McHenry County Blog

In a Veterans Acres picnic, the Nunda Township Republican Central Committee hosted area residents and politicians Saturday afternoon.

I got the privilege of introducing the two newest candidates for McHenry County Sheriff, Jim Harrison and Bill Prim.

Although sitting about ten feet away, Sheriff Keith Nygren’s choice, Andy Zinke, who announced over a year ago, didn’t show any desire to meet his rivals.

Both Harrison and Prim talked to the crowd.

Zinke left the Nunda Township Republican Picnic before the speeches were given.

Huntley District 158 School Board President Mike Skala held a fund raiser early this week at Crystal Woods in Lakewood.

There was golf.

And people on the golf course without clubs.

Lots of posing.

Potential future colleagues on the County Board were in attendance.

State Rep. Mike Tryon was in attendance.

State Senator Pam Althoff was present, too.

Photos were provided by the Mike Skala campaign.

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Regular readers will know that I go to parades to read political tea leaves.

Perhaps the biggest insight was that Democrat Jack Franks was in the middle of the Republican floats.

Whether deliberate or not, it surely sent a mixed message to those along the parade route.

Especially since the McHenry County Republican Party refused to field an opponent to the reliable vote for House Speaker Mike Madigan’s continued one-man rule of Illinois.

I wasn’t the only one to make note of the parade order.

Fox River Grove Republican Precinct Committeeman Andrew Gasser wrote an article touching on that, plus the co-option of Republican activists by Franks.

There were lots of candidates at the reception besides Provenzano.

I saw Joe Gottemoller, Mary McClelland, Sue Draffkorn, all of whom seek to represent part of the McHenry area on the County Board.

Former GOP State Rep. primary candidate in the 52nd District Danielle Rowe was also present.

 

And, miracles of miracles, there were two Romney for President signs.

The parade was off.

Municipal officials came first.

The McHenry Aldermen kept coming in numerical order.

The next Alderman rode in a red pick-up truck.

A convertible carrying the only Alderwoman was next.

Congressman Randy Hultgren, who won all of McHenry County, but Algonquin Township, in Michael Madigan’s redistricted map, led off the Republican contingent with Provenzano.

And, then my camera froze, so I missed the other Republicans.

But it started working again as State Rep. Jack Franks worked the crowd on the other side of the street.

If there were any indication that Franks was running on the Democratic Party ticket and would vote to re-elect House Speaker Mike Madigan once he wins his uncontested race, I didn’t see.

More Republicans were behind Franks.

A Sheriff’s Department vehicle came next.

Just one.

Not like the last Fiesta Days Parade I attended in 2010 when Sheriff Keith Nygren was being challenge by Democrat Mike Mahon. Take a look at the motorcycles, snowmobile, convertible, crime prevention trailer, perhaps being pulled by the vehicle above, but without Undersheriff Andrew Zinke’s name on its side.

But who was driving the vehicle?

Next was Mary Mahady, apparently running for McHenry Township Assessor.

Next spring township elections will be held throughout McHenry County, so this was the last time to increase one’s name identification in a Fiesta Days Parade.  Johnsburg has one in October, where there will probably be more township candidates.

Seemingly out of place at the parade was former McHenry County Board candidate Rachel Smith from the western side of Wonder Lake. She was watching the parade before a cancer fund raiser for her aunt, whose last name is Jones.

I say “apparent” because early votes and absentee votes may not be included in the 100% figures being reported on the McHenry County Clerk’s web site.

Nevertheless, Mary McClellan has more to be thankful for than second place on the ballot and fifth place finisher incumbent Mary Donner.

Here are the figures being reported at 10:30:

Here’s McClellan just after the County Clerk’s web site posted the results above:

Of course, there are the Democrats that have to be defeated this fall, if McClellan is to take a seat on the McHenry County Board.

Kathy Bergan Schmidt is an incumbent.

Joe Gottemoller’s last name is so long that his sign emphasizes his first name.

Nick Provenano’s last name is pretty long, too.

Generally, short-named people have an advantage, if only because their name is easier to fit on a sign.

But, as you can see below, with 17% of the vote counted in District 3, the candidates with the longest names are in the lead.

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The 17% figures are holding up through 59% of the votes being counted.

The two top Mary’s are battling it out for the fourth spot on the fall GOP ballot.

No, we’re not talking about Congressman Joe Walsh today.

We’re talking about Joe Gottemoller, the mild-mannered attorney who is running for the McHenry County Board in District 3.

He put out his distinctive signs early in the campaign.

Before the first snow.

With his long last name, he figured out he could gain name identification by emphasizing his first name.

Now, one of his signs is missing a big circle where the “Joe” could be found.

At first it seems like a stunt worthy of Chicago politics.

You know, one where someone throws a brick through the front window of your campaign office.

Or, even more likely to be newsworthy, sets off a small bomb that does minimal damage to your office.

But, thinking about it a bit, I figure some guy named Joe probably just wanted to put his name on his bedroom wall.

This is as good a place as any to share Gottemoller’s walk piece and a letter sent to potential constituents:

Here’s the letter he sent out last week with people endorsing him along its letterhead (click to enlarge):

On Gottemoller’s letterhead are Aaron Shepley, Pam Althoff, Don Brewer, Steve Cuda, Dan Curran, Ralph Dawson, Sam Diamond, Robert Fetzner, Richard Flood, William M. Franz, David Gervais, Nancy Gonsiorek, John Heisler, Bill LeFew, Bob Miller, Gary Reese, Fred Roedinger, Brian Sager, Jim Thorpe and Barb Wheeler.

Gottmoller’s web site can be found here.

You may remember that Kevin Craver’s Northwest Herald article about District 2 McHenry County Board candidates focused on the vote to increase the property tax levy by the maximum of 1.5% Cost-of-Living increase allowed by the Real Estate Tax Cap.

(You can find out who voted to hike your real estate tax bill as much as the law allows here.)

That stimulated my article entitled,

“Northwest Herald Turns Up the Heat on Three Crystal Lake County Board Members Who Voted to Maximize Tax Bill.”

Saturday’s NWH article about the District 3 campaign continued on the same property tax theme, the “touchiest issue,” as the reporter puts it.

There are three incumbents running for re-election.  Two Republicans–Mary Donner and Nick Provenzano–and Democrat Kathy Bergan Schmidt.

Donner and Schmidt voted for the tax hike; Provenzano did not.

Craver points out in the article that only challenger Lyn Orphal, a former District 2 Board member unseated by Donna Kurtz, came out in favor of the real estate tax hike.

Of the challengers, the following opposed the “Tax to the Max” approach:

• Mary Alger
• Joe Gottemoller
• Mary McClellan
• Jim Schlader
• Michael Walkup

Of the eight comments (as of 5:30 Saturday when this article was written) under the District 3 article, all are negative regarding the impending real estate tax hike.

Endorsements take a lot of work.  That’s probably the real reason that the Chicago Sun-Times decided not to do them this year.

Today, the Northwest Herald rolled out its favorites for McHenry County Board Districts 2 and 3.

There are two names missing with something in common:

• McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler
• Law and Justice Committee Chairman Nick Provenzano

While the editorial board criticizes Koehler for not shaking up the Health Department after the McCullom Lake ground water pollution probe, plus another issue (go read the editorial), the main reason may have been the  “secret redistricting meeting.”

Whether coincidental or not, Provenzano took part in the same meeting.  The endorsement editorial for District 3 did not mention the meeting, however, or any reason, for that matter, for not endorsing Provenzano’s re-election.  Provenzano ran first in the GOP primary two years ago, regaining the seat he lost to Democrat Kathy Bergan Schmidt in 2008.

And who got Northwest Herald bragging rights?

District 2

• Jim Heisler
• Donna Kurtz
• Carolyn Schofield
• Tom Wilbeck

District 3

• Incumbent Mary Donner
• Challenger Joe Goetmoeller
• Challenger Mary McClellan
• Challenger Michael Walkup

In District 3 there are only two incumbents Republicans running for re-election.  That’s because Barb Wheeler in running for State Representative and Schmidt, being a Democrat runs in that party’s primary.

In District 2 there are five candidates running for four spots.

I note that two incumbent District 2 candidates who voted to maximize the county’s tax bill (Kurtz and Heisler) got spanked. The third running for re-election, Koehler, did not.

In District 3, however, there was no mention that the one incumbent who voted for the tax hike did so. She was Mary Donner. Provenzano voted against the levy. No mention of that either.

A new Political Action Committee organized by Nunda Township Republican Central Committee Chairman and Waste Management employee Brent Smith held its second meeting Wednesday night at American Community Bank in McHenry.

Registered with the State Board of Elections on November 30, 2011, the committee’s listed officers are Smith as Chairman and Mark Daniel as Treasurer.

The declared purpose of the McHenry County Business Committee is “to support local, state and federal pro-business political candidates, ballot initiatives and initiatives that supports economic growth throughout McHenry County and Illinois.”  It’s party affiliation, according to the filing is the Republican Party.

Such statements in filings are pretty boiler plate stuff.  The mission statement and by-laws are still works in progress, Smith explained to those gathered.

“We’re sensing anecdotally that there’s an anti-business climate. We really need to educate ourselves first,” Attorney Dan Regna explained.

Interests ranged widely among the attendees.

There were complaints about Crystal Lake’s continuing to be difficult for people wanting to open business to deal with.

“Go the Crystal Lake officials,” said attorney Jim Bishop.  “They don’t want to believe you.

“And there’s no businessman willing to stand up,” he added.

Attorney and District 3 County Board candidate Joe Gottemoller, for instance, told of being only one of two people (the other being archetect Mark Elmore) at the Crystal Lake City Council meeting when a new fire code was passed.

Anything with more than one square foot with walls requires a sprinkler system now. He contended a post box fell under the requirement.

He also took off on the unfriendliness of County zoning rules for home businesses.

“You cannot actually run a home occupation,” he contended, citing three unworkable restrictions:

1. You can have more than one outside employee, even it if they are outside salesmen
2. You can’t use any building on your property but your resident, not even a machine shed
3. If you have a room with an exterior door, you can’t use it.

“If you use a basement and don’t have an outside entrance, you’ve violated the building code,” he added.

“There’s dozens and dozens and dozens of restraints in this wonderful Republican County we live in,” Bishop added.

Gottemoller remembered getting a call from the head of construction for McDonald’s about the restaurant being built at the corner of Routes 14 and 176.

“The worst one to work with is McHenry County,” he remembered the man telling him.  “The worst in the world.”

Later McHenry County Board member and former Lakewood Village President Scott Breeden, who was the main speaker and about whose speech another article will be written, observed, “Crystal Lake is well known as the worst place to build a building.”

Some in the room had less parochial concerns.

JA Frate President Joe Alger’s 108-employee business is located in Lake in the Hills north of Rakow Road right next to the Crystal Lake city boundary on Pyott Road.

While discussing his plan to buy the property next door he said besides having to “build a berm and plant a forest” between the property and Coventry, his dealings with the city had been fine.

He was more interested in how Obamacare was going to affect his company’s $500,000+ health care coverage.  He certainly did not want government taking it over and he was livid at Obama’s recent attack on the Catholic Church.

Alger also questioned the connection of Smith to Local 150 of the Operating Engineers, citing the union’s activity in Indiana against the recently enacted Right-to-Work law.

“You’re not a 150 BA (Business Agent)?  You’re an operator with Waste Management. I don’t know why you started it (the PAC).

“Unions are a major issue,” Alger said.

“This has nothing to do with 150,” Smith replied.

The group set the next meeting for March 14th at The Living Room, which is located where Porter’s Oyster Bar used to be.  Social hour from 6:30-7 with a meeting to follow.

After an overly long set-up yesterday, today we move into what office seekers who attended the McHenry County Young Republicans’ Candidates’ Forum said about the County Board’s having decided to maximize the amount of money it will take out of our pockets this summer.

Before beginning, let me remind you of those incumbents who voted to increase the tax levy so the tax take from property owners will be as high as allowed by state law.

Those running for re-election are in boldface type.

• Robert Bless
• Scott Breeden
• Sue Draftcorn (a switch)
• Mary Donner
• Jim Heisler
• Tina Hill (a switch)
• John Jung
• Donna Kurtz
• Mary McCann
• Pete Merkel
• Anna May Miller (a switch)
• Marc Munaretto
• Kathy Bergan Schmidt
• Ken Koehler

Candidates were allowed two minutes to introduce themselves. Some used the time to emphasize the tax hike issue.

Friday night it was Joe Gottemoeller, Nick Provenzano, Mary Alger, Sandy Salgado, John Hammerand and Ed Varga, (I was taking photos, so if I missed someone, let us know in the comment section.)

The tax issue surfaced in some of the opening comments.

“I voted ‘No’ on the tax increase,” District 3 incumbent Provenzano said in his opening.

“I’m here to put the brakes on…raising taxes,” said Tea Party candidate Mary Alger, running in District 3.

“I voted ‘No’ on the tax increase,” District 4 incumbent Sandra Salgado chimed in.

And that was all before the tax hike question was asked.

Crystal Lake City Councilwoman Carolyn Schoefield praised the process set in place to immediately begin an effort to see how the budget could be cut. She explained that her city “dipped into our reserves to lower the tax levy,” but noted, “the reserves are not limitless.”

“I voted against the budget increase,” John Hammerand said.

“If there’s money to be spent, we use it.”

District 4′s Ed Varga of Richmond:

Ed Varga

“I was upset about hearing about the tax levy, the last minute nature of it.

“Just go to each department and say, ‘You’ve got 5% less to spend.’”

Having served on the McHenry County Board of Health, he pointed to an outside audit that said the local health department did more with less than any other Chicago area health department.

Joe Gottemoeller, a challenger in District 3, expanded on his opening remark by answering, “No” and pointing out that property taxes had increase from 2% of a home’s value to 4% since 1994.

“Government has to tighten its budget.”

“I’m not looking for increasing the tax levy,” explained District 2 challenger Tom Wilbeck. “That’s what got me involved on the very last day.”

He told that people asked, “Are you going to raise my taxes?” as he went door-to-door soliciting petition signatures.

Incumbent Mary Donner of District 3 said, “I guess you get to hear frankly (from one in the) peanut gallery who voted, ‘Yes.’”

The Finance Committee member explained that the Committee started working on the budget in May. She pointed to mandates, e.g., courtrooms for two new judges.

“We are the smallest unit government [at least the smallest Illinois county] that has a Triple A bond rating.”

District 3 incumbent Nick Provenzano reiterated that he had voted against the $2.7 million increase. He pointed out that the Board had taken “an addition $1.2 million out of the tax reserves.

“That was a mistake.

“We need to relieve staff of some of the high level decisions. We have to stop spending where we don’t need to.”

District 3′s Tea Party Republican, Mary Alger, said, “I would not have voted for the increase in taxes. I’ve looked at the notices that are tacked on houses.”

“I did not vote for the tax levy,” District 4′s Sandra Salgado repeated. She told of excesses in the budgets of “political figures.”

Salgado was told by a colleague, “That’s a great question, but you’re not the one to ask it.” She said the question involved “over $600,000.”

She said she “put a stop to elected officials salaries” going up.

“The office pays what it pays,” she observed. [Most county officials get about $100,000 a year.]

District 3 challenger Mary McClellan, first on her ballot, had this response:

“A resounding, ‘No.’

“Hold any County Board member responsible for the votes they made.”

District 2 incumbent Donna Kurtz said,

“I voted for the tax levy because I believe in fiscal responsibility.

“We had labor contract’s and inflation of 1.5%. and that [was] what the tax levy [increase] was [for].

“Others wanted to use money earmarked for capital to pay for the [operating] expenses. That was [irresponsible].

Linda Kvidera Murphy of District 4 put in her two cents worth: “I also don’t support the increase in taxes. I think County Board members should be held accountable [for their votes].

“I did support the tax increase,” admitted District 2 incumbent Jim Heisler.

He explained he started out in opposition to the increase, but “wages got us corralled where we couldn’t back out of it.”

Crystal Lake Park District Commissioner Mike Walkup, a challenger in District 3, expresses his opposition to the hike.

“I agree with Cal [Skinner]. Set the number you have and [make] that number the [levy].

“The economy is not going to get better quickly,” he predicted.

[See

"How to Cut a Budget, Plus How to Provide Political Camouflage for Incumbent McHenry County Board Members"]

District 3 aspirant Jim Schlader was the last Friday participant to answer the tax question.

“People I talk to out on the streets are asking whether they’re going to but food or [pay taxes].

“I would not vote for that increase.”

Missing from the event were District 2 candidate Ken Koehler, the Chairman of the McHenry County Board.  Koehler voted for the tax hike.

Among the missing from District 3 was former Board member Linda (Lyn) Orphal.

Not taking part from District 4 were incumbent Sue Draffkorn, plus challenger Robert “Bob” M. Martens, Sr.  Draffkorn voted in favor of the tax  hike.

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What District 5 and 6 candidates said Saturday night tomorrow.