McHenry County Blog

As U.S. House Democratic Party Speaker Tip O’Neill said,

“All politics is local.”

So, I guess that puts McHenry County Blog in the right place for those who want to know about “local.”

That’s what McLean County Pundit reminds readers on its masthead.

State Senator Pam Althoff

Today my mailbox was graced with a large envelope from State Senator Pam Althoff (R-McHenry).

I figured it was an invitation to a fundraiser. A fancy fund raiser. It was about that size. It had a stamp, although now that I look at it closely, it’s probably a bulk mail stamp. (Did you know people are more likely to open a letter, if you put a commemorative stamp on it?)

Anyway the letter wasn’t personalized. It was to

“Dear Republican Neighbor”

That seems to be stretching it a bit since I don’t even know where Pam lives, but politicians take liberties with words like “neighbor.”

People skim letters like this. At least I do.

There’s bold face type to help skimmers figure out what is important.

State Senator Pam Althoff's correspondence supporting State Senator Kirk Dillard for governor.

I see former Governor Jim Edgar’s name first.

Befitting a letter endorsing Kirk Dillard, Edgar’s name shows up twice.

But looking at it again, I see this paragraph:

“The people of Illinois deserve nothing less than a Governor who will put taxpayers first…”

Had to stop there, because my one big beef with Kirk, which I talked to him about at his reception held at his wife’s great-great-great something grandfather and former (first elected in 1865) Governor Richard J. Ogelsby’s and grandmother’s home in Decatur during the last GOP state convention and, more recently, when he came to talk to the ladies at 1776 in Crystal Lake, was his vote to triple the RTA sales tax.  It ill cost McHenry County taxpayers on the order of $9 million a year times three.  And we are the smallest collar county

And, now I see he has the endorsement of the IEA, the Illinois Education Association, for those of you who don’t follow state politics. That the biggest teachers’ union and one does not have to watch state politics too closely to know what they want—higher income taxes.

Anyway, the letter arrived yesterday.

State Senator Kirk Dillard

I keep getting these phone calls from important people, but never is there a two-way conversation.

Last night while I was upstairs typing away (my lemon of a Hewlett-Packard computer is on the fritz again), I heard the phone ring.

My wife answered it and called me.

It was a political robo-call and she is not enamored with the process.

So downstairs I rushed just in time to hear Kirk Dillard ask me to punch 1.

I guess it was a call to identify supporters who could then be reminded to vote on election day, but I didn’t hear that part.

I wonder if it was packed with negative information about Jim Ryan and Andy McKenna, the other two candidates who have a chance of winning the Republican nomination (baring a miracle on behalf of one of the candidates doing less well on the Tribune poll whose results were announced Friday night) as was McKenna’s call from Mary Pat Friday afternoon.

Kirk Dillard

Andy McKenna

As I suggested after I got Mary Pat’s call on behalf of Andy McKenna earlier today, the race for the Republican nomination for governor has narrowed down to three candidates:

• Andy McKenna – 19%
• Jim Ryan – 18%
• Kirk Dillard – 14%

The Tribune’s Eric Zorn is reporting the results seen above.

17% reported still being undecided.

Among those with less than 10%, here are the results:

• Bill Brady – 9%
• Adam Andrzejewski – 7%
• Dan Proft – 6%

Bob Schillerstrom had 2%, but he dropped out in favor of Jim Ryan today.

In the Democratic Party primary, Zorn reports

• Pat Quinn – 44%
• Dan Hynes – 40%

As Zorn puts it,

“Game on.”

Who?

Mary Pat.

Didn’t sound like the Mary Pat I know.

Turned out it was a robo-call in support of Andy McKenna for governor.

It talked about Jim Ryan’s having supported a $5.5 billion tax hike. I presume this was when he was on the board of the union-financed not-for-profit tax hike advocacy organization run by Ralph Matire.

Mary Pat told me how Kirk Dillard had raised taxes millions of dollars, presumably by being one of the three DuPage County defectors who supported the tripling of the RTA sales tax rate in the collar counties.

This quote was attributed to Dillard about some tax matter, but I didn’t catch which one:

“What’s the big deal?”

So, what’s the message of this little bit of campaigning.

First, it interrupted a call I was having with a Crystal Lake number on a different exchange.

Second, when talking to an acquaintance in southern Kane County, he had gotten the call, too.

Andy McKenna

Kirk Dillard

So, it’s probably going to Republicans throughout the suburbs.

But there’s something more importantly.

It signals that McKenna’s polling shows the governor’s race in the Republican primary has narrowed down to three people:

• Kirk Dillard
• Andy McKenna
• Jim Ryan

In December, the Chicago Tribune poll said Ryan was leading by over 2-1, but still in the middle 20 percentage range.

So, if you think Jim Ryan can’t win in November and you want a Republican elected, the choice pretty much narrows down to McKenna or Dillard.

I had previously thought that Bill Brady might be one that  could catch up with Ryan, but this robo-call does not indicate that is the case.

About the same time the Northwest Herald was endorsing Jim Ryan, the man whose buddy and over-$800,000-contributor arranged (without Ryan’s knowledge) for Mercy Hospital to gain approval from the Illinois Health Facilitates Planning Board, my friend former State Rep. Penny Pullen was endorsing Andy McKenna. Below you see the front of the pamphlet I’ll be distributing in my precinct for Ryan.

The same day of the NW Herald endorsement, I received a mailing from McKenna emphasizing his stand against raising taxes, something that McKenna is bashing both Ryan and Kirk Dillard on not promising.

The front runner for governor, according to a now-probably-outdated Chicago Tribune poll, was former Attorney General Ryan.  The three second tier candidates were Andy McKenna, Kirk Dillard and Bill Brady.  They had about half the percentage Ryan showed.

Here’s pro-life leader Pullen’s endorsemen of McKennat:

Conservative Leader Penny Pullen Endorses
Andy McKenna for Governor

Key conservative endorsement in final weeks of campaign

Highlights McKenna’s work to defeat tax increases

CHICAGO – Conservative pro-life/pro-family leader and former State Representative Penny Pullen today endorsed Andy McKenna for Governor of Illinois. Pullen is one of the most influential and respected leaders in the conservative movement in Illinois.

“It is with the utmost honor that I accept this endorsement from such a respected leader in the conservative and pro-life community,” said McKenna. “Penny’s endorsement is further indication that top leaders and activists across the state are joining our campaign.”

“Andy McKenna is just the person we need to lead us out of the fiscal mess Democrats have put us in,” said Pullen. “His background as a successful business leader gives him insight and strong determination to advocate for taxpayers and for job creators.

“Further, I like the fact that Andy McKenna knows his way around Springfield — as former state GOP chairman — but has not been a part of the Springfield problem; quite the contrary — he has a proven track record of working to defeat tax increases.

The inside of the Jim Ryan precinct piece.

“I believe Andy’s conservative credentials make him the best Republican to win in November, and I trust him to promote strong traditional family policies and justice for vulnerable human beings at any age.”

Pullen served 16 years as a member of the Illinois General Assembly, served on three councils under Presidents Reagan and Bush, is a former Illinois GOP National Committeewoman, and founder of the Illinois Family Institute. Pullen resides in Arlington Heights.

An associate from years past who seems to think he is more of a “Movement Conservative” than Penny replied that he couldn’t understand Penny’s endorsement. He also questioned McKenna’s intellect.

He said he expected Penny would be in the camp of two candidates that registered about 2% on the Tribune poll.

Here is Penny’s reply:

The inside of the Andy McKenna mailing that came the same day the Northwest Herald endorsed Jim Ryan.

My endorsement is based on what I know, not on what others say.

How nice to hear from you. Brings back old times. Really old times!

I know that Andy met with pro-life/pro-family leaders not once but several times, at his own initiative while state chairman. I know that no other state chairman in my time of involvement in the Republican Party had done that even once. I know that whatever we laid before him, he listened to with respect and attention, responded to, and on everything he agreed to do (which was most), he pursued it thoroughly (even if without fanfare).

I know that he committed the State GOP to join the Marriage-Amendment petition process the second time around — the time he was asked to — but the organizers themselves chose not to move ahead, so this initiative ended up not becoming public.

I know that he exerted great personal effort to prevent Republican legislators from voting for the RTA/DuPage sales tax and wrecking the GOP brand, only to be undercut by Bob Schillerstrom at the last minute. I know that he worked against the Dem income tax hike.

I know that he sought to get the McCain people (who controlled the process) to name at least one pro-life/family at-large delegate (by name) to the 2008 National Convention. I know that he went into the delegation selection committee (controlled by the McCainiacs) at the state convention and publicly argued that Jim Thompson and Bob Schillerstrom were unworthy to be named to the Illinois delegation and then called down the committee in front of the entire convention, specifically criticizing them for including Thompson & Schillerstrom.

I know that he worked to raise funds for specific conservative campaigns.

I believe - and trust – based on much interaction with him, that he is a heart-committed pro-lifer.

Yes, his chief pursuit in his campaign for governor is to get spending under control and give the entrepreneurs who are still left in Illinois an opportunity to build ventures that succeed and offer workers an opportunity to feed their families. Controlling spending and taxes used to be important to conservatives; that agenda is still important to me and appears to me to be of critical importance in 2010.

The address side of Andy McKenna's mailing also talkks about holding the line on taxes.

It was Andy McKenna alone who outlined a concrete agenda for getting the state’s fiscal disaster under control while addressing the Tribune editorial board; it was Andy McKenna alone who criticized the lousy quality taxpayers are getting for the billions we spend on public schools. (I watched the interviews online.)

I am aware that Andy is reserved; as someone who has seen him at work, I reject your assertion that he is intellectually weak. And I am personally aware that he has a good ability to choose the right strategy after collecting sufficient information to make an informed choice.

I knew that my endorsement would not be popular, because I know all the buzz that has attached itself to his name.

Someone sometime has to stand up for what they know to be true and not just listen to the buzz.

I have confidence in Andy McKenna, because I have good reason to. And by the way, I haven’t forgotten who I am.

Thanks for asking.

Penny

PS – I would not be found in the Adam or Dan camp for various and good reasons. But I choose not to bash other candidates or their supporters, so I won’t go into that.

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There is a certain irony to Jim Ryan's use of a Chicago Tribune quote to try to convince voters to support him for governor. The Tribune endorsed Andy McKenna.

Here’s a press release from State Senator Kirk Dillard, a candidate for the GOP nomination for governor:

Dillard Renews Ethical Judgment Charge at Debate Important Party Nominates Candidate Who Can Win in Fall

(Lisle, IL) – Illinois Republican candidate for governor Kirk Dillard today renewed his charge that Andy McKenna’s ethics violation sends the wrong message to voters and contrasts sharply from Dillard’s record as a leader on ethics reform. GOP officials announced last week that McKenna, while Chairman, used party funds to further a possible run for political office.

Dillard has said that as Chairman of the DuPage County Republican Party he was never found guilty of ethics violations. “My opponent Andy McKenna, the ‘insider,’ cannot say the same,” Dillard said at the West Suburban Chamber of Commerce debate in Countryside.

Dillard also questioned the ethical judgment of Jim Ryan for taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Stuart Levine, later convicted of influence peddling during the Blagojevich administration. “Unlike my opponent Jim Ryan, you won’t find any of my close friends or largest contributors sitting in a federal holding cell for a ‘pay to play’ scheme,” Dillard said. Ryan did not attend the debate.

Dillard argued that Republicans need to nominate a candidate who can win back the governor’s office in November, not someone who reminds voters of the Blagojevich/Quinn administration. “The stakes are too high. The judgment of our candidate for Governor should not be in question,” Dillard said.

Dillard has pledged to shut down his campaign fund when sworn-in as Governor. “The state is in crisis, and I need to spend all of my time governing, not fundraising,” Dillard explained. “We need a Governor who will lead by example to end corruption and focus all of his attention on making Illinois work again.”

Dillard was first elected to the Illinois Senate in 1994. He served as Chief of Staff for former Governor Jim Edgar and was Legislative Affairs Director for former Governor Jim Thompson.

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Not included in the press release was this criticism of opponent State Senator Bill  Brady:

“Sadly, we do have candidates here of my own party who lack ethical judgment too:  Bill Brady, I haven’t taken a $10,000 contribution from a contributor and given their child free tuition at the University of Illinois Medical School.”

I found that in the Sun-Times story about the debate.

As I mentioned earlier reporting on the Chicago Sun-Times endorsement of Kirk Dillard, Republican gubernatorial candidate Andy McKenna was endorsed by the Chicago Tribune on Sunday. Strangely, the endorsement appears online on Friday.

On the same editorial page, was a non-endorsement for the two candidate for the Democratic Party nomination. The piece is mainly a lament for Pat Quinn’s having not lived up to expectations raised by a lifetime of attacking the establishment.

Dan Hynes disappointed the editorial board for not being willing to reduce pension benefits for FUTURE employees.

Go figure, with the pension debt facing taxpayers.

(And, of course, I have a continuing interest in my pension to be paid. Again, I thank taxpayers for the opportunity to serve them as state representative fo sixteen years and county treasurer for four.)

A former president of Concerned Women for America who hosts a radio call-in show on WYLL-FM now, as she did before going to Washington, has endorsed Kirk Dillard for governor in the February 2nd Republican primary election.

Rios emcees the annual summer Family PAC cruise on the Chicago River and Lake Michigan, the fund raiser I enjoy more than any other.

WYLL Radio’s Sandy Rios Endorses Dillard for Governor

(Lisle, IL) – Radio talk show hostess and commentator Sandy Rios today endorsed Republican candidate Kirk Dillard for governor. Rios said Dillard is the best Republican in the field of candidates vying for the GOP nomination on February 2.

“Kirk Dillard is my pick for governor,” Rios told her listeners on WYLL, AM 1160 in Chicago. “I care so much about what happens in this state and this race really matters. Kirk is good on the issues and has good relationships across party lines.”

“I’m so honored to have your endorsement,” Dillard told Rios. He called Rios a strong voice in the conservative community. “Her support is a huge boost to my candidacy for governor.”

Rios is a prominent Christian radio host, television commentator, and political writer. Her talk radio program, The Sandy Rios Show, airs for two hours each weekday afternoon in Chicago.

Sandy has received Family PAC’s Conservative of the Year award and the late Congressman Henry Hyde’s Leadership Award. She is also the former president of Concerned Women for America.

Dillard is former Governor Jim Edgar’s former Chief of Staff and has Edgar’s endorsement in the race for governor.

Just in case you’re interested, the Chicago Sun-Times endorsed appointed-Governor Pat Quinn in the Democratic Party primary and Kirk Dillard in the GOP election.

Sunday, the Chicago Tribune is endorsing Andy McKenna.

Click to enlarge any image.

After the Tuesday 1776 breakfast sponsored by State Senator Pam Althoff, GOP gubernatorial candidate Kirk Dillard answered what I consider “the tough question:”

“Will you sign a pledge not to raise taxes like Andy McKenna did Monday?”

I got a long answer:

“I’ve never voted for a general tax increase in all my years in state government.

“I have no desire to raise taxes.

“My experience is as Jim Edgar’s fiscally conservative chief of staff and the only non-millionaire in the race with school age children.

“I am the candidate that can best hold the line on taxes.

“Moreover, I’ve said I want to reduce billions of taxes to improve our economy.

But speaking with conservative governors like Sam Perdue of Georgia, former Governor John Engler of Michigan and former (Florida) Governor Jeb Bush, these pledges are gimmicks.”

As one who served in the Illinois House of Representatives for sixteen years, I can tell you I never signed such a pledge and still was considered a “tax hawk” or “obstructionist,” if you prefer the description of the tax eaters.

As I understand the pledge it counts fee increases as tax increases. Fees are logically imposed upon regulated industries. The fees should cover the cost of regulation.

Now such earmarked funds are regularly drained to subsidized education and welfare, which means the fees are set too high. However, as wages and other costs increase, it is possible that fees as set would not bring in enough money to pay for the regulation. In such a case I would and have voted to increase fees.

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Other stories about the candidate’s Crystal Lake visit:

Kirk Dillard Woos McHenry County Women