 7/23/12)
• 25 – Thomas P. McDermott
• 26 – None
• 27 – None
• 28 – George Jost (Appt 5/2/12)
• pt of 35 – None
• 36 – Michael W Tryon
• 37 – Jake Justen
• 38 – None
• 42 – Cameron Hubbard
• pt of 43 – None
• 51 – Eileen I. Marhoefer
• 52 – John A Collins (Appt 3/29/12)
• 53 – James Thompson (Appt 3/29/12)Nn
• 54 – None
• 57 – Robert M. Abraham
• 58 – None
• pt of 61- Melissa Sanchez (Appt 10-18-12)
• 62 – None
• 63 – None
• 66 – Larry Emery (Appt 10/30/12)
• 68 – None

And to round it out, here are the

Precinct Committeemen in State Representative-Elect Barb Wheeler’s District

• pt of 2 – Ken Koehler
• 7 – Cal Skinner, Jr.
• pt of 10 – Aaron Shepley
• 19 – Joe Stecker

After finding Larry Emery was appointed in Algonquin 61 on October 30th, I started looking at the list on the County Clerk’s web site and discovered that Allan Lampert was appointed the same day in Grafton 14.

Jeff Thirtyacre

Below are the people who have filed to run write-in campaigns in McHenry County:

For public officer there are two Democrats:

• John Joseph Polachek  – United States President [Polachek did not filed a copy, not an original document, so there will not be a write-in spot for President on the ballot]
• Jeff S. Thirtyacre -  64th District Representative

Polackek isn’t local.  He is from Chicago.  The link to Thirtyacre has his background.  He will have to obtain 500 votes to appear on the fall ballot against Republican Barb Wheeler.

For Republican Precinct Committeeman, there are six:

Dave Goss

• Cynthia Allen Schenk – Marengo 3
• Michael Clarke – Chemung 3
• Donald J. Drzal -  Grafton 18
• Mark Widhalm – McHenry 3
• David Goss – Algonquin 38
• Sharon Ann Meroni – Algonquin 45
• Kenneth Poling -  Algonquin 54

Cynthia Allen Schenk was an unsuccessful candidate for the Marengo Grade School Board last year.

Michael Clarke is a newly-elected Alderman in Harvard.  “I was the only city council member who voted against raising Harvard’s property tax levy,” he told me.

Donald J. Drzal is on Huntley’s District 158 School Board.  He was aligned with the Grafton Township Trustees at the Annual Meeting two years ago, I found when I ran a search of his name in past McHenry County Blog articles.

Mark Widhalm is running on the Ron Paul slate for Delegate to the National Convention.

Dave Goss is a former Crystal Lake City Councilman who now serves on the city’s Planning and Zoning Board.

Sharon Ann Meroni runs Defend the Vote, an organization that seems to be a lineal descendent of Operation LEAP (Legal Elections in All Precincts)  and filed an objection to President Barack Obama’s petitions.

Ken Poling was active in politics in Michigan before moving to Crystal Lake.

For Democratic Precinct Committeeman, there are three:

• Robert S. Jackson – Dorr 8
• Barbara Bovinet – McHenry 14
• Sandra Bartholmey – Algonquin 10

Richard S. Jackson

Barbara Bovinet

Robert S. Jackson of Woodstock was an unsuccessful candidate for the McHenry County College Board
last year.

Change.org reports that Barbara Bovinet’s interests line in human rights and criminal justice from the petitions she has signed.

Front page news on both of Chicago’s papers today was the Cook County Board’s vote to phase out its hefty sales tax under the now out-of-office Todd Stroger.

After a contentious election in which repeal of the Cook County sales tax increase was a major issue, the Cook County Board has voted to phase it out.

The Crystal Lake City Council’s March, 2008, 75% city sales tax increase went into effect the same day as Cook County’s, July 1, 2008.

But there has been no pressure to repeal it.

Unlike in Cook County, there was no local Chicago Tribune beating the drums for repeal. The Northwest Herald did not even run a story the day the tax took effect

And it certainly did not run a campaign similar to the Tribune’s in which every day readers were reminded of the tax hike.

Those on the council who voted to impose the 75% city sales tax have no opposition this year.

Mayor Aaron Shepley has no opponent.

I am sure he has concluded that people in Crystal Lake just don’t care. A justifiable political conclusion.

All who voted for the tax were Republicans, but the Democrats in Crystal Lake are so weak they put up no opposition in the non-partisan election.

What a wedge issue they would have had.

It still bothers me that financing Vulcan Lakes was used as an excuse for imposing the tax. The same reason was used to impose a Tax Increment Financing district on much of the Route 14 area now virtually vacant, plus Vulcan Lakes.

It also bothers me that there was only one week’s notice.  Municipal officials around here don’t want a lot of public input on major decisions and giving virtually no notice certainly encourages lack of citizen participation.

There was an alternative way to finance development of Vulcan Lake, but it would have allowed anyone living in Crystal Lake to use the resulting recreation area.

Some Crystal Lake leaders apparently didn’t want outsiders to be able to enjoy the amenities–regardless of the lower taxes that would have been imposed on Crystal Lake residents and others shopping in Crystal Lake–if the McHenry County Conservation District had paid for the improvements with already existing taxes.

= = = = =

Besides Mayor Aaron Shepley, the other council members who voted to raise Crystal Lake’s city sales tax 75% are seen above.  Top row:  former Councilman Dave Goss and current Council members Ralph Dawson and Ellen Brady-Mueller.  Second row: Kathy Ferguson and Brett Hopkins.

The petitions for re-election are being circulated for Crystal Lake Mayor Aaron Shepley and Council members Cathy Ferguson, Ellen Brady Mueller and Brett Hopkins.

The festivities were problem in front of the building you see next to the play area.

And, just in time for the campaign, there is an election kick-off party that required the of spending well over $10 million. $14.37 million, according to the Northwest Herald.

As pointed out in 2005, there was a cheaper way, at least for Crystal Lake area residents.

There was no need for a Tax Increment Financing District to pay for turning Vulcan Lakes into Three Oaks Recreation Area.

Indeed the announcement that a TIF would be formed to finance the project was what stimulated me to start McHenry County Blog. $115 million would be available, said the city’s consultant. Bill Cellini’s group won the contract from the council to do the development, but backed away from it after his name coming up in the Tony Rezko trial.

TIFs are just a way to force everyone (yes, everyone in any overlapping tax district, and because of McHenry County government and the McHenry County Conservation District, that means all county resident) not living in the TIF to pay for it.

It’s a tax increase that the city council voted on all of us.

Oh, wait. That isn’t the way it’s being financed.

With the recession and the decimation of the commercial strip on the Vulcan Lake side of Route 14, the city couldn’t sell bonds to pay for the enormous cost of TORA.

Instead, a majority of the council (Jeff Thorsen being the exception) decided to
raise the city sales tax 75%. Part of the excuse was that the extra tax money was
needed to finance the development of Vulcan Lakes.

The TIF option just didn’t work out.

The huge tax hike was passed right after the RTA Sales Tax was hiked even a higher percentage.

From a political viewpoint, there have been little or no negative repercussions.

The Crystal Lake City Council decided to use this second way to export part of the cost of developing Vulcan Lakes to those who don’t live, but shop in Crystal Lake.

Now, Crystal Lake is in the recreation business.

And, so is the Park District.

There are probably other such illogical arrangements, but the one I have seen over the decades is in Springfield.

There the reason is patronage jobs. I don’t know if that is the motivation here or not.

There was another way to finance the project, although it certainly would not have been as lavish as the city council has allowed this to become.

Tall street lights line the roads. This one runs to the parking lot area from Main Street.

MCCD undoubtedly would not have spent, how much, hundreds of thousands of dollars on fancy street lights for a facility that closes at sunset.

That way was to convince the McHenry County Conservation District to take it over.

Had the council done so, our area would have finally gotten back some of the tens of millions of our tax dollars that has been redistributed north, northwest and west, like a kid slinging a bucket of water. The pockets of those in District 47 have ended up as empty as the bucket, another victim of Illinois’ having way too many local governmental units.

But control of the facility was the primary goal of city officials.

And maybe their names on a plaque. The edifice complex in action.

Bragging rights they have achieved include

• having been instrumental in constructing the facility and
• like Barack Obama, forcing the payment for it on their grandchildren.

Not to mention the ability to feature on their campaign literature what a great accomplishment opening the facility has been.

I couldn’t get close enough to take photos of the council members taking credit for the project without paying $5 for parking.

Not worth the price, so I’ll just run photos of the six council members who voted to raise the city sales tax 75%. There won’t be the same backdrop, but credit will go where it is due.

Mayor Aaron Shepley

Councilman Ralph Dawson

Councilwoman Cathy Ferguson

Former Councilman Dave Goss

Councilman Brett Hopkins

Councilwoman Ellen Brady Mueller

Shepley, Ferguson, Hopkins and Brady Mueller are up for election next spring. Expect to see TORA on their campaign literature…assuming they even have an opponent requiring them to print any.

Metra's Rick Mack and local attorney Joe Gottemoller appear before the Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning Commission.

The Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning Commission gave preliminary approval to Metra’s proposed Ridgefield Train Station, but conditioned it on making multi-million dollar road improvements recommended by city engineering firm Patrick Engineering.

Patrick Engineering's Ryan Westrom and Chris DeRosia presented their traffic study.

The improvements, most overdue, according to Patrick engineers Ryan Westrom and Chris DeRosia, would include signals at Country Club and Hillside Road, plus Market and Ridgefield Road next to the Union Pacific railroad tracks. In addition, suggested improvements at McConnell Road and Country Club were requested. Finally, the motion asked that Metra make whatever improvements would be necessary for commuters to be able to get out of the parking lot on the 9,360 vehicle per day Country Club Road.

“If improvements are made, they will accommodate the traffic we projected,” Westrom told the commissioners.

Patrick Engineering predicts those using the Ridgefield Metra Station will live within the yellow outline.

The engineering firm, starting from scratch, projected that about 36% of the station’s commuters would come down Country Club Road from the north, 41% down Hillside Road and 22% from north of the site across the tracks through Downtown Ridgefield. Do the math and you see that 77% is predicted to come from the same side of the tracks where the 17.5 acre station will be located.

Click to enlarge and you may be able to see the road improvements that Patrick Engineering thinks are needed to move traffic in the area of the proposed Ridgefield Metra Commuter Station. While the bypass of Downtown Ridgefield was discussed, that option was not recommended by the Planning and Zoning Commissioners

Members expressed frustration that none of the roads were under city jurisdiction. The engineering report said current traffic volumes merited signals on both ends of Market Street in Downtown Ridgefield.  And, one at Tartan Drive and Ridgefield Road by 2015.

Consensus was expressed that commissioners wanted to protect Ridgefield residents and business owners, although none are located within Crystal Lake city limits.

Dave Goss and Don Bastastini confer during the meeting.

Motions to change the zoning from Estate Residential to Semi-Public and Public Use passed 5-0, as did a motion to approve how Metra proposed to meet the city’s Watershed Ordinance.

A motion from former City Councilman Dave Goss to approve a Preliminary Planned Unit Development, contingent on staff recommendations and road improvements suggested by Patrick Engineering passed 3-2.

Metra’s presentation suggested that property values around train stations generally increased with the prediction being that farmland north of the station site on Country Club Road would “have development pressure…(with) higher density development, higher land values.”

Goss voted against his own motion, based on his belief that the commuter station would lower property values in Ridgefield. He was joined by Commission Chairman Jeff Greenman.

Commissioners Don Batastini, Vince Esposito, Alan Skluzacek voted in the affirmative, although Esposito had said earlier, “I don’t think a train station that size needs to be out there.”

When the issue reaches city council on April 6th, a three-fifths approval vote will be needed, according to Metra’s local attorney Joe Gottemoller.

Earlier, Gottemoller had argued that the new traffic generated by Metra “is very small.” He noted that none of the improvements recommended by the traffic consulting firm, for example improving Market Street, were on McHenry County’s Five-Year Plan.

During the public comment period Chris Conway from Hillside road worried about increased garbage on the road and its taking more than the ten minutes it now takes her to get out of her driveway.

“We kind of feel there’s some insider trading going on on this property,” speaking for herself and neighbors.

The property is half owned by McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler.

Also speaking was Craig Steagall, land owner across the tracks from Koehler’s land.

Craig Steagall asks questions while Metra's Rick Mack (on the right) and attorney Joe Gottemoller look on.

He questioned the traffic experts traffic projections. Earlier he had hired his own traffic consultant and presented results to the city council.

“How did 84 Lumber get in there without making those improvements?” he asked.

Steagall also asked how the decades-old agriculture zoning for the former Flowerwood nursery property got changed to industrial through “a zoning map correction.” (Later Planning and Economic Development Director Michelle Rentzsch confirmed that what Stegall said was correct.)

“There’s been an allegation I’m on my high horse because of a sour land deal,” he continued, telling of how Metra approached him to buy 12 acres and how Alexandra Lumber was considering purchasing 20 acres prior to purchasing 84 Lumber’s abandoned yard. Steagall then pointed out that under the discussions he had had with Metra to buy land south of the tracks, he and his partner would have had to put in $500,000 to a million for infrastructure improvements, a cost burden he considered unreasonable.

Steagall compared Metra’s planned station to

• “Health Care—Start over,”
• “the Bridge to Nowhere” and
• “the Cornhusker Kickback.”

Speaking also of the Lily Pond Road station, which will be built on donated land, Stegall concluded,

“It’s Metra stations for all our friends.”

Another man asked if people, especially McHenry County College students and employees would have walking and biking access.

“Would it be good service to the college.”

No one from McHenry College offered public comment.

“What prevented Metra from putting the station on the south side of the tracks,” another person asked.

In rebuttal, a factoid came out that was interesting.

Over 60% of the people using the Pingree Road Station are from Lake in the Hills.

Replying to Steagall, Gottemoller said, “Sour grapes. That’s a political item that we don’t have anything to do with.”

Metra's Rick Mack addresses commissioners while attorney Joe Gottemoller observes.

Rick Mack, representing Metra, explained that 15 trains would come down the track each morning and that the Lily Pond Road Station (called East Woodstock) was put on the south side of the tracks so most cars using it wouldn’t have to cross the tracks.

He explained that capacity throughout McHenry County was being expanded, pointing to all the empty land between Woodstock and Harvard.

“This is an entire upgrade, not just to address today,” Mack continued. Earlier, it had been pointed out that train storage would be moved from Crystal Lake to north of Woodstock, that there was no room to store additional trains in Crystal Lake.

“All of these improvements are interconnected.”

Traffic concerns were widespread among the commissioners.

Greenman said,

Jeff Greenman

“We’re going to trust the county to do what it needs to do and trust the state to do what it needs to do.

“There are so many interdependencies, so many ‘what if’s’

“It’s a huge risk.”

At the end of the meeting, Goss thanked the city council “for standing up for the traffic study.”

Metra had asked to use its own traffic consultant, but that was rejected by the council in favor of one on the city’s approved list.

Joining former City Councilman Thomas Hayden on the Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning Commission is former City Councilman Dave Goss.

Goss seemed to have been left out of the “incumbent slate” during last spring’s election.

At least if sign placement is any indication.

Jeff Thorsen’s, Ralph Dawson’s and Carolyn Schofield’s signs regularly appeared together.

Goss seemed like the odd man out.

But Mayor Aaron Shepley, who had a Goss sign on his front year along with Thorsen’s and Dawson’s, has appointed him to the city Planning and Zoning Commission.

I don’t know whether he actually replaced Schofield on the commission, but that ‘s what it looks like.

One thing is for sure.

Goss will do his homework. I can’t remember a time he didn’t do so when I attended council meetings.

When legislators run for re-election, opponents search the record for votes they consider “bad.”

As far as I can figure out, none of the five challengers to the Crystal Lake City Council incumbents has cited any votes of the incumbent councilmen running for re-election. You see, from left to right, Councilman Ralph Dawson, Councilman Dave Goss and Councilman Jeff Thorsen.

When I wrote the Crystal Lake part of my Algonquin Township, Precinct 7 letter, I decided to include votes from the three issues I think were most significant in the last two years.

Below is what I wrote and distributed to the homes in my precinct on Saturday. About 125 are in Crystal Lake; the other 100 in Lakewood.

Let’s talk about the incumbent CL councilmen first. In the last two years, three issues have attracted the most attention—the 23-year Tax Increment Financing tax hikes, Mayor Shepley’s 75% city sales tax hike and building a baseball stadium on the lake’s watershed.

Here’s what the incumbents and a challenger who had a vote did:

Vulcan Lakes and Main Street TIF Districts, passage of which will cause every tax district to raise our tax rates to make up for the lost revenue taken for city-directed purposes:

Voting Yes – Ralph Dawson, Dave Goss and Jeff Thorsen

Hiking the city sales tax by 75%:

Voting Yes – Ralph Dawson and Dave Goss;

Voting No – Jeff Thorsen

Approving the poorly thought out McHenry County College minor league baseball stadium:

Voting Yes – Dave Goss;

Voting No – Ralph Dawson, Jeff Thorsen and Carolyn Schofield (on the CL Planning and Zoning Commission)

I then wrote some things about the challengers and made no recommendations.

I just tried to provide enough information for voters to make up their own minds.

The Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce has put statements from all the Crystal Lake City Council candidates here:

• David Bradford

• Ralph Dawson

• Sal Di Benedetto

• David Goss

• Mike Shorten

• Carolyn Schofield

• Kay Stanish

• Jeff Thorsen

They might help make up your mind.

Inadequately.

Three seats are up on the Crystal Lake City Council on April 7th and eight people are running for them.

(You have to click on this photo taken at the McHenry County College Conference Center at the candidates’ night sponsored by the League of Women Voters of McHenry County to even be able to see their faces.)

Four years ago, as Councilman Jeff Thorsen pointed out, there were three candidates for three vacancies.

Three incumbents ran and were re-elected.

The same three are running for re-election this year.

Since then incumbents from elsewhere figured out that the more candidates, the better the chances incumbents would get re-elected.

So, instead of having a primary election to eliminate all but two for each office, the General Assembly changed the law to allow three candidates for each office. (Maybe it’s four times; I’ll have to check.)

In any event, common sense tells you that people tend to vote for people they know, other things being equal.

So, why no opposition three years ago and five challengers this year?

That question was addressed by Salvatorie Di Benedetto.

“Some think the bus is going in the wrong direction and it’s time for a U-turn.

“I think it’s time to stop the bus and change the people on the bus, three of them.

“It’s time to change the drivers,” he said in his concluding comments.

The biggest issue seemed to be the large number of vacant stores on Route 14.

City Planning and Zoning Commission member Carolyn Schofield, running for the second time, brought it up.

So did Di Benedetto.

As did David Bradford.

Kay Stanish wanted to know why businesses were leaving and going “down to Algonquin Commons.”

“I’ll tell you what we are doing,” Thorsen said when it came his turn.

“Vulcan Lakes.

“That’s going to attract redevelopment.”

Incumbents Councilmen Ralph Dawson and Dave Goss and Thorsen also pointed to the development of Vulcan Lakes as a recreational area as a magnet that would draw retailers to fill the empty storefronts.

“We have been ahead for the curve,” Dawson said.

While supportive of the Vulcan Lakes project, the five challengers generally contended that was not enough.

Di Benedetto, Mike Shorten and Kay Stanish had three versions on the theme that Crystal Lake is a difficult town in which to do business.

“We need a change in attitude,” Di Benedetto said. “It seems it’s difficult to start something when one comes to Crystal Lake.”

“Sometimes coming to Crystal Lake can be a little bit restrictive,” Shorten added.

“I think in the past business owners have found it difficult to deal with Crystal Lake,” Stanish.

A new concern showed up about how the city will pay to operate and maintain Vulcan Lakes, recreation having been provided by the Crystal Lake Park District since the 1920′s.

“There is no information it will be self-supporting,” Schofield pointed out.

“I share some of the caution Carolyn has,” Stanish added. “The last thing we want to happen is to see it turn it back into a liability for the city.”

At that point, Shorten dropped the bombshell of the night for me.

“The plan is to issue bonds against the Home Rule tax,” he said.

He had apparently spent a significant amount of time since Wednesday when the city budget was placed on display.

He revealed that in the 2009-10 budget, $158,000 has been budgeted for operations and maintenance of Vulcan Lakes…”not a full year or a full staff.”

(My suggestion, offered more than once, is for the city to pressure the McHenry Conservation District to take over and pay for the development of Vulcan Lakes as a recreational facility. Goodness knows, the MCCD sucks enough money out of the Crystal Lake area and has returned virtually nothing but a bike path and a future conservation area west of West School in Lakewood.)

The implication of borrowing money and promising to repay it with Mayor Aaron Shepley’s (and the city council’s) 75% last July 1st city sales tax increase is that the council wants to make certain that it is never repealed.

“Never” being defined as until the bonds are paid off.

Of course, that probably was the plan all along.

Not that any of the candidates said the tax should be repealed.

And, speaking of sales tax, Goss (as did Dawson) pointed out that receipts are holding up very well, despite having lost the Ford dealership. Goss thought it was down “1% or 2%.” Schofield said, “3.1% compared to 7% or 8%” in neighboring cities.

For some reason, the sponsoring League of Women Voters allowed a question about foreclosure.

Schofield supplied the facts:

“There are 214 or 240 out of 11,000 (housing units). It was surprisingly low.”

David Bradford supplied the story of one his neighbors whose home was just foreclosed upon:

“It’s just tragic. Kids and everything. It’s terrible. We need to provide more support for them.”

His suggestion: “Make information available on the (city) web site.”

Thorsen, President of the Corporation for Affordable Housing of McHenry County, pointed out that it was more of a county function to try to keep people in their homes than a city role.

= = = = =
From top to bottom, the candidates seen are incumbent Jeff Thorsen, challenger Salvatorie Di Benedetto, challengerCarolyn Schofield, incumbent Ralph Dawson, challenger Kay Stanish, challenger Mike Shorten, incumbent Dave goss and challenger David Bradford.

Through 4:30 yesterday afternoon (with one-half hour in which one or more candidates could have filed) the following citizens had filed their petitions for the Crystal Lake City Council election next spring:

• David Bradford
• Ralph Dawson, incumbent
• Salvatore Dibenedetto
• David Goss, incumbent
• Carolyn Schofield
• Kay Stanish
• Mike Shorten
• Jeff Thorsen, incumbent

Nick Kachiroubas has filed for city clerk. Incumbent Roger Dreher is retiring.

= = = = =
The photo is of Kay Stanish.