McHenry County Blog

McHenry County Republican Party Chairman made robo-calls (I got two, one right after another) to invite people to Crystal Lake’s d’Andrea’s for a free Mitt Romney yard sign and to watch the final night of the Republican National Committee.

The floating crowd totaled 150, according to McHenry County Romney Chairman John McCrory’s count.

Here we were in a banquet hall and people were applauding.

There were only a couple of signs left when I went home.

“Teeni Weenie Bikini” was the come-on for State Rep.-to-be Barb Wheeler Saturday in Wauconda.

There may have been some at Lindy’s Landing on Bangs Lake, but they were covered up.

Some people might wonder why people running unopposed for the Illinois General Assembly need to hold fund raisers.

In the case of all Republican legislators, their leaders expect contributions that can be used elsewhere in Illinois in the goal of winning control of the chamber in question.

Wheeler, for example, is expected to pony up $5,000 a year.

Her more senior McHenry County colleague Mike Tryon is assessed $10,000 per year.

And State Senator Pam Althoff, because of her unpaid leadership position as the one who chairs the Senate caucus, needs to come up with $20,000 per year.

There were plenty of Lake County politicians. Lake County Recorder of Deeds candidate Bob Bednar was there, for instance, as were State’s Attorney candidate Mike Nerheim and County Board candidate Tom Weber.

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.

Just as there was not a quorum at the Special Meeting called to determine whether Democratic Party State Rep. Jack Franks would have Tonya Franklin as an opponent, there was no quorum Monday night.

Gathering at the Algonquin Township meeting room, 53 GOP Precinct Committeemen answered the Roll Call. That’s about ten more than came to the Special Meeting that Tryon discouraged people from attending.

65 were needed for a quorum.

As usual, a meeting was held anyway, although no official action was taken.

Chairman Mike Tryon explained that the Romney campaign won’t be supporting the Party on the local level, but that there probably would be television ads bought in the Chicago market in order to reach the swing state of Indiana.

Tryon said he looked forward to Tea Party Republicans campaigning for those running for local office.

As he talked about how it may be difficult to convince Republican voters to think anything is at stake, I thought of how a Tonya Franklin candidacy against Jack Franks would have energized Tea Party enthusiasts in County Board Districts 4, 5 and 6, all of which have Democratic Party challengers.

A lost opportunity to increase GOP turnout, in my opinion.

That, he hoped, would bring some sense of excitement to the closing days of the campaign.

The Party is trying to find a Crystal Lake Route 14 storefront from which to mount a campaign, but, with the economy improving locally, affordable locations are difficult to find.

Nevertheless, the campaign is going forward under the assumption that a location will be found. Those willing to volunteer should contact John McCrory. His email address is john.mccrory@mchenrycountygop.com.

After the party pitches, McHenry County Clerk Kathie Schultz instructed the new committeemen on how to register voters and swore them in as Deputy Registrars.

At Wednesday night’s McHenry County Republican Central Committee meeting, newly re-elected Chairman Mike Tryon appointed two Vice Chairmen.

They are

• Ways and Means: John McCrory
• Community Outreach: Michael Skala

Below are photos supplied by Ken Koehler’s re-election campaign.

Called the McHenry County Republican Presidential Committee, the unauthorized political action committee is run by John McCain’s McHenry County chairman, John McCrory.

On October 21st it gave $3,000 to the McHenry County Republican Central Committee.

That prompted me to look further. The committee was formed on June 11th.

Looking at the Federal Elections Commission reports, I see the committee shut its doors on October 22nd.

Before that happened, however, the PAC gathered $12,316.

Contributors include

• $1,330 – Thomas Malloy, Mundelein
• $1,200 – Dan Venturi, Lake Villa
• $1,000 – Robert Isham, Lake Bluff
• $500 – Thomas Goode, Crystal Lake
• $975 – Phil Hinds, Villa Park
• $500 – John Dabrowski, Bloomingdale
• $500 – David Hubbard, Crystal Lake
• $500 – Nancy Kubalanza, Fox Lake
• $500 – Mohan Manian, Schaumburg
• $500 – Joseph Salerno, Roselle
• $500 – Robert Trzaska, Barrington
• $260 – John McCrory, Crystal Lake
• $250 – Joann Osmon, Antioch
• $250 – Ed Sullivan, Mundelein
• $200 – Thomas Lawson, Barrington
• $200 – Jack Schaffer, Cary, but using his Crystal Lake business address
• $100 – Karen Kelly, Huntley

$3,151 was unitemized because it came in amounts less than $200.

Most of the money was spent on McCain-Palin signs and tee shirts.

Here’s how the money was spent:

• $6,841.88 on 9-25 for campaign signs from GOP Source in Cincinnati, Ohio
• $4,956.31 on 10-7 for campaign signs from GOP Source in Cincinnati, Ohio
• $2,053.24 on 10-21 for campaign signs from GOP Source in Cincinnati, Ohio
• $484 on 10-2 for McCain-Palin tee shirts from a Crystal Lake source whose name appears to be Tramako
• $412 on printing from Union’s Fair Price Printing
• $350.44 for food for a debate party from Sam’s Club
• $250 on 10-21 for food to McHenry County Republican Women
• $213.35 for sign posts from Home Depot

Didn’t know that local money had to be used to pay for campaign signs and tee shirts, did you?

At least in the John McCain campaign.

Called the McHenry County Republican Presidential Committee, the unauthorized political action committee is run by John McCain’s McHenry County chairman, John McCrory.

On October 21st it gave $3,000 to the McHenry County Republican Central Committee.

That prompted me to look further. The committee was formed on June 11th.

Looking at the Federal Elections Commission reports, I see the committee shut its doors on October 22nd.

Before that happened, however, the PAC gathered $12,316.

Contributors include

• $1,330 – Thomas Malloy, Mundelein
• $1,200 – Dan Venturi, Lake Villa
• $1,000 – Robert Isham, Lake Bluff
• $500 – Thomas Goode, Crystal Lake
• $975 – Phil Hinds, Villa Park
• $500 – John Dabrowski, Bloomingdale
• $500 – David Hubbard, Crystal Lake
• $500 – Nancy Kubalanza, Fox Lake
• $500 – Mohan Manian, Schaumburg
• $500 – Joseph Salerno, Roselle
• $500 – Robert Trzaska, Barrington
• $260 – John McCrory, Crystal Lake
• $250 – Joann Osmon, Antioch
• $250 – Ed Sullivan, Mundelein
• $200 – Thomas Lawson, Barrington
• $200 – Jack Schaffer, Cary, but using his Crystal Lake business address
• $100 – Karen Kelly, Huntley

$3,151 was unitemized because it came in amounts less than $200.

Most of the money was spent on McCain-Palin signs and tee shirts.

Here’s how the money was spent:

• $6,841.88 on 9-25 for campaign signs from GOP Source in Cincinnati, Ohio
• $4,956.31 on 10-7 for campaign signs from GOP Source in Cincinnati, Ohio
• $2,053.24 on 10-21 for campaign signs from GOP Source in Cincinnati, Ohio
• $484 on 10-2 for McCain-Palin tee shirts from a Crystal Lake source whose name appears to be Tramako
• $412 on printing from Union’s Fair Price Printing
• $350.44 for food for a debate party from Sam’s Club
• $250 on 10-21 for food to McHenry County Republican Women
• $213.35 for sign posts from Home Depot

Didn’t know that local money had to be used to pay for campaign signs and tee shirts, did you?

At least in the John McCain campaign.

Illinois Republicans without a big check book have been denied the chance to see their Presidential or Vice Presidential candidate this year.

But McHenry County McCain Chairman John McCrory managed to convince a national McCain bus tour sponsored by Our Country Deserves Better PAC to stop in Crystal Lake Tuesday night before heading off the Madison. It is called the “Stop Obama Tour.”

Everyone is giving the state to Barack Obama.

But still people who came on about 24 hours notice anxiously awaited the arrival of the bus.

By the time it finally arrived, empty parking lots on all sides of the Route 14 McHenry County Republican Central Committee Headquarters were filled. People even parked in the shopping center across the street and braved rush hour traffic.

Marine Mom Deborah Johns and singer/song writer Lloyd Marcus can be seen above in from of the big bus on which they arrived.

From the pictures that my photographer took, those who attended had an exciting time.

Mike Tryon greeted Senior Strategist Sal Russo, a long-time political consultant first inspired by Barry Goldwater while in college. He must be about my age.

Here PAC Chairman Howard Kallogian addresses the crowd. He is a former California state assemblyman during his six years in Sacramento and helped recall Democratic Party Governor Gray Davis.

Here’s a shot of the crowd with the old Pauly Toyota building, newly decked out with Republican signs, in the background.

As the event proceeded, McCain enthusiasts had a beautiful night sky to view.

Where did this nonsense that red stands for Republicans come from? Red fits leftist Democrats a lot better. Probably a Left Stream media trying to dissociate Democrats from 1950′s things like the “Red Scare.” In any event, I see a lot of blue in this photograph.

The sign,

fit the mood of the crowd well, I’m told.

Among the well-know Republicans were Fred and Lynn Wickham. Fred’s holding a grandchild a bit too small to remember the rally.

Illinois Republicans without a big check book have been denied the chance to see their Presidential or Vice Presidential candidate this year.

But McHenry County McCain Chairman John McCrory managed to convince a national McCain bus tour sponsored by Our Country Deserves Better PAC to stop in Crystal Lake Tuesday night before heading off the Madison. It is called the “Stop Obama Tour.”

Everyone is giving the state to Barack Obama.

But still people who came on about 24 hours notice anxiously awaited the arrival of the bus.

By the time it finally arrived, empty parking lots on all sides of the Route 14 McHenry County Republican Central Committee Headquarters were filled. People even parked in the shopping center across the street and braved rush hour traffic.

Marine Mom Deborah Johns and singer/song writer Lloyd Marcus can be seen above in from of the big bus on which they arrived.

From the pictures that my photographer took, those who attended had an exciting time.

Mike Tryon greeted Senior Strategist Sal Russo, a long-time political consultant first inspired by Barry Goldwater while in college. He must be about my age.

Here PAC Chairman Howard Kallogian addresses the crowd. He is a former California state assemblyman during his six years in Sacramento and helped recall Democratic Party Governor Gray Davis.

Here’s a shot of the crowd with the old Pauly Toyota building, newly decked out with Republican signs, in the background.

As the event proceeded, McCain enthusiasts had a beautiful night sky to view.

Where did this nonsense that red stands for Republicans come from? Red fits leftist Democrats a lot better. Probably a Left Stream media trying to dissociate Democrats from 1950′s things like the “Red Scare.” In any event, I see a lot of blue in this photograph.

The sign,

fit the mood of the crowd well, I’m told.

Among the well-know Republicans were Fred and Lynn Wickham. Fred’s holding a grandchild a bit too small to remember the rally.