McHenry County Blog

Carolyn Schofield

At election night’s Crystal Lake City Council meeting, City Councilwoman Carolyn Schofield, elected last year, took the lead in getting a resolution on the agenda at tomorrow night’s meeting asking for recognition of the city’s Watershed Ordinance by county government.

You may remember that both Ellen Brady Mueller and Donna Kurtz made something of that issue during their campaigns for a District 2 slot on the fall county board ballot.

From a resident of the watershed’s perspective, it is so, so difficult to understand that the McHenry County Board has thus far not figured out how important protection of our lake’s watershed is to local residents.

You would think they might have figured that out when a citizen uprising killed the minor league baseball stadium at McHenry County College.

After all, half (that’s right, half) of the entire county board represents parts of Crystal Lake. With all residents of the Crystal Lake Park District having access to the lake, how can one explain why the board has not taken action already.

Ellen Brady Mueller

Donna Kurtz

My prediction is the resolution will pass without dissent Tuesday.

If that doesn’t convince the county board to follow the not-as-strict-as-it-could-be watershed protection ordinance, the next step, it would seem to me would be to invite those twelve county board members to a meeting of the city council.

Who are they?

District 2

• McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler (R)
• McHenry County Board Vice Chairman Jim Heisler (R)
• Lyn Orphal (Lost the primary to Donna Kurtz) Both R’s.
• Former Lakewood Village President and Crystal Lake Park Board President Scott Breeden (R)

Crystal Lake Avenue is the dividing line between District 2 and District 3.

District 3

• Barbara Wheeler (R)
• Kathy Bergan Schmidt (D)
• Ed Dvorak (retiring) (R)
• Mary Donner (R)

District 5

• Tina Hill (R)
• Virginia Peschke (R)
• Jim Kennedy (D)
• Paula Yensen (D)

District 5 comes into the Crystal Lake area from the Northwest (Ridgefield) and the Southeast.

So, what’s the resolution ask for?

“That the Mayor and City Council request the Regional Planning Commission include the Crystal Lake watershed and its regulations in the list of watersheds that exist within McHenry County in the 2030 Comprehensive Plan document.”

The resolution points out that the lake’s watershed is 6.39 square miles of which 3.69 square miles are within the City of Crystal Lake.

It’s been a couple of weeks since the McHenry County Board bucked Chairman Ken Koehler, State Senator Pam Althoff, State Rep. Mike Tryon and those who stand to gain financially from placement of video poker machines in local taverns and restaurants.

It’s time to tell the tale of how McHenry County Establishment got narrowly beaten in that fight.

The vote was close (13-10-1) and my guess is that video poker proponents will try to reverse that vote after new county board members are sworn in, if the people they back defeat anti-gambling incumbents like District 2’s Barbara Wheeler.

Video gambling was the first local issue taken on by Patriots United, the folks who coordinated the Independence Day TEA Party, picketed State Rep. Jack Franks’ office on a cold spring day about his sponsorship of a bill considered pro-abortion and gun control, held a well-attended forum on the Democrats’ health care reform, and co-sponsored with the McHenry County Young Republicans a candidates’ night for 8th congressional district GOP aspirants.

Members attended John Hammerand’s License and Liquor Committee meetings and sponsored a debate between proponents and opponents.

Here are Patriots United video slot machine debate panels, ban proponents on the right, opponents on the left. Opponents, from left to right, are Tom Grey, David Smith and James Blue.

Then, Patriots United had a forum in Woodstock during which video poker machine salesmen debated three social conservatives:

• Tom Grey, the nationally- known Methodist minister who started out in Galena during the time the county board decided to site a riverboat in Jo Davies County and now Field Coordinator and National Spokesman for Stop Predatory Gambling
• Jim Blue, representing Illinois Church Action on Alcoholism and Addiction Problems
• David Smith, Executive Director of the Illinois Family Institute

They urged their members to contact county board members, but that was not what did the trick.

They used this robo call technique I first saw tobacco companies us in lobbying against cigarette tax hikes maybe ten years ago.

Call people, explain the issue and ask if they would like to speak to their county board member.

Since there are four county board members per district, how would that work?

The Illinois Family Institute selected six county board members considered to be approachable on the issue.

They were

• Yvonne Barnes in District 1
• Jim Heisler in District 2
• Ed Dvorak in District 3
• Sue Draffkorn in District 4
• Jim Kennedy in District 5
• Dan Ryan in District 6

From 1,334 to 1,453 calls were made in each district.

From to 649 to 774 of the calls were answered by voters. After the recorded pitch, voters were asked to push a phone button if they wished to be transferred to their county board member.

There were over fifty transfers for all but one district.

From the time my father served on the county board, I can tell you that he never got that many calls on any subject. On some zoning matters, especially the landfill ones, he might have gotten fifty letters. One phone call on a subject was a big number back in the 1980’s.

Getting dozens of calls must have sounded like a tidal wave.

And it was. You can’t find an issue where that many constituents have contacted county board members by phone. Undoubtedly, some of them were friends and supporters of each member.

A little over half of the calls were answered in person; the rest went to answering machines.

Of the six county board members receiving calls, only Huntley’s Ryan, a Sun City resident, voted in favor of allowing video slot machines in establishments serving liquor in unincorporated McHenry County.

Barnes, Kennedy and Ryan are up for election this year. District 6’s Ryan is the only one with GOP primary opposition.

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Check out possible targets for the pro-gambling forces in this post.

OK. I was wrong.

I predicted last night that the McHenry County Board would approved what proponents insist on calling video poker.

But, this morning social conservatives on the board pulled off a 13-10-1 victory.

That was with the help of all three Democrats on the county board. (Counting only Republicans, the vote would have been tied 10-10.)

Lake in the Hills member Paula Yensen has personal knowledge of how devastating gambling can be to a family.

Patriots United video slot machine debate panels, ban proponents on the right, opponents on the left.

Perhaps also influencing the vote was the leadership that Democratic Party State Rep. Jack Franks has taken on the issue. He attended a Patriots United debate on the subject after returning from one of this fall’s veto sessions.

All Republicans representing McHenry County in the Illinois General Assembly except State Senator Dan Duffy, that is, State Representatives Mike Tryon and Mark Beaubien, plus State Senator Pam Althoff, voted supported video slot machines.

Voting in favor of a ban of the video gambling machines in unincorporated areas were the following, who are grouped by county board district (those up for election this year are show in bold face type):

District 1

• Yvonne Barnes

District 2

• Jim Heisler

District 3

• Ed Dvorak (retiring)
• Kathy Bergan Schmidt
• Barbara Wheeler

District 4

• Sue Draffkorn
• John Hammerand
• Sandy Salgado

District 5

• Paula Yensen
• Jim Kennedy
• Virginia Peschke

District 6

• Mary McCann
• Ersel Schuster

Voting against the ban, thus in favor of expanding gambling were the following:

District 1

• Anna May Miller
• Bob Bless
• Marc Munaretto

District 2

• Scott Breeden
• Ken Koehler
• Lyn Orphal

District 3

• Mary Donner

District 4

• Pete Merkel

District 5

• Tina Hill

District 6

• Dan Ryan

Abstaining from the vote was District 6 Republican Randy Donley.

A month ago the board voted against holding an advisory referendum on the issue. The vote was 13-11-1.

The thirteen board members who voted against allowing their constituents to vote on the issue follow:

• Yvonne Barnes (R-Cary)

• Sue Draffkorn (R-Wonder Lake)

• Paula Yensen (D-Lake in the Hills)

• Ed Dvorak (R-Crystal Lake)

• Jim Heisler (R-Crystal Lake)

• Ken Koehler (R-Crystal Lake)

• Mary McCann (R-Woodstock)

• Pete Merkel (R-McHenry)

• Virginia Peschke (R-Bull Valley)

• Sandy Salgado (R-McHenry)

• Kathy Bergan Schmidt (D-Crystal Lake)

• Barb Wheeler (R-Crystal Lake)

Voting in favor of an advisory referendum were

• Bob Bless (R-Fox River Grove)

• Scott Breeden (R-Lakewood)

• Mary Donner (R-Crystal Lake)

• John Hammerand (R-Wonder Lake)

• Tina Hill (R-Woodstock)

• Jim Kennedy (D-Lake in the Hills)

• Anna May Miller (R-Cary)

• Marc Munaretto (R-Algonquin)

• Lyn Orphal (R-Crystal Lake)

• Dan Ryan (R-Huntley)

Members of the Operating Engineers Local 150 lobbied vigorously against the gambling ban, arguing for the jobs its proceeds would finance.

As reported the day it happened, Crystal Lake businessman Jim Heisler (R-Crystal Lake) defeated McHenry board member Sandy Salgado (R-McHenry) 15-9.

All three Democrats supported Salgado, along with four of her female colleagues.

Let me give you an idea of what led up to the vote—at least the county board part.

Cary’s Yvonne Barnes nominated Salgado. Mary McCann (R-Woodstock) put Heisler’s name in nomination.

Then, Randy Donley (R-Union) nominated Barb Wheeler (R-Crystal Lake), who had just lost her chairmanship race to Ken Koehler.

Wheeler declined Donley’s nomination.

Just as he did with the county board chairman candidates, Democrat Jim Kennedy asked the candidates to tell why they were running for the office.

Anna Miller (R-Cary) read a prepared statement in support of Heisler, arguing it is the “vice chairman’s role to support the chairman.”

She also cited Heisler’s “strong personal skills.”

Barnes described Salgado’s “long history of working hard for the good of the people.”

She pointed out that her candidate had “no personal motivations,” was “goal oriented, results driven and a person of compassion.”

Salgado herself rose to Kennedy’s request saying,
“This was an opportunity I did not see presenting itself…but when it did, I welcome it.”

Perhaps Salgado was thinking of outgoing vice chairman John Jung’s loss to Lake in the Hills Trustee Paula Yensen.

Heisler received the support of the following 15 Republicans:

Bob Bless – District 1
Scott Breeden – District 2
Randy Donley – District 6
Mary Donner – District 3
Ed Dvorak – District 3
John Hammerand – District 4
Jim Heisler – District 2
Tina Hill – District 5
Ken Koehler – District 2
Mary McCann – District 6
Marc Munaretto – District 1
Anna Miller – District 1
Lyn Orphal – District 2
Dan Ryan – District 6
Ersel Schuster – District 6

Republicans for Salgado follow:

Yvonne Barnes – District 1
Sue Draffkorn – District 4
Virginia Peschke – District 6
Sandra Salgado – District 4
Barb Wheeler – District 3

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McHenry County Board member Sandra Salgado is seen in the top photo; Jim Heisler in the one at the bottom.

As reported the day it happened, Crystal Lake businessman Jim Heisler (R-Crystal Lake) defeated McHenry board member Sandy Salgado (R-McHenry) 15-9.

All three Democrats supported Salgado, along with four of her female colleagues.

Let me give you an idea of what led up to the vote—at least the county board part.

Cary’s Yvonne Barnes nominated Salgado. Mary McCann (R-Woodstock) put Heisler’s name in nomination.

Then, Randy Donley (R-Union) nominated Barb Wheeler (R-Crystal Lake), who had just lost her chairmanship race to Ken Koehler.

Wheeler declined Donley’s nomination.

Just as he did with the county board chairman candidates, Democrat Jim Kennedy asked the candidates to tell why they were running for the office.

Anna Miller (R-Cary) read a prepared statement in support of Heisler, arguing it is the “vice chairman’s role to support the chairman.”

She also cited Heisler’s “strong personal skills.”

Barnes described Salgado’s “long history of working hard for the good of the people.”

She pointed out that her candidate had “no personal motivations,” was “goal oriented, results driven and a person of compassion.”

Salgado herself rose to Kennedy’s request saying,
“This was an opportunity I did not see presenting itself…but when it did, I welcome it.”

Perhaps Salgado was thinking of outgoing vice chairman John Jung’s loss to Lake in the Hills Trustee Paula Yensen.

Heisler received the support of the following 15 Republicans:

Bob Bless – District 1
Scott Breeden – District 2
Randy Donley – District 6
Mary Donner – District 3
Ed Dvorak – District 3
John Hammerand – District 4
Jim Heisler – District 2
Tina Hill – District 5
Ken Koehler – District 2
Mary McCann – District 6
Marc Munaretto – District 1
Anna Miller – District 1
Lyn Orphal – District 2
Dan Ryan – District 6
Ersel Schuster – District 6

Republicans for Salgado follow:

Yvonne Barnes – District 1
Sue Draffkorn – District 4
Virginia Peschke – District 6
Sandra Salgado – District 4
Barb Wheeler – District 3

= = = = =
McHenry County Board member Sandra Salgado is seen in the top photo; Jim Heisler in the one at the bottom.

In these photos you can see Judge Michael J. Sullivan swearing in the eight McHenry County Board members who took office on Monday.

From left to right are

• Randy Donley (R-Union),
• Jim Heisler (R-Crystal Lake),
• John Hammerand (R-Wonder Lake),
• Virginia Peschke (R-Bull Valley),
• Bob Bless (R-Fox River Grove),
• Paula Yensen (D-Lake in the Hills),
• Kathy Bergan Schmidt (D-Crystal Lake),
• Mary Donner (R-Crystal Lake),
• Ersel Schuster (R-Woodstock),
• Scott Breeden (R-Lakewood),
• Sue Draffkorn (R-Wonder Lake) and Marc Muneratto (R-Algonquin).

In the bottom picture, you can see (if you click on the image) McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler to the right of Munaretto’s head awaiting the election of board officers.

Here are the details about the discussion about the contested election before the vote, which resulted in two Crystal Lakers taking control.

As reported Monday, the three Democrats now on the McHenry County Board split their votes for board chairman.

Jim Kennedy and Paula Yensen–the two from Lake in the Hills’ District 5–voted for Crystal Laker Ken Koehler, who represents District 2.

McHenry County Democratic Party Chair Kathy Bergan Schmidt, the one from north of Crystal Lake in District 3, voted for District 3’s Barb Wheeler.

Pardon me if I look at this from a crass political viewpoint. But we are talking politics here, aren’t we?

The motivation to vote for Koehler could be as simple as wanting to be on the winning team.

With a vote spread of 16-6-2, I would think that virtually everyone voting would have known that Koehler was going to win.

Indeed, runner-up Barb Wheeler referred to herself as “the lamb being led to slaughter.”

So, Kennedy and Yensen could well have just been positioning themselves to get favorable committee assignments.

Or, they could have figured out that a number of Crystal Lake precincts are in their district and figured that Koehler and his allies might be less likely to actively oppose their re-election, if they supported him for county board chairman.

Schmidt, whose address is Crystal Lake and whose District 3 goes well into Crystal Lake—all the way south to Crystal Lake Avenue—could have used the same logic.

But she didn’t.

She decided to support her fellow District 3 Republican. Maybe the data base that Wheeler’s brother, Dr. Tom Salvi, developed in his almost successful 2000 run against State Representative Jack Franks, convinced her it was better to antagonize Koehler than Wheeler.

As the headline says, this is “speculation.”

Where does your train of thought take you?

As for vice chairman, all three of the Democrats were unified. They supported McHenry’s Sandra Salgado over the winner, Crystal Lake’s Jim Heisler.

Did they want to show support for a woman?

Did they realize that Heisler, much like Abraham Lincoln, was such a good guy that he wouldn’t retaliate?

Or have they figured out that Heisler is more into government than politics?

= = = = =
The top photo shows Democratic McHenry County Board member Jim Kennedy making a point. Behind him you can see Marc Munaretto. Newly-elected Democrat Paula Yensen is seen waving her thanks to fellow McHenry County Democratic Central Committee members who voted in caucus last February to nominate her to run for county board. [The commenter below notes that Yensen was on the primary ballot. My mistake. She was waving to her fellow precinct committeemen after being introduced.]

Below them, McHenry County Democratic Party Chair Kathy Bergan Schmidt is seen on the left and Barb Wheeler on the right. Both serve on the county board from District 3.

At the bottom, Jim Heisler is seen to the left of Sandy Salgado.

In these photos you can see Judge Michael J. Sullivan swearing in the eight McHenry County Board members who took office on Monday.

From left to right are

• Randy Donley (R-Union),
• Jim Heisler (R-Crystal Lake),
• John Hammerand (R-Wonder Lake),
• Virginia Peschke (R-Bull Valley),
• Bob Bless (R-Fox River Grove),
• Paula Yensen (D-Lake in the Hills),
• Kathy Bergan Schmidt (D-Crystal Lake),
• Mary Donner (R-Crystal Lake),
• Ersel Schuster (R-Woodstock),
• Scott Breeden (R-Lakewood),
• Sue Draffkorn (R-Wonder Lake) and Marc Muneratto (R-Algonquin).

In the bottom picture, you can see (if you click on the image) McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler to the right of Munaretto’s head awaiting the election of board officers.

Here are the details about the discussion about the contested election before the vote, which resulted in two Crystal Lakers taking control.

As reported Monday, the three Democrats now on the McHenry County Board split their votes for board chairman.

Jim Kennedy and Paula Yensen–the two from Lake in the Hills’ District 5–voted for Crystal Laker Ken Koehler, who represents District 2.

McHenry County Democratic Party Chair Kathy Bergan Schmidt, the one from north of Crystal Lake in District 3, voted for District 3’s Barb Wheeler.

Pardon me if I look at this from a crass political viewpoint. But we are talking politics here, aren’t we?

The motivation to vote for Koehler could be as simple as wanting to be on the winning team.

With a vote spread of 16-6-2, I would think that virtually everyone voting would have known that Koehler was going to win.

Indeed, runner-up Barb Wheeler referred to herself as “the lamb being led to slaughter.”

So, Kennedy and Yensen could well have just been positioning themselves to get favorable committee assignments.

Or, they could have figured out that a number of Crystal Lake precincts are in their district and figured that Koehler and his allies might be less likely to actively oppose their re-election, if they supported him for county board chairman.

Schmidt, whose address is Crystal Lake and whose District 3 goes well into Crystal Lake—all the way south to Crystal Lake Avenue—could have used the same logic.

But she didn’t.

She decided to support her fellow District 3 Republican. Maybe the data base that Wheeler’s brother, Dr. Tom Salvi, developed in his almost successful 2000 run against State Representative Jack Franks, convinced her it was better to antagonize Koehler than Wheeler.

As the headline says, this is “speculation.”

Where does your train of thought take you?

As for vice chairman, all three of the Democrats were unified. They supported McHenry’s Sandra Salgado over the winner, Crystal Lake’s Jim Heisler.

Did they want to show support for a woman?

Did they realize that Heisler, much like Abraham Lincoln, was such a good guy that he wouldn’t retaliate?

Or have they figured out that Heisler is more into government than politics?

= = = = =
The top photo shows Democratic McHenry County Board member Jim Kennedy making a point. Behind him you can see Marc Munaretto. Newly-elected Democrat Paula Yensen is seen waving her thanks to fellow McHenry County Democratic Central Committee members who voted in caucus last February to nominate her to run for county board. [The commenter below notes that Yensen was on the primary ballot. My mistake. She was waving to her fellow precinct committeemen after being introduced.]

Below them, McHenry County Democratic Party Chair Kathy Bergan Schmidt is seen on the left and Barb Wheeler on the right. Both serve on the county board from District 3.

At the bottom, Jim Heisler is seen to the left of Sandy Salgado.

As you learned yesterday, McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler handily defeated two challengers.

In a 16-6-2 vote Koehler beat Barb Wheeler, the head of the county board’s Planning and Development Committee, and Marc Munaretto, chairman of the board’s Finance Committee. Here’s the roll call.

For the second spot on the board, Crystal Laker Jim Heisler won over McHenry’s Sandra Salgado in a 15-9 vote.

After his victory, Heisler, who sits two seats from Salgado walked over and hugged her. I was chastised for not getting a picture.

By the time that Koehler followed suit with Wheeler, however, I was ready.

It appears that Wheeler upgraded her ambition from vice chairman to chairman, joining forces with Salgado. Both voted for the other.

Something of a woman’s block was evident with Sue Draffkorn, Virginia Peschke, Salgado, Schmidt and Wheeler voting for the female candidates for the top two spots.

While Wheeler received six votes (the sole male being Huntley’s Dan Ryan), Salgado got 9. She picked up newly-elected Democratic women Kathy Bergan Schmidt and Paul Yensen, plus Cary’s Yvonne Barnes.

Nominating Koehler for chairman was Cary’s Anna Miller.

But that didn’t happen until after chairman candidate Munaretto questioned the contents of a memo prepared by the State’s Attorney’s Office based on a conclusion that the method used last time around had been “improper.”

Newly elected to her third non-consecutive term, Ersel Schuster moved to accept the recommendations of the State’s Attorney. I heard one “No” in the voice vote.

Miller read a prepared statement of support for Koehler.

Then, Draffkorn nominated Barb Wheeler and Randy Donley placed Munaretto’s name in nomination, saying, “I can’t think of anyone better to lead us through these troubled times.” He referred to Munaretto as “an economic wizard, to say the least.”

Democrat Jim Kennedy asked each candidate to explain why he or she was running for the top job.

Wheeler was the first to comply with Kennedy’s request. She explained that this was the first time in 20 years (that) there was a challenge for county board chairman (in which the results were not known.)

“We’re probably lambs (being led) to the slaughter,” she explained, but thought the process would lead to a “stronger board.”

She said that her quest for supporters might have led “some of your spouses (to) think I’m stalking you.”

She enjoyed talking at length with the board members during the last few days.

Munaretto’s comments came next.

“I’ve never run against an incumbent. I sense there is a desire for change. It pains me greatly that the county board would accept the control that has been exercised by a few (without question).

“The worst of economic times have not hit McHenry County,” the Finance Committee Chairman continued. Munaretto explained how under his leadership the county’s bond rating had risen from AA3 to AA1–”one notch away from Triple A.”

“I have been the proponent of open, constructive debate. 98% of the time I encourage open debate.”

Then, Koehler took the mike.

“I didn’t come here to talk about myself and I don’t intend to do that,” he started out. He explained how the board operates by committee.

“I’m proud to bring that all together.

“We’ve had our differences. We’ve walked some pretty tough times these past four years. I hope I can be your county board chairman for the next two years,” he concluded.

Peschke, who previously ran against Koehler, spoke on Wheeler’s behalf.

“I am impressed with her leadership. She took over from a very strong leader, Ann Gilman” and succeeded.

Peschke pointed to her introducing the board to conservation design and getting it passed.

“I have been truly impressed with her leadership.”
Having heard the reply to his request, Kennedy applauded the three members.

“I think competition is good. I think this is a very healthy thing for our county board.”

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The photo on top is of McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler hugging Barb Wheeler, the woman who received 6 votes against him. In the background to the left is newly-elected member Bob Bless. Top right is Randy Donley. In the foreground is newly-elected Lake in the Hills Democrat Paula Yensen. Below that photo are two shots of the new county board. All photos may be enlarged by clicking on them.