McHenry County Blog

Jack Franks courts constituent at the McHenry Business Expo in 2011.

Got this email from an opponent of same-sex marriage:

“Rep. Jack Franks will be at the Johnsburg Business and Craft Expo at Johnsburg High School tomorrow (Saturday, March 16).

“The Expo will be taking place from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

“Rep. Franks will not be there for the full time, but he will have a booth at the Expo that will be staffed by his district office staff.

“If you’re planning to attend the Expo, please take a moment to stop by the booth and express your opinion on the same-gender marriage bill to Rep. Franks and his staff.

“The more comments they hear from us, the more aware they will be of the district residents’ concerns.

“Please encourage others to stop by too.

“Let’s create a constant drumbeat of concern over this issue for Rep. Franks.”

Johnsburg High School is located at: 2002 W. Ringwood Road, Johnsburg, IL

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If anyone goes, I’d appreciate a photo.

The Marengo Expo is this weekend at the new Marengo High School.

$185 was the minimum price for a booth at the Marengo Expo Saturday and Sunday and at least six District 6 McHenry County Board candidates paid the price.

Given the temperature outside, this surely beats walking door-to-door on what is predicted to be a very cold weekend.

Haven’t decided which day to attend, but I’ll have my camera and be looking for politicians touting their qualities.

Seven candidates attended the McHenry County Young Republicans Candidates’ Forum. If you haven’t read what they said about the County Board’s voting to raise our taxes as much as possible, you can find the article here.

Whenever I go to a business expo, I look for politicians.

McHenry Marlins line up for an interclub race.

Saturday was McHenry Marlins swim meet day.  The McHenry Business Expo was also occurring at McHenry West High School.

State Rep. Jack Franks confers with constituent at the McHenry Expo.

State Rep. Jack Franks (D-Marengo) and State Sen. Pam Althoff (R-McHenry) shared a booth.

State Senator Pam Althoff gestures a lot when she talks.

Both had left by three o’clock, Franks on his way to his big fundraiser in Downtown Chicago and Althoff to prepare for a Raue Center affair at which a scholarship was to be awarded in her late husband Tim’s honor.

I approached Althoff about whether she would vote for a bill to register homeschoolers.

She said she wouldn’t.

Last year this was where I met the Democratic Party candidate for McHenry County Sheriff, Mike Mahon.  His presence convinced me that he was going to put on a real campaign.

The McHenry County State's Attorney's booth.

Last year and this year both the State’s Attorney’s and Sheriff’s Office had booths.

Last year Lou Bianchi was in attendance.  This year he wasn’t.

The Sheriff's Department's booth.

Sheriff Keith Nygren delegated deputies to staff his county both last year and this year.

Seen on the bottom row from left to right, are John and Sheri Haselgruber, Paulette Wainberg, Chairman Nunda Republicans Central Committee Brent Smith and Chris Halloway. On the back row, from left to right, are Jim Batastini, Scott Brown, Nunda Trustee Joni Smith, Brian Prather, Patti Pauley, Adam "Moose" Pringle, Nunda Trustee Tom Palmer, Karen Tynis, Wally Tynis, Nick Provenzano, Chairman Republican Party McHenry County Mike Tryon, Dave Gervais, Jake Justen, YR Chairman Bryan Javor, Adam Wallen. Missing from the picture, but attending, are Zachary Smith, Chelsi Smith, Bob Halloway, Mark Daniel, James Jirasek, organization Vice Chairman Jon Heideman.

Under Brent Smith’s leadership, the Nunda Township Republican Central Committee has held the first of its monthly meetings.

There was even a commemorative cake.

Now, Nunda Township Republicans are rolling out a fund raising raffle, the prize for which will be a politician to cook dinner for the winner in his or her home.

I bought my ticket in between getting signatures for the “Fair Map” reapportionment constitutional amendment petition at the Crystal Lake Business Expo.

Workers posing at the Republican Party booth at the Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce Business Expo. From left to right are Rebecca Lee, Bob Miller, Anna May Miller, Tom McDermott, Brent Smith, Cal Skinner, Bill Miller, Mike Shorten and Jon Heideman.

I figured the only woman on the list, Barb Wheeler probably would provide the best meal, so she’s going to learn where the Lakewood home with the tree house is, if I win.

Below is the flyer for the fundraiser:

Ticket contact email is coonpy@att.net.

McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren leaves the Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce Expo after its closing at three o'clock Sunday. He walks past his Democratic Party opponent Mike Mahon's booth without acknowledgeing its presence.

The Democratic Party’s candidate for McHenry County Sheriff, Mike Mahon, had the last booth at the Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce Business Expo.

That’s the route Sheriff Keith Nygren, again at the Expo Sunday, as he was Saturday, took to leave the event.

He had some business with the booth next to Mahon’s, then strode out of South High School without looking at his major party challenger.

All I could get was a photo of his back.

You can see Mahon to his left, taking to someone.

With its being Palm Sunday weekend, the Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce Business Expo was perfectly timed for churches.

Lots of people go to church, at least on Christmas and Easter.

Lots of Protestant churches had booths. Now, that I think about it, I wonder why the Catholic Church didn’t. They have this elaborate public relations campaign to get lapsed Catholics to “Come Home.” This would have been a natural place for a “high touch” approach.

The Crystal Lake Evangelical Free Church

Crystal Lake’s Evangelical Free Church was the first I saw.  Hannah Beardsley Middle School was built next to it.

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church's booth.

I didn’t shoot these pictures in order, but Prince of Peace Lutheran Church was in the main hall.

I must have shot photos on Saturday, as well as Sunday, because the one below has different people manning the booth.

I remember that my legislative assistant Pete Castillo helped the church, located on McHenry Avenue just north of South High School, received the license for its day care center.  I wondered then and this weekend again what kind of a government requires a state legislator to help a church get a day care license.  One that doesn’t work very well, I’d suggest.

The Prince of Peace Lutheran Church booth on Saturday.

Down the row from the Republican booth where I was gathering petition signatures for to put the reapportionment constitutional amendment on the ballot this fall was the Christian Fellowship booth.  The church is located on the blacktop between Crystal Lake and McHenry.

Christian Fellowship Church booth.

It had bean bag toss to attract children.

Hope Covenant Church was in the smaller gym.

Hope Covenant Church was next.  It was in the second room of the exhibit.  The church is at the corner of Ackmann and Randall Roads across from CVS Pharmacy.

Lord and Savior Lutheran Church was the last one I saw.

The last was Lord and Savior Lutheran Church. It was near the food and in the hallway toward the exit.  I got a homemade book mark from the young lady.  The church is located on Route 14 beyond McHenry County College.

Saturday there was no doubt that the political action hot spot in McHenry County was the Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce Expo.

Rebecca Lee and Len Sasse discuss his being appointed Republican precinct committeeman in Algonquin Township Precinct 38

The Algonquin and Nunda Townships’ Republican activists staffed a booth where the head of the Algonquin Township Central Committee Rebecca Lee and the Nunda Township Chairman Brent Smith recruited people to fill precincts where citizens did not run for the office of precinct committeeman in the February primary election.

Other volunteers handed out fiber tote bags emblazoned with McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren’s name. Still others handed out little American flags, candy and to kids.

Yours truly collected 137 petition signatures for the almost correctly named “Fair Map” reapportionment constitution amendment petition. (The map, if this constitutional amendment gets on the ballot and is passed will be fairer, not “Fair.” Instead of just having House Speaker Mike Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton draw the lines, it would be done by a bi-partisan commission.)

A woman signs the "Fair Map" constitutional amendment petition at State Rep. Mike Tryon's booth as Tina Hill looks on. In the background is former State Rep. Rosemary Kurtz. In the foreground left is her daughter Donna Kurtz.

Folks got two chances to sign. I got first crack at about the middle of the Expo exhibitors and Tina Hill and Rosemary Kurtz and the League of Women Voters got a second shot right before people left the event.

McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren converses with citizens at the McHenry County Sheriff's Department booth.

Between the two, during the afternoon, Sheriff Nygren was greeting voters and discussing issues at the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department booth.

The Democratic Party candidate for sheriff, Mike Mahon, had a booth near the exit, but the candidate was not there Saturday. He is expected Sunday.

Democratic candidate for sheriff Mike Mahon had a booth right next to the door, but, although fully staffed, the candidate was not present Saturday. He is expected today.

The booth of McHenry County Sheriff's candidate Mike Mahon turned up right next to the booth of McHenry County State's Attornrey Lou Bianchi's. Bianchi is a Republican. McMahon is the Democratic Party's candidate this fall.

Just a coincidence, I’m sure.

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Thanks to a friend of McHenry County Blog for having sharp eyes for irony and a camera.  Naturally, I was in my Algonquin Township Precinct 7 in Crystal Lake and Lakewood passing out literature.  There was also someone passing out Ken Koehler literature and a new Donna Kurtz door hanger.