McHenry County Blog

Candidates for the McHenry County Board are starting to send out mailings.

I received nothing from District 2 candidates yesterday…or from any statewide candidate, but others got some mail. (Here is the first round of District 1 mail. It’s from the week early voting started.)

But I did get a piece from Ellen Brady Mueller late last week.

Notice the stamp and the address. Someone had to affix the first class stamp. That's more personal than having a mail house use a permit, as is the return address label. And, when was the last time you received mail from a candidate that someone had hand addressed? All three elements show Brady Mueller has volunteers willing to do stuff that most candidates now relegate to a mail house.

On the address side in pretty small print is Brady Mueller’s biography, including her being “well prepared for any issue that comes before her” and that she is “a proven team player.”

She does not mention that she voted for Mayor Aaron Shepley’s 75% city sales tax increase. (I would not either, were I writing the copy.)

She lays out her goals:

• Make rational roadway improvements her #1 priority
• Maintain core services without additional cost to the taxpayers
• Bring new techniques and programs to attract business to the county
• Work collaboratively with all interest parties to implement a ground water protection and conservation program
• Persuade the county to recognize and adopt the Crystal Lake Watershed ordinance. (See critique of county board 2030 Plan for not recognizing the Crystal Lake Watershed Oridinance.)
• Broaden the communications between communities and the entire county board.
• Maintain a good solid working relationship with all the municipalities of the county.

"Ellen is the right person, at the right time, for the right reasons," is the message. The description is catchy and the photo of the candidate in Downtown Crystal Lake really catches her identity with the town. She loves to tell people her family has lived here over 100 years. That seems more than appropriate because she is a long-time city councilwoman.

Traffic will be a major sticking point on Metra’s proposed Ridgefield commuter station the same was it was for the baseball stadium proposed for McHenry County College.

The Crystal Lake City Council unanimously approved Councilwoman Ellen Brady Mueller’s motion to reject SEC, which used to be called Smith Engineering, as the firm to provide the traffic study for the Ridgefield station which Metra wants annexed into the city.

Council members decided they would rather have one of their already authorized consultants do the study.

Metra preferred SEC because it had been contracted to do a study for a future Lily Pond Road site called East Woodstock, as well as for Ridgefield.

Questions about traffic arose from all quarters.

Carolyn Schofield: “My main concerns will be traffic and the watershed.”

Brett Hopkins: “I’m concerned about traffic”

Jeff Thorsen concurred, “You’re engineer hasn’t addressed the western development we know is going to come…I’d rather go with our pool of traffic consultants. I’m already looking at two studies that are pretty opposite.”

Thorsen also made the same pitch he made in the baseball stadium traffic discussion–that Briarwood and Route 176 be included.  He pointed out that there had been another accident there earlier in the day.

Kathy Ferguson:  “I have some concerns about traffic. You’re going to change the whole tone and tenor of that area.”

Ferguson also told of driving to the courthouse on Country Club Road for jury duty. She commented negatively on the current danger at the curve.

“The line of sight when you’re coming around those corners has to be addressed.”

During extended public comment by Craig Steagall, the owner of land Metra considered buying across the tracks from that which is half-owned by McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler, he bent his arms to demonstrate the intersection problem in Downtown Ridgefield.

Mueller talking about traffic: “I don’t know how to make it work without moving the houses that are out there…I myself cannot support having a traffic consultant not going through the normal process.”

Mayor Aaron Shepley empathized with Metra: “It would be awfully difficult to change (horses in midstream).”

Ralph Dawson took a different approach: “What are we going to get out of it? How long will (it take for) my police cars have to be dispatched out there? Why do we want to annex it? We’re already stretched out. I have a county police department that is more than adequate to police that station.”

Metra attorney Joe Gottemoller explained that he thought Crystal Lake wanted to annex the entire watershed of Crystal Lake. The station is within that watershed.

Mayor Shepley summed up the reason for annexing the property: “With an annexation into Crystal Lake you have a greater control on what the project will look like,” adding the city would have more influence over the traffic problems.”

His conclusion: “The deal breaker here—it’s all about the traffic.”

Shepley specifically mentioned the inadequate Ridgefield railroad crossing.

Both Mueller and Steagall are candidates for a Republican nomination for the McHenry County Board, Mueller in District 2 and Steagall in District 3.

It was a “Not in My Back Yard” kind of night at Crystal Lake City Hall last night.

Not only was the Crystal Lake Park District Viking Dodge site nixed by a 6-0 vote, but a private recreational activity, miniature stock car racing run by HobbyTown, USA, did, too. (Cathy Ferguson did not attend the meeting.)

Traffic ended up being the downfall of the Crystal Lake Park District’s attempt to put offices and recreational facilities where Viking Dodge used to be.

From the beginning, when McHenry County Blog broke the story on February 12, 2009, I couldn’t see how people living down Route 14 would be able to make a left turn from Route 176 onto 14 safely.  If you click to enlarge the map above, you can seen how IDOT wants to bring Ridgefield Road into Route 14 at a “T” and how residents of Andrea and The Breakers Chinese restaurant would have a somewhat better (but not much better) shot at getting out onto Route 14.  The park district proposed making the current Viking Dodge parking lot a right in and right out only entrance and exit.

Even though the park district

• backed off from sending any traffic east through residential streets after being rejected by the city council last month, 
• sought to have most traffic enter at the eastern edge of the property on Route 176, and 
• proposed moving traffic onto Route 14 near the funeral home, 
• with eventual plans for an exit on Ridgefield Road,

its proposal did not pass muster.

Mayor Aaron Shepley took the lead in both zoning discussions.  In both, the goals of the petitioners were lauded, but the location criticized.

Noise KO’ed  HobbyTown.  The site selected was next to JA Frate.  There is a berm behind the trucking company.  There was room for one behind the proposed outdoor track as well, but the council was unwilling to take the chance that it would diminish the noise from the race cars enough to satisfy neighbors.

Cardiff Drive residents even presented a video with the buzzing noise of the cars being tested in back of what used to by Crystal Auto Body.  It’s a deep lot, but needing to get all but one vote provided impossible.  After all, the Republican precinct committeeman for the neighborhood, Ellen Brady-Mueller, sits on the city council.  The mother with two autistic sons whom she home schools certainly tugged at hearts.

Even though the park board is back to square one with the council’s “Do Not Pass Go” decision, others are talking of expanding the Crystal Lake YMCA facility with a much upgraded pool.  Whether such a facility would be totally privately financed or a combination of private-public financing remains to be seen.

Mayor Aaron Shepley beat former supporter turned challenged Lori Phelps by a 2 2/3 to one margin.

The vote was 3,156 to 1,181.

Shepley raised 4.8 times as much money as Phelps, showing the power of incumbency.

Shepley reported raising $24,000, while Phelps loaned her campaign $5,000.

The city council put in place after it was enlarged from five to seven members will be missing one of the members who predated the change when newly elected councilmen are sworn in.

That is, if the narrow 14 vote loss stands up.

The two incumbent city councilwomen, Cathy Ferguson and Ellen Brady Mueller, who joined together to solicit campaign funds, ran first and second.

Newcomer to electoral politics Brent Hopkins, a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission, edged out incumbent Howie Christensen by 14 votes. Hopkins reported $3,000 the last time I checked. I didn’t see a report from Christensen.

With a countywide average of just under 10 votes per precinct cast in early and absentee voting, the two will probably be biting their nails until the canvass is completed a couple of weeks from now.

The council vote totals follows:

Kathy Ferguson – 2,404
Ellen Brady Mueller – 2,265
Brent Hopkins – 2,149
Howie Christensen – 2,135
Jim Batastini – 1,817
Carolyn Schofield – 1,533

= = = = =
The top picture of Mayor Aaron Shepley and mayoral challenger Lori Phelps was taken at the Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce candidates’ luncheon. The two councilwomen who were re-elected come next. Ellen Brady Mueller is on the left and Cathy Ferguson is on the right. At the lower right is presumptive third place winner Brett Hopkins. Incumbent councilman Howie Christensen, who is 14 votes behind Hopkins has his picture at the bottom left.

Mayor Aaron Shepley beat former supporter turned challenged Lori Phelps by a 2 2/3 to one margin.

The vote was 3,156 to 1,181.

Shepley raised 4.8 times as much money as Phelps, showing the power of incumbency.

Shepley reported raising $24,000, while Phelps loaned her campaign $5,000.

The city council put in place after it was enlarged from five to seven members will be missing one of the members who predated the change when newly elected councilmen are sworn in.

That is, if the narrow 14 vote loss stands up.

The two incumbent city councilwomen, Cathy Ferguson and Ellen Brady Mueller, who joined together to solicit campaign funds, ran first and second.

Newcomer to electoral politics Brent Hopkins, a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission, edged out incumbent Howie Christensen by 14 votes. Hopkins reported $3,000 the last time I checked. I didn’t see a report from Christensen.

With a countywide average of just under 10 votes per precinct cast in early and absentee voting, the two will probably be biting their nails until the canvass is completed a couple of weeks from now.

The council vote totals follows:

Kathy Ferguson – 2,404
Ellen Brady Mueller – 2,265
Brent Hopkins – 2,149
Howie Christensen – 2,135
Jim Batastini – 1,817
Carolyn Schofield – 1,533

= = = = =
The top picture of Mayor Aaron Shepley and mayoral challenger Lori Phelps was taken at the Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce candidates’ luncheon. The two councilwomen who were re-elected come next. Ellen Brady Mueller is on the left and Cathy Ferguson is on the right. At the lower right is presumptive third place winner Brett Hopkins. Incumbent councilman Howie Christensen, who is 14 votes behind Hopkins has his picture at the bottom left.

Having probably written more articles on the Gay Games than anyone else in the world, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to point out who voted to bring the rowing regatta to Crystal Lake.

That information is an article entitled “Gay Games Honor Roll.”

All of the incumbents running for city council voted to allow the Gay Games to take over Crystal Lake on a prime weekend day in mid-July.

They include Mayor Aaron Shepley, who was a cheerleader for the event and told the Chicago Tribune it showed his leadership abilities.

Council folks running for re-election who voted for the regatta were Ellen Brady Mueller, Kathy Ferguson, and Howie Christensen. Their photographs are shown in that order.

In case you are from out of the area, Mayor Shepley is to the one with the microphone.

Two of the incumbents running for the Crystal Lake Park Board—Candy Reedy and Michael Zellman—voted for the Gay Games.

They voted for it the first time around when the motion lost because of a 2-2 tie and were in the three-person, second-time around majority that allowed the lake takeover.

Having probably written more articles on the Gay Games than anyone else in the world, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to point out who voted to bring the rowing regatta to Crystal Lake.

That information is an article entitled “Gay Games Honor Roll.”

All of the incumbents running for city council voted to allow the Gay Games to take over Crystal Lake on a prime weekend day in mid-July.

They include Mayor Aaron Shepley, who was a cheerleader for the event and told the Chicago Tribune it showed his leadership abilities.

Council folks running for re-election who voted for the regatta were Ellen Brady Mueller, Kathy Ferguson, and Howie Christensen. Their photographs are shown in that order.

In case you are from out of the area, Mayor Shepley is to the one with the microphone.

Two of the incumbents running for the Crystal Lake Park Board—Candy Reedy and Michael Zellman—voted for the Gay Games.

They voted for it the first time around when the motion lost because of a 2-2 tie and were in the three-person, second-time around majority that allowed the lake takeover.