McHenry County Blog

Former Huntley School Board member James E. Carlin died Saturday, August 18th, at age 69.

He was born on March 13, 1943.

A message from his wife Carol related the following detains:

“With a saddened heart I wanted to let Jim’s friends and acquaintances know that Jim passed away unexpectedly.

“For those interested there will be a wake this Wednesday followed by a funeral on Thursday.

“Exact times of both are yet to be determined but can be obtained by calling the [Defiore Jorgenson] Funeral Home in Huntley on Tuesday.”

After his service on the District 158 School Board he was active in Patriots United and the Huntley Area Tea Party.

Certainly, no one can say that Carlin did not take his citizenship seriously.

Jack Franks brought colleagues to his home town of Marengo Saturday to the hard-to-find new Marengo High School for a reapportionment hearing whose process will be completely controlled by Democrats in the General Assembly and Governor’s Mansion.

To reach the high school, one had to take Franks Road, observed State Rep. Mike Tryon.  (He wondered if that “is s a sign that this will be the center of the 63rd (Franks’) District.”)

Not mentioned was that when one enters the auditorium, one walks past a placard saying the performing and fine arts programs are supported by financial contributions of the Franks family.

State Rep. Lou Lang chaired the meeting, which was attended not only by McHenry County residents but people from as far away as Plainfield and Sycamore.

Tryon took the microphone to point out that McHenry County was “fortunate to have two House districts that (were entirely within McHenry County).”

The Republican Party Chairman said he was “hoping that we will have three House seats that will substantially, if not wholly, in McHenry County.”

He asked that county and city boundaries be considered.

He also asked for an ability to see the map, as well as what it is based upon, for a two to three week period prior to passage.

Judy Szilak, President of the McHenry County League of Women Voters testified first, calling for openness and echoing Tryon’s wish for several weeks to contemplate the maps before passage.

Former State Rep. Rosemary Kurtz (R-Crystal Lake) took the microphone in support of a less partisan approach to reapportionment.

McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler was second to speak.   He asked a series of questions about whether the public would have two weeks to analyze and comment on the suggested maps, how they will be shown to the public and whether the transcripts would be posted on the internet.

He pointed out that the county had not grown as much as had been expected, but how it was now the sixth largest county in Illinois.

“I would hope that  103,000 (McHenry County residents) would be represented in each of these (three) districts,” Koehler said.

 

Tryon asked if Lang would answer Koehler’s questions.

“I have no intention of doing that today,” Lang replied.

Just after Janet Silosky, a Republican Precinct Committeeman from Plainfield introduced herself, the lights went out in the auditorium, indeed, in the whole school.

“If this doesn’t tell us something about the process, I don’t know what would,” State Rep. Tim Schmitz (R-St.Charles) observed.  [I wonder if that will make it on the transcript.]

The Will County precinct committeeman expressed distrust in the reapportionment process.

 

“How are we going to get this done in an equitable process?” she asked.  “Gerrymandering that goes on will not create a map that is contiguous and compact.

“What difference does it make?”

“It’s already decided,” she continued, mentioning House Speaker Mike Madigan.

“I’ve lived in this state for 50 years and the Democrats have been in control since I was knee high to a grasshopper.”

She commented on the unfairness of Democrats who are going to be running for office knowing what their districts will be already, while challengers are left in the dark.

“I’d like to hear some input from you gentlemen.”

There was none.

McHenry County Board member Mary Donner came next.  She read a statement from an indisposed colleague, Tina Hill.

Donner said that the new 2030 County Land Use Plan had growth occurring next to areas that were already populated.

A DeKalb County band teacher from Sycamore, Ken Goodman, asked that his community be put in one congressional district.  His area now has two congressmen, Randy Hutlgren and Don Manzullo.

Stephen Polep, a retired teacher who lives in Cary, asked that Cary and Crystal Lake be kept in the same district [as they were until 2002, which this plus parts of eastern McHenry County further norther were included in a Lake County House district].

Algonquin’s Jim Carlin, a Republican Precinct Committeeman who said he was in the leadership of the Huntley Tea Party, pointed to the huge growth west of Randall Road, said that Tryon had represented it well and asked that it continue to be in his district. Carlin is a former Huntley School District Board member.

Noting the “communities of interest” mentioned in the meeting’s introduction, he asked that both the Kane and McHenry County portions of Sun City be included in the same legislative district.

He was effusive of his praise of Tryon.

“I like this,” the represented interjected.

“You’re kicking me out of Huntley,” Schmitz asked.

“Once we get a state government and federal government that encourages jobs, we’re going to take off.”

He said he was talking about taxes.

That was the end of those who signed up to speak. Then Lang asked if there was anyone else who wanted to talk.

Yours truly couldn’t resist criticizing the district boundaries included in “Currie II.”

I called it “Currie 2.”

I argued that McHenry County had little in common with the tract subdivision east of the Fox River in Carpentersville. It’s mainly Meadowdale, one of the first post-World War II housing developments.

Following me was MaryMargaret Maule, who ran a hard campaign for McHenry Count Board in District 4. She suggested that legislative districts try to have as much as McHenry County College in them as possible, rather than crossing the Lake County line. She complained about part of the eastern part of McHenry County being used to complete State Rep. Mark Beaubien’s Lake County district.  She manages MCC’s Shah Center in McHenry, which is an area split between two legislative districts.

Kathy Bergan Schmitt, another Democrat, one who got elected to the County Board from District 3

and who used to be Chair of the McHenry County Democratic Party, also complained about being the tag end of a Lake County district.

“I often feel in the orphan part of the county,” she said.  “There is an overabundance of the disease known as ‘incumbent protection.’”

She agreed that it would always be a factor, but “it doesn’t have to be (the main) factor.”

Without it, she said, “Civil life would be ever so much better.”

Bill Jordan of Woodstock also spoke up.

He talked about having “a certain amount of skepticism about the process.  Iowa has a (computerized) system of drawing districts.”

Jordan pointed out that we were “moving toward a government that can be audited.”

He suggested that the process used by both the Greek and Venetians–random selection of public officials–might be better than what we have in Illinois.

Not speaking from the microphone was Cary resident Raymond Scheff (at least that’s what my notes say).

He had suggested reapportionment maps that he had prepared for Tryon.

Lang asked if he wished to share them with the committee.

The reply was that was up to Rep. Tryon.

There were plenty of political motives to change the longstanding agreement that Huntley 158 had which allowed Linda Moore and her family to live in the house she grew up in.

Linda’s family sold the school district the property that Huntley High was on and retained the right to live in the tiny house on the opposite side of Harmony Road. The house was 1,200 square feet; the hen house 350 sq. ft.

Linda Moore ran for school board. The political knives of existing school board members
came out.

She ran with Aileen Seedorf, who was the top vote getter. Board President Mike Skala narrowly lost (13 votes) to his running mate Jim Carlin. Linda Moore ran just one vote behind.

Skala’s friends on the board were ticked.

Superintendent John Burkey appears to have begun a mission to generate negative publicity about Moore being in the house rent free and how this somehow was so terrible or unfair. Burkey certainly seemed glad to allow negative publicity and administrator remarks be directed at the Moores.

Apparently honoring an existing legal agreement is subject to interpretation when you have “free” legal services of the government at one’s disposal.

The district insisted on charging rent. The Moore’s simply moved almost next door, to another house they own.

Now the school district is about to authorize tearing the tiny house down, along with the hen house and barn.

The demolition cost will be over $44,000.

The district could have avoided spending the money.

But that would have meant allowing the Moore family to live in the tiny house. The Moores were responsible for the upkeep of the house and maintenance of the grounds. An old drafty house is expensive to heat in the winter. Paying what rent the district wanted made sense for one year as a transition, but it wasn’t economical to stay.

School board members knew that. They also knew it would be expensive to tear down the buildings. At the time, board member Larry Snow told the board that it would cost at least $20,000 to tear down the building and the board majority scoffed that it could cost this much.

More than $44,000 for demolition will be likely approved at July’s board meeting.

Not a penny of which, of course, will go toward improving the educational services of the students.

Johler Demolition will get to keep the boards after tearing down one of Huntley’s historic
barns. I wonder if paneling basements in barn boards is still in style.

School board politics and not wanting the Moore’s to live in the family house means one of
Huntley historic barns will get torn down.

The demolition bids can be found on page 8 at this link.

No thought of allowing a teacher who was starting out to rent the home, I guess.

= = = = =
Starting in 1842, the Williams family lived on the farm it purchased for $75. In 1942 Linda Moore’s grandfather, Louis Borhart brought the farm. The family moved next door two yea+rs ago.

Using direct mail, the telephone and leaflets, incumbent Huntley School District 158 board member Larry Snow is trying to stave off a sophisticated campaign mounted by Mike Skala, the teachers union and others who supported the unneeded 55-cent tax rate hike that motivated Snow to run for office in the first place.

Skala narrowly lost re-election two years ago, but was appointed to the vacancy created by running mate Jim Carlin, one of the three who bested him, after Carlin resigned about six months into his term.

It’s a two-side piece, chock full of information.

The first section is entitled,

Underneath is the following:

There are very different choices in this school board election in District 158.

1. My initiatives as a board member (with much persuasion and persistence) have resulted in some remarkable improvements. I have a record of positive accomplishments, will present some of them here, and hopefully will earn your reelection vote.

2. Mr. Skala was voted out of office in the last election. As Board President he pushed a large tax hike using a series of financial “deceptions” (that’s the term the Daily Herald used) to increase everyone’s property taxes. He voted for enormous teachers union raises and had no measurable goals for educating our students.

I stand for the best education we can afford, insisting on high professional and educational standards (not just talking about them come election time). I have had more initiatives adopted than any other board member (by a huge margin). They are literally saving our District millions of dollars and have resulted in significantly higher ACT scores.

Mr. Skala’s public track record is spend-and-tax politics: voting for enormous teachers union pay raises, providing no accountability in education and management, voting for deficit and wasteful spending and then increasing everyone’s taxes to repeat the cycle.

I am an effective check and balance, valuable voice and financial watchdog on our Board. When Mr. Skala ran our district as Board President with a rubber stamp Board, deceptions, scandals, cover-ups and corrupt practices were business as usual.

The challenge I face in this election is typical of what residents faced when Mr. Skala ran his tax hike campaign that amounted to consumer fraud: his politics of deceiving voters by twisting, not telling, and distorting the truth.

Really? This shows Mr. Skala’s willingness to mislead and trick voters. Outrageous and typical.

I half expect him to say he trusted administrators too much who put this on his web site. In terms of value added, as a professional, I do my homework and bring professional initiatives and solutions to our Board.

A good case can be made how, with Mrs. Kim Skaja on our Board, Mr. Skala is redundant.

In a two-column section below, Snow’s theme is “The Good, The Bad and The Very Ugly Truth”

This is under the words “The Good:”

I insisted we spend our money wisely to positively impact our students’ education. My initiatives literally save D-158 millions of dollars. For 4 years I worked, proposal after proposal, getting too-expensive contracts rebid and better solutions put in place. We were paying ridiculous costs on contracts Mr. Skala publicly praised, (e.g. photocopier leases).

After analyzing budget details, I made sure we ended an unnecessary / expensive energy consulting contract Mr. Skala kept secret. (no info. to full Board) We no longer have a former board member as our health insurance broker. I insisted on a self-insurance program (like other large districts) be handled by a better professional organization.

Under “The Bad and The Very Ugly Truth” is

Since 2005, Mr. Skala increased your property taxes, (extra) by over $2,000, on a modestly assessed home.

In 2002, he brazenly voted for a teachers’ contract where his wife, a D-158 teacher and union official, got over a 50% pay raise over four years. To pay for this incredibly expensive contract, he then voted for deficit spending and selling off our buses, replacing them with expensive leases.

To pay for his next too-expensive teachers’ contract, Mr. Skala’s tax hike scheme used a series of financial deceptions, amounting to the equivalent of consumer fraud. As Board President, Mr. Skala had complete access to our lawyers’ advice and how Illinois consumer fraud laws don’t apply to referendum tax increase campaigns. Anyone who opposed his tax increase was labeled “anti-education.”

On page 2, this appears at the top of the page:

During his tax hike campaign, Mr. Skala could have truthfully told voters about:

5 million dollars he made sure was not budgeted.

9 million of the 13 million of debt that got parked, unused, into a money market account.

There was no financial crisis; 4 new schools could open with more new teachers and staff.

Many residents, including myself at the time, asked Mr. Skala to get his facts straight. He refused.

He / his tax hiking friends now praise “his integrity”, as if he should be canonized “Saint Skala”.

Next there are a series of boxes with information about Snow on the left and Skala on the right. I can’t replicate the the layout, so I’ll just present the information.

Snow:

After Mr. Skala refused to listen and consider the facts I put in front of him, I publicly showed how his tax increase campaign was based on a fictional financial crisis. It did not exist.

Skala:

After residents voted down a tax increase, Mr. Skala orchestrated a second tax increase campaign, using a series of financial deceptions that amounted to consumer fraud. Mr. Skala made no attempt at “due diligence.”

Snow:

As lead or “chief” negotiator I stood up to the teachers union’s unrealistic annual pay raises. I showed how I could keep a six member Board united and how closely and well I could work with our Superintendent and administrators. In 2007, I was a Board negotiator who reached a new contract agreement with our service workers union in two four-hour sessions.

Skala:

Mr. Skala voted for an enormous pay increase for his wife (getting more than 50% over 4 yrs.), a D-158 teacher / union official, in 2002. In 2006, he refused to provide copies of the Board’s and teachers union’s proposals until after he got costly concessions tentatively agreed to. In 2008, he refused to publicly support the Board, refused to say how wrong the strike was, while behind the scenes he encouraged and supported the teachers union.

Snow:

Focuses on Management by Fact, asking the questions you might, if you were on the Board.

Skala:

Track record of management by making up the facts. Facts he insisted were “not debatable” were deceptions.

Under the headline

Education and Management Issues

Superintendent Burkey agreed with me, calling our ACT scores “unacceptable”. They were. For years Mr. Skala did nothing to improve them. I pushed for, and got adopted, specific measurable ACT, other test scores, and management goals. Mr. Skala argued against them. We now have significantly better ACT scores. Mr. Skala’s politics were bragging how every student was receiving a “great” education while, in fact, he knew ACT scores were below State averages.

In our suburban district, I believe most parents/grandparents want their children to have a real opportunity to attend a good college. I advocated an academic goal for the percentage of students who are accepted / go on to a four year college. Mr. Skala opposed having any goal, at all (regardless of what the goal would be). We can do far better than Mr. Skala’s que sera sera approach to our education goals.

Our Superintendent recommended hiring, as Curriculum Director, a friend of board members, with no curriculum experience. Several board members praised this recommendation. I took exception. I proposed a specific solution to find an experienced individual and persuaded the Board. The result? We hired and have an experienced Curriculum Director.

Below, this is found in a box:

Rather than agreeably disagreeing on issues, Mr. Skala / his friends use character attacks, trying to create a negative public image of me as a board member. As in Mr. Skala’s tax hike campaign, they insist their “facts” are correct and make distorted, exaggerated and false statements, going so far as to call me a “terrorist”. Mr. Skala introduced winning-at-any-cost political tactics that viciously called good people “anti-education.” We videotape our board meetings. Take a look. My professional behavior is respectful and a matter of record.

I know I am an imperfect human being. I remind myself of this when I pray to God every day. But as a board member, I am effective and bring a depth of positive contributions and experience. I stand up for doing what’s right for our taxpayers and students. Vote for Larry Snow on April 7th for more positive accomplishments. It will also prevent Mr. increase-your-taxes Skala from ruining our District.

May I have your support?

Larry Snow

Click to enlarge the images.

Have you noticed that the members of the Huntley School Board aren’t fighting like they used to?

Maybe this has nothing to do with it, but with the resignation of former school board member Glen Stewart, turned into District 158′s Chief Operating Officer, and the replacement of Jim Carlin on the school board by the man he beat—Mike Skala—things have quieted down.

It was probably the teacher negotiations that brought relative unity to the board. And, who would have thought previous outsider Larry Snow would have ended up being the point man in those negotiations?

Meanwhile, fights among students have increased.

Northwest Herald reporter Amber Krosel emphasized a report that 14 high school students had been charged with battery.

Not all boys either.

Six were girls.

Obviously not “young ladies.”

Thefts, too.

You might call it forcible income redistribution.

I-Pods, designer purses, cell phones, etc.

Apparently the richer kids haven’t learned to lock their cars and lockers or to keep their precious possessions in their hands or pockets.

No report of gang activity.

And no report of people wanting to kill anyone, except in The Voice, the high school newspaper.

= = = = =
Glen Stewart is on the left at the top, Jim Carlin on the right.

Have you noticed that the members of the Huntley School Board aren’t fighting like they used to?

Maybe this has nothing to do with it, but with the resignation of former school board member Glen Stewart, turned into District 158′s Chief Operating Officer, and the replacement of Jim Carlin on the school board by the man he beat—Mike Skala—things have quieted down.

It was probably the teacher negotiations that brought relative unity to the board. And, who would have thought previous outsider Larry Snow would have ended up being the point man in those negotiations?

Meanwhile, fights among students have increased.

Northwest Herald reporter Amber Krosel emphasized a report that 14 high school students had been charged with battery.

Not all boys either.

Six were girls.

Obviously not “young ladies.”

Thefts, too.

You might call it forcible income redistribution.

I-Pods, designer purses, cell phones, etc.

Apparently the richer kids haven’t learned to lock their cars and lockers or to keep their precious possessions in their hands or pockets.

No report of gang activity.

And no report of people wanting to kill anyone, except in The Voice, the high school newspaper.

= = = = =
Glen Stewart is on the left at the top, Jim Carlin on the right.

First it was the Kane County residents of Sun City who were not told that they were eligible to replace school board member Jim Carlin when he resigned.

Now, false information is being disseminated on the Huntley School District 158 web site about the vacancy for the top finance person.

Here’s what one finds on the web site:

We are currently accepting resumes/applications from individuals interested in the following Administration vacancies.

All interested applicants must provide the following in order to be considered for an identified position: Completed CSD158 employment application (see Applications link-complete in Word, save to hard drive and email, or print out pdf version to fill in and fax or mail), letter of interest, current resume, list of references (including supervisors), and copy of applicable certification. All certificates/endorsements must be valid in order to be considered for hire. Applications received after the deadline will not be submitted for consideration.

See below for submission instructions.

THERE ARE CURRENTLY NO ADMINISTRATOR VACANCIES.

Kind of makes you wonder if the school board’s ruling majority has someone already picked out and “no one else need apply.”

Sort of the way the word was put out that school board member Glenn Stewart was going to be picked, so no Cincinnati experts need apply.

School Superintended John Burkey told the Finance Committee Thursday night that he would do the search himself…no need to hire a professional search firm.

First it was the Kane County residents of Sun City who were not told that they were eligible to replace school board member Jim Carlin when he resigned.

Now, false information is being disseminated on the Huntley School District 158 web site about the vacancy for the top finance person.

Here’s what one finds on the web site:

We are currently accepting resumes/applications from individuals interested in the following Administration vacancies.

All interested applicants must provide the following in order to be considered for an identified position: Completed CSD158 employment application (see Applications link-complete in Word, save to hard drive and email, or print out pdf version to fill in and fax or mail), letter of interest, current resume, list of references (including supervisors), and copy of applicable certification. All certificates/endorsements must be valid in order to be considered for hire. Applications received after the deadline will not be submitted for consideration.

See below for submission instructions.

THERE ARE CURRENTLY NO ADMINISTRATOR VACANCIES.

Kind of makes you wonder if the school board’s ruling majority has someone already picked out and “no one else need apply.”

Sort of the way the word was put out that school board member Glenn Stewart was going to be picked, so no Cincinnati experts need apply.

School Superintended John Burkey told the Finance Committee Thursday night that he would do the search himself…no need to hire a professional search firm.

I mentioned that Jameel Naqvi’s Thursday before last Daily Herald article about the Huntley School District was packed with so much information that I couldn’t put down my reactions and amplifications in just one article. It would have been too long.

One thread commented on District 158 board member Larry Snow’s having filed a complaint with the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office about Mike Skala, former School Board President.

Skala was narrowly defeated for re-election in April by Aileen Seedorf, Kevin Gentry and Jim Carlin, placing fourth just a few votes above Seedorf’s running mate Linda Moore.

When Jim Carlin, the man who edged Skala out, resigned after six contentious months on the school board, the board majority re-appointed Skala.

But, back to Naqvi’s article. Here are two paragraphs:

“A separate complaint filed with the state’s attorney by board member Larry Snow accuses board member Mike Skala and other current or former board members of signing contracts that didn’t receive board approval, district officials said.

“Skala has denied any wrongdoing.”

Snow insisted to me that the substance of the District’s complaint is a part of his own.

The Daily Herald article also says, “…some officials said Snow’s issues with the audit are already being handled by the state’s attorney’s investigation.”

Snow is not saying which individuals may or may not be named in his complaint.

“But no district official has seen my complaint,” Snow said.

These folks remind me of the Crystal Lake Park Board’s purchase of a replacement patrol boat after a couple of teens torched the one during the dispute that former Crystal Lake Mayor George Wells’ book, “It’s That Way Everywhere, George,” describes so well.

The teens’ families were let off with paying the amount that the park district’s insurance policy did not cover. I think Wells said it was $1,000.

It was a summer night and a lot of us attended the park board meeting. The board went into executive session and we were kicked out of the meeting. We stood outside talking for a l-o-n-g time. Fortunately, it was warm.

Finally, the park board members started coming out of the Main Beach House, where they were meeting.

“What did you do?” I asked.

“We bought another boat,” one replied.

“Would you like to go back in and do it legally?” I asked.

“What do you mean?”

I told them they could not buy a boat in a secret session.

It didn’t matter to this park board. They went home.

I filed a complaint with the state’s attorney. The Friday before the deadline for filing a lawsuit against the board for its illegal action, I got a letter from the top assistant telling me that the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute, but I could, if I wished.

Sure. Non-lawyer me prepare and file a suit by the next Monday.

So, it appears that Snow’s complaint is that contracts were signed by Skala that were not approved in a public District 158 school board meeting.

If so, that doesn’t strike me as kosher.

Whether the McHenry County State’s Attorney will do anything about it is another question, however.

I mentioned that Jameel Naqvi’s Thursday before last Daily Herald article about the Huntley School District was packed with so much information that I couldn’t put down my reactions and amplifications in just one article. It would have been too long.

One thread commented on District 158 board member Larry Snow’s having filed a complaint with the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office about Mike Skala, former School Board President.

Skala was narrowly defeated for re-election in April by Aileen Seedorf, Kevin Gentry and Jim Carlin, placing fourth just a few votes above Seedorf’s running mate Linda Moore.

When Jim Carlin, the man who edged Skala out, resigned after six contentious months on the school board, the board majority re-appointed Skala.

But, back to Naqvi’s article. Here are two paragraphs:

“A separate complaint filed with the state’s attorney by board member Larry Snow accuses board member Mike Skala and other current or former board members of signing contracts that didn’t receive board approval, district officials said.

“Skala has denied any wrongdoing.”

Snow insisted to me that the substance of the District’s complaint is a part of his own.

The Daily Herald article also says, “…some officials said Snow’s issues with the audit are already being handled by the state’s attorney’s investigation.”

Snow is not saying which individuals may or may not be named in his complaint.

“But no district official has seen my complaint,” Snow said.

These folks remind me of the Crystal Lake Park Board’s purchase of a replacement patrol boat after a couple of teens torched the one during the dispute that former Crystal Lake Mayor George Wells’ book, “It’s That Way Everywhere, George,” describes so well.

The teens’ families were let off with paying the amount that the park district’s insurance policy did not cover. I think Wells said it was $1,000.

It was a summer night and a lot of us attended the park board meeting. The board went into executive session and we were kicked out of the meeting. We stood outside talking for a l-o-n-g time. Fortunately, it was warm.

Finally, the park board members started coming out of the Main Beach House, where they were meeting.

“What did you do?” I asked.

“We bought another boat,” one replied.

“Would you like to go back in and do it legally?” I asked.

“What do you mean?”

I told them they could not buy a boat in a secret session.

It didn’t matter to this park board. They went home.

I filed a complaint with the state’s attorney. The Friday before the deadline for filing a lawsuit against the board for its illegal action, I got a letter from the top assistant telling me that the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute, but I could, if I wished.

Sure. Non-lawyer me prepare and file a suit by the next Monday.

So, it appears that Snow’s complaint is that contracts were signed by Skala that were not approved in a public District 158 school board meeting.

If so, that doesn’t strike me as kosher.

Whether the McHenry County State’s Attorney will do anything about it is another question, however.