McHenry County Blog

In the very few partisan elections—all townships—Republican Party candidates brushed aside the challenge from Obama-energized Algonquin and Nunda Township Democrats.

In McHenry and Dorr Townships no Democrats filed.

Dorr Township Green Party candidate Frank Wedig was competitive, running 158 votes behind the lowest Republican, Joseph Evanoff. Wedig had 84% of the votes of the lowest Republican vote getter. (That is the margin prior to adding in absentee and early voting results, which were not tremendous this election.)

Running enough candidates to take control of the Algonquin Township Board, the highest Democrat, Robert Frank, was behind the lowest Republican, Joe Powalowski, by 770 votes prior to adding in the absentee and early votes.

Frank had just over 77% of the votes received by Powalowski.

In Nunda Township, before folding in the absentee and early votes, the highest Democratic Party candidate, Meridith Sarkees, was trailing the bottom Republican, Kelvin Jennings by 473 votes.

The ratio was a bit less than 4-3 in the Republicans’ favor.

The reason might be that the Democrats’ township candidates could not muster the enthusiasm that Barack Obama did.

The disparity in national popularity poll results may have also helped motivate local Republicans. Pew Survey results release yesterday show that 88% of Democrats are pleased with their new president’s performance, but only 27% of Republicans agree. The disparity is 61 percentage points—“the most polarized in modern times.”

That polarization may have helped motivated Republicans to the polls locally as a way to push back at November’s national Democratic victory.

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That’s Powalowski in my driveway holding his and Neils Sorensen’s sign on top. Nunda Township Democratic Party Trustee candidate Patrick Murfin can be seen asking for a vote below.

A couple of weeks ago I let the four candidates for Algonquin Township Trustee know that I was going to knock on doors in my Algonquin 7 precinct.

I asked for literature to distribute.

Only Linda Lance supplied me with something. You can see it below.

Lance was kind enough to include the names of her running mates at the bottom of her piece. And she points out that none of the Democratic Party challengers has attended a township meeting.

Boy, that’s something I would have stressed in a pamphlet.

I don’t know whether the failure to provide literature by the township candidates is an indication they thought too few GOP precinct committeemen would do anything with it to make it worthwhile to produce it or what.

After working about half of my precinct, I came home for more literature and discovered this post card in the mail box:

It was paid for by candidate Lowell Cutsforth.

So, pushing myself to finish the 225-home CCAPOA precinct Saturday, so I could avoid what I expected to be a rain and show-filled Sunday, I got to all but a handful of homes on by block.

And, I got to meet some new people, too. It’s my experience that, knocking on doors pretty much every election, I can meet someone from every household over about a five-year cycle. After yesterday’s experience, I would conclude that Saturday is the best day this century.

On Sunday, I opened the Northwest Herald, which finally started arriving 12 days after I signed up at the Crystal Lake Expo.

And, there, as if coordinated with the Saturday postcard was an eighth-page ad, which you can see below:

The Democrats started early, popping up signs in Algonquin 25, a precinct between McHenry Avenue and my precinct, which votes at Lundahl Junior High.

Its Democratic Party precinct committeeman, Maurice Hill, has to be the most energetic one in Crystal Lake, perhaps in the whole county. This could be Hill’s precinct letter, but maybe it’s just addressed to fellow Democrats.

Next, in mid-March. came the first direct mail of the campaign.

The campaign claimed to be making at least a thousand phone calls.

The Dems say they are going door-to-door and being greeted “with enthusiasm.” The post does not indicate whether the canvassers are talking to just Democrats or knocking on doors or independents and Republicans as well.

The Republican candidates for township trustee have signs, too.

But there are two of them.

Linda Lance and Lowell Cutsforth share a sign. One name is on one side and the other on the other.

Running mates Joe Powalowski and Neils Sorensen share another one. Both of their names are on each side, but in smaller print.

I wonder why the four do not have had joint yard signs.

I do remember that hard-working Democrat Lake in the Hills Trustee Paula Jensen beat out John Jung in a campaign in which Jung and running mate Virginia Peschke did not run a joint campaign.

Will history repeat itself, as the Democrats hope.

And, it looks like I’m wrong.

There is a joint sign for the “A” Team on McHenry Avenue near Route 14.

This is the only one I have seen.

There’s even a yard sign for unopposed Algonquin Township Road Commissioner Bob Miller.

Maybe there are more “A” Team signs for the Republican township trustees in Cary, where there is a huge Working Cash bond referendum.

“Traditional” might be the best way to describe literature being rolled out by the Algonquin Township candidates at the Crystal Lake Expo this weekend.

It’s pretty much a straight name ID piece with a group photo of all the candidates on the front and head shots and names on the back.

No reason offered to vote for the candidates unless the words

• Experience
• Integrity
  
• Dedication

and the phrase

Local Government Service at the Lowest Possible Cost

motivates you to vote Republican.

Two of the candidates, Linda Lance and Lowell Cutsforth were manning the Algonquin Township Republican Central Committee’s booth at the Crystal Lake Expo.

Each of them had signs.

The other two candidates, Joe Powalowski and Neils Sorensen, did not.

All are incumbent Algonquin Township Trustees.

Click to enlarge the images.

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For those of you who don’t know much about townships, they perform three basic functions: assessing, road maintenance in unincorporated areas and hand out local welfare, called General Assistance. Crystal Lake is in four townships. The two major ones are Algonquin and Nunda. The horizontal dividing line is Crystal Lake Avenue. The western part of Crystal Lake (west of our home in Lakewood on Meridian Street, in fact, is Grafton Township. The far Northwestern corner is in Woodstock-dominated Dorr Township.)

For any Algonquin Township Republicans thinking that local Democrats are going to be satisfied with just having three names on the ballot for township trustee, think again.

Showing up in Crystal Lake on and west of McHenry Avenue south of Route 14 are signs—many signs—like the one you see above.

At first I thought it might be for High School District 155’s board.

Looking closer, it’s obvious it’s for Algonquin Township.

The names on the yard sign are Frank, Hyden and McTague.

If any incumbent, except appointed incumbent Joe Powalowski did any campaigning in the Republican primary election, I didn’t see it. Powalowski sent out a post card that arrived the Saturday before the election.

Perhaps Republicans need to be reminded that three votes can control the township board.

I don’t know what that means these days, but it might be interesting to watch.

With four township trustees to be elected in Algonquin Township and five candidates, the incumbents called the day.

Even though challenger Mark Guerra had the best ballot position—right on top—he trailed second place Niels Sorensen by 58 votes.

There were very few voters.

Here are the results:

• Linda Lance – 464
• Joe Powalowski – 461
• Lowell Cutsforth – 454
• Niels Sorensen – 451

• Mark Guerra – 392

Note that the female candidate ran first.

Powalowski sent out a post card, the only campaign material I saw in the contest.

Amazing.

I have heard nothing about the contest for Algonquin Township Trustee until today.

It’s Saturday. The Republican primary election is Tuesday.

Five people are running for four spots.

I get the mail and there is a very basic post card from appointed incumbent Trustee Joe Powalowski.

The last trustee candidates to mail out a postcard were Ted Wagner (now president of the Crystal Lake District 155 High School Board) and John Opatrny.

Both won, defeating incumbents.

Amazing.

I have heard nothing about the contest for Algonquin Township Trustee until today.

It’s Saturday. The Republican primary election is Tuesday.

Five people are running for four spots.

I get the mail and there is a very basic post card from appointed incumbent Trustee Joe Powalowski.

The last trustee candidates to mail out a postcard were Ted Wagner (now president of the Crystal Lake District 155 High School Board) and John Opatrny.

Both won, defeating incumbents.

Algonquin Township Clerk Marc Munaretto sent me the results of the lottery for ballot position for township trustee.

Here are the results:

1.    Mark Guerra

2.    Nels Sorensen

3.    Linda Lance

4.    Lowell Cutsforth

5.    Joe Powalowski

It was a foregone conclusion that appointed incumbent Powalowski would be last because he did not file on the first day, as did the others.

That meant he did not qualify for the lottery for first place.

The irony is that newcomer Guerra drew the first spot over the three elected incumbents.

Word on the street is that pressure was put on Guerra to withdraw and now he has the best spot on the ballot.

That’s ironic.

And helpful.

I read a study in graduate school at the University of Michigan that examined ballot order. It concluded that in races of 6-7 or more, first place was worth an extra 10% with second and last place worth an extra 5%. Worst place on the ballot was next to last.

Of course, this race has only five contenders.

There is no contest for the Supervisor, Assessor, Road Commissioner and Clerk.

Algonquin Township Clerk Marc Munaretto sent me the results of the lottery for ballot position for township trustee.

Here are the results:

1.    Mark Guerra

2.    Nels Sorensen

3.    Linda Lance

4.    Lowell Cutsforth

5.    Joe Powalowski

It was a foregone conclusion that appointed incumbent Powalowski would be last because he did not file on the first day, as did the others.

That meant he did not qualify for the lottery for first place.

The irony is that newcomer Guerra drew the first spot over the three elected incumbents.

Word on the street is that pressure was put on Guerra to withdraw and now he has the best spot on the ballot.

That’s ironic.

And helpful.

I read a study in graduate school at the University of Michigan that examined ballot order. It concluded that in races of 6-7 or more, first place was worth an extra 10% with second and last place worth an extra 5%. Worst place on the ballot was next to last.

Of course, this race has only five contenders.

There is no contest for the Supervisor, Assessor, Road Commissioner and Clerk.

In McHenry County’s largest township Republicans occupying the offices of Supervisor, Assessor and Road Commissioner will skate through the February 24th primary election.

If there is a challenge to Supervisor Dianne Klemm, Assessor Bob Kunz or Road Commissioner Bob Miller it will have to come from unknown Democrats who are allowed by state law to hold a caucus to select candidates. Part-time Clerk Marc Munaretto also escaped an opponent.

That’s the way all but Democratic Party candidate for coroner Dave Bachmann and McHenry County Board member Paula Yensen gained ballot position for November’s election. The only caucused candidate who achieved victory was Kathy Bergan Schmidt, Democratic Party Chair, who won a county board seat in District 3 (between Crystal Lake and McHenry).

There will be a race of Algonquin Township Trustee, however.

Filing on the final day was appointed incumbent Joe Powalowski. That gives him last place on the ballot, something of an advantage.

That means all of the incumbents filed for reelection.

Trying to gain a seat is Mark Guerra.

The other incumbents seeking another term are

• Linda Lance
• Nels Sorensen and
• Lowel Cutsforth.