The top person in the McHenry County Auditor’s Office after the retirement of Pam Palmer on January 5th is Shannon Teresi. Palmer’s replacement will be appointed by McHenry County Board Chairman Jack Franks. His only restriction is that the person … Continue reading
Category Archives: Jim Thompson
Chuck Barris, originator of the Dating Game and Gong Show, among many others, just died. That brought to mind that somehow Governor Jim Thompson is connected in my mind with the Gong Show. I can’t remember the occasion, but he … Continue reading
A press release from Taxpayers United of America: Former Gov. James R. Thompson Lives Lavishly as Social Security Recipients Struggle CHICAGO—Former Illinois Governor James R. Thompson, who in 1983 and 1989 engineered raising Illinois’ state personal and corporate income tax … Continue reading
Capitol Fax Blog led me to this Illinois State-Journal article about the economic future of Illinois by Jorge Chapa of the University of Illinois. Demographics point to minorities making up an increasingly higher proportion of the state’s population. The oldest part … Continue reading
Back in 1978, first term Governor Jim Thompson was looking for a campaign gimmick. He came up with an advisory referendum which asked voters if they wanted to be notified if a tax district planned to spend more than 5% … Continue reading
During the first week to circulate petitions, what should in my mailbox arrive? It’s a letter from the Kirk Dillard for Governor Committee signed by former Governors Jim Edgar and Jim Thompson. Edgar was Thompson’s Legislative Liaison before being named … Continue reading
The building that looks like a glass ski slope or a huge hot dog stand located across from Chicago’s City Hall was named for Governor James R. Thompson. People call it the Thompson Center. Land on which it sits used … Continue reading
Kane County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay brought her campaign for the Illinois State Senate to Lakewood’s Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria Thursday night. Nothing like free eats to bring out a crowd. And Lou Manati’s pizza. What a treat! The event featured … Continue reading
Candidate for State Senator in southern Crystal Lake and points south to the St. Charles area Karen McConnaughay has sent out her first mailer. About the same time the first mailing from opponent Cliff Surges was put in the post … Continue reading
I see that the mandatory motorcycle helmet folks are back. The Chicago Sun-Times editorialized about passage last November and I saved the piece to remind me to write this article. Back in 1975, James “Bud” Washburn of Morris was Republican … Continue reading
Jim Tobin’s National Taxpayers United of Illinois has revealed the top 50 pensions for the General Assembly Retirement Fund. It doesn’t have many pensioners, but the legislative retirement fund has some big payouts. Part of the reason is that statewide … Continue reading
Today, the Illinois Republican Party is holding its day at the State Fair. Busloads are people are heading that way as I write this article. When I went, it was called Governor’s Day. That was back in Jim Thompson’s time. … Continue reading
If you looked at the front page of the Chicago Tribune Sunday, you saw five candidates on top of the page. They are ones that the Tribune’s poll found leading in both the Democratic and Republican Party primaries. It was … Continue reading
Back in the 1970’s I put in a request to the Legislative Council (the General Assembly’s non-partisan research agency) to develop a way to compare corruption among the states. That was when United States Attorney Jim Thompson was convicting lots … Continue reading
Last night at Crystal Lake’s 1776 restaurant will be a night that Jason Plummer, an aggressive Downstate candidate for lieutenant governor, will remember forever. How do I know? Because I’ve been on the same route he took twice, once in … Continue reading
When my son and I got to Cary we discovered people who had been at the Crystal Lake demonstration, 550 strong according to Libertarian Party Chair Dave Brady of Wonder Lake. This was the third McHenry County TEA Party I … Continue reading
You don’t have to go to Chicago to protest taxes that are too high. The national “Taxed Enough Already” web site for two Crystal Lakers, James Thompson (815-459-2083) and Frank Frantz (815-444-0823). I sent Thompson an email at the above … Continue reading
Pretty much nothing in public policy formulation disturbs me more than reporters who do not know anything about percentages. Maybe I shouldn’t be so critical, but when an opinion leader like WTTW’s “Chicago Week in Review” host Joel Weisman asks … Continue reading
Pretty much nothing in public policy formulation disturbs me more than reporters who do not know anything about percentages. Maybe I shouldn’t be so critical, but when an opinion leader like WTTW’s “Chicago Week in Review” host Joel Weisman asks … Continue reading