McHenry County Blog

Thanks to the Northwest Herald for assigning Kevin Craver to cover the county board.

He writes today of the Finance Committee’s recommendation that the McHenry County Board vote to borrow $60 million on the Federal “come.”

All members voted to give themselves power to spend the $60 million.

Marc Munaretto is chairman of the Finance Committee, Lyn Orphal is vice chairman and the following are members:

Scott Breeden, John Hammerand, Tina Hill, Daniel P. Ryan, Mary Donner

Former McHenry County College Board member and bond counsel Tim Stratton told the committee that they is going to be “wide availability.”

President Barack Obama’s stimulus package is providing a stream of income (from borrowed billions need not be noted).

Guess the banks that got the billions still aren’t loaning to small business folks. I talked to a couple of CitiBank clients who had had their lines of credit cut, which would lead one to believe that the President’s plan is not working to these businessmen’s satisfaction.

First, McHenry County is going to become a “recovery zone.”

The county board just needs to pass a resolution.

The bonds will be highly taxed favored, won’t be counted against the county’s debt limit and, hey, we county taxpayers don’t have to worry if anyone defaults.

And, we Federal taxpayers, well, this is the year to switch your 401(k) retirement savings into a Roth IRA. (Of course, you’ll have to pay taxes on the money, but the tax rate has to be higher than it will be after the Democrats and President hike them to pay back the trillions they are borrowing.)

If you haven’t figured out I think this is a bad idea, you might want to read

The $60 million has to be out the door by the end of next year.

Although the Finance Committee will screen the public and business applicants, Munaretto said,

Maybe, but the committee surely sounds like the bankers who will make the decisions.

I hope they put in the contracts that no recipient, their officers or straw man or woman is allowed to make campaign contributions to themselves or anyone they hint could “use some help.”

The McHenry County Mental Health Board and the McHenry County Economic Development Corporation appeared in support of borrowing the money.

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Click to enlarge the 1934 Chicago Tribune cartoon.

“Traditional” might be the best way to describe literature being rolled out by the Algonquin Township candidates at the Crystal Lake Expo this weekend.

It’s pretty much a straight name ID piece with a group photo of all the candidates on the front and head shots and names on the back.

No reason offered to vote for the candidates unless the words

• Experience
• Integrity
  
• Dedication

and the phrase

Local Government Service at the Lowest Possible Cost

motivates you to vote Republican.

Two of the candidates, Linda Lance and Lowell Cutsforth were manning the Algonquin Township Republican Central Committee’s booth at the Crystal Lake Expo.

Each of them had signs.

The other two candidates, Joe Powalowski and Neils Sorensen, did not.

All are incumbent Algonquin Township Trustees.

Click to enlarge the images.

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For those of you who don’t know much about townships, they perform three basic functions: assessing, road maintenance in unincorporated areas and hand out local welfare, called General Assistance. Crystal Lake is in four townships. The two major ones are Algonquin and Nunda. The horizontal dividing line is Crystal Lake Avenue. The western part of Crystal Lake (west of our home in Lakewood on Meridian Street, in fact, is Grafton Township. The far Northwestern corner is in Woodstock-dominated Dorr Township.)

The red ink keeps oozing out, according to a Daily Herald article by the Daily Herald’s Chuck Keeshan

Finance Committee Chairman Marc Munaretto talks of “good structural changes” since Cary-based Revere Healthcare was hired in October 2007 to managed the Valley Hi nursing home.

But it still lost $183,000 a month.

$2.2 million in 2008.

Revere predicts the facility will never stop bleeding.

Improvement is hard to notice. The Northwest Herald headline below shows a $2 million loss in 2006.

Perhaps last year’s loss is a lower percentage of the nursing home’s budget.

McHenry County Administrator Peter Austin said the loss would have been more without Revere’s management.

The county makes up the difference from a referendum passed tax, which collects $6 million a year.

The red ink keeps oozing out, according to a Daily Herald article by the Daily Herald’s Chuck Keeshan

Finance Committee Chairman Marc Munaretto talks of “good structural changes” since Cary-based Revere Healthcare was hired in October 2007 to managed the Valley Hi nursing home.

But it still lost $183,000 a month.

$2.2 million in 2008.

Revere predicts the facility will never stop bleeding.

Improvement is hard to notice. The Northwest Herald headline below shows a $2 million loss in 2006.

Perhaps last year’s loss is a lower percentage of the nursing home’s budget.

McHenry County Administrator Peter Austin said the loss would have been more without Revere’s management.

The county makes up the difference from a referendum passed tax, which collects $6 million a year.

Raising $5,743 for his re-election campaign to the McHenry County Board, Algonquin’s Marc Munaretto spent about $1,000 less.

Contributors included

• $500 – Alliance Contractors, Woodstock
• $500 – Zanck, Coen & Wright, Crystal Lake
• $200 – Dan Shea, Fox River Grove
• $500 – RFP Photography, McHenry
• $350 – Ottesen, Britz Keith et al, Wheaton
• $200 – Lamar Cos., Janesville, Wis.
• $250 – Civiltek Engineering, Crystal Lake
• $250 – Madsen, Sugden, Gottemoller, Crystal Lake
• $993 – M. J. Munaretto & Co., Inc., Crystal Lake
• $500 – Realtors Political Action Committee, Springfield
• $500 – Grant Shumway, http://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2007/10/who-says-expert-cant-be-from-home.html Algonquin
• $400 – Liberty Outdoor Advertising (in-kind contribution of advertising)

Expenditures include

• $3,576 – CLGraphics for printing and mailing
• $180 – Verity Three, McHenry, web hosting

Munaretto has $1,843 left as of the first of the year.

Raising $5,743 for his re-election campaign to the McHenry County Board, Algonquin’s Marc Munaretto spent about $1,000 less.

Contributors included

• $500 – Alliance Contractors, Woodstock
• $500 – Zanck, Coen & Wright, Crystal Lake
• $200 – Dan Shea, Fox River Grove
• $500 – RFP Photography, McHenry
• $350 – Ottesen, Britz Keith et al, Wheaton
• $200 – Lamar Cos., Janesville, Wis.
• $250 – Civiltek Engineering, Crystal Lake
• $250 – Madsen, Sugden, Gottemoller, Crystal Lake
• $993 – M. J. Munaretto & Co., Inc., Crystal Lake
• $500 – Realtors Political Action Committee, Springfield
• $500 – Grant Shumway, http://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2007/10/who-says-expert-cant-be-from-home.html Algonquin
• $400 – Liberty Outdoor Advertising (in-kind contribution of advertising)

Expenditures include

• $3,576 – CLGraphics for printing and mailing
• $180 – Verity Three, McHenry, web hosting

Munaretto has $1,843 left as of the first of the year.

I had heard the rumor that McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler had told those thinking of voting against him that such action would result in their not getting a chairmanship.

If true, Koehler, re-elected in early December over challengers Barb Wheeler (whom you see at the left being hugged by Koehler after he beat her) and Marc Munaretto, did not apply that guideline uniformly.

Otherwise, Marc Munaretto would not have been re-appointed Chairman of the Finance Committee.

He was the only exception, however.

Challenger Wheeler was stripped of her Planning and Development Committee chairmanship and even denied a vice chairmanship, usually a pretty meaningless position.

First term Lake in the Hills Democrat Jim Kennedy, who voted for Koehler, on the other hand, landed two vice chairmanships:

• Law and Justice and
• Liquor & License

Let’s see what happened to those who voted for candidates other than Koehler.

Republicans voting for Barb Wheeler:

Sue Daffkorn – District 4
Virginia Peschke – District 5
Dan Ryan – District 6
Sandra Salgado – District 4
Barb Wheeler – District 3

Like Wheeler, Sue Draffkorn ended up as neither a committee chairman or vice chairman.

Long-time member Virginia Peschke, who was chairman of the Public Health Committee and who previously ran against Koehler, ended up a complete backbencher.

Dan Ryan was not selected to be neither a chairman nor a vice chairman.

Sandra Salgado also didn’t place in the chairman, vice chairman derby.

Freshman Democrat Kathy Bergan Schmidt, who also supported Wheeler, had to settle for being an ordinary committee member like the rest of Wheeler’s supporters.

Randy Donley, who supported Munaretto, also finished out of the money, so to speak.

“Reward your friends, punish your enemies” is old political advice.

Koehler seems to have followed that advice, except for Munaretto.

Maybe Koehler concluded that his political coalition didn’t have anyone as qualified as Munaretto to head the Finance Committee.

I had heard the rumor that McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler had told those thinking of voting against him that such action would result in their not getting a chairmanship.

If true, Koehler, re-elected in early December over challengers Barb Wheeler (whom you see at the left being hugged by Koehler after he beat her) and Marc Munaretto, did not apply that guideline uniformly.

Otherwise, Marc Munaretto would not have been re-appointed Chairman of the Finance Committee.

He was the only exception, however.

Challenger Wheeler was stripped of her Planning and Development Committee chairmanship and even denied a vice chairmanship, usually a pretty meaningless position.

First term Lake in the Hills Democrat Jim Kennedy, who voted for Koehler, on the other hand, landed two vice chairmanships:

• Law and Justice and
• Liquor & License

Let’s see what happened to those who voted for candidates other than Koehler.

Republicans voting for Barb Wheeler:

Sue Daffkorn – District 4
Virginia Peschke – District 5
Dan Ryan – District 6
Sandra Salgado – District 4
Barb Wheeler – District 3

Like Wheeler, Sue Draffkorn ended up as neither a committee chairman or vice chairman.

Long-time member Virginia Peschke, who was chairman of the Public Health Committee and who previously ran against Koehler, ended up a complete backbencher.

Dan Ryan was not selected to be neither a chairman nor a vice chairman.

Sandra Salgado also didn’t place in the chairman, vice chairman derby.

Freshman Democrat Kathy Bergan Schmidt, who also supported Wheeler, had to settle for being an ordinary committee member like the rest of Wheeler’s supporters.

Randy Donley, who supported Munaretto, also finished out of the money, so to speak.

“Reward your friends, punish your enemies” is old political advice.

Koehler seems to have followed that advice, except for Munaretto.

Maybe Koehler concluded that his political coalition didn’t have anyone as qualified as Munaretto to head the Finance Committee.

Algonquin Township Clerk Marc Munaretto sent me the results of the lottery for ballot position for township trustee.

Here are the results:

1.    Mark Guerra

2.    Nels Sorensen

3.    Linda Lance

4.    Lowell Cutsforth

5.    Joe Powalowski

It was a foregone conclusion that appointed incumbent Powalowski would be last because he did not file on the first day, as did the others.

That meant he did not qualify for the lottery for first place.

The irony is that newcomer Guerra drew the first spot over the three elected incumbents.

Word on the street is that pressure was put on Guerra to withdraw and now he has the best spot on the ballot.

That’s ironic.

And helpful.

I read a study in graduate school at the University of Michigan that examined ballot order. It concluded that in races of 6-7 or more, first place was worth an extra 10% with second and last place worth an extra 5%. Worst place on the ballot was next to last.

Of course, this race has only five contenders.

There is no contest for the Supervisor, Assessor, Road Commissioner and Clerk.

Algonquin Township Clerk Marc Munaretto sent me the results of the lottery for ballot position for township trustee.

Here are the results:

1.    Mark Guerra

2.    Nels Sorensen

3.    Linda Lance

4.    Lowell Cutsforth

5.    Joe Powalowski

It was a foregone conclusion that appointed incumbent Powalowski would be last because he did not file on the first day, as did the others.

That meant he did not qualify for the lottery for first place.

The irony is that newcomer Guerra drew the first spot over the three elected incumbents.

Word on the street is that pressure was put on Guerra to withdraw and now he has the best spot on the ballot.

That’s ironic.

And helpful.

I read a study in graduate school at the University of Michigan that examined ballot order. It concluded that in races of 6-7 or more, first place was worth an extra 10% with second and last place worth an extra 5%. Worst place on the ballot was next to last.

Of course, this race has only five contenders.

There is no contest for the Supervisor, Assessor, Road Commissioner and Clerk.