McHenry County Blog

An email from Grafton Township Supervisor Linda Moore:

Dear Residents of Grafton Township,

Thank you for the honor and opportunity to serve as your Township Supervisor for the past four years. I have really enjoyed working for you and meeting the challenges of the office.

We have accomplished many things for the benefit of the residents, but there are some items on the list of things left to do.

The audits of FY 2012 and FY2013 are well underway and expected to be complete by the end of this month.

In April 2013 the board officially accepted the FY 2011 audit as presented two years ago with nothing untoward found and no changes.

The new board will need to quickly adopt budgets for the township and road district.

Grafton Township will have a nearly fresh start with only one carry over official.

The voters elected newcomer Jim Kearns to serve as your 2013 to 2017 Grafton Township Supervisor.

We have worked together to ensure a smooth transition.

He will be officially in office starting Monday, May 20th.

I wish all of the new and retiring township officials only the best going forward.

I remain available to everyone at 1-847-630-6325.

Please call if you have a question or there is something that I could do to help you.

We can all be proud to say that we are residents of Grafton Township.

Sincerely,
Supervisor Linda Moore (2009-2013)

With Independents and Democrats running against Republican Township candidates, I was interested in who got contributions from McHenry County Republican Party Chairman and State Rep. Mike Tryon.

The answer is two Grafton Township Republican candidates, one before the primary election and one after:

• $400 – 1/29/2013 – Citizens to Elect Tom Poznanski. Poznanski is the Grafton Township Republican Central Committee Chairman. He ran successfully for Grafton Township Road Commissioner.
• $250 – 3/13/2013 – Pam Fender Campaign Committee. Fender won the three-way GOP primary election for Grafton Township Supervisor, but lost the general election to Independent Jim Kearns.

Other contributions went to

• State Senator Pam Althoff – $163.43 – 3-17-13
• Dundee Township Republican Central Committee – $160 – 1-23-13
• Elgin Township Republican Central Committee – $250 – 2-12-13
• Crystal Lake City Council candidate Cameron Hubbard – $500 – 2-22-13
• McHenry County Board member Ken Koehler – $500 – 2-25 & 3-20-13
• McHenry County Republican Central Committee – $900 – 2-22-13
• Patriots United – $500 – 1-29-13
• Allen Skillicorn – $250 – 3-13-13.  Skillicorn serves on the East Dundee Village Board.

An additional $575 was contributed to unnamed candidates.

Tryon brought in a bit over $11,000 and spent almost $17,000.

The big money came from the following, most donated on March 13, 2013

• Ameren, St. Louis, MO -$1,000 – 3-13-13
• Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois PAC, Springfield – $1,000 – 3/13/13
• AT&T, Aurora – $1,000 – 3-13-13
• CAR of Illinois, Springfield – $250 – 3/13/13
• CHEM-PAC, Des Plaines – $750 – 3/13/13
• Comcast Financial Agency Corporation, Philadelphia, PA -$1,000 – 3/13/13
• Committee to re-elect State Representative Brent Hassert, Romeroville – $200 – 3/13/13
• Foresight Energy Services, St. Louis, MO – $250 – 3/13/13
• Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA – $500 – 3/29/13
• Illinois Bank Pac, Springfield – $500 – 3/13/13
• Illinois Optometric Association PAC, Springfield – $500 – 3/13/13
• Matthew O’Shea Consulting, Inc., Crest Hill- $250 – 3/13/13
• Medimune Biologies, Gaithersburg, MD – $250 – 3/29/13
• Midwest Generation, Santa Ana, CA – $500 – 3/13/13
• Neil Francis Flynn, Attorney, Springfield – $250 – 3/13/13
• Realtor Political Action Committee, Springfield- $350 – 3/13/13
• Sorling, Northrup, Hanna, Cullen & Cochran, LTD, Springfield – $500 – 3/13/13
• TRK PAC Midwest Truckers Association Inc., Springfield – $500 – 3/13/13

Another $711 came from Michael and Cathy Tryon as a “rent reimbursement.”

Expenditures that were itemized follow:

• 1776 Restaurant for meetings – $423.05 – 1/23/13
• Apoyan Rug Company, Harvard for new office carpeting – $1,850 – 1-22-13
• Cheryl L. Meyer Consulting Services, Inc. for campaign consulting – $675 – 2/22/13
• Creager Press Inc., Schaumburg, for printing – $469.62 – 3/27/13
• D’Andrea Banquets & Conference Center for fundraising deposit – $400 – 2/26/13
• Fast Forward Marketing, Crystal Lake, for social media consulting – $360 – 2/22/13
• Furniture for All, Algonquin, for new office – $346 – 1/23/13
• Huntley Raiders Lacrosse Club for sponsorship – $500 – 2/25/13
• Joan M. Etten, LLC., Park Ridge, for fundraiser postcards – $368 -3/13/13
• Joan M. Etten, LLC., Park Ridge, for fundraising supplies (leis) – $35 – 3-13-13
• Joan M. Etten, LLC., Park Ridge, for consulting – $1,000 – 3/13/1
• Moscardelli Moving & Storage, Inc., Springfield for moving- $343 – 2/22/13
• Near North Village, Springfield, for 2 months’ rent – $825 – 2/1/13
• No Kane County Chamber for Expo booth – $225 – 2/22/13
• Office Depot, Crystal Lake, Postage – $530.77 – 3/27/13
• Office Max, Crystal Lake, office supplies – $14.51
• Ross Isaac Restaurant, Springfield, Inauguration dinner – $367.10 – 2/23/13
• Jean Schober, McHenry, for campaign filing – $195 – 1/21/13
• Target, Crystal Lake, for office equipment – $760.84 – 1/10/13
• United States Postal Service for postage – $92 – 2/20/13
• United States Postal Service for postage – $90 – 1/10/13
• United States Postal Service for postage – $184 – 3/13/13
• Yacht Club At Sister Bay, Sister Bay, WI, for staff event – 466.20 – 1/10/13

Tryon had $18,149.79 remaining in his campaign fund as of the end of March.

He started 2013 with $24,015.67

The fractured Republican Party in Grafton Township manged to elect its Chairman Tom Poznanski Road Commissioner and Al Zielinski Assessor, but failed to get enough votes to put three-way GOP primary winner Pam Fender in office.

Independent Jim Kearns got 67 more votes than Fender. There are absentee and early votes outstanding, so this margin could narrow, but will be unlikely to be overcome.

For Township Assessor, Independent Terra Jensen gave Republican nominee Al Zielinski a run for his money, but, with the same caveat about additional votes that will show up, the Lakewood resident beat the Restore Grafton Township candidate by 224.

Independent Tim Hoeft was trailing by 213 votes prior to the addition of early and absentee ballots.

And finally, for Grafton Township Trustee, newly-elected Supervisor Kearns obtained a working majority.

Winning were

• former Crystal Lake Mayor Bob Wagner
• incumbent Trustee Betty Zirk (the only incumbent to run for re-election)
• Dan Ziller, Jr., in his second attempt (the last one being a write-in); a member of the Restore Grafton Township slate
• Joe Holtorf, member of the Restore Grafton Township slate

Jeff Thorsen is a long-time Crystal Lake City Councilman known for not kowtowing to the “party line” at meetings.

He also is not endorsing Pam Fender, the Republican candidate for Grafton Township Supervisor.

Thorsen, a Grafton Township resident is supporting James Kearns.

He send me an email with his reasoning. It is below:

“I just want to offer you my perspective…and why I have it.

“There was a spreadsheet passed around 4 years ago illustrating the the financing mechanism for the repayment on the proposed and at that time approved Township facility debt.

“Combined with the income available to service the debt illustrated on the document, and compared to the financial results (AUDITED) from years past, the result was fairly anticipated…..it indicated that all things being equal, the Township would have been in need of alternative funding to finance the new facility [township hall]…

“I was the one originating that document and to this day I have not heard the premise nor the conclusion of that illustration challenged…..So I throw it out again.

“My estimate for the need for an alternative funding source i. e. tax anticipation warrants…came out in the fifth or sixth year…on that document, as I recall.

“The Tax anticipation warrant funding mechanism, would have lasted as a resource (mathematically) for a period longer than what would be acceptable to the holder of the warrant i. e. the bank.

“However, it would have stopped by law in (I think it was) the 8th or 9th year; thus requiring a NEW levy on the township taxpayers….

“That said, I supported the candidate that promised a termination of the project.

“I am not ashamed of that. (Trouble is we are 4 years down a different road and we are close to the need for tax anticipation warrants now…and no bank seems to want to offer that funding mechanism to our township.)

“Fast forward.

Jim Kearns

“It soon became clear a personal township cat box conflict accelerated into something more than I can conceive of even in comparison to the outrageous actions the state and federal government representatives can sometimes be capable of.”About two years ago I had a conversation with Jim Kearns…We had just met but I knew of him for many years and I know to this day as I did then that Jim is a man of his word and his hand shake.

“I know that by his reputation and because I do business with him.

“Anyway, when we talked about Grafton Township, he indicated then that he was so dissatisfied with the activities on the board…en masse..that he was considering a run for Supervisor.

“I immediately offered my support.

“I am proud of that.

“I know that Jim is the most qualified candidate for the Supervisor position.

“He is a fiscal conservative and he hates paying lawyers.

“Most importantly, he wants to serve his neighbors, as a neighbor should, with respect and faith.

“He, unlike his opponent, was not a part of and an escalating insider to the disaster that unfolded. Please consider Jim when you print about Grafton Township.

“Tell your neighbors to VOTE FOR JIM!

In Grafton Township there is a battle between the Republican Party slate, which is showing no signs of being unified, and a slate of Independents branded as the “Restore Grafton Township” candidates.

The Independents’ candidate for Supervisor, Jim Kearns has made a mailing, which you can see below:

Kearns notes his endorsement by the Daily Herald and quotes part of it” …”we think he would be a more even-keeled leader.”

The back of piece has a re-run of this palm card, plus endorsements for his team.

The group of Independent candidates grouped under label “Restore Grafton Township” invite the public to meet them at the Boulder Ridge Country Club this Thursday night from 7-9.

Continuing in my effort to bring readers campaign literature, here is the palm card for Grafton Township’s Independent candidate for Supervisor, Jim Kearns:

In case you want to search the text, here it is:

• Strong Leadership to unite all branches of Grafton Township government including Board of Trustees
• Integrity & Honesty
• Resolve childish disputes, avoid unnecessary legal fees, practice fiscal responsibility Jim Kearns is a Life Long resident of
• Honesty, Integrity, Morality

Huntley with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business from Illinois State. He and Dacia got married 26 years ago, moved to a country home, and raised three children, Erika, Jennifer, and Ryan.

Having owned and operated two successful businesses, Jim has a financially responsible approach to spending and budget-wise practices.

He understands the importance of maintaining appropriate audits and fiscal business plans for full financial disclosure.

Jim knows the importance of working with others in a respectful manner.

He will rebuild relationships and encourage cooperation, thus ending senseless spending on lawyers.

Rest assured, Jim Kearns will work hard for the citizens of Grafton Township and support the programs which are most important to you.

Programs such as the Original Grafton Food Pantry at 11481 Allison Ct. Huntley, and the Senior and Disabled Residents Bus Transportation program, and Bingo.

He will give consideration to new ideas presented as well.

Jim Kearns is the person who will lead without arrogance, with civility and honesty, as we work together to restore integrity and financial stability to Grafton Township once again.

The score for those challenging incumbent township supervisors was 50-50.

Algonquin Township Supervisor Dianne Klemm fended off the strong challenge of Clerk Marc Munaretto.

But Grafton Township Supervisor Linda Moore could not withstand the four years of relentless pounding by winner Pam Fender and her allies.

Pam Fender’s fight to become Grafton Township Supervisor could be blocked by Independent Jim Kearns.

“While I’m disappointed with the results of today’s election,” Moore said, “I truly appreciate the volunteers and supporters across the township that made my grassroots campaign possible.

“Together we reformed the Grafton Township Supervisor’s Office.

“We ended patronage and eliminated waste.

“I’ll always be grateful to the voters for entrusting me with the job of reforming the Township Supervisor’s Office four years ago,” she continued. “I want to put the rhetoric aside and move forward. I wish my successor well.”

In Nunda Township only twelve votes separate leading vote getting Lee Jennings and Bridgett Provenzano. Don’t expect a concession from Provenzano. She will wait until the canvass, if not request a discover recount.

And the winner in Nunda will face an Independent candidate in April.

Those are the votes cast early and absentee.

They will be added to the results you will be able to read here or on the McHenry County Clerk’s election return web site.

To gauge the impact such votes will have take a look at the totals by township:3

• Dorr – 36
• Grafton – 458
• Nunda – 406
• Algonquin – 202

I’m informed that Nunda Township Board Commissioner candidate Rob Parrish and Grafton Township Supervisor candidate Linda Moore had absentee ballot campaigns.

One of the pieces of literature that I didn’t get around to writing about is Grafton Township Supervisor candidate Pam Fender.

It’s interesting from two points of view.

First, it is a combination of a positive pitch for Fender on one side and hit piece about opponents Linda Moore and Marty Waitzman on the other.

Combining positive and negative pitches in the same piece of literature is not a tactic most consultants would advise.

= = = = =
I did point out to Fender that she had violated copyright laws by using photos of Moore and Waitzman from McHenry County Blog. Her volunteers subsequently crossed out the photos.

The second aspect of the piece is an innovation.

It has sticky tape which can be affixed to a glass door.

And, the glue is very difficult to remove.

Knocking on doors is done to make friends…even when the voters are not home.

The sticky tape, when stuck to storm doors, has made enemies for Fender, according to comments left under at least one previous story.

The door-to-door literature is the only promotional material I have seen.

Fender seems to have no signs and no direct mail. Perhaps she has campaigned in the Crystal Lake precincts of Grafton Township, but I have seen no evidence of such an effort.

In a low turnout election such as tomorrow’s will be, however, any candidate can win if they have identified their supporters and get them to the polls.