McHenry County Blog

Updated Wednesday

Looking at those who have filed for Chemung Township so far, there are three offices with vacancies:

• Supervisor
• Trustee

Chemung Township is in the northwest corner of McHenry County. This is a precinct map.

Two candidates are running for Highway Commissioner:

• Donald L. Staver (incumbent)
• Paul Hereley

Running for Assessor is Doug Hawthorne.

Three people have filed for the four Trustee spots:

• Patrick McCarthy (incumbent) – Trustee
• Glenda Miller (incumbent) – Trustee
• Tom Slater (incumbent) – Trustee

Incumbent Clerk Judith Koch is running for re-election.

Filing is open until the close of business on December 26th.

Those thinking about running need to file a Statement of Economic Interest with the County Clerk and attach it with a staple to one’s petitions and Statement of Candidacy. And, be sure to number the pages.

The 2012-14 officers of the McHenry County Republican Party are, left to right, Chairman Mike Tryon, Executive Director Geri Davis, Vice Chairman Mark Daniel, Secretary Glenda Miller and Treasurer Fred Wickham.

County political party committees held organization meetings all over Illinois Wednesday night.

Leslie Schermerhorn

At the McHenry County Republican Party Central Committee meeting, State Rep. Mike Tryon was re-elected Chairman.

Nunda Township’s Mark Daniel was selected as Vice Chairman. He will replace Kathy Kuchta of McHenry Township.

The Secretary and Treasurer will remain the same, Glenda Miller and Fred Wickham.

In other action, the Precinct Committeemen voted to put Leslie Schermerhorn on the ballot for Regional Superintendent of Education.

She was appointed to the post on Tuesday night by the McHenry County Board.

After the meeting the new and old Precinct Committeemen got to know each other.

After the meeting newly-elected Tea Party Precinct Committeemen Melissa Denker from Dunham Township and Andrew Gasser from Fox River Grove chat with the first Tea Party Committeeman, Crystal Lake's Rita Heuel, elected in 2010. At age 19, Denker is the youngest GOP Committeeman in McHenry County.

The Daily Herald actually sent a reporter.

Mike Tryon gave a short speech at his Huntley Fish Boil.

What does one do when one has no announced opponent for State Representative?

You know you have to keep raising money, because the Republican GOP Leader in Springfield tries to assess you for thousands to use in marginal races. ($2,500 a year when I was there, probably $10,000 now.)

And, you want to be able to contribute significant amounts to candidates you support.

Undoubtedly there are even more expenses to be met because of Tryon’s role as McHenry County Republican Central Committee Chairman.

So you hold the fund raisers you have held before, hoping that people will continue to support you financially.

Early in the 5-9 informal fund raiser, Tryon was at the gate on the sidewalk in front of where money was being collected.

Later, he mingled inside the beer garden.

Because it is an election year, there were candidates drawn to the affair.

Two announced candidate for the empty State Senate district in which Tryon is running for State Representative were in attendance:

Kane County Board Chairman and State Senate candidate Karen McConnaughay talks with Dan Plote.

• Kane County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay and
• former Rutland Township Trustee Chad Koppie.

State Senate candidate Chad Koppie was at the gate while former State Senator Jack Schaffer was signing in with Cheryl Meyer.

There were plenty of McHenry County Officials.

A ring of women power was sighted. From left to right are Chief Deputy Treasurer and Secretary of the McHenry County Republican Central Committee Glenda Miller, head of the Algonquin Township Republican Central Committee Rebecca Lee, Auditor Pam Palmer and Recorder of Deeds Phyllis Walters. Although attending, McHenry County Clerk Kathie Schultz missed being in this photo.

McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi was introduced.

McHenry County State's Attorney Lou Bianchi waves as he is introduced. To his right is Congressman Randy Hultgren. McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler and Cheryl Meyer can be seen to Bianchi's left. At the table are Huntley Village Trustee Pam Fender and Woodstock Mayor Brian Sager.

Ken Koehler was introduced as not only the Chairman of the McHenry County Board, but also the Treasurer of Tryon’s political action committee since its inception.

Congressman Randy Hultgren and McHenry County State's Attorney Lou Bianchi applaud as Ken Koehler is introducted.

McHenry County Board member Barb Wheeler, who seeks to be the next State Representative from the 64th District, the number of Tryon’s current district, was at the Fish Boil.

State Rep. candidate Barbara Wheeler was seen talking to Kim Keefe, the President-Elect of the McHenry County Board of Realtors.

More tomorrow.

While the teen were exploring other parts of the McHenry County Fair on Friday, I went looking for things political.

Democratic Party State Rep. Jack Franks’ tent was first.  It was closest to the free parking.

Jack Franks staffer Parker Happ mans the Jack Franks tent, smiling as he did last year when my photo was good enough to end up on his Facebook’s front page.

Then,  I saw the Sheriff’s Department’s Crime Stoppers Trailer.

This Sheriff’s Department trailer was parked behind the arena.

The McHenry County Sheriff’s booth was at the front of the first building I entered, although Sheriff Keith Nygren had not yet arrived.

The Sheriff’s Department has a double booth just as one enters one of the display buildings.

McHenry County Citizens for Choice was way around the corner.

Marian Michaels, Dee Many and Toby Levin were staffing/visiting the McHenry County Citizens for Choice booth.

The McHenry County Republican Party booth was down the aisle to the right. My second time around I found Jack Franks’ staffer conversing with the folks behind the table.

Eric Peterson, Glenda Miller and Pam Palmer talk with Jack Franks’ staffer Parker Happ.

I found the Sheriff’s Department had a second booth location to the right of the main one.

This McHenry County Sheriff’s booth was unmanned when I walked by.

In the next building, the Libertarian Party booth was the first I saw.

Jim Young, who ran for State Rep. as a Libertarian, was asking people to put pennies into the jar which best represented their beliefs about the national debt.

Into which jar would you put a penny supplied by the Libertarian Party?

Most pennies were in the “Cut Spending” jar.

Next door was the best political story.

The negative reaction of a modeling agency, which was across the aisle, and a County Fair Official’s reported reaction to a complaint was the best story I found.  The complaining booth workers got another location.

The booth was called “Peter’s Net.” Those in it were clearly Catholics and they were explaining how Catholics were Pro-Life.

There were models of how large a baby was at various lengths of gestitation. This man was closely examining the part of the display at the early end of pregnancy.

Here’s a closer look at the models.

I particularly like the baby in God’s hands.

The booth renter across the aisle, described as a “modeling agency” complained about the medical models to Fair Officials. One came and, I’m told, said that the display might not be allowed next year.

The models at the other Pro-Life booth.

Since I vividly remember a similar display from 2000 at the McHenry County Right-To-Life organization, I have a hard time understanding such logic, assuming the story that reached my ears was correct.

It certainly makes no economic sense for the Fair, since another Catholic group, renting three or four spaces–as many as the Sheriff’s Department–also had in utero models.

Maybe it was the message on the button saying, “It’s a child, not a choice” that bothered the folks across the aisle or maybe the models were drawing too much attention from the young girls the complaining booth was targeting.

Just around the corner was the McHenry County Democratic Central Committee’s booth.

Terry Kappel and John Darger were staffing the Democrats booth.

They had an intimidating American history quiz that they were encouraging people to take.  I was told Jack Franks wouldn’t take it.

This “Hands Off my Medicare” sign was on the side of the Democrats’ booth.

I hesitated, read the questions on the front page and figured by 7th and 8th grade American history classes would stand me in good stead.  Then I started checking off the best answer.  I did find until I got to the national debt question.  It asked when the first debt ceiling had been passed.  That was not in any of the American history classes I took.  I won’t ruin the quiz. Suffice is to say that was my only wrong answer.

As I continued my political tour of the McHenry County Fair, I found a second large Pro-Life booth.

“Life is Sacred” is the largest print one sees as one approaches this booth from the south.

Young girls were looking at a display of baby booties and shoes called “Little Soles.”

“Little Soles” is the title of this Pro-Life display..

This is the other booth in which I found the in utero models seen above.

There is also a big banner proclaiming “Life Is Sacred” with a Bible quote.

The booth tee shirt.

Right across the aisle was the booth of the McHenry County Sportsman’s Association and the McHenry County Right to Carry Association.

With Illinois’ being the last state in the union where individuals are not allowed to carry firearms to protect themselves, the petition signatures gathered in past years may have been the reason that Jack Franks’ flipped from being opposed to being favor.

Barbara Wheeler, the only Republican candidate to have announced for the 64th State Representative District, talks with Anthony Lopez President of the McHenry County Sportsman’s Association at the booth his group and the McHenry County Right to Carry Association sponsored at the County Fair.

President Anthony Lopez was standing out front talking to Barb Wheeler, who was helping staff the booth. His wife Laura Rakers was behind the table with Richard Pere.

I went looking for Congressman Joe Walsh’s outpost.

Erin Westphal drew tent staffing duty for Congressman Joe Walsh.  At the Wauconda Town Hall Meeting, she was one bringing the microphone to those who want to ask questions or make statements.

It was on the midway in a corner tent.

I doubled back to the building with the Sheriff’s display in hopes of finding Sheriff Keith Nygren and was rewarded by his presence.

Sheriff Keith Nygren talking to two members of his staff.

I made another circuit and found Congressman Don Manzullo’s booth. Former Wonder Lake resident Marilyn Davis was behind the table.

Kathleen Davis was staffing Congressman Don Manzullo’s booth.

As I left the building, Nunda Township Republican Chairman Brent Smith and Sheriff Nygren were having a conversation.

On the way out, I saw John O’Neill, an announced candidate for McHenry County Board staffing the Ray Chevrolet tent.

Paul Lis (on the right) talks to Jerry Schain.

Paul Lis used to be in and about the halls of power in Springfield. His firing by Pate Philip is detailed in Rich Miller’s Capitol Fax today.

Lis moved to Harvard to marry Chief Deputy Treasurer Glenda Miller.

Chief Deputy Treasurer Glenda Miller looked relaxed last night when I saw her.

What happens after a financial institution abandons a branch? In this case, county government bought the building on North Seminary in Woodstock and turned it into the McHenry County Treasurer's Office.

And she should be.

137,000 property tax bills are ready to go in the mail today,

$733 million will be owed by real estate owners.

When I was McHenry County Treasurer forty years ago, the total bill was $20 million. There were, if memory serves me correctly, about 110,000 bills.

You might wonder why the number of bills was such a high percentage of today’s. The reason is that then Personal Property Taxes were levied.

Lots of very low amount bills.

From left to right are seen the 2010-2012 McHenry County Republican Central Committee leadership: Chairman Mike Tryon, Secretary Glenda Miller, Vice Chairwoman Kathy Kuchta and Treasurer Fred Wickham.

The leadership team of the McHenry County Republican Central Committee will be the same as it has been the last two years.

Mike Tryon addressing committeemen after his re-election as chairman.

State Rep. Mike Tryon of Crystal Lake continues as Chairman.

Vice Chairwoman will be McHenry’s Kathy Kuchta.

Harvard’s Glenda Miller will be Secretary.

Fred Wickham, who won a contest two years ago will again be Treasurer.

Likewise there was no contest for 8th Congressional District State Central Committeeman. All present voted for Barrington Township’s Gene Dawson.

With the empty precincts added in, pursuant to passage of a motion earlier in the night, Dawson received 10,134 votes in his attempt to turn back a challenge by the Schaumburg Township Committeeman, Michael Adelizzi.

In the race for the 16th Congressional District Committeemanship, the race was more interesting.

Cal Skinner made a pitch for Joe Wiegand, pointing out that he had never seen incumbent Dave Syverson during the past two years since he had joined the Central Committee for the third time. He said that Wiegand’s lack of a public office gave him the time to do much more than a state senator could.

Jack Schaffer spoke for Syverson, explaining that he was a respected leader on the Republican State Central Committee.  He added that Syverson had been in Congressman Don Manzullo’s Sunday School class.

Tom Zanck supporting Joe Wiegand's candidacy.

After Schaffer, Tom Zanck asked if he could second Wiegand’s nomination and was granted that wish.

“I don’t agree with Cal Skinner on anything, but I agree with him on Joe Wiegand,” he said. Zanck said he had worked with Wiegand in the campaign to defeat the establishment of a Kishwaukee Water Authority and praised his imagination, thoroughness and initiative.

A not-so-secret ballot was taken instead of a roll call, resulting in Syverson getting 4,054 votes and Wiegand 2,554.  (Because each precinct committee had the number of Republican votes cast in his precinct, the way people voted had to be known to the canvass team.)

After the vote Chairman Tryon asked if anyone wanted to switch to the winner and Dan Shea and Patrick Collins did, leaving the tally at 4,347 to 2,261.

Adding in the precinct totals of precincts where no vote was cast, Syverson ended up with a margin of 11,428. The total vote of precincts not represented because the elected committeeman did not show up or because no one ran for precinct committeeman was 9,342 votes.

15,950 people voted in the GOP primary in Congressman Don Manzullo’s part of McHenry County, but only 6,608 of them had elected precinct committeemen present at the meeting.

That means there is plenty of room for volunteers. If you would like your name passed on, you can email McHenry County Blog. The email is on the upper left hand side of this page.

Mike Tryon hand microphone to Jack Schaffer, who chaired gubernatorial winner Bill Brady's McHenry County campaign.

Schaffer, who chaired Bill Brady’s McHenry County campaign, told the party representatives that Brady was leading Kirk Dillard by 246 votes by Brady’s count.

“We think Brady will be the winner,” the former Central Committee Chairman said.

Brady is expected to be in Chicago shaking hands at the Union Pacific train station Friday morning and do a fly-around on Monday. The closest landing will be in Rockford.

Extolling the virtues of his candidate, Schaffer said, “His family is from Central Casting.”

Describing his principles, his spokesman described them as “solid.”

Schaffer also said that he his answers frustrate the media.

When asked a question about social values, he says,

”I am who I am.“

Then, he starts talking about the problems of the day.

“We stand at the brink,” Schaffer said. “The demographics are running against us. We have a chance. The Democrats have done everything for us but raise money…and Blagojevich is still working for us.

“If we can’t prevail this year, I don’t know when we ever will again.

“I won’t say, ‘It’s now or never,’  but you guys will all be as old as I am when we get the next chance.”

Republican County Board candidtes, from left to right, Nick Provenzano, Diane evertson, John Jung, Tina Hill and Donna Kurtz.

John O'Neill, who is a candidate for state representative against Democrat Jack Franks, makes pitch for attendance at his corn beef and cabbage Bull Valley Country Club fund raiser Monday, March 15th.

Tryon then introduced the county board candidates in attendance and let state representative candidate John O’Neill make a pitch for his March 15th corn beef and cabbage fund raiser at the Bull Valley Country Club.

Young Republican President Bryan Javor announcing he would not be running for re-election.

McHenry County Young Republican President Bryan Javor took the opportunity to announce he was not running for re-election, but, pointing to the county board candidates,  instead “would work to get these guys elected.”

Then, Tryon headed back to Springfield for session on Thursday.

He had left 1 PM Wednesday afternoon to drive up to Woodstock.

When McHenry County Republican Central Committee Chairman Bill LeFew decided to abandon the chairmanship after embarrassing himself and the Republican Party with his unsuccessful attempts to keep secret his efforts to oust McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi, LeFew did his best to surround consensus choice for chairman Mike Tryon with LeFew loyalists.

He pushed his Chief Deputy Treasurer Glenda Miller for party secretary to replace Crystal Lake Mayor Aaron Shepley and Brent Smith, who was active in the LeFew-backed Dan Regna for state’s attorney campaign for treasurer.

Long-time Crystal Lake precinct committeeman decided to run against Miller, pledging to open the central committee’s financial books.
Wickham won by a 2-1 margin, ushering in a new era of financial transparency.

When I was looking at State Rep. Mike Tryon’s six-month report, I noticed a $500 June 16th contribution to the McHenry County Chairman’s Circle.

I had heard rumors about it, but this was the first hard evidence that it existed.

No campaign disclosure had been filed for the committee when I looked, but a friend of McHenry County Blog found an announcement of the committee’s formation on July 23rd.

Mike Tryon is listed as chairman, Ken Koehler as treasurer and Blake Hobson as secretary. Tryon named Hobson, incidentally, as vice chairman in charge of finance for the central committee.

Tryon listed the committee’s address as Box 723 in McHenry, the same address listed for the foundation committee, the central committee and the Republican Women’s Club of McHenry County.

Interestingly, when the paperwork was filed for the Chairman’s Circle, it listed Ken Koehler’s home address, rather than the McHenry post office box.

I figure Tryon is soliciting $500 checks to be spent…well, we won’t know until sometime in January.

We will be able to find out who contributes, however, in the pre-election report before the general election.

I figure that every dollar the Chairman’s Circle gets is one less dollar the Central Committee receives.

When McHenry County Republican Central Committee Chairman Bill LeFew decided to abandon the chairmanship after embarrassing himself and the Republican Party with his unsuccessful attempts to keep secret his efforts to oust McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi, LeFew did his best to surround consensus choice for chairman Mike Tryon with LeFew loyalists.

He pushed his Chief Deputy Treasurer Glenda Miller for party secretary to replace Crystal Lake Mayor Aaron Shepley and Brent Smith, who was active in the LeFew-backed Dan Regna for state’s attorney campaign for treasurer.

Long-time Crystal Lake precinct committeeman decided to run against Miller, pledging to open the central committee’s financial books.
Wickham won by a 2-1 margin, ushering in a new era of financial transparency.

When I was looking at State Rep. Mike Tryon’s six-month report, I noticed a $500 June 16th contribution to the McHenry County Chairman’s Circle.

I had heard rumors about it, but this was the first hard evidence that it existed.

No campaign disclosure had been filed for the committee when I looked, but a friend of McHenry County Blog found an announcement of the committee’s formation on July 23rd.

Mike Tryon is listed as chairman, Ken Koehler as treasurer and Blake Hobson as secretary. Tryon named Hobson, incidentally, as vice chairman in charge of finance for the central committee.

Tryon listed the committee’s address as Box 723 in McHenry, the same address listed for the foundation committee, the central committee and the Republican Women’s Club of McHenry County.

Interestingly, when the paperwork was filed for the Chairman’s Circle, it listed Ken Koehler’s home address, rather than the McHenry post office box.

I figure Tryon is soliciting $500 checks to be spent…well, we won’t know until sometime in January.

We will be able to find out who contributes, however, in the pre-election report before the general election.

I figure that every dollar the Chairman’s Circle gets is one less dollar the Central Committee receives.

It was a foregone conclusion that State Rep. Mike Tryon would replace McHenry County Treasurer Bill LeFew as chairman of the McHenry County Republican Central Committee.

And he did.

By acclamation.

McHenry Township’s Kathy Kuchta was, too. As was Chemung’s Glenda Miller.

But in the only contested race, 16-year conservative Crystal Lake precinct committeeman Fred Wickham won out over newcomer Brent Smith by a 2-1 margin.

The weighted vote of the committeeman came out 10,801 for Wickham to 5,087 for Smith.

“We are a new central committee and are in control of our own destiny,” Tryon stated in his acceptance speech.

“They’ll be Republicans in leadership come November,” he stressed.

He also recognized long-time committeeman Joyce Story for offering to donate her liver for a transplant.

He thanked his supportive business partner Preston Rae, who also serves as Alden Township Supervisor and its precinct committeeman and his wife.

He then asked for the meeting to be closed.

It was a full house. Only 43 elected committee were absent.

Two other officers were elected without opposition:

Kathleen Kuchta to replace Rich Mack as Vice Chairman. Mack nominated her.

Glenda Miller as Secretary. Miller is Bill LeFew’s Chief Deputy Treasurer.

Entering the VFW in Woodstock committeemen were greeted by Young Republicans passing out an appeal to support Smith for central committee treasurer.

The balloting for the treasurer spot was by paper ballot, instead of an oral roll call.

Committeemen had to write their precinct number, their name and the name of their candidate on little slips of paper.

Each candidate gave short talks.

Smith went first, admitting he was a little tongue tied.

He wasn’t alone.

Wickham said giving speeches “still scares me.”

Smith recounted the volunteer work he had done for all sorts of local candidates as far back as Dick Klemm.

Wickham told of having been a treasurer for a political action committee and his desire to “work with Mike to heal the Republican Party.

“We need to bring people together.”

He said that the “financial records should be open. You should be able to get that information anytime you want it.”

He promised that expenses and revenue would be reported for each event.

Both candidates had watchers, so the candidates could get some idea if those who had pledged their support had kept their commitments.

The two doing the tallies were using electronic calculators with no paper trail.

Counting the votes took longer than it would have had the two people doing it had tapes to compare.

After the meeting, Smith congratulated Wickham.

Otherwise the meeting ran smoothly with the exception that moderator Bernie Narusis put me in a “penalty box,” as Nick Provenzano observed.

He named me parliamentarian and made me sit on the stage.

I told Bernie, who ran for state’s attorney in 1964 while my father was running for county auditor, I wanted to take pictures.

Bernie said I would have a good view from the stage.

He was correct.

Outgoing GOP Chairman Bill LeFew made what turned out to be virtually a cameo appearance.

“It’s been a pleasure, I’ve enjoyed,” he said and apparently left the meeting. He certainly was not in the room when Wickham told of it having been a pleasure to work with him.

After the meeting, it was learned that new by-laws were adopted.

Power, which had been concentrated, was dispersed.

There will henceforth be regular meetings.

= = = = =
Newly elected McHenry County Republican Central Committee Chairman State Rep. Mike Tryon can be seen in the sights of a newspaper camera woman standing next to his newly elected Vice Chairwoman Kathy Kuchta. Next is a head shot of the new treasurer, Fred Wickham.

An audience picture shows how full the room was. Newly elected secretary, Glenda Miller and vice chairwoman, Kathy Kuchta are seen in head shots. Below you can see Young Republicans handing out a leaflet supporting Brent Smith for committee treasurer. Underneath you can see Brett Smith on the left with Wickham next to him. The vote counting committee and watchers for Smith and Wickham are in the next shot.

You can see Smith congratulating Wickham below. That’s me holding up Robert’s Rules of Order. Moderator Bernie Narusis congratulates Mike Tryon down on the left. Finally, a head shot of outgoing GOP Committee Chairman Bill LeFew.

Since there is some more space, I’ll add a picture of Steve Verr of McCullom Lake getting his ballot. That’s outgoing Vice Chairman Rich Mack next to Verr. Mack chaired the bylaw revision committee. Lou Anne Majewski can be seen at the bottom delivering her nominating speech for Fred Wickham.

There were non-committeemen county officials present. I wanted to take a photo of Phyllis Walters, but she didn’t want me to. McHenry County State’s Attorney had no objection as he talked to Algonquin precinct committeeman Patrick Colcernian before the meeting.

Central committee endorsements will take a super-majority vote.