McHenry County Blog

Zane Seipler, GOP candidate for McHenry County Sheriff. was the first countywide candidate to file the conflict of interest form with ALAW,

Now there are two candidates for countywide office who have filed the conflict of interest forms prepared by the Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water.

The first was Zane Seipler, the Republican challenging McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren for his spot.

Power party sheriff candidates Nygren and and Mike Mahon have not done so.

Gus Philpott is the second candidate for McHenry County Sheriff to file the ALAW potential conflict of interest questionnaire. He's running on the Green Party ticket and will be on the fall ballot.

Now, a fall challenger has stepped up to the plate.

It’s the Green Party candidate for sheriff and operator of Woodstock Advocate Gus Philpott.

That means both of the Green candidates on the ballot—the other is District 5 county board candidate Frank Wedig—have filled out the questionnaire that ALAW wants all elected and appointed county officials to file, including those who zone property.

17 of 27 county board candidates have completed the paperwork. That’s 63% of the candidates.

Showing how threatening to the Establishment this concept is, however, is the fact that 60% of the incumbent county board members running for re-election have neglected to reveal their potential conflicts of interest.

The idea, if enacted by the county board, would require elected and appointed officials, plus consultants to reveal potential conflicts of interest.

The ones who did file did it voluntarily and had to find the find the form on the ALAW web site.

Clearly, this is not your ordinary questionnaire.

District 2 county board candidate Craig Steagall was the first to complete the ALAW ethics questionnaire.

Donna Kurtz, District 2 candidate who was the second to file the ALAW ethics from.

District 3 county board challenger Craig Steagall was the first to file.

District 2 challenger Donna Kurtz was the second.

Now, all candidates from District 3 have sent the completed form to ALAW.

In District 2, all but County Board Chairman Ken Koehler have voluntarily filed the forms with the alliance.

Koehler was also the only candidate in District 2 to miss the Patriots United county board candidates night. No newspaper wrote an article. McHenry County Blog did publish a story.

Philpott issued the following statement about the questionnaire:

“The ALAW Disclosure is a very important document.

“Citizens have the right to know, up-front, about conflicts-of-interest for elected officials.

“I support disclosure by appointed officials, too.

“Cozy, backroom deals must be a thing of the past. I would support widening the disclosure to require reporting of any conflicts that come into existence, after the Disclosure is filed.

“I am pleased to report that I have no conflicts-of-interest

“Gus Philpott”

There are 27 people running for the McHenry County Board.

As of now, over half the candidates have filled out questionnaires aimed at identifying potential conflicts of interest–14 in all.

Might this be an indicator that those wanting to serve on the board have discovered voters don’t trust their public officials.

The latest two to submit the Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water are

• Crystal Lake City Councilwoman Ellen Brady Mueller, running as a Republican in District 2
• Former McHenry County Board member and Vice Chairman John Jung, running in District 5

Ellen Brady Mueller

Brady Mueller becomes the second candidate to submit the form to the Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water. The first was fellow challenger Donna Kurtz.

County Board Chairman Ken Koehler and fellow incumbent Lyn Orphal have thus far ignored the ethics questionnaire, which ALAW asked the county board to enact before the February 2nd primary election.  Challenger Sandra DePaul has, as well.

John Jung

In District 5, former county board member John Jung has now filled out and sent in the form. The only incumbent in the district, Tina Hill, did so earlier. Challenger Dave Frederick has not.

The Management Services Committee referred the ALAW-suggested language to the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office. Here is the story about the State’s Attorney’s reply.

There will be a candidates’ night Friday at 7 at McHenry County College sponsored by Patriots United.  Candidates will start arriving about 6:30, if you want to talk to them ahead of the forum.

When the postman came on Monday, the first day of early voting, there were envelopes from District 2 candidates Ken Koehler and Lyn Orphal.

I’m a big advocate of putting your message on the address side of the envelope, if a candidate is sending a letter.

As you can see Koehler did that and Orphal didn’t.

Without even opening the envelope, you can see that Koehler is running a better financed campaign. He uses color; Orphal uses black and white.

That difference is continued inside.

Koehler encloses a heavy card stock piece. Full color treatment.

On one side he touts

• Financial stability with a balance budget
• Transportation improvements, citing future improvements
• Groundwater protection to pass the first comprehensive groundwater protection ordinance in Illinois
• Economic Development – fostering responsible economic development

It is conceivable that Koehler may be called on the 2030 Plan’s not recognizing his hometown’s Watershed Ordinance. This was brought up by primary opponent Ellen Brady Mueller in the city council debate about moving forward to zone the property on Country Club Road in Ridgefield where Metra wants to build a train station on land half-owned by Koehler.

One interesting aspect of the side of the piece you see above is that it lists both elections. That means Koehler can use any left over literature this fall, assuming he wins the primary in which he is clearly the favorite.

The other side pretty much reiterates the points made on the more detailed, although it does add “Proactive land use planning” and improving “public transportation.”

His letter (click to enlarge), which is not in color, highlights his web site and talks about early voting, noting he brings “a unique perspective that is not offered elsewhere in the District 2 race” because of his nine years experience on the board with five years as chairman.

“Perhaps my greatest contribution to the county board so far has been my commitment to the protection of our groundwater supply,” Koehler writes.

Perhaps someone will ask him at Friday night’s Patriots United candidates’ night at 7 at McHenry County College whether that concern extends to recognizing the building restrictions imposed by the Crystal Lake Watershed Ordinance.

On the back of his letter are listed where one can vote early. Locally, the two places are Crystal Lake City Hall and the Algonquin Township Hall.

Lyn Orphal’s letter (click to enlarge) is printed in the cheaper black and white. She lists the committees on which she has served over the last ten years. For the last four years she has served as “chair” of Public Health and Human Services.
She also lists her being board liaison to the housing authority, senior service grant commission, the Workforce Investment Board and the McHenry County Economic Development Board.

Orphal accurately describes herself as a “veteran” board member and says, “I have been able to make a difference and want the opportunity to continue to do so.”

She is Executive Director of Leadership Greater McHenry County.

I can’t find a web site for her campaign.

Keely Cat, who led the fight againstg the McHenry County Republican Cat Tax, still is keeping an eye out for a rabid bat, which was the stated excuse to impose this tax. Keely never understood how rabid bats could get inside, when even the mouse holes have been plugged up. The animals he is watching move around his domain about as much as the bats. The Republican Cat Tax was proposed to finance the re-modling of the Animal Control Shelter on Crystal Lake's Route 14 across from Woodstock Street. As with McHenry County Board and the McHenry County College Board, Keely doesn't like having the camera flash in his eyes when I take pictures.

What she doesn’t mention is the key role she played in killing the McHenry County Republican Cat Tax. She made the motion to kill it, bringing great surprise to Koehler, who was a strong supporter.

But both mailings were amateur night performances compared to the 8½ by 11 inch post card that arrived from challenger Donna Kurtz yesterday.

Mine arrived unbent sticking out from the other mail.

It also promotes early voting, but has polling places in Huntley (park district), which is not in the district, and, more importantly, Lake in the Hills (village hall), which is in District 2.

Kurtz says she is into

• Protecting the Future
• Ensuring Our Quality of Life

She says, she

• is principled, honest, and on our side
• will protect our quality of life (here she talks about safeguarding lake, fen, and stream watersheds, but does not specifically mention Crystal Lake’s Watershed Ordinance)
• will speak her mind and stand up for you (for some reason she does not give her best example, which was changing her mind from supporting the minor league baseball stadium in Crystal Lake’s watershed at McHenry County College, on whose board she serves)

Looking at the piece again, I notice that a photo on this side has her talking to old guys. It looks like a piece of Kurt Stobach cut crystal in the background.

The address side gives some background:

• Long family tradition of public service
• 23 years in corporate management overseeing multi-million budgets
• B.A. – Southern Illinois University
• MMA – University of Illinois – Springfield

And some experience:

• Office of Illinois Auditor General – Auditor
• McHenry County College Trustee (in 5th year)
• Republican Precinct Committeeman
• Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce member
• Former McHenry County Family Service Board member

Her pledges:

• I will be a County Board Member who will place the public good first
• I will dedicate myself to making life better for residents of my district
• I will keep you informed of issues facing our county
• I will fight for fiscal responsibility through smaller government

Naturally, Kurtz points to her web site.

Missing from the literature is that Kurtz has filled out the conflict of interest questionnaire. Koehler and Orphal have not.

Maybe that information will show up in a later comparison piece from Kurtz.

Donna Kurtz

Jeff Thirtyacre

Tina Hill

Didn’t know that the pro-abortion Personal PAC went as low as members of the McHenry County Board until District 2 candidate Ellen Brady Mueller told me she had gotten a questionnaire, but had not filled it out.

I asked her for a copy and she provided it at that day’s meeting of the Crystal Lake City Council on which she serves as one of the senior members.

The three people endorsed are

• Donna Kurtz (R), challenger running in District 2
• Jeff Thirtyacre (D), challenger running in District 4
• Tina Hill (R), incumbent running in District 5

So what kind of questions does one have to answer to get an endorsement?

Here are some of them:

• Will you SUPPORT legislation to repeal Illinois’ 1995 Parental Notice of Abortion law?
• Do you SUPPORT Personal PAC’s position that the Illinois Parental Notification of Abortion Act of 1995 violates Illinois Constitutional rights to equal protection and privacy?
• Will you OPPOSE legislation that places bans on abortion procedures but does not include an exception to protect the woman’s health?
• Will you SUPPORT legislation restoring abortion coverage under the state Medicaid plan?
• Will you SUPPORT legislation to restore state employee’s health insurance coverage for abortion?
• Will you OPPOSE legislation banning embryonic stem-cell research?
• Will you OPPOSE legislation that would require a woman to view an ultrasound before she could have an abortion?
• Will you SUPPORT legislation requiring medical supervisions when an ultrasound is performed on a pregnant woman?
• Will you SUPPORT legislation guaranteeing access to FDA-approved drugs, including ED and other birth control medications?
• Will you OPPOSE legislation mandating that a physician who performs an abortion be required to first show a patient materials about fetal development, at various stages during pregnancy, and other state mandated information designed to dissuade a woman from having an abortion?
• Will you SUPPORT the availability and accessibility of family planning services for everyone in Illinois regardless of age?
• Will you OPPOSE legislation which mandates parental consent or notification before a minor can receive contraceptive care?
• If elected do you plan to act in a manner CONSISTENT with your answers to the above questions?

Lots of the questions have long, one-sided preambles, which you can read here.

While most of the questions may not seem to have any relationship to what a McHenry County Board member might do, there are a couple that have “McHenry County” written all over them. The two in bold face type are they.

Remember the William Saturday scandal of the late 1990’s?

The McHenry County Health Department was dispensing three- month contraceptives to minors without their patent’s knowledge, let alone consent.

At issue was a Federal rule written by the bureaucrats that forced those accepting Title X money to provide birth control devices, information and drugs to everyone, regardless of age.

Saturday was apparently too cheap to buy condoms, so he took his junior high school age “girl friend,” whom he met at North Junior High School in Crystal Lake, to Woodstock on Saturday, when bus transportation was unavailable for shots of Depo- Provera. There’s a story about it here. It looks like the cover story from World Magazine.

In any event, when the affair came to light, there was a big, many month fuss in which county board members decided it was best for them to prohibit minors from obtaining birth control drugs and devices without parental permission.

Deciding that resulting in McHenry County’s not being able to accept Federal Title X money.

There may have been other instances in the country where Title X money has been rejected because its use requires no discrimination based on age, but I don’t know of them.

The furor in McHenry County even worked its way into Congress with 16th District Don Manzullo carrying the torch.

Pro-life endorsements in McHenry County can be found here.

Besides District 3′a Craig Steagall, who is seeking one of two slots on the McHenry County Republican ballot in the February 2nd primary election, District 2 challenger Donna Kurtz has submitted answers to a questionnaire which the Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water wishes McHenry County officials to file annually.  The Kurtz press release.  Answers to the questionnaire can be found here on the ALAW web site.

DONNA KURTZ SUPPORTS PROPOSED ECONOMIC DISCLOSURE ORDINANCE

Crystal Lake, IL – Donna Kurtz, candidate for District 2 -
McHenry County Board, thinks McHenry County can be a leader in Illinois by setting new standards that insure public service comes without improperpersonal gain. According to Kurtz “It is time for all elected and appointed officials in Illinois to show that they will never use their position of public trust to benefit themselves.”

Kurtz supports the intent of the proposed Economic Disclosure Ordinance.

This ordinance would encourage public officials to fully disclose their financial interests and to be accountable for the on-going accuracy of these disclosures. This process creates transparency so conflicts of interest are public information.

Kurtz encourages other County Board candidates and incumbents to join her
in making financial disclosures that will comply with the spirit of the newly
proposed ECONOMIC INTERESTS AND CONFLICT OF INTERESTS DISCLOSURE ORDINANCE.

See enclosed attachment to review Kurtz’s signed economic disclosure agreement.

Contact:

Donna Kurtz, Candidate for District 2 – McHenry County Board

815-353-5972, donna_m_kurtz@yahoo.com

www.donnakurtz.com

Maybe the times they are a changing.

The following press release from ALAW, the Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water tells of two new aspirants for the McHenry County Board having answered the questions on the income and asset disclosure form which the group has asked be passed before the primary election.

District 3 County Board Candidate Craig Steagall

2nd District County Board Candidate Donna Kurtz

The two candidates are Craig Steagall running in District 3 and Donna Kurtz running in District 2. Both districts have large parts of Crystal Lake in them, the dividing line being Crystal Lake Avenue (the Algonquin-Nunda Township line).

The press release from the Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water follows:

CANDIDATES DISCLOSE VOLUNTARILY

Two candidates for County Board in the upcoming primary have voluntarily sent ALAW statements pursuant to the ALAW conflicts disclosure ordinance. These disclosures are posted here.

ALAW presented the draft ordinance to the County Board on December 2, 2009.  If passed, the ordinance will require up front disclosure of appointed and elected county officials’ real estate holdings and business relationships with the county.

These disclosures were unsolicited, but certainly are welcome indications of the candidates’ stance on transparency.  We are hopeful that other candidates will be joining Craig Steagall and Donna Kurtz in taking this position.  As one candidate, Craig Steagall, said, “I am in favor of 100% and cannot imagine an elected official serving without providing this information in a public manner.”

ALAW would like to remind all candidates to send us the ALAW Survey on environmental and related issues. Surveys were mailed to all candidates on December 22, 2009 and are due to ALAW by January 10, 2010. We cannot endorse a candidate without the survey responses.

Alliance for Land Agriculture and Water
PO Box 1021, Woodstock
Contact: Patricia Kennedy 815-943-7223

= = = = =
Here’s my question of the other candidates:

Any more volunteers?

Illinois Citizens for Life, a statewide pro-life group, has endorsed Zane Seipler for McHenry County Sheriff.

Seipler is challenging incumbent Sheriff Keith Nygren in the February 2nd Republican primary election.

The organization is also endorsing candidates for county board.

In District 1, ICF is endorsing the only man and only non-incumbent running for one of the two spots. His name is Robert Nowak. He is a Cary resident, as are the two incumbents he is challenging—Anna May Miller and Yvonne Barnes.

In District 2, McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler and challenger Sandra DePaul are the two getting the group’s nod. Both are from Crystal Lake. Other candidates are incumbent Lyn Orphal and challengers Donna Kurtz, a McHenry County College board member and Crystal Lake City Councilwoman Ellen Brady Mueller.

In District 3 the only incumbent running for re-election, Barbara Wheeler is endorsed. Former county board member Nick Provenzano also won the group’s support. The opponents are Karen J Tynis, Veronica Armstrong and Craig Steagall.

In District 5, newcomer Dave Frederick and former county board member John Jung received the pro-life endorsement. Also running is incumbent Tina Hill.

There is no endorsement in District 4, where there is no GOP primary election, or in District 6, where five candidates are vying for the two places on the fall ballot.

State legislative candidates are ranked as well.

Mike Tryon (R-Crystsl Lake) is deemed to be “Fully Pro-Life.” His Democratic Part opponent Bob Kaempfe merited an “Unknown (Did not answer or complete survey).” State Reps. Jack Franks (D-Marengo) and Mark Beaubien (R-Barrington Hills) are rated the same as Kaempfe.

Franks’ Republican opponent, on the other hand, was characterized as “Fully Pro-Life.”

The only other state candidate endorsed is for the 2nd Appellate Court. Mary S. Schostok is endorsed for the Barbara Gilleran-Johnson vacancy.

For those who think McHenry County College Board members Donna Kurtz (now a candidate for McHenry County Board) and Scott Summers (now running for State Treasurer on the Green Party ticket) were wrong to help kill the minor league baseball stadium on MCC property, take a look at what has happened to a much better situated stadium on I-90.

To put it in pre-teen talk:

Stadium Fail!

First is was Trustee Gerry McMahon.

Last night it was Supervisor Linda Moore.

Trustee Rob LaPorta read what sounded like a bill of particulars listing all the actions that he considered improper and the four trustees, all of whom have been at odds with Moore since she beat incumbent Supervisor John Rossi by 30 votes in this past spring’s Republican primary election.

“Could I have a copy?” Moore asked after the vote was taken.

The main thrust of primary Moore’s campaign was to reverse the approval of a new $3.5 million township hall ($5 million with interest) the then-board, three of whom were re-elected, approved.

Nothing in the resolution of censure referred to Moore’s and her allies’ success in forcing the loan to be repaid and putting the sale of the current township hall to the township road district in jeopardy.

Grafton Township is the second McHenry County governmental board to go in for censure.

The first was the McHenry County College Board. The five-member board majority censured colleagues Donna Kurtz and Scott Summers for changing their mind on using taxpayer-backed bonds to build a minor league baseball stadium at the Crystal Lake McHenry County College campus.

The Grafton Township meeting ended about 12:15 AM and I stayed to the bitter end.

The board passed its levies with one minute to spare, yesterday being the deadline.

The Road Fund is asking for $732,788. On the non-road side, the total is $999,200.

“We’ll only get an additional $19,000 no matter what we do.

There seems to be a one-day problem with public notice. The levy must be filed with the county clerk by December 19th, but it has to be posted 20 days.

Hard to figure out how both requirements can be met.

Back when I was McHenry County Treasurer in the late 1960’s about ten percent of the tax bills were paid under protest. My non-lawyer’s guess is there might be some folks talking to tax protest attorneys about the two deadlines.

Maybe it was the $20,000 salary, plus full and generous health coverage, but whatever the motivation, all the incumbents but District 4 incumbents Sandy Salgado and Pete Merkel, both from McHenry, drew challengers.

Twenty-three people are vying for twelve spots on the fall ballot.

Thirteen are women; ten men.

In District 1, incumbents Anna May Miller and Yvonne Barnes are being challenged by Cary’s Bob Nowak.

In District 2, incumbents Ken Koehler and Lyn Orphal will face not only MCC Board member Donna Kurtz, but Crystal Lake City Councilwoman Ellen Brady Mueller, but also Sandra DePaul.

Mueller likes to be last on the ballot, but she didn’t wait long enough this afternoon. DePaul gets the coveted spot, worth an extra 5% in a six-person race, probably less in this five-person race.

In District 3, newly energized entrepreneur Craig Steagall, who lives just north of Crystal Lake will take on incumbent Barb Wheeler, former county board member Nick Provenzano and newcomers Veronica Armstrong and Karen Tynis.

Steagall is known for his full-page ads in the Northwest Herald in opposition to Metra’s purchase of 17 acres next to the old 84 Lumber (new Alexander’s Lumber) on Country Club Road.

Those ads have attacked McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler. Less well known is that he put together the people who built Prairie Ridge High School’s soccer field.

In District 5, Dave Frederick filed his nominating papers. The veterinarian will be running against incumbent Tina Hill and former county board member John Jung. The announced candidacy of John Vrett did not materialize.

In District 6, incumbent Mary McCann filed her petitions Monday. She joins incumbent Dan Ryan and challengers Richard Draper of Wonder Lake, Dianne Evertsen of Hartland Township and Victor Naursis of Woodstock.