McHenry County Blog

With McHenry County Chairwoman Tina Hill labeling Sandra Salgado’s service on the the Public Health and Human Services Committee “The Epitome of Conflict of Interest,” Fox River Grove Republican Precinct Committeeman has written a story entitled,

“The Epitome of Conflict of Interest” – Backroom Politics

Hill bases that characterization on the fact that Salgado works for Pioneer Center and Pioneer Centers gets financial support from the 708 Mental Health Board, whose Board members the Public Health Committee recommends.

[Of course, the last recommendation, Scott Summers was rejected by the Hill followers listed below on the County Board:

[Those opposing the nomination were

• Michele Aavang
• Yvonne Barnes
• Sue Drafkorn
• Joe Gottemoller
• Jim Heisler
• Tina Hill
• John Jung
• Ken Koehler
• Bob Martens
• Mary McCann
• Mary McClellan
• Anna May Miller
• Bob Nowak
• Nick Provenzano
• Ersel Schuster
• Carolyn Schofield
• Mike Skala
• Paula Yensen

In favor were

• Nick Chirikos
• Diane Evertsen
• John Hammerand
• Donna Kurtz
• Sandy Salgado
• Mike Walkup

[And the last recommendation of Donna Kurtz' Committee--after Hill announced that she would bypass the Committee--Jeff Thorsen, was not even placed on tonight's County Board agenda.  She has recommended Cathy Ferguson, a colleague of Thorsen on the Crystal Lake City Council.]

With that as background, Gasser’s conclusion might be of interest.  Playing off Hill’s “epitome of conflict of interest” statement, Gasser concludes

“The real conflict of interest is Hill’s nominee of former Family Services & Community Mental Health Center for McHenry County CEO and current board member Bob Martens (Spring Grove).”

Why?

He points to what he calls about a $140,000 “Golden Parachute” for Martens when he was listed as “Former CEO” of  the Family Services and Community Health Center for McHenry County.   (He found that information on the agency’s IRS Form 990.)

Gasser continues,

“This same year the McHenry Mental Health Board gave a loan to Family Services & Community Mental Health Center for McHenry County $719,981 when no other lending institution would do so because of the risk.”

Gasser then asks a series of questions that readers might find of interest.

One of them has to do with the August 2012 collapse of Family Services after Martens retired and while he was one of four GOP candidate for County Board in District 4.

Gasser asks,

“Should this person really be the liaison between the county board and the Mental Health Board?”

There is more, but, again, I suggest you go to the source of this story on Andrew Gasser’s blog.

As mentioned previously, replacement of Salgado with Martens will change the balance of power on the Public Health Committee.  It will put Hill loyalists in control by a 4-3 margin.

For 708 Board purposes, that means that Hill can name replacements for the two seats whose terms expire January 1, 2014, without bypassing the committee for a second time:

• Vice President Brett  Wisnauski
• Secretary Connee Meschini

Ferguson’s term, if approved, would expire at the same time.

The meeting at which Hill’s replacement recommendation will be considered in tonight at 7 PM in the building north of the McHenry County Jail.

There will be a domino effect from Tina Hill’s pending removal of Sandra Salgado from the Public Health and Human Services Committee, reportedly because she has a conflict of interest resulting from her employer, Pioneer Center.

This is not a new situation for Salgado. That has been where she has worked for years.

When Tina Hill appointed Salgado to the post, she knew where Salgado worked.

There is even a conflict of interest waiver that the County Board has passed.

But Salgado’s removal also means that she can no longer chair the Senior Citizens Grant Commission.

The reason is that the chairman must be a member of the Public Health Committee.

Tonight at the 7 PM County Board meeting, virtually everyone expects Hill’s resolution to replace Salgado with Bob Martens, the former long-time head of Family Services on the Pubic Health Committee.

As previously pointed out, the replacement will put Hill loyalists in a 4-3 position to control the committee that Donna Kurtz chairs.

That means the type of reform appointments to the 708 Mental Health Board that the Kurtz majority helped put in office will be in jeopardy when the next two 708 Board terms expire.

It also means that any Board member is at risk similar “discipline” should he or she be perceived by Hill to have been in a conflict of interest.

If the McHenry County Board follows Chairwoman Tina Hill’s recommendation, McHenry’s Sandy Salgado will have been replaced by Spring Grove’s Bob Martens the night before the Board’s Public Health and Human Services Committee meets in Crystal Lake at 9 AM in the Public Health Department building where Woodstock Street intersects Route 14.

That makes it convenient for those in the southeast corner of McHenry County to see the committee to which Crystal Laker Donna Kurtz was appointed chairman after supporting Hill’s chairmanship on the second vote.

Hill’s argument for replacing Salgado is that she works for Pioneer Center, which receives funding from the 708 Mental Health Board whose members are appointed by the the committee.

Martens, of course, before he retired, ran the Family Services agency which the 708 Board pumped in upwards of $1.8 million in an unsuccessful attempt to forestall its going out of business.

With Martens on the committee, Kurtz will have lost the fourth vote needed to advance proposals and nominations to the County Board floor, if Hill disagrees with them.

There will be a public comment period.

McHenry County Board Chairwoman Tina Hill is planning to plug a hole in her power structure by removing County Board Sandy Salgado from the Public Health and Human Services Committee.

In her place Hill is recommending Robert M. Martens, Sr.

Salgado did not vote for Hill for Chairman.

Martens did.  Martens and Salgado are both from District 4, which covers McHenry, Richmond and Spring Grove.

Putting a loyalist on the Public Health Committee will allow Hill to neutralize its Chairman, Donna Kurtz, any time Hill wants to.

The margin is now 4-3, with Kurtz being able to rely upon support from Salgado, Hammerand, Walkup and herself.  All are Republicans with Salgado being from McHenry, Hammerand from Wonder Lake with Walkup and Kurtz from Crystal Lake.

The three loyal to Hill are

• Mary McCann (R-Woodstock)
• Anna May Miller (R-Cary)
• Paula Yensen (D-Lake in the Hills)

 

Fox River Grove Republican Precinct Committeeman Andrew Gasser was at mid-day the Public Health & Human Resources Committee meeting and wrote an article.

He ends his first paragraph with

“So much for transparency.”

Commenting on Crystal Lake City Councilman Jeff Thorsen’s nomination, he wrote,

“This is the second candidate put forward by the PH&HS Committee who has a strong business and financial background which is so desperately needed on the McHenry County Mental Health Board (McMHB).”

Read Gasser’s whole article, as well as McHenry County Blog’s, as well as Kevin Craver’s in the Northwest Herald.

Chaired by Donna Kurtz a majority of four nominated Crystal Lake City Councilman, banker and holder of an MBA Jeff Thorsen to fill the vacancy on the 708 Mental Health Board.

A vacancy remains because an 18-6 majority vote on the McHenry County Board refused to ratify the nomination of former McHenry County College Board President and 2012 Democratic Party Board candidate Scott Summers for the post.

Voting for Thorsen were Kurtz, John Hammerand, Sandy Salgado and Mike Walkup.

The other three members of the committee–Paula Yensen, Anna May Miller and Mary McCann–boycotted the meeting.

Following the eighteen “No” votes, Chairwoman Tina Hill informed the Board that she would submit her own choice to fill the vacancy.

After the Public Health Committee vote Hill was asked by Mike Walkup whether she would put the nomination on the agenda for the County Board’s May 21st meeting and she said she would not be putting the name up for the County Board’s consideration.

Then Walkup said,

“The Chair promised us in her State of the County speech that this would be a new day.

“Instead she has now plunged us into darkness.

“I suggest that everyone make sure they have extra batteries for their flashlights because it will be a long, dark night.”

John Hammerand asked why anyone should attend committee meetings.

Others considered for the post by the Committee members were

• Danijela Sanberg
• Charles Wheeler
• Catheryn Perfetti
• Cathy Ferguson
• David Barber

After the vote Sandy Salgado said she was not leaving the committee voluntarily. Salgado is employed by Pioneer Center.

Those opposing the nomination were

• Michele Aavang
• Yvonne Barnes
• Sue Drafkorn
• Joe Gottemoller
• Jim Heisler
• Tina Hill
• John Jung
• Ken Koehler
• Bob Martens
• Mary McCann
• Mary McClellan
• Anna May Miller
• Bob Nowak
• Nick Provenzano
• Ersel Schuster
• Carolyn Schofield
• Mike Skala
• Paula Yensen

In favor were

• Nick Chirikos
• Diane Evertsen
• John Hammerand
• Donna Kurtz
• Sandy Salgado
• Mike Walkup

None of the opponents offered a word as to why they were voting against Summers.

18-6 was the vote on the McHenry County Board to reject the Public Health and Human Services Committee nomination of former McHenry County College Board President Scott Summers to the 708 Mental Health Board.

But no one made a comment in public against Summers.

Immediately after the vote, Chairwoman Tina Hill invoked a specific rule that gives her the power to the make appointment without reference to committee.

“I’ve given this process a lot of thought,” Hill said after the vote.

“I will review the candidates, the tapes and possibility new candidates and bring a new candidate to you for a vote in two weeks,” Hill announced.

State law gives county board chairmen the power to make all sorts of appointments to boards and commissions, but the tradition, backed by rules with an apparent exception, has allowed committees to make the selections.

Shortly after the rejection of Summers’ nomination, the only alternative mentioned in the debate–Lake in the Hills Village Trustee Denise Bretto–released the following statement:

Denise Barreto

“I am officially withdrawing my name from consideration for the McHenry County Mental Health Board Appointment effective immediately.

“I stepped forward in April after reviewing the happenings of the last several months as well as the McHenry County Mental Health Board’s 2012-2013-2014 Three Year Plan.

“It has always been my intention to expand my service in McHenry County beyond my service on the Lake in the Hills Village Board.

“I saw this as an opportunity to serve on a board that expressly stated it was looking for diversity in leadership as well as someone with a tie the the Latino community.

“My business background, communication skills and reputation for being steadfast and fearless made me certain I’d be an asset to this board.

“I accepted and supported the committee’s decision to go with another candidate back on April 24, 2013 when I was notified.

“Since then, to my dismay, the process leading up to today’s McHenry County Board vote has been unprofessional and mean-spirited. While it is clear that the McHenry County Mental Health board needs fresh and diverse thinking to resolve its current issues, at this time, I am no longer interested in serving.

“I will continue to follow this board and others to make a determination in the future how to best leverage my talents for McHenry County. In the meantime, I will focus on my service to the residents of Lake in the Hills, who recently entrusted me with another term as Village Trustee.

“I appreciate the consideration of the Public Health and Human Services Committee and wish them the best as they seek to fill the vacancy.”

Speaking for Summers were citizens during the public comment period, plus Board members Donna Kurtz, who chairs the committee putting forth the nomination and Mike Walkup, a member of that committee.

Those opposing the nomination were

• 

  Scott Summers while he served on the McHenry County College Board.

  Michele Aavang

• Yvonne Barnes
• Sue Drafkorn
• Joe Gottemoller
• Jim Heisler
• Tina Hill
• John Jung
• Ken Koehler
• Bob Martens
• Mary McCann
• Mary McClellan
• Anna May Miller
• Bob Nowak
• Nick Provenzano
• Ersel Schuster
• Carolyn Schofield
• Mike Skala
• Paula Yensen

In favor were

• Nick Chirikos
• Diane Evertsen
• John Hammerand
• Donna Kurtz
• Sandy Salgado
• Mike Walkup

Among the public speaking out in favor of Summers was Crystal Lake resident Charles Raymond.  He told of his 17-year old daughter’s having lost “three friends to drug overdoses this year.”

“Put the politics aside,” he urged.  “Please make the right choices today.  I firmly believe Scott Summers is the right choice.”

Crystal Lake businessman Kevin Krak said he was “very worried about abuse of power, misappropriation of money, lack of oversight and accountability.”

He spoke of Summers’ being an attorney and having earned an MBA and being “a person of excellence.”

Cary’s David Ensor explained when he was a youth he had trouble with drugs and alcohol.

“These services seem to have been slowly gotten rid of.  Heroin has become an epidemic in this county. ”

He accused the 708 Board of “padding their pockets” and expressed astonishment that “anyone would ever consider closing a facility that would help people.”

Eric Boyer, who has returned to Crystal Lake after five years in the military said he was speaking “because of my overall concerns about drug abuse and mental health issues.”

He said the “commonly held perception” was that there was “corruption among the mental health board.”

“You have taken over five months to elect Board members.

“Rome may have already fallen by the time you get there.”

An Algonquin Latina whose name I believe is Rosolba Compolonsso spoke softly of her role with the Spanish speaking community.

She referred to the “scandal at the McHenry Mental Health Board.

“Something needs to be done.  The amount spent on administration takes away from [services].”

Ron McCone of Crystal Lake told of speaking to the Board previously “about the lack of accountability at the 708 Board.”

He supported Summers’ candidacy because “he has the skills, background…to halt needless spending and realign the Mental Health Board with its primary purpose.”

He also complained about administrative expenditures taking precedence over the “programs and services.”

After Kurtz nominated Summers, Walkup spoke up in support.

He reviewed how he had met Summers the night he and fellow McHenry County College Board member Kurtz stood up before the Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning Commission and publicly admitted their mistake for voting for the minore league baseball stadium [that would have put local taxpayers on the hood for $25 million].

And, how both Summers and Kurtz had been formally taken to the woodshed by their fellow MCC Trustees.

“We need people on the Mental Health Board who will be questioners.”

He then went through what he had heard as reasons not to support Summers.

First was the fact that he is a Democrat.

Walkup rebutted that by pointing out that the Board had appointed a lot of Democrats to positions, including himself before he turned Republican.

Second was that Summers ran for County Board in District 6.

Walkup noted that two former members of the County Board had received appointments.

Third was the rumor that Summers was “planning to run for judge.”

Walkup debunked that suggestion by pointing out a district judicial vacancy does not even exist where Summers lives (Harvard).

“A judge[ship] is up in [County Board] Districts 4 and 3.  Joe Gottemoller and I could run for that.”

Finally, Walkup asked fellow Board members to “respect the process.”

Kurtz pointed out that this was the second time that Summers had “finished at the top.”  He was fourth with three to be selected in the first round of appointment interviews.

She said that Summers would have spoken to the Board, but that he had had to leave for a 9:30 court appearance.

Kurtz listed the failings of the 708 Board that she saw:

• focusing too much on itself and not enough on the agencies who provide services
• the questionable $1 million loan to Family Services “that’s never gong to be repaid”
• “two board members have left the Board to take jobs with agencies [they voted to fund]“
• a building housing 50% fewer employees that the Board of Health in a building that is twice as large
• “contentious, antagonistic relations with some agences
• loss of $2 million in annual revenues that will state this year
• Medicaid billing problems

“We need Mental Health Board members who will stand up.

She asked County Board members to look at Summers resume.

“I think we got it right in our last appointments,” Kurtz said.

In his approach to the community college, foremost in Summers’ mind was

“How do I serve the taxpayer?”

She then asked her colleagues to “bring up any questions you have.”

There were none.

After the roll call defeated Summers’ candidacy and Hill’s announcement that she would make the appointment herself, Walkup took the floor.

“I am appalled and aghast that the chair would usurp the powers of the committee.

He then referred to Hill’s post-election speech about her stewardship would bring “a new day.”

“It appears the sun has not risen on that new day.

He called on the Board to change Board rules to re-empower the County Board to run the County Board.

Kurtz pointed to the “highly politicized situation” and questioned Hill’s decision to usurp her committee’s power.

“It’s highly inappropriate for a political type of move to be made by yourself,” she continued.

“This is a vote of no confidence.”

Ersel Schuster, who ran unsuccessfully against Hill for Chairman and voted against Summers, added the following:

“I’m so sick and tired of the politics.  We are here for the public.

“I, too, hope you will reconsider your decision.

“For us to stoop this low tears my heart out.

Nick Chirikos, the new Democrat on the Board from Algonquin also commented.  He voted for Summers.

“I’m pretty shaken by this vote of the County Board.

“I never realized there was such a majority on this Board.  I never expected a vote of this magnitude.

“It points to a political undercurrent of which I wasn’t aware,” he continued.

“I’m just inexperienced enough not to understand the full impact of this decision by the Chair.”

Kurtz was again given the floor.

She talked of the heroin overdose death in Cary two days ago.

“We have a problem.  We’ve got a sense of urgency that you seem to be missing.

“A lot of people in this county get it,” she said, pointing to affected family members.

“…and you sit here and deny a perfectly legitimate and qualified candidate.

“The time was now to have taken action.

“We’re not here for politics.”

Six years ago, it was two girls who joined forces to seek re-election to the Crystal Lake City Council.

This year, the boys are taking a page from their book.

How do I know?

Look at the fundraising invitation below and you’ll see it is for City Councilmen Jeff Thorsen and Ralph Dawson:

Here are the McHenry County Board members who signed Nick Provenzano’s petition to call a special meeting on Friday, January 18th at 9 AM to consider whether voters should have a shot in April at passing a referendum on whether the Board Chairman should be elected.

You can see eleven signed the petition.  Eight–one-third of the Board’s members–were required to sign to call a special meeting.

So people can find their names, let me list them in the order in which they signed and who they ended up voting for in the County Board Chairman’s race:

• Nick Provenzano (supported Koehler)
• Mike Walkup (new, supported Hill))
• Ken Koehler (supported Koehler)
• Robert Nowak (supported Koehler)
• Joe Gottemoller (new,  supported Gottemoller)
• Mike Skala (new,  supported Gottemoller)
• Robert Martens (new, supported Hill)
• Diane Evertsen (supported Schuster)
• Donna Kurtz (supported Schuster, then Hill)
• Sandy Salgado (supported Koehler)
• Mary McCann (supported Hill)

Four supported Tina Hill for Board Chairman.

Four supported Ken Koehler for Board Chairman.

Two supported Joe Gottemoller.

One supported Schuster.

All are Republicans, which when one thinks about it, that probably just recognizes the lay of the political land, that is, Democrats are more likely to gain positions of power, e.g., Paul Yensen’s appointment as Chairman of the Management Services Committee, through politicking in the current system of selecting a Board Chairman than through a one-on-one fight with any Republican in a countywide contest.   Both Yensen and first time Democratic Party Democratic Party Board member Nick Chirikos voted for Hill and neither showed any support for an at-large election at the Monday Management Services Committee meeting.

Only one of what I would consider hardcore supporters of Hill broke ranks to potentially endanger the new ruling coalition’s ability to continue its power after the 2014 election cycle.

Just because someone signed the petition does not mean that they are committed to vote for an April referendum.

There are twenty-four Board members and a majority vote will be required to put the question on the ballot.

Do you want to express your viewpoint to your County Board members?

Here are their phone numbers:

• Michele Aavang – 815-648-4210
• Yvonne Barnes – 847-516-2719
• Nick Chirikos – 847-658-3434
• Sue Draffkorn – 815-653-6057
• Diane Evertsen – 815-943-3298
• Joe Gottemoller – 815 382 9940
• John Hammerand – 815-728-0700
• Jim Heisler – 815-459-1971
• Tina Hill – 815-347-4222
• John Jung – 815-338-6201
• Ken Koehler – 815-459-7841
• Donna Kurtz -815-788-0632
• Bob Martens – 815-675-6353
• Mary McCann – 815-568-1061
• Mary McClellan – 815-482-5693
• Anna May Miller – 847-639-5112
• Robert Nowak – 847-516-9637
• Nick Provenzano – 815-355-8540
• Sandy Salgado – 815-271-5293
• Carolyn Schofield – 815-455-9550
• Ersel Schuster – 815-338-2207
• Mike Skala – 847-669-3804
• Mike Walkup – 815-459-7090
• Paula Yensen – 815-404-3918

At this point one can see that Nick Provenzano read the political wind better than the Management Services Committee did on Monday.

Whether the wind is blowing hard enough to overcome the reticence of Board members who like the current insider system (for reasons including an inability to raise sufficient funds to mount a countywide campaign–campaign cost having been mentioned by several Board members during the ongoing debate) remains to be seen on Friday morning.

And whether the measure passes or fails, the roll call will be used in the 2014 elections.

It will be interesting to see if any County board members from the last Board who voted to put a tax hike on the ballot in April will refuse to allow their constituents to vote on whether to elect their County Board Chairman at the ballot box.

Just from examining the agenda that newly-installed Management Services Committee Paula Yensen drafted, one could predict that nothing would come of the Monday morning meeting concerning whether the public should be allowed to vote on whether the Chairman of the McHenry County Board should be elected or not.

And, guess what?

Nothing did.

Parenthetically, let me point out that the previous County Board managed to put something probably more important on the ballot before they left office–a tax hike referendum.

So, the public will get a chance to vote on whether their property taxes are increased in April, but probably not whether they will get an opportunity to vote for the next County Board Chairman in 2014.

While 2014 sounds like it is a long way off, for the current insider system of selection of whose hands control County government to be changed in 2014, it has to be approved in April.

And, there is still a chance such a referendum on the ballot.

(Last day to adopt a resolution or ordinance is Tuesday, January 22nd, advised County Clerk Katherine Schultz.)

Committee member Mike Walkup brought up the topic of a special meeting, which takes one-third of the members to call.

Before that, however, Anna May Miller called for more input.

“I still am 110% in favor of allowing the public to weigh in on the subject,” but she said she though more time was needed for citizen comment, e.g., “different focus groups,” including “McCog for municipal perspective.”

“I don’t understand the need for speed on this issue,” she said, pointing out that under 20% of citizens would probably vote in April.

There was discussion of two options, one for a two-year term in which the County Board Chairman candidate would also have to be nominated as a district board candidate.  The other was a four-year term in which the Chairman would not have a vote on the County Board.

Non-member Nick Provenzano was allowed to address the Committee twice.

The first time, he contended County Board candidates “kind of made a grand bargain with the voters” by opposing Democrat State Rep. Jack Franks’ County Executive referendum.

“It was always assumed that we’d follow up immediately.

“I think it’s absolutely a bargain we should fulfill at the next election cycle.

“The decision was to get that to the voters as soon as possible,” he contended.

There was disagreement with that interpretation from member Ersel Schuster, who preferred limiting County Board Chairmen to two terms.

While she said she was “always for the electors being allowed to vote”… she was “totally comfortable with the existing process.

In December, Schuster ran for Chairman, along with Ken Koehler and Tina Hill.  Hill won.

Mike Skala, at his first Committee meeting, told of being told people “wanted change” and “wanted some turnover, fresh ideas, fresh perspectives” when he went door-to-door.

“I’m personally not in favor of it. I think what we have does work,” he said.

“I agree they the voters should need (an opportunity to vote on the issue.)  I don’t think it should be rushed to judgment.”

Anna May Miller suggested that “accountability” of the  Chairman was “the only issue that resonates with the public.”

“We’re trying to do this very quickly,” he said.

“Act in haste, repent in leisure.”

“That’s really right on,” Donna Kurtz interjected.  “It goes back to the problem we’re trying to solve.  The problem is how do I make government more responsive, how do I make it more honest?

“I better dam well sure be sure I’m not making the problem worse.”

But, if I understood her context correctly, Kurtz, referring to the at-large election of the Chairman, said, “Many of us wanted to do that on Day 1 when we took office.”

Advanced earlier by Schuster as a means of making the Board Chairman more accountable was the proposal of putting term limits in the Board Rules.

Assistant State’s Attorney Donna Kelly explained twice that doing so would subject the County to litigation. from not only an office holder who might want to exceed the term limit, but also from voters whose rights to see the person they wanted in office would be curtailed.

Kelly pointed out that neither the State Constitution nor current Illinois law allowed for such term limits for County Board Chairmen.

“Out concern is litigation,” she said.

Skala, who has chaired many a meeting while he was President of the Huntley District 158 School Board, pointed out,

“The way I’m reading the agenda, we couldn’t pass anything even if we wanted to.”

He then pointed out that “it comes down [to] if we have people that want to have a special board meeting to do it.”

Walkup, who carried the ball on the side of having an April referendum, said he though people out to be put on record.

Provenzano took the floor again, saying,

“The fact that you had no resolution on the agenda doomed this proposal.

“The only way to do that is a special election.

“We’ve talked about it for two years.

“There have been numerous public hearings.

“There’s been plenty of opportunity [for input].

“We do have all the answers; some just don’t understand [them].

“We have a four-year term.  Put it on the ballot.

“Let the County Board members vote on it.”

“It’s not something where you just toss a coin and it’s heads or tails,” Kurtz replied. “We could paint ourselves into a very dangerous situation. We could potentially create far worse problems than we have now.”

Closing the debate was non-member, newly-elected Nick Chirikos:

“I respectfully disagree with Mr. Provenzano. Fully a third of this board is new [and] haven’t had the opportunity to weigh in on this subject.”

Discussion also covered the monetary requirements to finance a countywide campaign for Board Chairman.

“I agree with some who have said [candidates would be ]self-funding millionaire or millionaire backing or special interest [financing, such as] developers,” Walkup said.

Newly-elected McHenry County Board Chairman attended about three-fourths of the discussion.