McHenry County Blog

State Rep. David McSweeney is on a roll.

The Chicago Tribune article today about State Rep. Dave McSweeney’s bill to give more rights to taxpayers when local governments try to issue non-referendum bonds. The bill was co-sponsored by Democratic Party State Rep. Jack Franks.

Yesterday he passed a bill stimulated by McHenry County College’s potential of borrowing over $40 million to almost double the size of the campus, plus build a health and fitness club that would compete with Centegra’s Health Bridge, the Sage YMCA and numerous storefront fitness clubs.

Today, he has passed a Constitutional Amendment that would abolish the office of Lieutenant Governor.

His press release is below:

IL House Members Approve Eliminating the Office of Lieutenant Governor

David McSweeney

Springfield –State Representative David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills) passed House Joint Resolution by Constitutional Amendment (HJRCA 18) as chief sponsor, a measure that would eliminate the job of Lieutenant Governor and be placed on the 2014 ballot for voters to approve. McSweeney garnered bipartisan support by citing that the measure will save the State money and eliminate redundancies.

HJRCA 18 passed the Illinois House today by a vote of 81-30.

“I applaud my colleagues who joined me today and had the courage to call for greater government efficiency,” said McSweeney. “I’m glad this comes during the same week that Illinois House members also approved a bill to reduce our own compensation.”

The bill will have a positive fiscal impact on the state’s budget as it would eliminate the salary and operating costs of the Office of the Lt. Governor. For fiscal year 2013, the Lieutenant Governor’s salary was $135,900 and total office appropriations were approximately $2 million.

“We are in a fiscal crisis and we must continue to take more steps like this to get back on track,” added McSweeney.

HJRCA 18 accompanies other cost reduction legislation filed by McSweeney. To date, McSweeney has declined a legislative pension, proposed to end all legislative pensions and has voluntarily cut his own pay and district office expenses by 10%.

Under the legislation, the Attorney General would be next in line to assume the duties of Governor if necessary. The legislation would be effective for the term beginning in 2019.

Arizona, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wyoming all do not have the office of Lt. Governor.

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As noted in the press release, the Attorney General would become Governor should a Governor step down.  House Speaker Mike Madigan’s daughter Lisa Madigan is currently Attorney General.

Demonstrators at Rep. Jack Franks’ Woodstock office.

Being State Representative must not be rewarding enough for Marengo Democrat Jack Franks.

Four years ago at the end of June he convinced family and friends to transfer about a half a million to his campaign fund.

That got him mentioned as a candidate for Governor.

But he ran for State Rep. again.

Today, the Chicago Sun-Times has a story entitled,

Jack Franks for Lt. Gov? State rep looking at statewide run — undecided on gay marriage

The two are linked, perhaps because it is unlikely a candidate running in a statewide Democratic primary election could win if he or she opposed same-sex marriage.

Confirming his statewide ambitions, the article starts, “State Rep. Jack Franks (D-Marengo) confirmed Tuesday that he is setting his sights on a run for higher office, possibly for Lieutenant Governor.”

Under new law candidates for Governor select their running mates and they run as a ticket, linked on the ballot.

Franks says he is not interested in running with Governor Pat Quinn.

Much of the maneuvering for statewide office is dependent on whether Attorney General Lisa Madigan runs for re-election or Governor. She outraised Quinn in fund raising this past quarter.

In February, 2011, I made an effort to analyze how competitive Franks’ campaign fund was with other potential statewide candidates.  You can read it here.

While I probably dismissed some Cook County politicians I should not have, among Democratic Party state legislators, Franks had the third highest amount in the bank.

Reporter Natasha Korecki got Franks to talk about his statewide ambitions.

The story did not make the print edition.

A press release from State Rep. David McSweeney:

McSweeney Moves to Abolish Lt. Governor Position Approved by Committee

Dave McSweeney present his Constitutional Amendment.

Springfield – Illinois voters will hopefully have the opportunity to decide whether the state should have a Lieutenant Governor.

State Representative David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills) filed House Joint Resolution by Constitutional Amendment (HJRCA 18) as chief sponsor, a measure that would abolish the post as part of his effort for greater government efficiencies.

McSweeney has garnered bipartisan support, including 28 additional house members to sign on as co-sponsors.

Representative Jack Franks (D-Marengo) and Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego) are the chief co-sponsors of the legislation.

McSweeney’s legislation passed the State Government Committee today by a vote of 16-4.

“We need to have the courage to make our government leaner, smarter and more efficient,” said McSweeney.

“We are in a fiscal crisis and we can’t afford the luxury of having a Lieutenant Governor.”

According to House Republican staff, the state could save approximately $2 million a year by doing away with the office.

“I urge my colleagues to join me and get this done,” added McSweeney. “A meaningful budget cut to the bureaucracy is a great start to prove that we’re serious about cutting spending.”

HJRCA 18 accompanies other cost reduction legislation filed by McSweeney. To date, McSweeney has declined a legislative pension, proposed to end all legislative pensions and has voluntarily cut his own pay and district office expenses by 10%.

If HJRCA 18 is approved, it would be placed on the 2014 ballot for voters to decide.

Under the legislation, the Attorney General would be next in line to assume the duties of Governor if necessary.

House Speaker Mike Madigan

So many ideas to share, so little time.

When I heard that House Speaker Mike Madigan was proposing doing away with the office of lieutenant governor, my first thought was the he was setting up his daughter Lisa, now Attorney General to be first in line to become governor, if anything happened to a governor.

I wanted to check the Illinois Constitution before writing a story and didn’t get around to doing that until just now.

In the meantime, others have made the point.

Here’s what the State Constitution says about succession:

SECTION 6. GUBERNATORIAL SUCCESSION

(a) In the event of a vacancy, the order of succession to the office of Governor or to the position of Acting Governor shall be the Lieutenant Governor, the elected
Attorney General, the elected Secretary of State, and then as provided by law.

State Rep. Jack Franks

And, you will note how quickly State Rep. Jack Franks (D-Marengo) took the same position.

Franks, justifiably, is tired of being just a state representative and he wants House Speaker Madigan to draw him a congressional district he can win.

And, in his heart of hearts, he’d love to by attorney general.

There is that little matter, however, of Lisa Madigan’s finding being attorney general not a bad gig to have while raising small kids.

Until the blood-letting is over, Keely Cat has decided to hide his head and sleep.

Eventually, the Democrats lust for patronage and the other benefits of controlling state government will result in slotting State Comptroller Dan Hynes in Scott Lee Cohen’s place as the running mate for Pat Quinn and the media can concentrate on how “unqualified” the Republican’s Lieutenant Governor candidate Jason Plummer is.

And, if you don’t believe they will, read this paragraph from Friday’s column by the Tribune’s Eric Zorn:

“Democratic and Republican primary voters Tuesday nominated inexperienced, unknown rich guys to be the running mates for their gubernatorial candidates, touching off memories of 1986, when another unknown slipped his way onto a major-party ticket.

This time, lumber company heir Jason Plummer, 27, spent more than $1.3 million in family money to get 34 percent of the GOP primary vote, enough to prevail in a six-candidate field.

“…the outrage was obvious: Neither man is remotely qualified to be one heartbeat or one federal indictment away from becoming governor of Illinois.”

Not today.

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.”

Jason Plummer, Metro East candidate for the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor.

I got my third call from Republican lieutenant governor candidate Jason Plummer yesterday. His family has built a quite successful lumber yard business Downstate with a couple of yards in Missouri.

And he is spending a LOT of family money on his campaign.

But, as I pointed out in my story on the McHenry County Young Republicans meeting at 1776, my favorite restaurant in Crystal Lake, he spent the whole evening right here in Crystal Lake.

The most recent robo-call reminded me that he was the “only endorsed candidate of the Illinois Federation of Right To Life.”

Another “only” was his service as a military officer.

He told me he was “committed to strong family values and the rights of the unborn.”

I don’t know how widely this call went among Republicans. Maybe it just went to a select pro-life telephone list.

But, I do know that I advise candidates to make at least seven contacts with voters, if they want to win.

I have received two mailings, three phone calls and one personal appearance.

I don’t watch a lot of TV or listen to a lot of radio, but it certainly would not surprise me that Plummer is running ads on both.

I think I’ll look on his web site and see if I can find a television ad.

I found one.

Can’t tell you if it running in the Chicago market.

Here’s where you can find call one and call two.

Jason Plummer, Metro East candidate for the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor.

Am I blessed or not?

Not only did I receive a call from Jason Plummer a couple of weeks ago and meet, see and hear him at the McHenry County Young Republican meeting at Crystal Lake’s 1776 restaurant, but he called me again today.

I wished I had just let the recorder take the call, because then I could tell you more of what he said.

The notes I jotted down said that he

• was a military officer
• wanted to “lower taxes, especially for seniors”

“With you vote, we can bring a new brand of leadership to Illinois,” was one of his final sentences.

Last night at Crystal Lake’s 1776 restaurant will be a night that Jason Plummer, an aggressive Downstate candidate for lieutenant governor, will remember forever.

How do I know?

Lientenant governor candidate Jason Plummer begins speaking after being introduced by McHenry County Young Republican President Bryan Javor.

Because I’ve been on the same route he took twice, once in 1982 when I ran for State Comptroller against Roland Burris and twenty years later when I ran for governor in 2002 against Rod Blagojevich and Jim Ryan.

A statewide candidate doesn’t remember all the stops on the campaign trail, but some are memorable.

Like the night at some big meeting hall in Carbondale when all the candidates on the ticket were standing under a big photo of us all and Jim Thompson was commenting on the St. Louis Globe’s endorsement that day.

“Even Skinner got endorsed,”

he exclaimed.

Of course, I thought and still think I was more qualified than incumbent Burris to be State Comptroller, but even I was surprised I had received the endorsement.

Last night the McHenry County Young Republicans held a candidates’ night for county board candidates.

Thank goodness, the YR’s were not as hidebound as the DeKalb League of Women Voters in 1982, when I was not allowed to speak because I wasn’t a legislative candidate.

In any event, the tallest Republican candidate I have seen since Thompson walked to the podium and was told, as the other candidates had been told, that he had five minutes and that when he was at the four minute mark, he would be told.

He started by pointing out the Illinois lieutenant governor had “no constitutional duties.”

He cited the three statutes giving the office some things to do—probably all enacted while Neil Hartigan was serving under Governor Dan Walker—and said,

“Clearly it’s not an overwhelming workload.”

Plummer talked about his having created jobs in companies he had started, as well as his role in the family lumber business, RP Lumber, with 43 yards in Illinois and two in Missouri.

He told of how he was in intelligence in the Navy Reserve, had worked at the Heritage Foundation and for U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald.

And, how he had returned from Washington to run for Madison County Republican Party Chairman.

He talked about fighting corruption in Madison County, something that no knowledgeable person would deny exits.

“I battled corrupt legislators, a corrupt county board and a corrupt judiciary.”

Plummer said,

“The state needs someone who knows how to sign the bottom of a check, not just the back of a check.”

Great line, don’t you think?

While at a trade convention in Indiana, he told a woman he was running for lieutenant governor.

“In Indiana?” the woman asked.

“No, Illinois.”

The New Jersey resident reacted with dismay, wondering why anyone would want to run for office in our corrupt state.

“When the people of New Jersey are questioning the ethics of Illinois, (we’re in trouble).”

Then, a very bright light put up by YR President Bryan Javor went out.

Jason Plummer's expression after the bright light went out at 1776, plunging the room into relative darkness.

Then came the best quip of the night:

“Is that what you do at one minute?”

I’m still chuckling.

Tell me that Plummer won’t remember last night for the rest of his life.

In that last minute, Plummer listed some endorsements. I caught the Illinois State Rifle Association and the Illinois Federation of Right to Life.

Lientenant governor candidate Jason Plummer posing at 1776 in Crystal Lake with his campaign manager, Ray Marchiori.

Afterward I got a photo of Plummer with his campaign manager, Ray Marachiori. Marachiori staffed my Privatization Committee during the 1995-96 legislative session.

Plummer stayed until the end of the meeting. I guess he figured everybody in the room would vote in the GOP primary election.

I noticed 6th District county board candidate carrying one of Plummer’s signs out of the restaurant.

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If this story interested you, this might, too:

“Jason Plummer calling“

“Cal Skinner speaking.”

“Jason Plummer calling” or something like that was the way the robo-call started.

Plummer explained quickly that he was running for lieutenant governor. I don’t think he mentioned it was in the Republican primary, but he may have.

He said he would use the office as “a bully pulpit.”

Considering the main job is sitting around waiting for the governor to have an accident or, now, get impeached, that’s probably as good an idea of what to do as any.

Plummer, I discovered, is from the Metro East area. The last lieutenant governor from that part of Illinois was Dave O’Neal.

O’Neal, St. Clair County Sheriff when elected, was nominated in 1976 when Jim Thompson first won.

I flew into Scott Air Force Base with him once. I think it was in 1980 when I was running for State Comptroller. I piggy backed on one of his campaign flights. Such a small plane for such a large runway.

O’Neal quit in 1981 because he got so bored.  In 1981 he lost to fellow Downstater Alan Dixon in 1980.

Plummer also told me he was the only candidate in this race who really gets it.”

His campaign web site says as a University of Illinois student he led the fight against using tax dollars to pay Bill Ayers (of Weather Underground fame then and, now, known as one of the first supporters of Barack Obama for state senate) to speak.

Looking at the photos rotating on is web site, I’d say it looks like a Downstate legislative candidate’s web presence. He’s got the farm photos, the warehouse photo, the home building picture, but there’s nothing from the suburbs or Chicago.

OK. he can skip Chicago.

But he needs to add some photos of him on a busy suburban street. The five lanes of Route 14 in Crystal Lake would be a perfect setting. No need to come at rush hour. It’s congested most of the time.

And, maybe add a photo talking to a mom next to a hill where her kids are sledding with a subdivision in the background.

The young man works for the family lumber company, as well as providing “broadband access to several counties in downstate Illinois,” his web site says.

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More recent articles about state government here.