McHenry County Blog

If you live in central Kane County, you get to cross the Fox River on bridges that don’t charge tolls.

Two have been opened in recent years:

• Red Gate Road Bridge (2012)
• Stearns Road Bridge (2010)
• Prairie Street Bridge (1994)

But no new bridges across the Fox River in northern Kane County since the tollway was built 50-60 years ago.

You would think local and state officials would understand that the explosive growth (tenfold population increase west of the Fox River since the 1980′s, Kane County reports) up our way might justify another bridge, wouldn’t you?

So, to ease the pain at getting across the Fox River in southern Algonquin in northern Kane County over the proposed Longmeadow (Bolz Road) Parkway Bridge residents will have to pay tolls.  (Details on the project can be found here.)

No free bridge for us.

We’re apparently second- or third-class citizens.

Elgin’s Daily Courier-News is reporting the Kane County Board is continuing to move toward a toll tax solution (“user fees” for those who aren’t willing to call the new tax by its common name).

And, because of the tolls ($1.50 in rush hours, $1 at other times, the article says), such a new bridge won’t relieve congestion. Read the details of why here.

The toll bridge-road would run from Route 62 over Route s 25 and 31, plus Randall Road to Huntley Road.

But no toll booth.  The collection system would use the I-Pass system.

Area residents should have learned a lesson about tolls.

Even if the local officials at the municipal and Kane and McHenry County level haven’t.

Hey. Everyone’s on board.

The village boards of Algonquin, Barrington Hills, Carpentersville, East Dundee, Gilberts, Hampshire, Huntley, Lake in the Hills, Sleepy Hollow, and West Dundee all have voted for this new tollway.

As far as I can find, motorists have been asked.

“Toll free in 73″ was the slogan when the Illinois Tollway was proposed by Governor Bill Stratton.

Didn’t happen.

The Delaware Memorial Bridge between New Jersey and Delaware was supposed to be toll-free after the bonds were paid off.

Didn’t happen.

Anyone think that once tolls are imposed in Algonquin that they will disappear?

It’s not that it is impossible for a local government to build a bridge over a river and later eliminate tolls.

In Winnebago County, the Bauer Parkway Bridge was built in 1994. 50-cent toll. The bonds will be paid off this month.

The local County Board member Kay Mullins says it’s the only county-operated toll bridge in Illinois.

“’My constituents pay taxes like everybody else, so it’s unfair for them to pay additional funds for’ the bridge, said Mullins D-8,” the Rockford Resister-Star reports.

And, miracle of miracles, the County Board has decided to eliminate the tolls in April.

As I have told you before, when a new bridge across the Mississippi in the Metro-East area was being considered, Missouri wanted it to be a toll bridge.

Rod Blagojevich, pandering as usual to those not wanting to pay their own way, held out for a bridge that will be mainly paid for by Chicago-area Motor Fuel Taxes.

Bridges with spans similar to the one that will be needed to cross the Fox River get built across Downstate interstates. No tolls are charged local residents. And the population trends in the two counties featured in this I-57 overpass story are increasing hardly at all in Coles County and no where near the growth rate in Kane and McHenry Counties in Champaign County.

I would hope that northern Kane County Board members might also argue that their constituents pay local taxes the same way the people who use the three central Kane County bridges mentioned above do.

They have significant representation (4 out of 7) on the Kane County Transportation Committee:

• Maggie Auger (R-Algonquin)
• T.R. Smith (R, Burlington, with district including Huntley’s Sun City)
• freshmen Becky Gillam (R, West Dundee)
• Joseph Haimann (D, Carpentersville).

And, let’s not let the state legislators off the hook:

• State Senator-elect Karen McConnaughay
• State Rep. Tim Schmitz
• State Rep. Mike Tryon
• State Senator Michael Noland
• State Rep. Keith Farnham
• State Senator Dan Duffy
• State Rep.-elect Dave McSweeney

And our congressmen:

• Dick Durbin
• Mark Kirk
• Randy Hultgren (R-14th)
• Peter Roskam (R-6th)
• Tammy Duckworth

= = = = =
Perhaps the Democrats gerrymandering of this part of Illinois may actually turn out to be a benefit.

A view of the Kane County elections from a Friend of McHenry County Blog:

“Here are a couple of items you may have heard about, including the result of creating a vacancy on the Elgin Community College (ECC) Board of Trustees.

“ECC Trustee John Dalton (D, Elgin) won election as a Circuit Judge in the 2nd subcircuit of the 16th Circuit by defeating appointed Judge John Walters (R, Elgin).

“His election will create a vacancy on the ECC Board of Trustees, as he will need to resign his trustee’s post sometime this month.

“Judge-elect Dalton was elected to the ECC board in last year’s local elections.

“The vacancy will need to be filled, and should create an unexpired term (4-year seat?) to fill in the April 9th, 2013 election for ECC Board.

“The ECC district includes all of Algonquin and parts of Lake in the Hills, [covering the same territory as District 300].

“The second ECC Trustee on the ballot yesterday, Bob Getz (D, Elgin) lost his bid for the 22nd district of the Kane County Board by a mere 18 votes to Republican Doug Scheflow in the open seat election.

“I’d anticipate a recount in that race.

“Because of Scheflow’s narrow victory (as it stands now), the composition of the Kane County Board will be 14 Republicans to 10 Democrats.

“Kane County Board Member Maggie Auger (R, Algonquin) won re-election in the 23rd district with nearly 55% of the vote over Kevin Smith (D, Lake Marian).

“In the other Kane County board election which touches a McHenry County community, Board Member T.R. Smith (R, Burlington) was re-elected to a 2nd term in the 9th district, which includes all of the Kane County portion of Huntley.”

Kane County has done McHenry County one better.

Under the leadership of outgoing County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay, the Kane County Board passed a levy that was the same as last year’s extension.

Because there is additional assessed valuation, that means the county part of the tax bill will decrease.

McHenry County, on the other hand, has levied to take the new growth.

That means taxes should remain constant for the McHenry County portion of next year’s tax bill.

Better than last year, when the County Board taxed to the max.

But not as good as taxpayers will be treated in Kane County.

McConnaughay is running unopposed for State Senator.

Last week, McHenry County Blog ran a press release from Kane County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay (who is running unopposed for State Senate) concerning her Executive Committee’s recommendation that the Board pass a levy that is the same as last year’s extension.

The levy is the amount of money that a tax district requests.

The extension is the amount which the County Clerk tells the County Treasurer to collect from property owners.

When tax district boards decide what to levy, there usually are two factors in play.

The Tax Cap legislation allows tax districts to get an increase in real estate tax revenue equal to the increase in the Consumer Price Index.

This coming year that means pretty much every tax district can receive 103% of what they got in 2012.

The only ones who won’t are those who have bumped up against their maximum tax rates, as set by state law.

But, in addition, tax districts are eligible to collect taxes for new growth.

To do so, however, the board members have to increase their levy beyond last year’s extension.

And, if they guess too high, they will automatically receive whatever part of the Tax Cap-allowed CPI increase that’s exceeds the new growth but is under the 3% increase allowed for next year, for example.

Greedy tax districts who want to squeeze ever dollar out of our pockets ask for far more than they know they can get.

They “balloon” levy.

It is not unusual for them to ask for much more than they can get.

But, unless the amount of increase allowed by the Tax Cap is more than the 3%, plus taxes on new construction, taxpayers are protected from their getting, say, a 10% increase.

That doesn’t mean a great deal when homeowner see continually rising tax bills while their home value has declined so much.

Here’s what Kane County government has gotten over the last five years, plus the levy recommended by Karen McConnaughay’s Executive Committee last week.

Kane County

• 2007 Extension – $49,113,253.95
• 2008 Extension – $51,977,155.06
• 2009 Extension – $52,584,332.90
• 2010 Extension – $54,331,006.35

• 2011 Extension – $53,909,117.97

That’s a 9% increase for the five years from 2005 to 2011.

And next year, pending County Board approval, the amount extended will be the same, as you can see by the recommended levy:

• 2012 Recommended Levy – $53,909,117.97

Now, let’s look at McHenry County over the years:

McHenry County

• 2007 Extension – $69,497,238.19
• 2008 Extension – $73,587,785.19
• 2009 Extension – $74,443,779.67
• 2010 Extension – $76,846,500.12

• 2011 Extension – $78,285,064.42

That’s a 12.6% increase over the five years from 2007-2011.

And what does the McHenry County Board plan to do next year?

According to an October 9, 2012, budget document, the county wants to collect

• 2012 Proposed Extension – $78,550,000

(It’s the top right hand number.)

The estimated revenue part of the document is below:

Click to enlarge the images above.

Since State Rep. Jack Franks has thrown Will County into the mix, let’s look at what that County Executive county has taxes over a similar period:

Will County

• 2007 Extension – $100,580,832.94
• 2008 Extension – $107,990,279.65
• 2009 Extension – $109,397,882.66
• 2010 Extension – $114,501,001.06
• 2011 Extension – $114,871,224.97

Will County had a 14% increase in extensions over the last five years.

= = = = =
Note that over the last five years Will County, governed by a County Executive form of government, increased its tax take by 14%, while Kane County, governed by an elected County Board Chairman, increase 9%, and McHenry County governed by a County Board Chairman elected by County Board members increased 12.6%.

A press release from Karen McConnaughay:

Karen McConnaughay steps up to stop irresponsible property tax hike

Kane Board Chairman pushes through zero-increase levy after finance committee chair tries to raise taxes

Geneva, IL–After the Kane County Board Finance Committee Chairman proposed a 2013 budget that would raise the property tax levy in spite of declining real estate values, Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay countered with her own budget proposal that freezes the levy on existing property for the second consecutive year.

“I could not stand by and watch an irresponsible budget increase the burden on the taxpayers,” said McConnaughay, Republican candidate for State Senate in the 33rd District.

“When property owners are seeing values go down it is unconscionable to raise their taxes, especially without any coherent reason why.”

County Finance Committee Chairman Jim Mitchell wrote a budget that increased the county tax levy in spite of a 6.8 percent decrease in assessed valuation in the County.

Mitchell said the tax hike would pay for across-the-board salary increases and other unspecified spending increases.

According to the Daily Herald, Mitchell’s rationale for the tax increase was that the Board could lower the levy next year and have their chance to be heroes.”

“During this prolonged recession Kane County has cut spending and headcount, made government more efficient and sought to reduce, not raise, the burden on the public, and that is what we must continue to do.”

McConnaughay introduced her alternative budget, which freezes the levy on existing property, in a meeting of the Board’s Executive Committee on Wednesday, saying the Finance Committee had had their chance to produce an acceptable budget.

The Executive Committee passed McConnaughay’s flat-levy unanimously.

“I am gratified that the Committee unanimously agreed that we could not increase the burden on property tax payers,” said McConnaughay.

“I am just astounded that this tax hike plan was allowed to get this far and required the drafting of an alternative budget to protect the public.”

When I first heard of about the Prairie Parkway, I figured it was being built for land speculators.

After all, there was little traffic from I-80 to I-90.

And beyond, according to one McHenry County Board District 2 candidate’s answer to a Northwest Herald questionnaire shortly after the new interstate idea was surfaced by U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert.

Can’t imagine what someone had in mind for the open spaces in District 6?

Think of a four-lane highway running up from the Northwest Tollway to the Wisconsin Interstate north of Richmond.

We should all know by now that four-lane highways bring growth. That’s because people can get farther faster.

So, some folks in McHenry County were planning to replace western McHenry County corn and soy bean fields with fields of housing.

Fortunately, we in McHenry County dodged that bullet.

But the threat to western Kane County remained until this past week when the Federal Highway Administration turned thumbs down on a reduced Prairie Pathway that would have run from I-80 to I-88.

There still leaves the north-south traffic on Route 47

That’s the road I took to Springfield during the 1970′s, so I know it well.

As growth pushed westward, Route 47 got more and more crowded.

Now, the FHA proposes widening Route 47 from I-80 to I-88.

Shame the Feds didn’t decide to widen Route 47 all the way north to I-90 (Huntley), but I think the alternative makes sense.

When the billion dollar cost of the Prairie Parkway was announced, my immediate thought was that immense improvements could be made on Route 47 for that amount of money.

Let me add my congratulations to Jan Strasma, one of the spark plugs behind the Citizens Against the Sprawlway.

The Chicago Tribune’s Jon Hilkevitch’s comprehensive article can be found here.

The web site of the folks who beat the Spralway is here.

No way to sneak past Sarah and Chris Lauzen at Chris’ fund raiser in Aurora Saturday.

All the guests were funneled through one door.

Outside was Sarah greeting everyone.

Just inside was Chris greeting them again and posing for a photo.

In line just before me for the reknown Fay’s Pork Chops was 14th District Congressman Randy Hultgren.

The wait was not long because four lines were set up to serve the food.

I discovered that former Will County State’s Attorney, State Senator and Circuit Court Judge Ed Petka (R-Plainfield) and his wife Phyllis were standing behind me.

I asked him about the County Executive form of government which Democratic Party State Rep. Jack Franks is trying to impose on McHenry County and which now exists in Will  County.

It’s worse than a I thought.

The Will County Board has essentially been neutered.

Every employee not under an independently elected official is appointed by the County Executive or someone he has appointed.

Sounds like a patronage bonanza for whoever wins the office.

And, the County Executive even proposes the re-apportionment map.

I’ve never heard of the head of an Executive Branch being able to reapportion the Legislative Branch.

Although not posing as an expert in the County Executive form of government, he told me the County Board can veto the County Executive’s redistricting suggestion, but, then the County Executive just offers another map.

“Would it be fair to characterize the County Executive a czar?” I asked.

“Czars have less power than a County Executive,” Petka replied.

There were lots of notables in attendance, but I noted that Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady, who inexplicably endorsed Lauzen’s opponent in the primary election, was not among them.

I was wearing one of my Donald Duck tee shirts. (None of which have I purchased. For some reason, my wife keeps giving them to me.  I do admit to be one of the ones who yelled “Donald Duck” during the Mickey Mouse Club song…and Micky Mouse is so, well, Establishment.)  I made contact with the young man you see above.  I think that’s a cell phone with Donald’s face on it.

Looking the pigs over were former State Rep. Deloris Doederlein (R-East Dundee) and her friend Sue Ollman of Elgin.

I got a photo of Kane County Recorder of Deeds Sandy Wegman, whom I had not met until Saturday.

I took a couple of posed photos of her and Kane County Board member T.R. Smith, but Wegman would not be pleased if I published them. So, apologies to Smith.

I got close enough to take some photos of Lauzen giving his speech.

He was preceded by Congressman Hultgren. who sang the praises of Paul Ryan as the person chosen as Mitt Romney’s running mate.

As he was winding down, someone told me that I would not believe how Kane County government would change under Lauzen’s leadership.

Lauzen stress that  he would

• freeze the county property tax levy
• treat people respectfully
• have an honest, competent administration through innovation and austerity

He also said he would “end the perception of pay to play.”

Lauzen said he would be approaching Kane County employers asking them what it would take for them to increase employment 25% in four years.

A press release from Congressman Randy Hultgren:

Kane Now Classified a Contiguous County, Eligible for Disaster Assistance Programs Due to Drought

GENEVA, IL— Congressman Randy Hultgren (IL-14) today announced that Lake and McHenry counties have received primary disaster designations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Kane county is therefore classified as ‘contiguous’ by the USDA and is eligible for disaster assistance from the Farm Service Agency.

One week ago, Lee and Whiteside counties received primary disaster designations, resulting in contiguous designations for Bureau, DeKalb, Henry and Kendall.

“This is the worst drought Illinois has seen in more than 50 years,” said Rep. Hultgren. “Thankfully, farmers, producers and even other businesses in my district can now apply for assistance to maintain stable operations for the year, despite the extraordinary circumstances.”

Yesterday, Congressman Hultgren announced loans available through the Small Business Administration for nonfarm-related and farm-related entities, such as small businesses, cooperatives and nonprofits, which have also suffered as a result of this year’s drought. For more information on SBA loans available for entities other than farmers, producers and ranchers, visit here.

For more information on FSA programs available for those who have suffered crop loss, livestock loss, or damaged farm property, visit http://www.fsa.usda.gov/Internet/FSA_File/disasterfsaprograms.pdf.

Congressman Hultgren serves on the House Agriculture Committee. Last week he voted in favor of the Agricultural Disaster Assistance Act of 2012 (House Resolution 6233), which reauthorized the Livestock Forage Disaster Program, the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-raised Fish Program, the Livestock Indemnity Program and the Tree Assistance Program.

John Kass lamented the lack of an Illinois Scott Walker last Thursday.

He certainly is asking the right question:

“Where is Illinois’ Scott Walker?”

I was tempted to prepare a sign to affix to me chest asking.

“Are you the Illinois Scott Walker?”

but didn’t get around to it.

That thought pretty much left my mind until Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady started throwing red meat to the audience at the Tinley Park Convention.

“Isn’t it nice to see courage rewarded?” Brady asked after explaining his joy at watching Walker beat back the Democrats’ recall effort.

He noted with irony and derision Pat Quinn’s reaction, “Illinois is different.”

“We are under the thumb of a controlling, vindictive, ethically challenged, self-serving leprechaun, and I mean no disrespect to leprechauns, Speaker Mike Madigan,” Brady said, setting the tone of the gathering.

Brady pointed out that a mere 5,000 votes in the right House districts could have made Tom Cross Speaker.

And just 31,000 votes would have meant Bill Brady would have been elected Governor, instead of Quinn.

A pick of six seats in the Senate and six in the House would turn control over to the GOP.

Next came speeches by elected officials.

First up was Peoria’s Aaron Schock, first elected in 2008.

He told of passing federal free trade legislation for Columbia and having received a call from the CEO of Caterpillar Corporation, based in his home town. He was congratulated and told the a new plant would be built that would create 1,400 new jobs.

But, that the plant would not be build in Illinois because of our Workers’ Comp and tort liability laws.

“If we keep the same boneheads in Springfield, we won’t get the benefits,” Schock said.

House Minority Leader Tom Cross was next.

Signaling a line of attack against Democrats outside of Chicago, he pledged opposition to Mike Madigan’s and John Cullerton’s proposal to transfer $20 billion of teacher pension burden from state taxpayers to property taxpayers.

The man whose rant against Madigan’s one-man rule spread throughout television and the internet was introduced next.

“We want Mike! We want Mike!” spread throughout the room.

“If you take one thing out of this, other states don’t have one person that has total power,” Bost emphasized. “That’s a dictatorship!”

Former State Rep. and State Senator Randy Hultgren, elected to Congress in 2010 followed former colleague Bost.

“Illinois is broke.

“Illinois is broken.

“Reduced to a punchline.”

He told of being in Indiana and talked to its Governor, Mitch Daniels.

“Being Governor in the state next to Illinois is like living next to Homer Simpson.  Anything you do looks good.

“If Wisconsin can do it, Illinois can do it,” Hultgren concluded.

Adam Kinzinger, also elected in 2010, was next up.

“America is the greatest hope for civilization,” the Air Force pilot, now in the Illinois National Guard, started out.

He observed that young folks signing up for the Armed Forces today at age 18 were only 7 on 9-11.

“America is worth defending and I will defend it,” he said movingly.

“The American DNA is a winning DNA.

“The defense of this country also extends here at home.

“We have to beat Mike Madigan.

“We have to build a brick wall in Illinois” so Nancy Pelosi’s prediction that “the route to the [Democratic Party congressional] majority goes through Illinois.,”Kinzinger concluded.

Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno  stepped to the podium.

“We need reinforcements.

“We can’t do it without you.

“You are the grass roots.

“The wave is coming and we’re going to ride it.”

Brady then introduced Congressman Joe Walsh, also in his first term.

He noted that Walsh got no help from the Republican Party in his narrow victory over Democrat Melissa Bean, but “that won’t happen again.”

“There is no person they want to beat more than Joe Walsh.”

Walsh entered to a standing ovation.

He began his speech by relating that he was a naturally smiling Irish Catholic guy.

Then there was the “but.”

“I did not go to Washington last year to smile.

“There’s very little subtle about Joe Walsh.

“When I say the President has not freaking clue what he is doing, I mean every word of it.”

Then Walsh took after Mike Madigan.

“No one person should run a state.

“He is a king.

“He is a dictator.

“He is corrupt.

“He symbolizes everything that is wrong in Illinois.

“Shame on us for not having the courage and the fortitude to say that.”

Moving on to his re-election race against Tammy Duckworth, whose name he did not mention, Walsh said, “This White House and the entire Demcoratic Party has a target on my back.

He explained that he “just goe[es] and say[s] what [he] mean[s].

“Amazing things begin to happen.”

Walsh referenced John Kass’ column:

“Where is Illinois’ Scott Walker?”

[At this point I began wondering if he was standing on the stage.]

“The Republican Party has been compliant.

“We’ve lost our way.

“Every nine minutes somebody move out of this state,” he said emphasizing it was taxpayers moving elsewhere.

“That’s terrible.

“We can’t let that happen.”

Ratcheting up the rhetoric Walsh proclaimed Illinois Republicans “must stand for everything that the Mike Madigans don’t.

“We don’t stand for making everybody dependent on government.

“We stand for the opposite.

“We’re the party of everything else.

“I’m gong to ask you to be responsible for your own life.”

[Hear Joe Walsh's speech, posted by The Prairie State Review, here.]

Another standing ovation occurred after Walsh finished his speech.

Freshman Congressman Bobby Shilling spoke next.

I didn’t get a chance to take notes, but I did get a decent close-up.

After him State Treasurer Dan Rutherford, head of the Mitt Romney effort in Illinois in 2008 and 2012, spoke.

He is widely thought to be laying the groundwork for a campaign for Governor in 2014.

A video greeting from State Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka completed the speeches.

The Chicago Tribune article by Rick Pearson failed to mention that Walsh even spoke, not to mention that he was greeted with a standing ovation and another one after he finished his speech.

He did note the attacks on Mike Madigan.

= = = = =

In the John Kass piece, the columnist mentions Walsh, but not favorably.

“I’m not talking about a Republican who’d scream with veins popping out of his or her neck and a wild angry look in the eye.  If you want someone in your face, you’ve got Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh, and you can have him.  What was compelling about Walker wasn’t his in-you-face personality.  It was his ideas.”

But, as Party Chairman Pat Brady reporting Demcoratic Party Governor as saying, Illinois is different.”

From the crowd’s reaction to Walsh, I think Kass’ take on Walsh was not shared by a large proportion of the Republicans in attendance.

Here’s what is on the way to mailboxes in the 33rd State Senate District.

That’s where Kane County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay is running against former Gilberts Village Trustee Cliff Surges.

One could logically observe that the gloves have been taken off for what appears to be a bare knuckle end of the election fight.

For the Good of Illinois, the Political Action Committee run by Adam Andrzejewski, is sending the following post card.

In the email accompanying the images, half of which I found in an email forwarded by a reader, Adam wrote the following:

Adam Andrzejewski

“Please note that I actually signed the mailer.”Republican primary voters need to understand exactly what the stakes are in this race.

“As you know, my father ran against George Ryan in the late 1970’s twice.

[I did not, so I asked for details and here's what I received: "My dad (John Andrzejewski) was a conservative Democrat in the elections of 1976 and 1978. He ran to the right of Ryan on the ERA amendment and forced Ryan to take a hard stand. To Ryan’s credit, it was one issue he didn’t sell his vote for a bridge. As House Speaker he voted against it and ERA failed by one vote (if memory serves). This is why it is important for good people to make a principled stand in elections."]

When Reagan came through in 1980, our family became Republican and never looked back.

“I see McConnaughay as a George Ryan repeat: the establishment of this party knows exactly what she’s about- just like they knew and promoted George Ryan.

“If we don’t stop her now, she’ll cost us all a million dollars in 2014.

“We faced the same ‘institutional force’ in the Roger Eddy race: former gov Jim Edgar, Assistant Minority Leader Dale Righter, all six Republican county chairs, most pc’s, the nested state reps, the Illinois Chamber of Commerce alongside the teachers unions, AFSCME and SEIU.

“I think people are looking a little deeper this year.

“Everyone endorsing McConnaughay should be asked to recant, and if not they are held accountable too.

“The country/state is in crisis- there is no room for compromise on fundamental, basic principles.

“As you know, this race is our fourth situation where our research has uncovered gross ethical lapsed or legalized money laundering schemes.

“This is very embarrassing for our party.

“In one IL GOP primary season, I have the material for a national best-selling book.”

The blast email forwarded to me ended,

“You can’t reform Illinois if you don’t reform the IL GOP. And, you can’t reform the Republican Party if you elect politicians like Karen McConnaughay.”