McHenry County Blog

Folks are announcing Election Night parties.

State Senator Dan Duffy will be hanging out in Barrington.

Senator Duffy’s Election Night Party

Dan Duffy

Chessies / 111 Grille
200 Applebee Street
Barrington, IL 60010
Ph: 847-382-5020

When polls close – 7pm to ???

There will be plenty of complimentary food, beer, wine, pop and excitement! Come on by and join us as we watch the election results roll in for local, state and federal races. Bring your family and friends.

Help us CELEBRATE VICTORY for our campaign and many other key Republican races throughout the state and country – including the Presidential race!

I look forward to seeing you at Chessies on Tuesday – November 6th!

Dan

The McHenry County Republican Party will be watching election returns at its campaign headquarters in the Crystal Lake Plaza down from Joseph’s Market.

Election Night Celebration

The biggest election night crowd will probably be at the McHenry County Republican Party Campaign Headquarters. That’s where people watched one of the debates.

Election night celebration will be held at our Crystal Lake Campaign Office, 22 Crystal Lake Plaza (few doors away from Joseph’s Grocery) beginning at 7:00 pm until ?????

Light refreshments will be served and we will have election results as they come in. Come and join your Republican friends for an evening of relaxation and enjoyment that all of our hard work paid off.

Geri Davis
Executive Director
McHenry County Republican Central Committee

The location of Buddy’z Pizza in McHenry.

Democrats Will Be at Buddy’z Pizzari in McHenry

Demcoratic Party Chairman Mike Bissett advises, “We are going to be at Buddyz Pizzeria in McHenry, 7:30 p.m.”

The pizza place is located near McHenry East High School.

And, in Algonquin, Citizens for [Kane County Board member] Maggie Auger has a party at Niko’s Lodge. It is the former Barley House in Algonquin Commons.

ELECTION NIGHT COUNTDOWN

Maggie Auger

JOIN CITIZENS FOR MAGGIE AUGER as we await the election results for Kane County Board Dist. #23 and other Republican Candidates including Gov. Romney.

 Where: Nikos Lodge (Algonquin Commons)
1520 S. Randall Rd.
Algonquin, IL 60102

When:  Tuesday,  November 6. 2012
7:30 pm – 10:00 pm

Please RSVP to maggie@maggieauger.com

Appetizers will be served.  Cash Bar.

One of the problems that State Rep. Jack Franks has with passing his pet referendum is that he does not have a unified Democratic Party behind him.

Take, for example, Paula Yensen, the wife of the McHenry County Democratic Party Chairman, Mike Bissett.

Or Cathy Bergan Schmidt, the other incumbent Democratic Party County Board member.

At the County Board debates, the only Democrats I remember endorsing the proposal were District 4 candidate Mary Margaret Maule and District 6 candidate Ryan Heuser.

And after the debate, I saw this woman with a bunch of “Vote No” signs under her arm.

After the debate Wednesday, this Democrat had “Vote No” signs under one arm.

As she turned around, I saw “Anderson for Congress” signs under the other arm.

Under the Cary woman’s other arm were signs in support of Democratic Party candidate for Congress Dennis Anderson. I guess she lives in Nunda Township, because the Algonquin Township part of Cary does not have Anderson on its ballot. Note that she is wearing an Obama button on her lapel.

I asked where she lived and discovered it was rural Cary.

A press release from the McHenry County Democratic Party:

Democratic Candidates to Speak at Old Fashion Torchlight Rally in Woodstock

The Gazebo on the Woodstock Square will be packed with Democratic Party politicians Thursday night.

Woodstock—Dennis Anderson, Congressional candidate in the 14th District and Amanda Howland, State Senate candidate in the 24th District are just some of a parade of Democratic Party hopefuls who will take to the stump in the Gazebo on Woodstock Square Thursday evening at 6:30 for an old fashion torchlight rally.

The program will feature an all too rare opportunity to hear directly from candidates for Congress, the state legislature, and the McHenry County Board.

“Stark lines have been drawn between our two parties from the race for the White House on down as never before,” according to event coordinator and program moderator Patrick Murfin.

“Democrats on all levels represent fundamental American values of fairness, compassion, equality, and above all, common sense. Republicans have marginalized themselves on the fringe. People in McHenry Country are paying attention and old habits are being broken.”

People are encouraged to bring flashlights, to illuminate the torchlight rally.

Several candidates will also be setting up tables with literature and have yard signs available.

The program is sponsored by the Democratic Party of McHenry County and is free to the public.

Mike Bisset at a campaign seminar in Woodstock,

Having done a couple of articles about people that McHenry County Republican Party Chairman Mike Tryon has appointed where no one ran for the office of Precinct Committeeman, I thought it was time to look at what success the Democrats have had finding volunteers to work in geographic grass roots.

The answer, according to the McHenry County Clerk’s list (and it’s the official one) is “no success.”

Mike Bisset, head of the McHenry County Democratic Party Central Committee is the man with the authority to make such appointments.

Jack Franks has given another signal that he wants to be King of McHenry County.

Today a robo-call poll asks whether people favor a McHenry County Board Chairman “elected by the citizens of McHenry County.”

Here’s as close to the script as a Friend of McHenry County Blog could get:

Jack Franks

“Hi this is State Representative Jack Franks asking for your opinion on a bill I just filed in the Illinois House of Representatives.

“After the tone press 1 if you think that County Board chairman should be elected by the citizens of McHenry County or press 2 if you think he should be appointed by the county board.

“Thank you for your time and consideration, and if I can be of any help please don’t hesitate to call my office for any reason.

“Thank you.”

Franks, sitting on $450,000 in his Political Action Committee, is again signaling that he is not satisfied just being a State Representative.

And, who in their right might would want to commute at least 3 hours twice very week the General Assembly is in session.

From personal experience I can tell you it is wearing.

Franks obviously enjoys the limelight and he obviously enjoys exercising influence.

So why not try to change the way the McHenry County Board Chairman is election in a direction in which he might well be able to win.

There is no way that the Democrats could gain control of the County Board if they had to elect a majority of its members.

And, even if he could, that does not guarantee enough power.

But in a big constituency big campaign money talks.

Ask Kent Gaffney and Danielle Rowe about that.

As readers may remember, I’m not a supporter of at-large election of the County Board Chairman.

The reason is not that I don’t want to have a say.

It is because, under state law, when a County Board Chairman is elected at-large, power is tremendously concentrated in the hands of that Chairman.

Concentration of power is something I have opposed all of my life.

It leads to abuses of power.

Do I think Jack Franks is capable of abuse of power?

Well, yes.

And would a Republican County Board Chairman be capable of abuse of power?

I believe so.

I think the County Board Chairman needs the checks and balances that the present system provides.

But since everyone wants to vote on everything, undoubtedly a sizable majority will say they want a direct election for the McHenry County Board Chairman.

The billboard that stimulated Jack Franks to remove Jack Schaffer from the Metra Board.

The problems that come with concentration of power won’t become evident until it is too late to do anything.

= = = = =
It should be noted that Franks is having a fight with McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler. Some say that it is because Koehler refuses to dump former State Senator Jack Schaffer from the Metra Board.

And, there is no doubt that Franks was fuming over the billboard that was put up by Liberty Outdoor at the location on Route 14 closest (next to Woodstock Harley Motorcycle) to his legislative office.

I just noticed that Mike Bisset and Terry Kappel are writing articles for the “Urgent Action” page of the McHenry County Democratic Central Committee.

Chairman Mike Bisset writes on the top article:

The Wisconsin recall effort is continuing. Volunteers needed!

“Our friends in Wisconsin are looking for volunteers to help with their petition drive in Kenosha. If you can help with any of these events, contact Scott Page at 262-308-1879 or at scottp@wisdems.org

Some parade stickers, like this one from the McHenry County Democratic Party, end up on the pavement.

Shortly before Christmas McHenry County Blog published evidence of the declineof the Republican Party locally.

The percentages below represent the proportions of McHenry County’s precincts where people filed for Republican Precinct Committeeman during the last three election cycles.

• 2008 – 63%
• 2010 – 61%
• 2012 – 49%

Here are the figures for McHenry County Democrats.

• 2008 – 19%
• 2010 – 17.9%
• 2012 – 18.9% (two more than 2010)

Jim Kennedy wears a cap from the company where his daughter is a manager.

At least one candidate in each McHenry County Board district.

The rumor mill was right.

An article has already been run on District 1′s Nick Chirikos.

In District 2 there are two challengers, Jim Roden and Jim Kennedy.

District 3 will have incumbent Kathy Bergan Schmidt joined by Prairie Grove School Board member Lori McConville. The latter lost her previous race for County Board.

A re-run will occur in District 4. Mary Margaret Maule will be on the ballot. In 2006, Maule came within 652 votes of beating Sandy Salgado.

In the firth district, only incumbent Democrat Paula Yensen will represent the Democratic Party.

Scott Summers

The biggest effort will be made in District 6, where former McHenry County College Board President Scott Summers had deserted the Green Party to run for County Board as a Democrat. Summers ran for State Treasurer and Congress on the Green Party ticket. On the MCC Board, he and Crystal Lake’s Donna Kurtz publicly opposed the building of a minor league baseball stadium before the Crystal Lake City Council, which led their being censured by their fellow Trustees.

He will be joined by Ryan Heuser of Marengo and former Huntley Village Board member Jayant Kadakia. Kadakia ran out of the money in his re-election bid in Huntley and his recent effort to gain appointment to that Board lost on a 3-3 tie.

McHenry County, Illinois

The McHenry County Courthouse anyway.

None of the four countywide offices in McHenry County have a Democratic candidate.  While it is possible for candidates to pop up after the primary on March 20, 2012, it seems unlikely.

So, the following people will in all likelihood hold the title before their names after the December 2012 swearing in date:

• McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi
• McHenry County Recorder of Deeds Phyllis Walters
• McHenry County Circuit Clerk Katherine Keefe
• McHenry County Treasurer Bill LeFew
• McHenry County Auditor Pam Palmer and
• newcomer McHenry County Coroner Anne Majewski

And, if all the Democrats who have filed for the McHenry County Board were able to win next fall, the GOP would still hold a 14-10 margin.

I hadn’t memorized the number of precincts in McHenry County.

Today McHenry County Clerk told me we have 212.

So, let me do some division using the Friday noon petition filings for precinct committeeman.

The Republicans had 54. [John Landon points out below that I can't count. Don't know if that is the case or whether it's that I transposed the "5" and the "4." At any rate, I thank another citizen-editor and have made the necessary correcitons.]

54 divided by by 212 rounds up to 26%.

26% of precincts have Republican precinct committeeman candidates.

What will the percentage be after the end of filing tonight?

For Democrats with their 18 candidates, the figure is 8.5%.

What can one say about to describe the state of the parties in McHenry County?

Still time to download a petition and other needed documents from the County Clerk’s web site. (Links in this article.)

As of Friday noon, neither current party chairman had filed for precinct committeeman.