McHenry County Blog

Kent Gaffney being sworn in in Judge Martin Zopp's Woodstock courtroom.

Lake Barrington resident Kent Gaffney was sworn in as Mark Beaubien’s replacement in Judge Marty Zopp’s Woodstock courtroom this 4th of July morning.

Judge Marty Zopp shakes hands with newly-sworn in State Representative Kent Gaffney.

After the swearing in ceremony, new state representatives have to sign the oath to which they have sworn.

Kent Gaffney signs the oath to which he has sworn.

The former Budget Director for House Minority Leader Tom Cross was surrounded by his wife and two little boys.

A beaming State Rep. Kent Gaffney gets a kiss from his wife, while their boys probably wonder what is going on.

A bevy of local politicians were in the audience.

State Rep. Kent Gaffney gives his first speech.

Here are the politicians I recognize in the audience:

• State Rep. and McHenry County Party Chairman Mike Tryon, who engineered Gaffney’s appointment
• State Senator Pam Althoff
• Woodstock Mayor Brian Sager
• Algonquin Township Road Commissioner Bob Miller
• McHenry County Board member Anna May Miller

Cameras were apparently allowed in the sacrosanct courthouse because the photos you see were sent by Robin F. Pendergrast Photography, Inc.

Guess I didn’t read Eric Peterson’s Daily Herald article about Kent Gaffney’s replacing State Rep. Mark Beaubien carefully enough.

In my article on the House Appropriations Committee Budget Director’s advancement from staff member to state legislator, I missed the apparent fact that he is a social moderate.

Kent Gaffney

The Daily Herald reports Gaffney “does believe government should stay out of what ought to be citizens’ personal choices about their lives.”
Beabien’s wife Dee said Kent was “a moderate like Mark.” The reported said Beaubien believed “some in the Lake County Republican contingent were hoping for someone more conservative on social issues.’

Beaubian was a consistent opponent of restrictions on abortion and voted for the civil union bill that just became effective June 1st.

In McHenry County, about twenty-five couples filed civil union paperwork with the McHenry County Clerk in June.

The article also says Gaffney moved from Springfield, where he was born, “only a few years ago.”

Although the vote among the three pro-life Republican Party leaders was not taken in public, it was McHenry County Republican Chairman and State Rep. Mike Tryon’s almost 50% vote combined with the tiny weighted vote of Barrington Township and 8th Congressional District State Central Committeeman Gene Dawson that created the necessary majority to appoint Gaffney.

Assuming that Gaffney is as pro-choice as Beaubien was, he will have the support of Personal PAC. Personal PAC specializes in hiring phone banks to call every woman in a legislative district asking if they are “pro-choice.” Turning out that “base” consists of the guts of the political action committee’s campaign.

That strategy can work in suburban districts when more than two social conservatives run for the same legislative office.

I speculated early on that a female pro-choice candidate from Crystal Lake could win the primary election to replace Beaubien.

Besides having the support of Personal PAC, she would, of course, have had the five percentage point advantage. Research over my political career has led me to believe that a woman has a five percentage point advantage over a man in the Northwest suburbs.

Gaffney, of course, will not have that advantage.

Kent Gaffney

In a stunning decision, the committee of Republican Party leaders charged by law with selecting a replacement for State Rep. Mark Beaubien have selected the head of House Republican Leader Tom Cross’ Appropriations Committee staff.

The choice is Lake County resident Kent Gaffney.

Gaffney, who lives in a gated subdivision called Tall Grass in Lake Barrington, beat out the likes of

• Bonnie Carter, a Lake County Board member
• Michael Carbone, Grayslake School District 46 board member
• Karen Darch, Barrington Village President
• John Dawson, who ran in the 2010 8th Congressional District GOP primary
• Chris Geissler, who ran in the 2010 8th Congressional District GOP primary
• Robert Hanaford, former village board member in Fox River Grove
• Nick Sauer, Barrington School District 220 School Board member
• Glenda Swanson, head of Wauconda Township Republicans

Probably others as well, who did not make it to my radar screen.

My political instincts tell me Gaffney will have a primary challenge.

To the best of my knowledge, there was no McHenry County applicant for the post despite about 60% of the voters in the newly-configured district being from McHenry County.

There were those with McHenry Country connections, however.  Bob Hanaford served as Fox River Grove Village Trustee.  I understand that Chris Geissler graduated from Cary-Grove High School.

The Daily Herald, which seems to have been given the scoop on this story, reports that Dee Beaubien, the late Representative’s wife, approves of the choice.  Beaubien used to be the budget point guy for Cross.  (Interestingly, the Daily Herald is not listing the article on its McHenry County page.)

The selection was made a Doc’s Bar and Grill in Wauconda on Thursday night.

Word is that Lake County Republican Bob Cook did not support the selection of Gaffney, but is saying nice things in the Daily Herald article.

“I’m disappointed. In typical Illinois fashion, the job went to a political insider,” State Senator Dan Duffy, half of whose district is Gaffney’s 51st, observed.  “If the Republican Party would ever like to be relevant in Illinois, their leaders must start making better decisions.”

McHenry County Republican Party Chairman Mike Tryon could not be reached for comment.

Gaffney’s press release is below:

Gaffney Named to Succeed Beaubien as State Rep.

Barrington, IL….On Thursday night the 52nd Republican Representatives Committee elected Kent Gaffney of Lake Barrington to fill the vacancy for State Representative of the 52nd District left by the sudden death of Mark Beaubien Jr. earlier this month.

Kent Gaffney

“I am deeply humbled by the Committee’s election of me to the late Rep. Mark Beaubien’s seat. I worked closely with Mark in both his district office and in Springfield in my position on the House Republican staff as Budget Director,” said Gaffney. “I learned a great deal from Mark over the years and will always be grateful to him and his wife, Dee, for their friendship.”

“I am excited about the new challenge and am anxious to continue meeting with local leaders and residents of the 52nd district to hear your suggestions and concerns,” said Gaffney. “

“It is truly an honor to have been selected to follow in the footsteps of my friend, Mark Beaubien. And you can be assured that I will work very hard to represent our families and our communities in Springfield ,” Gaffney concluded.

Kent and his wife Elizabeth have been married 13 years. Together, they are raising two sons in Lake Barrington . Gaffney has work on the House Republican staff for over a decade as Budget Director.

State Rep. Mike Tryon, chairman of the McHenry County Republican Central Committee, and Lake County Chairman Bob Cook are met at the Lake County Republican Federation offices in Libertyville Thursday night concerning a replacement for State Rep. Mark

Applicant names I have been able to pick up who are interested follow:

• Bonnie Carter, a Lake County Board member
• Michael Carbone, Grayslake School District 46 board member
• Karen Darch, Barrington Village President
• John Dawson, who ran in the 2010 8th Congressional District GOP primary
• Kent Gaffney, who appears to be the House Approp Committee Director
• Chris Geissler, who ran in the 2010 8th Congressional District GOP primary
• Robert Hanaford, former village board member in Fox River Grove
• Nick Sauer, Barrington School District 220 School Board member
• Glenda Swanson, head of Wauconda Township Republicans

It is certainly not beyond the realm of possibility that Dee Beaubien may be interested. And it is not unheard of for widows to serve out their husbands’ terms.

52nd District State Representative Map from 2002 through 2010 election. Click to enlarge. Map by Elgin-based political consultant Drew Veeneman.

If you live in the current 52nd state representative seat in which Mark Beaubien served and are interested in serving out the remainder of his term, applications will be taken by the three men who will make the choice.

Mark Beaubien

They are

• Lake County Republican Central Committee Chairman Bob Cook
• McHenry County publican Central Committee Chairman Mike Tryon
• Barrington Township Republican Committeeman Gene Dawson

On at least the Lake County and McHenry County GOP web sites a place will be found to make such an application.

The three will try to reach a consensus, according to Tryon, but in the event they cannot, the voting strength is such that Dawson will be the tie-breaker if Tryon and Cook disagree.

McHenry County has 45% of the fall ballots, which is what is used to apportion appointment power.  Lake County has 48%, while Barrington Township has the remaining 7%.

So, what are the Republican leaders looking for?

The law requires the person selected be in the current 52nd state rep. district.

If the person selected does not live in the new district, he or she must be willing to move there should they win the GOP primary next spring.

52nd District map prepared by Elgin-based political consultant Drew Veeneman. Click to enlarge.

The ideal candidate will have a commitment to the Republican Party and “Republican movement,” Tryon told me.

The person must be able to raise money and fund campaigns.

The person must currently hold elective office, have done so in the past or “held community service positions equivalent to having held elective office,” again quoting the McHenry County Republican Chairman.

The person selected must successfully complete a background check.

Demonstration of an adequate knowledge of issues facing Illinois is required, as is the ability to communicate them.

Finally, the leaders seek an ability to work with legislators, community leaders and party officials.

Tryon noted that the new 52nd District in comprised of 60% McHenry County votes, 30% Lake County and the rest in Cook and Kane Counties.  He expects most of the growth in the next ten years to come from outside of McHenry County.

= = = = =
Tomorrow I’ll reveal name of those who have already made contact, plus one that might. If you would like to make sure you’re name is on the list, email McHenry County Blog.

These flags in Woodstock were lowered to honor State Rep. Mark Beaubien.

The flags at the Administrative Center of McHenry County are flying at half staff in memory of the late State Rep. Mark Beaubien.

His wake was Thursday in Crystal Lake. The parking lot at the Davenport Funeral Home was packed over capacity.

Beaubien’s funeral service will be Friday, 10:30 A.M. at St. Anne’s, 120 Ela (at the corner of Franklin) in Barrington.

His obituary can be found here.

I’ve written previously that McHenry County will gain congressional clout because those of us who live in Algonquin Township will be represented by U.S. Representative Peter Roskam, assuming no court challenge is successful.

Recently I’ve been thinking how McHenry County has four state representative districts, one in whole and three in parts.

What Mike Madigan’s staff would probably consider the power center for the Republican Party in McHenry County, Crystal Lake, was split four ways. Jack Franks’ continues to have a small portion of northwestern Crystal Lake. The other three districts meet in the middle of Crystal Lake.

McHenry County Board member Donna Kurtz lives one block west of the north-south street at the northwestern edge of the new 52nd State Rep. district. The cut line has been corrected because of the sharp eyes of a reader-editor. Kurtz, then does not live in Beaubien's 52nd District, but such residence is not a requirement for candidacy in reapportionment years.

With 308,760 people counted by U.S. Census takers, McHenry County deserves almost three full state rep. districts.

Mike Madigan gave Jack Franks one of them.

A vacant district running north from the Crystal Lake Country Club to Antioch is clearly dominated by McHenry County voters.

Mike Tryon got 67% (percentage of GOP primary votes in McHenry County) of one that goes deeply into Kane County.

And Mark Beaubien’s 52nd district contains a chunk of Crystal Lake, Algonquin, Cary and Fox River Grove.

Obviously Beaubien did not live in McHenry County. His home was in southwestern Lake County. No one doubted that he win re-election.

But now his seat is unoccupied.

I think it is likely that McHenry County will end up with four resident state representatives.

Madigan could have arranged for us to have three, but his map has set the stage for us to get four.

A map of the new 52nd State Representative District.

Names are surfacing for the 52nd District.

While I have heard several from McHenry County, it is my opinion that McHenry County Board member Donna Kurtz is most likely to be able to win the primary election.

Donna Kurtz

As I have mentioned previously, she is a social liberal. She was one of very few county board members endorsed by Personal PAC.

From personal experience, I know how effective Personal PAC can be. It took the pro-abortion group three elections to defeat me, but defeat me they did.  With Rosemary Kurtz.

If Donna Kurtz runs and she is the only pro-choice candidate, I would be willing to give odds that she would beat a multi-candidate group of conservative, pro-life candidates.

And, that’s what I think will happen.

People who want to be candidates are not shrinking violets.

They think they can win, regardless of what dispassionate outsiders might discern.  And candidates from the Barrington area will be able to raise sufficient money to hire campaign consultants who, wanting a pay check, will convince them they can win.

“Look at Joe Walsh,” they will tell prospective clients.  “He’s pro-life.”

There was only one pro-choice candidate in that race, however.  He was not well-financed.

The difference is that Personal PAC already had a candidate for Congress in the 8th District.

Melissa Bean.

So, the political action committee did not get involved in the GOP primary election in the 8th congressional district.

This is two-thirds of the inside of a pamphlet attacking Dan Duffy. Along the bottom is the admonition to "VOTE NO ON DAN DUFFY."

From the above mailing against State Senator Dan Duffy, you can see that Personal PAC has no compunction about lying.  The favored candidate’s finger prints won’t be on such pieces.

Independent expenditures, don’t you know.

Mailers like this come at the last minute, of course.

Personal PAC will also pay a calling center to identify early on every woman who is willing to say she is “pro-choice” and use that data base to drive those voters to the polls, using the kind of vicious campaign that Duffy saw two years ago. (Duffy won, but it was a one-on-one race, not a one-on-five race.)

Pro-lifers have not been able to marshal the money for a similar voter identification effort for even one state rep. district in Illinois.

Tom Morrison

There is no pro-life counterbalance to Personal PAC.

It’s not that Personal PAC cannot be beaten.

Tom Morrison beat one of their favorites–Suzi Bassi–in the Palatine are last spring. As an incumbent, she didn’t have the advantage of having more than conservative opponent to split the vote.

Kurtz will.

No one can convince me that the 52rd district is not at least 25%, maybe 30%, pro-choice. Maybe more.

Divide 100% by 6 candidates and you tell me what percentage is required to win.

The Davenport Funeral Home on Route 176 in Crystal Lake east of Route 31 is where visitation for State Rep. Mark Beaubien will be held Thursday.

Visitation will be Thursday, June 9, from 1:00 -9:00 p.m. at the Davenport Family Funeral Home, 419 East Terra Cotta, Crystal Lake.

Funeral Mass will be Friday, 10:30 a.m. at St. Anne’s, 120 Ela (at the corner of Franklin) in Barrington.

Beaubien’s obituary follows:

Mark Beaubien, State Representative 52nd District
October 30, 1942 – June 05, 2011
Barrington Hills

State Representative Mark Beaubien Jr., 68, of Barrington Hills, died suddenly on Sunday, June 5, 2011. He was born October 30, 1942 in Waukegan. He married Dee Prola Beaubien on August 15, 1964 in Springfield, Illinois. Together they raised two sons and have five grandchildren. Dee was his wife for 47 years, his best friend of over 50 and the source of much of his inspiration.

Rep. Beaubien was an Assistant Republican Leader, serving as State Representative since his appointment on October 22, 1996 to fill a vacancy. He was subsequently re-elected to six additional two-year terms.

Prior to becoming a lawmaker, Rep. Beaubien served as a member of the Lake County Board from 1992-96 during which time he also served as Cuba Township Supervisor. Rep. Beaubien enjoyed a successful career in both law and banking, quickly emerging as a community leader through his professional experience and civic involvement.

Rep. Beaubien’s expertise in law and finance proved a tremendous asset as the House Republicans’ chief budget negotiator. In this role, Rep. Beaubien became a leading advocate for fiscal responsibility.

The 2007 Nunda Township Republican Picnic brought State Rep. Mark Beaubien and State Sen. Bill Brady to Crystal Lake.

In the General Assembly, Rep. Beaubien had many accomplishments, too many to list here, but some of his proudest moments included spearheading initiatives to make seatbelt enforcement a primary reason for law enforcement to stop a vehicle, voting with his convictions in support of the recent Civil Union Bill, passing a bill that provided Municipal Pension Reform, leading the charge to save Round Lake Schools and playing an active role in the Sportsman’s Caucus and issues related to hunting and other open space issues.

Rep. Beaubien was a confident man who refused to limit his ideals to those of his generation, embracing the timeless values of honor, respect, loyalty and integrity while rejecting its occasional intolerance and prejudice.

He knew instinctively that these fundamental rights that he both cherished and demanded were meaningless unless they were enjoyed by all men and women.

This principled leadership made it easy for him to support issues and causes that were unpopular within his party including the fundamental rights of women and the gay community.

Rep. Beaubien’s easy wit, quick smile and unpretentious wisdom made him well liked by even those with whom he disagreed. His was an intelligence without narcissism and his popularity was enhanced by the fact that he did not seek it. If asked why he was one of the few Republican supporters of the Civil Union Bill, he would respond with humility and simplicity that it was simply time and we should all “live our own lives and speak our own truths.”

His legacy is in his convictions and values.

Representative Beaubien was dedicated to community service throughout his life. His civic activities over the years included involvement with

• the Northwestern University Committee on Athletics and Recreation (1988-1992),
• the Board of Directors of Buehler YMCA in Palatine, (1971-1993),
• the Board of Directors at Northwest Community Hospital (1978-1991),
• a Member of the John Evans Club of Northwestern University (1988-Present),
• the Barrington Area Community Center Task Force (1993-1995),
• the Barrington Area Seniors Task Force (1994-1997),
• the Founders’ Committee of the Ela Area YMCA (1994-1997), and
• a member of the Lake County and Illinois State Bar Associations.

Rep. Beaubien received his B.A. degree from Northwestern University in 1964 and his Juris Doctorate from the Northwestern University School of Law in 1967.

Left to cherish his memory are his wife of 47 years, Dee, sons, Mark and Bob and spouses Kelly and Mary, grandchildren Annie, Bobby, Ella, Marco and Luciana.

While political thoughts of who from McHenry County might replace State Rep. Mark Beaubien (R-Barrington Hills) after the 2012 election first occupied my mind, someone has to fill the seat until the next legislator is elected.  That is from soon until the 2012 victor takes office.

The person selected to fill out State Rep. Mark Beaubien's term must live in his current 52nd district.

He or she will have to live in the Beaubien’s current district, the one going out of existence when the 2012 state representatives and senators take office.

Mark Beaubien's unopposed primary election results in 2010.

2010 general election results when Mark Beaubien ran unopposed.

I can’t remember whether the weighted vote among Downstate county chairman (read Lake and McHenry Counties) and the Barrington Township Republican Committeeman is from the primary election or the general election.  [Since I posted this article, I have verified with the State Board of Elections that the primary votes are the ones used.]

But, it turns out, that makes no difference in Beaubien’s  52nd District.

Lake County had the most votes for both the 2010 primary and general elections, out polling McHenry County by less than 1,000 votes.

But, McHenry County, plus Barrington Township, had more votes.  If combined, they could outvote Lake County.

Of course, the county chairmen might pick a consensus candidate, someone like 8th Congressional District State Central and Barrington Township Committeeman Gene Dawson, assuming he currently lives in the 52nd District.  He could be a place holder or run for a full term in the new district.  When Winnebago County GOP Chairman Jim Kelly appointed himself, however, there was an uproar and he lost the next primary election.  The future 52nd District map is below:

The 2012 52nd state representative district.

In addition, it occurs to me that when Tim Osmond, the last Lake County state rep. died, was JoAnne Osmond. Beaubien’s wife Dee is quite interested in the political process.

Another woman on the opposite side of social issues is retiring McHenry County Board member Barb Wheeler. She lives in the 52nd District now, but, if she ran for the office and won, would have to move to become a resident of the new district. Wheeler is former State Rep. Al Salvi’s sister. Salvi was the state representative whom Beaubien replaced when he ran for U.S. Senate against Dick Durbin.

Mark and his wife Dee attended the Republican Play Day in McHenry last year.

When I last saw Republican State Rep. Mark Beaubien of Barrington Hills he was headed to a Republican caucus the day Illinois Democrats unveiled the reapportionment map that Governor Pat Quinn just signed.

He did not look well but he was smiling broadly.

We shook hands, exchanged some small talk and it was off to work for him.  It was upstairs to a senator’s office to get copies of the map for me.

Word has just been received that he passed away today.  He was attending the House of Representatives Annual Fund Raiser at Arlington Park Racecourse when he collapsed.

As I remember we are about the same age.

Those riding in the back seats of automobiles will have to wear seat belts once Mark Beaubien's bill is signed.

Beaubien was part of the group led by Tom Cross that took control of Illinois House Republicans from long-time Leader Lee Daniels.  Beaubien ended up the top budget guy.

This year he was absent a good deal of the session.

Nevertheless, he was the House sponsor of a bill to require back seat riders to wear seat belts.

Those of us with political minds immediately think of the political ramifications.

What came to my mind was that McHenry County Board member Donna Kurtz lives on the east side of Walkup Avenue, which is the boundary of Beaubien’s new district.

Beaubien and Kurtz are ideologically similar.  Both are fiscal conservatives and social liberals.  Krutz’ mother, Rosemary, served two terms in the Illinois House after beating me in the 2000 GOP primary election.