McHenry County Blog

Walt Packard in his golden parachute.

Walt Packard and his golden parachute.

Three and a half years was the health insurance part of the $200,000 (maybe the health insurance was not included in that figure) golden parachute that McHenry County College Trustees gave outgoing (don’t let the door hit you on the way out) President Walt Packard.

You remember him.

MCC President Walt Packard pulls American Flag to block photographing of the secret meeting about the broadcast tower.

He’s the one that convinced the Board to approve a minor league baseball stadium and to hide pretty much everything that would be spent to build it from the Freedom of Information Act.

No mention that baseball teams have a life of about 5 years and the bonds were 20 years.

Or that the stadium would provide 36% of the revenues but comprise 38.5% of the cost.

He was the one that convinced the board to allow a firm to build the highest broadcast tower in Illinois overlooking Crystal Lake.

He was the one who used the American Flag to keep a prying camera lens from photographing the secret meeting about the broadcast tower proposal.

He was in control when the campus security illegally forced those outside a secret meeting to leave the building.

When the time for his “leadership” expired, he somehow convinced the board to provide the following:

“Dr. Packard will also continue to be enrolled in the College’s medical, dental, and vision insurance plans through June 30, 2010, and upon his retirement as President Emeritus, the College will pay the Board’s percentage share of the premium cost of health insurance coverage for

• Dr. Packard and
  his spouse

for the period from July 1, 2010 through August 21, 2012.”

Althoff announces insurance resource available to IL consumers

A press release from State Senator Pam Althoff:

Insurance Hotline

Pam Althoff

McHenry, Ill. — State Sen. Pamela Althoff (R-McHenry) says residents with questions about their insurance coverage have a source of information available to them – the Illinois Insurance Hotline.

“Maintaining quality health insurance can be a complicating and frustrating process,” Althoff said. “The Illinois Insurance Hotline will be a helpful resource to get people the necessary facts to make informed decisions on insurance matters.”

According to Althoff, the Illinois Insurance Hotline regularly provides financial strength ratings and complaint records on prospective insurers, auto and life insurance company contact numbers, insight into the claim process and more.

“The Hotline is a place where consumers can receive unbiased information on insurance matters,” Althoff said. “I encourage anyone with questions or concerns about their insurance coverage to give them a call.”

The Illinois Insurance Hotline is a nonprofit industry-sponsored outreach that answers basic questions, distributes educational materials and offers direction when problems arise.

Consumers can reach the Hotline by telephone at 1-800-444-3338 Monday – Friday between 9 am and 4 pm, or email at insurancehotline@illinoisinsurance.org.

A press release from Congressman Joe Walsh:

Rep. Walsh Issues Statement on 11th Circuit Court’s Obamacare Decision

“This is why you do not pass legislation to find out what’s in it.”

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Joe Walsh (IL-08) praised the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals decision that Obamacare’s individual mandate, which requires almost all Americans to buy health insurance, is unconstitutional. This is the latest in a series of blows to President Obama’s landmark legislation.

Joe Walsh engages constituents at Crystal Lake's Country Donuts.

“The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision that Obamacare’s individual mandate is unconstitutional validates what I and millions of courageous Americans have been saying since this debate started,” said Walsh. “Pelosi and Reid skirted all constitutional authority by forcing all Americans, regardless of needs or means, to buy government approved health insurance. “

“This is why you do not pass legislation to find out what’s in it. We are finding out what’s in Obamacare and everyday it only gets worse. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a poor law based on partisan politics rather than an earnest effort to reform our healthcare system. It puts Obama’s personal agenda ahead of what’s best for the American people.”

“As a new Member of Congress, I did not to accept the Congressional health care plan available to me. Instead, I chose to buy my insurance on the open market like many Americans. I know firsthand how difficult it is to find affordable, quality health insurance, but a government mandate is not the answer.”

“I will continue to work with my fellow members of Congress to explore patient-centered, free-market reforms that will actually improve access to quality affordable healthcare.“

Walt Packard in his Golden Parachute

From a press release about the retirement package provided McHenry County College President Walt Packard by the MCC Board of Trustees:

Dr. Packard will also continue to be enrolled in the College’s medical, dental, and vision insurance plans through June 30, 2010, and upon his retirement as President Emeritus, the College will pay the Board’s percentage share of the premium cost of health insurance coverage for

• Dr. Packard and
• his spouse

for the period from July 1, 2010 through August 21, 2012.

Since ex-President still has a year of McHenry County College tax paid health benefits, I thought you might like to celebrate the anniversary by not going out to eat.

Local governments tend to protect themselves from risk by joining together by type of government in risk management pools.

Some have read about them before when the Crystal Lake Park District’s risk management pool paid the legal fees when form Park Board member Leona Nelson sued to district for the board’s having censured her for revealing what occurred in a secret meeting. (Sharing what happens in Executive Session, by the way, is not illegal.)

More recently, McHenry County Blog revealed that the legal fees for James Sotos, the attorney defending Sheriff Keith Nygren against former Deputy Zane Seipler’s wrongful termination suit, are now being paid by the risk management pool (Illinois Counties Risk Management Trust) to which county government belongs. The county had to put up the first $100,000. Those contributing cost-sharing pool pay the rest, giving the county little financial incentive to settle the case. (This is the one in which racial profiling is being investigated.

In any event, the Township Officials of Illinois run a similar pool and have declared a dividend of 15% of what was paid in 2006-6.

The townships in McHenry County.

For Grafton Township that amounts to $4,857, 59% for the Road District, the rest for the Towns Fund.

Supervisor Linda Moore’s press release about the subject follows:

TOIRMA PAYS DIVIDEND TO MEMBERS

Grafton Township Receives Dividend From TOIRMA

The Township Officials of Illinois Risk Management Association (TOIRMA) has voted to pay a dividend. All TOIRMA members who joined the program from June 1, 1986 through May 31, 2006 and continue to be members in the current year received a dividend.

TOIRMA is a self-funded intergovernmental pool established to provide coverages exclusively for Illinois townships that are members of the Township Officials of Illinois.

This is the twentieth year a dividend has been paid to eligible members. A total of 1,311 member townships will be paid $1,849,889 which represents approximately 15% of their annual contribution for the 2005-2006 program year.

The dividend is applied to the township’s annual contribution.

= = = = =

The dividend amounts to $4,857.  59% of it will be credited to the Township Road District’s next premium, 41% to the Town Fund’s.

The services provided by an Algonquin man is akin to the housing provided by the builder of this condo building.

A press release from Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez:

Two Suburban Men Charged With Stealing More Than $1 Million From Not-For-Profit Insurance Association

Bond was set at $ 1 million today for two suburban men charged with bilking an insurance industry association out of more than $ 1 million dollars in a scheme that spanned six years, Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez announced today.

Harvey Cruz, 46, of Plainfield, and James Lurito, 63, of Algonguin, are each charged with one count of Felony Theft in excess of $500,000. Cruz is also facing an additional charge of Organizing a Continuing Financial Crimes Enterprise, a Class X Felony. All of the charges are non-probationable.

According to prosecutors, Cruz was the Information Technology Manager for the Million Dollar Round Table (MRDT), an insurance industry association made up of more than 30,000 of the top insurance producers worldwide. The agency conducts training seminars for members and also supports a philanthropic foundation.

Cruz had worked for MRDT for nine years before advancing to become the association’s I.T. Manager. In 2003, prosecutors allege that Cruz devised an embezzlement scheme and recruited Lurito, who operated an independent I.T. consulting firm, to participate.

To facilitate the scheme, prosecutors allege that Lurito would submit phony bills for I.T. work which would be personally approved by Cruz.

Per their arrangement, Lurito would then transfer 90% of the funds to Cruz or a company he controlled and keep the remainder for himself.

Prosecutors allege that the thefts occurred between 2003 and 2009 and totaled more than $1.1 million.

In 2009 the fraudulent payments were discovered and the organization contacted the Park Ridge Police Department and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office Public Corruption and Financial Crimes Unit.

Cruz and Lurito were arrested yesterday and they appeared in bond court today at the Cook County Criminal Courthouse in Skokie, where Judge Timothy Chambers set bond for each man at $1 million. The next court date in the case was set for January 3.

The public is reminded that criminal charging documents contain allegations that are not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the state has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

After I saw the story from WLS-TV about Crystal Lake’s Grade School District 47 having lost $350,000 through internet fraud, I asked Chief Financial Officer Susan Shepard whether the loss might be recovered from a district insurance policy.

Here’s her reply:

“A claim has been filed with our insurance company for this matter.  

“Upon direction from our insurance company, we are not at liberty to discuss the issue as it is still under investigation.  By doing so, we could compromise the investigation and the settlement of the case.  

“Once the case is settled, we will be happy to share the information you have requested.”