I’ll be at the McHenry County College Board meeting, but some might be more interested in the first meeting of the new Grafton Township Board.
It’s agenda is below:
Grafton Township Agenda for Mary 23, 2013.
The five-member Grafton Township Board had only Trustees Barbara Murphy, Betty Zirk and Gerry McMahon in attendance Thursday night.
With Township Supervisor Linda Moore in Texas for her daughter’s college graduation and Rob LaPorta also absent, the meeting was relatively short and peaceful.
Newly-elected Township Supervisor Jim Kearns sat in the back row looking at the Board packet. To his right is Dan Ziller, Sr.
No one raised his voice or went off on a rant. Trustee Gerry McMahon even sat facing the audience.
Unlike the outgoing McHenry County College Board, the old Township Board, chaired Thursday by Barbara Murphy, spent much of the meeting deferring to their successors, referring several times to newly-elected Independent Supervisor Jim Kearns, who was sitting in the back row.
The Road District’s budget, for example, was not passed, even though that was the wish of outgoing Road Commissioner Jack Freund.
“The new Board comes in on the 20th,” Trustee Betty Zirk, the only member of the Board to seek and win re-election.
When it came time for to consider the bills, Zirk had a list of those to exclude. They included
Betty Zirk
The Trustees’ law firm, Ancel Glink, however, was paid $5,747.48.
“In order to meet the payroll next week, I don’t think we can pay any bills,” Zirk said.
Zirk also mentioned that Township Road Commissioner was owed $7,161.20 to cover health insurance for his wife.
“He could get it cheaper by getting it through his wife’s than through the Township,” she explained.
The motion approving the bills noted that they would be paid when money was available.
Grafton Township Assessor Bill Ottley, Road Commissioner-Elect Tom Pozanaski, a Grafton Township Highway Department employee, Road Commissioner Jack Freund and Township Clerk Harriet Ford.
As outgoing Township Assessor Bill Ottley was leaving after the bills were approved, he was thanked for his service for the last four years. The sparse audience applauded.
Ottley reminded them that he would be around through December, when his term expires.
“And you, too, Jack,” one of the Trustees added.
Zirk then talked about how audit expenses should be allocated. She suggested Public Assistance pay 5% and the Road District 35%.
Freund objected to the number she suggested, saying, “I’ll pay 25% like I’ve always been paying.”
Trustee Gerry McMahon suggest a compromised of 28%. Freund did not agree.
After some discussion, Zirk suggested asking the auditor how much time he spent on the Road District budget and the matter was deferred.
As the meeting was drawing to a close, Murphy said,
“There’s a part of me that is worry for the way things ended up. I regret that.”
Part of the audience at Thursday’s meeting.
A letter from the forensic auditor was read in which he detailed Moore’s refusal to sign the engagement letter and a payment until ordered by Judge
He also said he was unable to obtain original copies of the warrant lists.
Township Clerk Harriot Ford pointed out the documents were on the web site.
“I look forward to things moving on a real positive way,” she said shortly before the meeting adjourned.
Also in the audience was newly-elected Township Assessor Al Zielinski.
A press release from Grafton Township Assessor Al Zielinski:
VILLAGE OF LAKEWOOD, IL (April 18, 2013) – Alan Zielinski, Grafton Township’s Assessor-Elect, was humbled by the voters’ choice in the recent election and is extremely grateful.
Al Zielinski
“My sole purpose in running for office was leveraging my education, experience and empathy to serve the people of Grafton Township. The voters have given me that opportunity to serve,” said Zielinski.
Although he doesn’t take office until January 1, 2014, Zielinski is not planning to stand idly by.
Zielinski continued: “It’s not just about valuation; it’s also about helping Grafton Township heal and move forward.
“I’ve already set aside party labels and contacted the newly-elected Supervisor and Board offering whatever assistance I can to help them navigate the troubled financial waters ahead.
“We share a common goal: putting the past behind us and doing our best to serve all of our residents and taxpayers.”
Assessor-elect Zielinski plans to keep his web site active so residents can keep abreast of the developments that occur between now and the end of the year: www.Al-for-Assessor.com
Zielinski concluded by thanking those who helped. “I was blessed with a tireless campaign manager and an extremely insightful and helpful campaign committee. In addition, I was fortunate to gain the backing and friendship of those taxpayers who stood-up and said ‘How can I help?’ Those new friendships were an astonishing and fortuitous benefit of my campaign that I’ll always cherish.”
The person who sent this picture to me wrote,
“Crowd” at the 2013 Grafton Township Annual Town Meeting held at Marlow Middle School in Lake in the Hills.
Here’s the summary from one person who attended:
‘The meeting only lasted less than 15 minutes.
“About 20 people came.
“Joe Vokaty gave public comment imploring the new board to have a lawyer at every meeting.
“[Dan] Ziller Sr. responded to him and said that was the biggest bunch of baloney he ever heard.
“Not much else.”
Tom Poznanski
Pam Fender
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:
Cameron Hubbard being sworn into the Crystal Lake City Council after his appointment to replace Carolyn Schofield.
Other contributions went to
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
Another $711 came from Michael and Cathy Tryon as a “rent reimbursement.”
Expenditures that were itemized follow:
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.
The food fight in Grafton Township ended with Jim Kearns sitting at the head of the table.
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.
Al Zielinski won the office of Grafton Township Assessor. He takes office as of January 1st.
Independent Tim Hoeft was trailing by 213 votes prior to the addition of early and absentee ballots.
Grafton Township Republican Central Committee Chairman Tom Poznanski claimed the job of Highway Commissioner.
And finally, for Grafton Township Trustee, newly-elected Supervisor Kearns obtained a working majority.
Winning were
Republicans won only two of the four seats up for grabs.
Running against the Republican candidate for Grafton Township Road Commissioner, Tom Poznanski, is Independent Tim Hoeft.
One of Tim Hoeft’s signs for Grafton Township Road Commissioner.
Hoeft is part of the Restore Grafton Township slate of Independents.
Although I have heard nothing from Poznanski (but would be willing to publish his literature and any mailings he has made), Crystal Lake City Councilman Jeff Thorsen has sent the following endorsement of his opponent Hoeft:
“Tim Hoeft is a well qualified candidate for township road commissioner in Grafton.
“I have had the opportunity to meet with him often over the past few months and I know he is a very competent and resourceful man. His credentials are extensive.
“He knows what needs to be done in the field, but he also has a firm grasp of what it takes to run the office as well.
“Tim is community oriented and serious about the duty to Grafton Township residents.
“That is why I will vote for Tim Hoeft on April 9, 2013.
The final sentence, of course, indicates that Thorsen lives in the Grafton Township part of Crystal Lake.”
Jeff Thorsen
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!
Here’s the part of the Republican candidate for Grafton Township Assessor’s last mailing that you have not seen before:
Al Zielinski lists his qualifications on his last direct mail piece.
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:
You can barely tell this is the address side of Jim Kearns’ mailing. Note the teeny-tiny space for the address. It looks as if it is being mailed to everyone.
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 Kearns’ slate is running only three candidates for Township Trustee, while there are four openings. “Choose 1 of the 2 Please,” says the message next to the names of Republicans Bob Wagner and Betty Zirk.
Latest Posts
