Kirk Dillard

Dillard Endorses Brady for Governor
Calls for Party to Unite Behind GOP Nominee

(Chicago) – State Senator Kirk Dillard today threw his support behind State Senator Bill Brady in the race for Governor, saying it was “close,” but that Brady had won the Illinois Republican Primary. “I will help Senator Brady in any way I can to ensure the Republican Party wins back the Governor’s office in November,” Dillard said.

Dillard had waited until the Illinois State Board of Elections had reported the final totals in the February 2 Primary election had been counted before conceding because of the narrow margin of Brady’s lead. “It was a hard-fought race, and it was close: less than .0002 of a percent,” said Dillard. “But it is now clear to me that my friend and colleague Bill Brady has won the Illinois Republican Primary for Governor.”

Dillard went on to stress why he will aggressively campaign on Brady’s behalf. “As I’ve said countless times during the campaign, Illinois is a state in crisis. Pat Quinn cannot lead, and shows no urgency in putting people back to work.”

The State Senator from Hinsdale also thanked former Governor Jim Edgar for his support and the hundreds of volunteers and thousands of supporters who backed his campaign during these last seven months. “I call on my supporters and the supporters of the other Republican candidates to join me in supporting Senator Bill Brady,” Dillard said.

Dillard also said he would continue to work hard as a state senator for the people of his district and all of Illinois. “I will continue to fight for the Republican principles of Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan. I will continue to fight for a balanced budget and new jobs. And I will continue to fight for a state government that works for the people, not the politicians.”

Dillard announced his candidacy on July 7, 2009. He said he would make Illinois a “Destination Economy,” by attracting new employers to create jobs. He outlined a “Best in Class” Education plan to train the workforce of tomorrow and vowed to lead by example when it comes to ending corruption by pledging to close his campaign account when sworn-in as Governor.

First elected to the Illinois Senate in 1994, Dillard and his wife Stephanie have two daughters, ages eight and six.

From left to right are seen the 2010-2012 McHenry County Republican Central Committee leadership: Chairman Mike Tryon, Secretary Glenda Miller, Vice Chairwoman Kathy Kuchta and Treasurer Fred Wickham.

The leadership team of the McHenry County Republican Central Committee will be the same as it has been the last two years.

Mike Tryon addressing committeemen after his re-election as chairman.

State Rep. Mike Tryon of Crystal Lake continues as Chairman.

Vice Chairwoman will be McHenry’s Kathy Kuchta.

Harvard’s Glenda Miller will be Secretary.

Fred Wickham, who won a contest two years ago will again be Treasurer.

Likewise there was no contest for 8th Congressional District State Central Committeeman. All present voted for Barrington Township’s Gene Dawson.

With the empty precincts added in, pursuant to passage of a motion earlier in the night, Dawson received 10,134 votes in his attempt to turn back a challenge by the Schaumburg Township Committeeman, Michael Adelizzi.

In the race for the 16th Congressional District Committeemanship, the race was more interesting.

Cal Skinner made a pitch for Joe Wiegand, pointing out that he had never seen incumbent Dave Syverson during the past two years since he had joined the Central Committee for the third time. He said that Wiegand’s lack of a public office gave him the time to do much more than a state senator could.

Jack Schaffer spoke for Syverson, explaining that he was a respected leader on the Republican State Central Committee.  He added that Syverson had been in Congressman Don Manzullo’s Sunday School class.

Tom Zanck supporting Joe Wiegand's candidacy.

After Schaffer, Tom Zanck asked if he could second Wiegand’s nomination and was granted that wish.

“I don’t agree with Cal Skinner on anything, but I agree with him on Joe Wiegand,” he said. Zanck said he had worked with Wiegand in the campaign to defeat the establishment of a Kishwaukee Water Authority and praised his imagination, thoroughness and initiative.

A not-so-secret ballot was taken instead of a roll call, resulting in Syverson getting 4,054 votes and Wiegand 2,554.  (Because each precinct committee had the number of Republican votes cast in his precinct, the way people voted had to be known to the canvass team.)

After the vote Chairman Tryon asked if anyone wanted to switch to the winner and Dan Shea and Patrick Collins did, leaving the tally at 4,347 to 2,261.

Adding in the precinct totals of precincts where no vote was cast, Syverson ended up with a margin of 11,428. The total vote of precincts not represented because the elected committeeman did not show up or because no one ran for precinct committeeman was 9,342 votes.

15,950 people voted in the GOP primary in Congressman Don Manzullo’s part of McHenry County, but only 6,608 of them had elected precinct committeemen present at the meeting.

That means there is plenty of room for volunteers. If you would like your name passed on, you can email McHenry County Blog. The email is on the upper left hand side of this page.

Mike Tryon hand microphone to Jack Schaffer, who chaired gubernatorial winner Bill Brady's McHenry County campaign.

Schaffer, who chaired Bill Brady’s McHenry County campaign, told the party representatives that Brady was leading Kirk Dillard by 246 votes by Brady’s count.

“We think Brady will be the winner,” the former Central Committee Chairman said.

Brady is expected to be in Chicago shaking hands at the Union Pacific train station Friday morning and do a fly-around on Monday. The closest landing will be in Rockford.

Extolling the virtues of his candidate, Schaffer said, “His family is from Central Casting.”

Describing his principles, his spokesman described them as “solid.”

Schaffer also said that he his answers frustrate the media.

When asked a question about social values, he says,

”I am who I am.“

Then, he starts talking about the problems of the day.

“We stand at the brink,” Schaffer said. “The demographics are running against us. We have a chance. The Democrats have done everything for us but raise money…and Blagojevich is still working for us.

“If we can’t prevail this year, I don’t know when we ever will again.

“I won’t say, ‘It’s now or never,’  but you guys will all be as old as I am when we get the next chance.”

Republican County Board candidtes, from left to right, Nick Provenzano, Diane evertson, John Jung, Tina Hill and Donna Kurtz.

John O'Neill, who is a candidate for state representative against Democrat Jack Franks, makes pitch for attendance at his corn beef and cabbage Bull Valley Country Club fund raiser Monday, March 15th.

Tryon then introduced the county board candidates in attendance and let state representative candidate John O’Neill make a pitch for his March 15th corn beef and cabbage fund raiser at the Bull Valley Country Club.

Young Republican President Bryan Javor announcing he would not be running for re-election.

McHenry County Young Republican President Bryan Javor took the opportunity to announce he was not running for re-election, but, pointing to the county board candidates,  instead “would work to get these guys elected.”

Then, Tryon headed back to Springfield for session on Thursday.

He had left 1 PM Wednesday afternoon to drive up to Woodstock.

The unions decided to keep their benefits. That was more important than letting the commuters ride the CTA.

The grief of Scott Lee Cohen's 11-year old son at his father's fall from grace was more important to the Chicago Sun-Times than the "doomsday" for CTA riders trumpeted on page 5.

And the personal grief of Democratic Party Lieutenant Governor Scott Lee Cohen’s son was more important that the doomsday for CTA strap holders who read the Sun-Times.

There was a  CTA bailout in the spinrg of 2008.  It probably cost State Senator Kirk Dillard the Republican gubernatorial nomination.

You remember.

The tripling of our RTA sales tax the week before the Crystal Lake City Council decided to play pile on by hiking its city sales tax by 75%.

Dillard voted for it and Andy McKenna blasted away on radio, TV and in direct mail about Kirk Dillard having voted for a regional states tax as evidence that he was not rock solid on opposing an income tax hike.

That doomsday was on the front page of the Chicago Tribune right before the vote.

But, today, another so-called “doomsday,” the Chicago Tribune and the Sun-Times featured Democratic Party Lt. Gov. nominee Scott Lee Cohen announcing he will not accept the nomination. Cohen, by the way, carried the Democratic Party primary in McHenry County.

Take a look:

40% of McHenry County Democrats voted for Scott Lee Cohen for lieutenant governor.

State Senator Terry Link, chairman of the turnaround Democratic Party in Lake County, came to Woodstock to ask for support of McHenry County Democrats, but that doesn’t seem to have done him much good, as he placed fourth behind State Representatives Art Turner (Chicago) and Mike Boland (East Moline).

Making a pitch to the Young Democrats of McHenry County was Thomas Castillo.
= = = = =

Turned over the Tribune that was delivered to my driveway and discovered it did have something about the CTA cuts…below the fold. The snippet directing people to pages 6-8 had a photo of a family who had to wait 30 minutes for a bus while on the way to a party.

And, inside–wouldn’t you know it?–the word “Doomsday” turns up in a headline:

Take a look at the results for governor in these 2 of 68 Algonquin Township precincts (listed in ballot order and excluding electronic, absentee and early votes);

• Dillard 35
• Brady 6
• Schillerstrom (who dropped out and endorsed Jim Ryan) 0
• Andrzejewski 8
• Proft 12
• Ryan 17
• McKenna 20

In my Algonquin Township Precinct 7 there were radically different results.

• Dillard 13
• Brady 5
• Schillerstrom 1
• Andrzejewski 7
• Proft 8
• Ryan 9
• McKenna 30

For lieutenant governor, Algonquin 19 turned out this way:

• Tracy 5
• Plummer 35
• White 4
• Cole 4
• Murphy 31
• Cook 4

In Algonquin 7 the paper ballot votes were

• Tracy 1
• Plummer 18
• Cole 3
• Murphy 31
• Cole 6

In Algonquin 19, Congressman Mark Kirk won 59 to 16 for Hughes to 10 for Lowery to 5 for Martin. I don’t have totals for Arrington and Thomas. Sorry.

In Algonquin 7, the totals were Kirk – 38, Hughes – 11, Thomas – 9, Lowery – 5, Martin – 4, Arrington – 2.

In any event, as virtually everyone predicted Kirk is victorious.

Today I heard this ever-so-positive ad on radio driving to pick up my son from school.

But Friday night’s and Saturday’s phone calls were something else.

A woman’s voice comes on the answering machine:

The Jason Plummer campaign for lieutenant governor was calling, but Jason wasn't on the phone. It was a woman criticizing rival Matt Murphy.

“Hello. I’m calling with an important election alert about Matt Murphy’s campaign for lieutenant governor.“Matt Murphy would like you to believe that he’s opposed to taxes when in fact the opposite is true.

“According to the National Taxpayers United of Illinois, last year Matt Murphy voted to raise taxes four times.

“What was he thinking about?

“Tell Matt Murphy we can no longer afford his bad judgment and tax increases by telling his campaign for lieutenant governor, ‘No thanks!’

“Paid for by Plummer for Illinois.”

Who paid for the phone call was barely audible.

First of all, the phone call means that Murphy is the only candidate for lieutenant governor who has a chance of beating Plummer.

Or, maybe it means Murphy was running ahead of Plummer in Plummer’s polling.

You don’t take the chance of alienating voters, as this phone call did my wife, by going negative… unless you think that’s the only way to win.

Both candidates are attractive, but obviously Murphy, who has served on the Harper College Board and in the state senate has more experience. Even I, at the same age as Plummer, had more experience when I ran for state representative. (I had worked for the better part of a year in the United States Budget Bureau—now the Office of Management and Budget—and four years as McHenry County Treasurer.)

My guess is that Plummer’s polling showed Murphy ahead.

I decided to do some research on the NTU scorecard mentioned in the robo-call.

Here are the four times Murphy voted “wrong,” according to NTU President Jim Tobin:

• House Bill 405 – allows the government of a park district to increase the property tax for aquarium, park and museum maintenance by 600%, if voters passed a referendum.
• Senate Bill 345 – allows county governments to raise local sales taxes for the purpose of public safety and road construction/maintenance, if voters passed a referendum.
• House Bill 1921 – imposed a 25 cent charge to every disposable cigarette lighter.
• Senate Bill 837 – doubles the tax surcharge for 911 calls place in Chicago from $1.25 ro $2.50. This $8 million increase will be used to “fund non-Chicago infrastructure and vague, wasteful ‘anti-terror’ project,” Tobin write.

You can decide their importance.

Plummer, it should be noted, has the advantage first-time candidates always have; they have not had to take any votes on any issue.

But, Friday night’s negative call was not enough.  There was another one Saturday while I was out passing out my recommendations and literature for every candidate I could find.

It came after a Matt Murphy phone call:

“Hi. Matt Murphy here again asking for your help in electing Andy McKenna as our governor. Andy and I worked together to fight Governor Quinn’s enormous tax increase and showed how we could balance the budget without raising taxes.“Meanwhile, Jim Ryan and Kirk Dillard have no trouble raising taxes.

“Ryan supported a $5½ billion tax increase and Dillard, like Todd Stroeger, voted for a $500 million suburban sales tax increase. And when asked about raising taxes in the past said, quote, ‘What’s the big deal? It’s not that tough,’ unquote.

“I know Andy McKenna can balance the budget and not raise taxes.

“So, please join me in supporting Andy McKenna for governor and, of course, Mike Murphy for lieutenant governor.

“Thank you for your time.

“Paid for by McKenna for Illinois.”

Next came another negative call from Jason Plummer Saturday from the same woman:

“Hello. I’m calling with an important election alert about the Matt Murphy campaign for lieutenant governor.“Matt Murphy would like you believe he is for real ethics reform when, in fact, he continues to display bad judgment by taking questionable contributions directly or indirectly from state contractors.

“What was he thinking?

“Tell Matt Murphy we want to clean up the corruption in Springfield by telling his campaign for lieutenant governor ‘No thanks’ on election day.

“Paid for by Plummer for Illinois.”

This time the “paid for” tag line was easier to understand.

While I was out knocking on doors in my precinct Sunday, my wife answered a positive call about Plummer.  No details, just the tone.

And, today, I received my first phone call from Molly Murphy.

Apparently the tax hike charge from Plummer merited a response.

Molly wanted me to know that her Dad Mike Murphy “cares about my future.”

She said he had never voted to raise taxes.

“It’s not easy to be a kid,” she said, “but he’s always’ been there for me.”

Kirk Dillard at 1776 breakfast, (article 2, article 3).

That took a lot of effort back then, and still does.

So much effort that local politicians rarely make the effort.

The new variation on that theme is automated telephone calls.

I have a note among my story ideas that says gubernatorial candidate Kirk Dillard made voter ID calls.

Presumably on election day another call will be made to urge those who identified themselves as Dillard supporters to get on down to the polls be they close at 7.

Jason Plummer the night the lights went out.

I think I got one from lieutenant governor candidate Jason Plummer, too.

If there is a trick in the political book that Plummer has not tried, I can’t identify it.

Dan Proft speaking at Nunda Township Republican Picnic.

And, remember that call from the heretofore unknown “Illinois Election Research?”

A friend remembers that there were only four names on the list of those running for governor and observes how strange it was Dan Proft, who almost certainly will not be among the top four finishers, was listed second.

The conclusion my friend reached was that the poll was an attempt to identify Proft supporters for some future purpose.

I’ve never heard of such a business and neither has Google.

They wanted to know who we were going to vote for.

My wife, who cannot abide such calls, but knows they interest me, handed me the phone.

The recorded caller read off

• Kirk Dillard
• Dan Proft
• a third name
• Andy McKenna
• More names

I pressed one for McKenna and did whatever else was requested.

Anyone have any idea who paid for the survey?

Was it a voter identification call?

Or what?

State Senator Kirk Dillard

State Senator Kirk Dillard has been endorsed by the Illinois Education Association.

That’s a good thing for him.

The IEA can put people on the street when it wants to and certainly can get the word out to its members.

It could also cough up good money, if it desired.

Here’s what the Chicago Tribune’s Clout Street Blog attributed to IEA President Ken Swanson in its story about the announcement:

“We believe at the end of the day, (Dillard) is interested in finding reductions and efficiencies that make sense.

“But if and when that’s not enough, he can pragmatically reach out to the other leaders and work out a (revenue) solution that’s good for the state.”

That sounds as if this teachers’ union leader thinks Dillard will support an income tax increase.

That would mesh with Dillard’s refusing to promise not to increase taxes.

Before he got the IRA endorsement, he called such pledges “gimmicks” on TV and in this interview. (I never signed such a pledge.)

As he said in the WTTW debate, he might want to rearrange the tax mix and he does favor increasing some source of revenue to pay for a road, school, etc., building program.

Thursday, the mailing below came from opponent Andy McKenna, who has taken the “no tax hike pledge.”

"WILL THESE CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR RAISE TAXES?" the headline asks. (Don't you find all capital letters difficult to read?)

"WE CAN'T TRUST RYAN AND DILLARD'S RECORDS ON TAXES," this headline reads and gives details of Jim Ryan's support of a $5,5 billion (income) tax hike and how Kirk Dillard raised sales taxes $500 million. Left unsaid were that the sales tax hike was for the Regional Transporation Authority to bail out the CTA. (Click to enlarge any image.)

]]> http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2010/01/29/kirk-dillard-endorsed-by-teachers-who-want-higher-income-tax/feed/ 0 http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2010/01/29/local-state-reps-back-dillard-and-hynes/ http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2010/01/29/local-state-reps-back-dillard-and-hynes/#comments Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:50:07 +0000 Cal Skinner http://mchenrycountyblog.com/?p=10975

Mike Tryon

Happened upon the endorsement of State Senator Kirk Dillard by Crystal Lake’s State Rep. Mike Tryon.

If anything has been made of it, except listing it on Dillard’s web site in a press release announcing that the Sangamon County Republican Party (can’t get much more Establishment than that) was endorsing Kirk, I’ve missed it.

Also listed there is Family PAC right next to the Illinois Education Association. That’s the first time I’ve seen those ideological opponents on the same page.

Found Irene Napier of McHenry County Right to Life, as well. She attended State Senator Pam Althoff’s breakfast at 1776 for Dillard.

McHenry County Treasurer Bill LeFew has signed up, too.

Jack Franks

And, on Pete Gonigam’s First Electric Newspaper, I discovered that Democratic Party State Rep. Jack Franks supports State Comptroller Dan Hynes for governor.

No big surprise there.

Franks was willing to hold hearings on Governor Pat Quinn’s “Catch and Release” prisoner program.

Some call it by the “Revolving Door.”

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 Pat Quinn and Dan Hynes for the Democrats. In that race, the Tribune endorsed no one.

In the GOP contest, the heads of Andy McKenna, Jim Ryan and Kirk Dillard appear. The Tribune has endorsed McKenna.

Maybe the supporters of a GOP candidate not in the top three (and who found less than 10% support in the Tribune poll) can surpass the three front-runners.

But, I don’t think it will happen.

If my analysis is correct, people who want to play a role in the decision-making process regarding who the Republicans put up in November have to select among McKenna, Ryan and Dillard.

Having run against Ryan (and Rod Blagojevich) as the Libertarian Party candidate for governor in 2002, I have seen him cozy up to Blagojevich to make sure I was not allowed to be any of the debates.

(If you are interested in the details, here they are.  The Illinois League of Women Voters had sponsored debates for each statewide race for decades.  in 2002, the League said everyone would be include who received at least 5% in an independent poll.  The Daily Southtown, a newspaper, showed me slightly above 5% prior to the League’s deadline.  Ryan and Blagojevich decided not to participate in that debate.  For that reason, I know that Ryan is capable of cutting deals with Democrats when it is in his personal self-interest.)

Then, there is Stuart Levin, Ryan’s law school study partner, long-time supporter and largest lifetime contributor.  To say that that relationship is a problem strikes me as something of an understatement.

It’s not that I think Jim Ryan is dishonest.  It’s not that I think he knew his friend was a crook.

It’s that I know how large contributors often get rewarded.

If Levine had asked Governor Jim Ryan to appoint him to the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board, I think Ryan would have appointed him.  (Levine was involved in the licensing scandal involving the Mercy Health System hospital application in Crystal Lake.)

If Levine had asked Governor Jim Ryan to appoint him to the Downstate Teachers’ Retirement System board, I think Ryan would have appointed him.

After all, Levine contributed over $800,000 over Ryan’s career and he trusted Levine.

Therein is the problem.  Levine would have been right where he was when he committed felonious acts during the Blagojevich administration.

So, here’s the question I ask of Jim Ryan supporters:

If Jim Ryan had been elected in 2002, how much less corrupt would his administration have been than Rod Blagojevich’s?

Certainly somewhat less corrupt.  As I said before, no one thinks Jim Ryan is a dishonest man.

But his level of discernment about the motives of this man he had known all of his adult live was subpar, to put it as mildly as possible.

And, that doesn’t get into substantive issues like gun control.  Ryan would never win the support of fans of the movie “Red Dawn.”  I know.  He wouldn’t appear on the DeKalb radio station in a forum about gun control when he learned I was in the studio.

That leaves two candidates:

• Kirk Dillard
• Andy McKenna

I can enthusiastically support whichever one wins the primary.

However, Dillard has one vote that is just horrible, in my opinion.

It is his vote to triple suburban collar county RTA sales taxes.

To solve DuPage County budget problem, DuPage County Board President Bob Schillerstrom and State’s Attorney Joe Birkett successfully prevailed upon Dillard and two other DuPage County state senators to vote for what National Taxpayers United of Illinois’ Jim Tobin calls the “CTA bailout.”

Kirk Dillard

It was that, but it was also a bailout of DuPage County because, contrary to the first suburban “bribe” plan–allowing the collar county boards to spend one-quarter of one percent of the three-quarters of one percentage point increase on roads–after the DuPage County officials got involved, it could be spent on transportation or law enforcement. DuPage County had a referendum on the ballot at the time to raise the sales tax of law enforcement purposes, but, hey, if you can get your state senators to take the heat, why bother the voters.

Not only did Dillard’s vote raise our taxes, it rendered asunder the suburban bipartisan coalition on the Regional Transportation Authority put together in 1974. I can only remember a couple suburban legislators who voted for RTA who got re-elected. (Both the Republican Senate and House bill sponsors were defeated.) I guess I take that a bit personally.

Other than that, I find his and McKenna’s positions fairly similar, except that Dillard has not taken a no tax increase pledge and McKenna has. (I have to admit that having the Illinois Education Association, surely an income tax hike organization, endorse Dillard raises my eyebrows.)

Andy McKenna

One more thing about McKenna.  At the GOP convention in Decatur, he heatedly criticized DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom, who just withdrew his name from consideration as a candidate for governor (but who will still be on the ballot) about his lobbying DuPage County state senators to triple the RTA sales tax.

Only State Senators Carol Pankau (now a candidate for DuPage County Board President) and Randy Hultgren (now running for Congress in Kane County and more) voted against the 300% increase in the RTA sales tax.

How hot was the criticism?

Most of the DuPage County delegation walked off the convention floor.

In addition, taking on Thompson’s continuing show of support of incarcerated former Republican Governor George Ryan, McKenna said,

“It disappoints me with a former governor lobbies the president to pardon a former governor.”

So, which of the top three are you leaning toward?