McHenry County Blog

The McHenry County Board on swearing in day in December, 2010

So, what would require a top secret, hush, hush joint meeting of the Finance and Audit Committee and the Law and Justice Committee?

One meeting notice is below:

A joint meeting of the FINANCE AND AUDIT COMMITTEE and the LAW AND JUSTICE COMMITTEE is scheduled for Tuesday, September 20, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. for purposes of discussion in executive session probable or imminent litigation.

A second joint meeting notice read as follows:

AGENDA
JOINT MEETING OF THE FINANCE AND AUDIT COMMITTEE
AND
THE LAW AND JUSTICE COMMITTEE
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2011 – 6:00 P.M.

1.0 Call to Order

2.0 Roll Call

3.0 Public Comment

4.0 Executive Session (probable or imminent litigation)

5.0 Adjournment

The meeting notice gives no indication that any action will be taken after its completion.

A County Board meeting is scheduled for 7 PM.

Feel free to speculate as to the subject being discussed.

The utter failure of Special Prosecutors Henry Tonigan and Thomas McQueen to put on a criminal case against McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi seems to have emboldened the McHenry County Board.

After the acquittal on all counts rendered by Rockford Judge Joseph McGraw delivered before Defense Attorney Terry Ekl put on any evidence, the County Board through the Appellate Prosecutor’s Office is asking that Judge Gordon Graham stay his order for payment of Tonigan’s latest bill

That’s what Law and Justice Committee Chairman Nick Provenzano explained before the Patriots United Pro-Life Breakfast Saturday morning at D’Andrea’s in Crystal Lake.

McHenry County Board member Nick Provenzano (center) talks to Joyce Story as his son Ryan ((left) and speaker Rev. Bob VandenBosch listen.

“We asked the Appellate Prosecutor’s Office to file a motion on our behalf for a stay of the court order issued by Judge Graham to pay the Special Prosecutor his latest bill,” Provenzano said.

“Having these charges dropped so quickly and so completely showed me that this was nothing but a witch hunt and we just flushed $500,000 of the taxpayers’ money down the drain.

“And that doesn’t count State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi’s legal bills which will no doubt be presented. He’s an employee of the county was found not guilty.”

Provenzano said county officials were also interested in looking at bills that have already been paid.

Nick Provenzano

In the agenda for the Law and Justice Committee meeting of the McHenry County Board distributed this morning, there is an agenda item that is identified as “not in packet.”

What’s the subject?

“Approval of a Resolution respecting the length of duration of the Special Prosecutor.”

One could assume it is about the investigation that Special Prosecutor Henry Tonigan is conducting about the use of taxpayer resources to advance the candidacy of State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi.

Nick Provenzano is chairman of the committee.