McHenry County Blog

Reading the post-veto do-over that Democrats want of campaign finance reform put State Rep. Lou Lang’s vision of the subject in a new light.

At last Wednesday night’s meeting of the McHenry County Democratic Party Central Committee, Lang, state representative and Niles Township Central Committeeman, was the guest speaker.

The House Democratic Party Floor Leader talked about accomplishing “some ethical reforms, including strengthening the Freedom of Information Act and campaign finance limits.

“There too high there,” he said of the bill vetoed last week by Governor Pat Quinn, a bill he previously endorsed.

Then, Lang laid out his own idea of campaign finance reform:

“I’d put strong limits on expenditures, for example, $100,000 (on House campaigns).

“Each candidate would get exactly the same access to exactly the same voters.”

I hope that I was not the only one in the room who figured out such a restriction is a way to give incumbents even more of an advantage than they have now.

Incumbents already have so many advantages.

Because they have won at least one election and had the support of state-paid public relations persons for almost two years by the time they seek re-election, public officials have a huge name identification advantage, just to mention one benefit to being in office.

Another is that newspapers quote you. (Check out the number of times non-incumbents pry their way into articles during a campaign.) That makes the incumbent and his r her ideas seem more important than a challenger.

Want to keep the same people in office?

Enact Lang’s suggestion.

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Greenwood Township’s Ed Riley greets Lou Lang at the McHenry County Farm Bureau building in Woodstock.

The McHenry County Young Democrats are meeting at Algonquin’s Eastgate Library from 7 until 8:30 tonight.

Speaker for the evening will be Thomas Castillo, one of the many candidates for the Democratic Party nomination for Lt. Governor.

As State Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) explained Wednesday night, people have seen what happened to former Lt. Governor Pat Quinn and think it might happen to them.

At the Democratic Party Central Committee meeting at the Farm Bureau building last night, Ed Rotchford announced that all are welcome to attend.

The YD’s will also be electing officers.

Another lieutenant governor candidate, Justin Oberman, will speak the the Young Democrats on September 17th.

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At the Wednesday meeting you see, from left to right, you see Marti Swanson in the foreground, Ed Riley, who ran for Greenwood Township Supervisor, former District 6 McHenry County Board candidate Robert Ludwig, District 5 McHenry County Board member Paula Yensen, Ed Rotchford, Bob Kaempfe, candidate for state representative against Mike Tryon, Nunda Township Trustee candidate Meredith Reid Sarkees, District 5 McHenry County Board member Jim Kennedy and Mike Bisset.

The photo of Thomas Castillo is from his web site.

Democrats made a determined effort to win all of the big money offices in Greenwood Township.

Since the township is not large enough for Republicans and Democrats to run on their own party labels, all the candidates were listed as independents.

Nevertheless, Democratic Party State Rep. Jack Franks sent out a letter endorsing Ed Riley for township supervisor.

He was defeated by current Township Clerk Barbara Klasen 61%-39%, a 335-vote margin (prior to the folding in of absentee and early votes).

The Democrats candidate for the well-paying road commissioner post was Tom Ganka.

The pay really must be good, because four men were scrapping for the job.

Don Goad, the candidate endorsed by road commissioners, current and retired, in most of the populated townships won the 4-way race. He got almost 43% of the vote. That was 705 votes.

His closest challenger was Tom Wyse, who received over 26% or 438 votes. Depending on whom you talk to, Wyse was either let go by Greenwood Road Commissioner Roger May for financial reasons or because he was getting ready to run for road commissioner. May endorsed Goad.

Democrat Tom Ganka came in third, getting only 223 votes (with maybe more to come from absentee and early voting).

There was a vigorous write-in campaign by Tom Borta. At maximum, he got 282 votes.

The closest challenge came from the most experience Democratic Party candidate, Kerry Julian. Julian ran as a Democrat for McHenry County Auditor and did better than any other countywide Democrat.

Julian received 42% of the vote in his challenge to incumbent Pam Palmer.

Julian got over 46% of the vote for township clerk, but Kendra Rishling was victorious.

Undoubtedly, Julian will be a candidate for another office, perhaps county board.

Unlike in Nunda and Algonquin Townships, the Democrats did not file any township trustee candidates in Greenwood Township.

Just as they did Sunday, Grafton Township Trustee write-in candidate Dan Ziller, Jr., and Don Goad, who appears to be the favored Republican candidate for the officially non-partisan Greenwood Township Road Commissioner post, ran half page ads in Monday’s Northwest Herald.

Greenwood Township, you may remember is one where Democrats like Jack Franks are supporting Tom Ganka for road commissioner, Ed Riley for township supervisor and Kerry Julian for township clerk.

Goad’s ad touts support from the following (click to enlarge the ad):

• Ed Dvorak, McHenry County Board member and former Nunda Township Road Commissioner
• Chuck Majercik, former McHenry Township Road Commissioner
• Bob Miller, Algonquin Township Road Commissioner
• Tom Thurman, Dorr Township Road Commissioner
• Dale Behm, Woodstock Superintendent of Streets
• McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren
• Leon Van Every, McHenry Township Road Commissioner
• Don Kopsell, Nunda Township Road Commissioner and, most importantly,
• Roger May, retiring Greenwood Township Road Commissioner

Besides Goad and Ganka, there are two more candidate for the road commissioner slot. Tom Wyse, who used to work for the Greenwood Township Road Commissioner and was laid off (because of financial reasons or because he was planning to run for road commissioner, depending on who you talk to) and write-in candidate Tom Borta have signs all over the township.

Riley is being opposed by current Township Clerk Barb Klasen. Candidate for township clerk, Kenda Rishling, appears to be aligned with Klasen.

Thanks to the campaign web site of the two Nunda Township candidates for township trustee—Meridith Reid Sarkees and Patrick Murfin—Republicans are forewarned that 16 radio ads will run on Star 105.5 Saturday and Sunday.

The man who ran against State Rep. Mike Tryon—Bob Kaempfe—is popping for them.

He had $1,200 left after the campaign.

The ads will promote the candidacy of five running as Democrats for township trustee in Nunda and Algonquin Township.

The three Democrats in Algonquin Township are Frank Hyden, Robert Franks, and James McTague.

Democrats on township ballots who are identified as such are more interesting.

Two are obvious because they ran for partisan county office last fall.

The Democratic Party candidate for county auditor, Kerry Julian, is running for Greenwood Township Clerk.

District 3 county board candidate Jeff Thirtyacre is running for Burton Township Road Commissioner.

Julian and Thirtyacre are running in non-partisan elections, as are two other candidates for Greenwood Township office.

Ed Riley is running for Greenwood Township Supervisor and Tom Ganka is running for Greenwood Township Road Commissioner. Democratic Party State Representative Jack Franks sent an endorsement letter for Riley.

All races are contested.