McHenry County Blog

With the lead-up Sunday in the Northwest Herald about alternative revenue bonds, you might think a large number of people would be interested in whether the candidates for the MCC Board will foist over $40 million of debt on taxpayers’ shoulders to almost double the size of the campus and build a health club without voter approval.

I’m willing to bet, however, that most who show up will be employees and students.

Those who will have to pay the bills if property taxes have to fill in the gap for unrealistic alternative revenue estimates, that is, property taxpayers, will stay home in droves.

And, then there’s the problem of the question screeners that the League of Women Voters impose on their forums.

For the County Board forums, I submitted a question asking whether board candidates would vote to raise our tax burden above what it was the year before and at none of the three events was the question asked.

And the beat goes on, demonizing Republican David McSweeney for being Pro-Life.

Below you see the second mailing from the Democratic Party of Illinois (look at the return address) preparing the way for the really atrocious mailings from the pro-abortion Personal PAC that are in the pipeline.

In concert, the McHenry County League of Women Voters allowed a question Friday night that played right into the Democrats’ campaign theme.

The question wasn’t a straight up and down one about abortion, but something like “Are politicians qualified to make medical decisions for women?”

“Absolutely not,” stated Dee Beaubien, who got to answer first.

“I don’t think government belongs in any kind of medical choice.”

Next up was State Senator Dan Duffy.

“That’s obviously a very biased, Pro-Choice question,” he exclaimed to the Pro-Choice audience.

“That’s a very leading question.”

That’s all I got, but he explained he was Pro-Life after complaining about the question.

“That’s not the government’s affair,” Duffy opponent Amanda Howland commented.

“One issue that will come up in Springfield is using taxpayer money to fund late term abortions.

“I oppose that,” McSweeney said.

The back of the latest abortion hit on McSweeney follows:

= = = = =
McSweeney had the opportunity to inoculate himself on the abortion issue, but did not take the initiative.

He could have compared his stand on specific aspects of the abortion issue with those of his opponent, who favors no limitations on abortion up to the day before of birth.

He laid out one specific in the debate.

I guess he could still put out a mailing, but its effect will now be diminished because he allowed Beaubien to fire the first shots via the Democratic Party.

If you live anywhere but the southeastern part of McHenry County, you won’t be able to her your legislative candidates at the candidates’ night sponsored by the Crystal Lake Chapter of the American Association of University Women, the Crystal Lake Jaycees and the McHenry County League of Women Voters.

That means Pam Althoff, Karen McConnaughay, Mike Tryon, Jack Franks and Barb Wheeler have the night off.

That leaves only the State Senate District represented by Dan Duffy and the new State Rep. District in which Dave McSweeney won the hotly-contested Republican primary election.

Duffy’s challenger Amanda Howland, from the eastern side of the district, and Dee Beaubien, who filed as an Independent, but whose financing so far is coming from the Democratic Party of Illinois, will be the only ones on the stage.

The program starts at 7 PM at McHenry County College.

Gene Schrempf tells how to submit questions:

“The Crystal Lake Jaycees are gathering questions for the Candidates’ Nights via an easy to use Web Form…
https://docs.google.com/a/cljaycees.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dF9ic2F1ZEkxSG9KOFZNMEFwVVNiUXc6MQ#gid=0“

Who would have thought that a flash point from 1997-98 would have surfaced in McHenry County Board races in 2012?

But the McHenry County League of Women Voters managed to pull it off.

A North Jr. High School teacher named William Saturday gained undue influence over one of his female students.

After she entered high school, Saturday started having sexual relations with the girl.

When he was too cheap to buy condoms, wanted to have intercourse without a condom or for some other reason, he drove the teen up to the McHenry County Health Department on a Saturday.  There she got a Depo-Provera shot to provide birth control for three months.

At some point Saturday got engaged to be married.

That did not sit well with the high schooler, who got connected with the Crystal Lake Police.

Recordings of phone conversations were made, which resulted in a felony conviction.

And, an uproar from the public when parents learned that their minor children could get birth control medication and condoms without their permission.

The battle which ensured pitted Pro-Lifers against Pro-Choicers.

Considering the League approved all of the questions asked at the County Board forums on Wednesday and Thursday and a question about Title X’s return was asked both nights, I have to assume that its predecessor organizations (before being merged) were on the losing side of the County Board fight to stop taking Title X money from the Federal government.

The resolution of the fight in the 1990′s was one worthy of Solomon, in my opinion.

The Board dumped the Federal program because the bureaucrats who wrote the rules in the early 1970′s included a provision that there could be no discrimination on the basis of age.

That meant services from any money accepted had to be offered to girls and boys, no matter how young.

So the County Board kicked out Title X…

But (and here’s Solomon part) substituted county money to provide the services covered by Title X with the exception of contraceptive services to minors…unless a youngster had parental permission.

McHenry County, by the way, is the only county in the country that has deep-sixed Title X.

When I’m not so tired, I’ll get into the answers to the question by the candidates who attended the two candidates’ nights.

The Crystal Lake Jaycees, he McHenry County League of Women Voters and the Crystal Lake Chapter of the American Association of University Women will hold a 6:30 PM candidates’ night at McHenry County College for Districts 4, 5 & 6 will be held on Thursday, September 27th.

The western and northern County Board candidates will make their pitches Thursday night.

Gene Schrempf tells how to submit questions:

“The Crystal Lake Jaycees are gathering questions for the Candidates’ Nights via an easy to use Web Form…
https://docs.google.com/a/cljaycees.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dF9ic2F1ZEkxSG9KOFZNMEFwVVNiUXc6MQ#gid=0“

Friday night starting at 7, State Rep. candidates David McSweeney and Dee Beaubien will face off, as will State Senator Dan Duffy and Amanda Howland.

Read what District 1, 2 & 3 candidates said here.

It’s Wednesday, the day set by the McHenry County League of Women Voters, the Crystal Lake Chapter of the American Association of University Women and the Crystal Lake Jaycees for a candidates’ night for County Board Districts 1, 2 and 3.

The event will start at 6 PM at McHenry County College’s auditorium.

Republicans are fielding full slates of four candidates in each district.

Democrats have one candidate in Districts 1 and 3, two in District 2.

Gene Schrempf tells how to submit questions:

“The Crystal Lake Jaycees are gathering questions for the Candidates’ Nights via an easy to use Web Form…
https://docs.google.com/a/cljaycees.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dF9ic2F1ZEkxSG9KOFZNMEFwVVNiUXc6MQ#gid=0“

On Thursday night at 6, Districts 4, 5 and 6 will be up.

On Friday night at 7 Dee Beaubien will face off against David McSweeney and Dan Duffy will appear with Amanda Howland.

In May Illinois Statehouse News had a couple of paragraphs about the Illinois League of Women Voters that are worth repeating:

“Jan Dorner, president of the nonpartisan Illinois League of Women Voters, which represents about 3,000 women and men voters [emphasis added] in the state by hosting political debates and other educational opportunities, said members are sensitive to the “war on women,” mainly because many of them battled issues of birth control and abortion rights decades ago.“It’s not our priority,” Dorner, 60, said about reproductive-rights issues. “I have a 31-year-old daughter. I’m sure it’s not on her radar. Our members are older, and they fought this fight, what, 30, 40 years ago. When they see this stuff come up again, it makes them nuts.”

During the fight over the Regional Transportation Authority in 1974 I was infuriated that the Illinois League endorsed the referendum.

My mother had been an active member of the League, so I got regular downloads of their meetings.

I had attended local meetings in which members educated themselves before some inner meeting of state leaders decided which way they should lean.

As I remember there was no consensus process before RTA was endorsed.

Local chapter members ended up debating us local legislators.  I remember they did so with their Chicago talking points in Carpentersville and Crystal Lake.

Here were local women selling out their neighbors.

It infuriated me.

So, when the women’s group opened its membership rolls to men, I joined.

My goal was to make sure the League did not ignore their members again.

How silly of me.

When the income tax hike came up in the 1980′s, there was no consensus process.

The League’s Board just endorsed the increase.

Guess they had studied the topic back when Governor Richard Ogilvie pushed through the original income tax in 1969.

Income tax good.

More income tax better.

My wife was active in the Crystal Lake-Cary League of Women Voters during the early 1990′s.

She was even on the Board.

Other members made it clear they were uncomfortable with a Pro-Lifer being so active.

That chapter has been since merged with the McHenry-Woodstock chapter.

Membership decline probably.

And that brings me back to the information in the StateHouse News article.

Statewide membership is down to about 3,000.

When my wife was active, the State League had over 10,000 members…maybe 12,000.

By then the ERA fight had been lost; abortion had been the law of the land since 1973.

Gone was the interest in juvenile court watching in McHenry County, which surely made the judges observed better jurists.

Long gone were the women who sat, but did not participate, in school board meetings.

This past election cycle, the McHenry County League of Women Voters didn’t even hold a candidates’ night.

Fulfilling that role was the McHenry County Young Republicans.

Want to bet on whether they’ll decide to hold a candidates’ forum for the 52nd state rep. district?

I’m betting they will.

 

Jack Franks brought colleagues to his home town of Marengo Saturday to the hard-to-find new Marengo High School for a reapportionment hearing whose process will be completely controlled by Democrats in the General Assembly and Governor’s Mansion.

To reach the high school, one had to take Franks Road, observed State Rep. Mike Tryon.  (He wondered if that “is s a sign that this will be the center of the 63rd (Franks’) District.”)

Not mentioned was that when one enters the auditorium, one walks past a placard saying the performing and fine arts programs are supported by financial contributions of the Franks family.

State Rep. Lou Lang chaired the meeting, which was attended not only by McHenry County residents but people from as far away as Plainfield and Sycamore.

Tryon took the microphone to point out that McHenry County was “fortunate to have two House districts that (were entirely within McHenry County).”

The Republican Party Chairman said he was “hoping that we will have three House seats that will substantially, if not wholly, in McHenry County.”

He asked that county and city boundaries be considered.

He also asked for an ability to see the map, as well as what it is based upon, for a two to three week period prior to passage.

Judy Szilak, President of the McHenry County League of Women Voters testified first, calling for openness and echoing Tryon’s wish for several weeks to contemplate the maps before passage.

Former State Rep. Rosemary Kurtz (R-Crystal Lake) took the microphone in support of a less partisan approach to reapportionment.

McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler was second to speak.   He asked a series of questions about whether the public would have two weeks to analyze and comment on the suggested maps, how they will be shown to the public and whether the transcripts would be posted on the internet.

He pointed out that the county had not grown as much as had been expected, but how it was now the sixth largest county in Illinois.

“I would hope that  103,000 (McHenry County residents) would be represented in each of these (three) districts,” Koehler said.

 

Tryon asked if Lang would answer Koehler’s questions.

“I have no intention of doing that today,” Lang replied.

Just after Janet Silosky, a Republican Precinct Committeeman from Plainfield introduced herself, the lights went out in the auditorium, indeed, in the whole school.

“If this doesn’t tell us something about the process, I don’t know what would,” State Rep. Tim Schmitz (R-St.Charles) observed.  [I wonder if that will make it on the transcript.]

The Will County precinct committeeman expressed distrust in the reapportionment process.

 

“How are we going to get this done in an equitable process?” she asked.  “Gerrymandering that goes on will not create a map that is contiguous and compact.

“What difference does it make?”

“It’s already decided,” she continued, mentioning House Speaker Mike Madigan.

“I’ve lived in this state for 50 years and the Democrats have been in control since I was knee high to a grasshopper.”

She commented on the unfairness of Democrats who are going to be running for office knowing what their districts will be already, while challengers are left in the dark.

“I’d like to hear some input from you gentlemen.”

There was none.

McHenry County Board member Mary Donner came next.  She read a statement from an indisposed colleague, Tina Hill.

Donner said that the new 2030 County Land Use Plan had growth occurring next to areas that were already populated.

A DeKalb County band teacher from Sycamore, Ken Goodman, asked that his community be put in one congressional district.  His area now has two congressmen, Randy Hutlgren and Don Manzullo.

Stephen Polep, a retired teacher who lives in Cary, asked that Cary and Crystal Lake be kept in the same district [as they were until 2002, which this plus parts of eastern McHenry County further norther were included in a Lake County House district].

Algonquin’s Jim Carlin, a Republican Precinct Committeeman who said he was in the leadership of the Huntley Tea Party, pointed to the huge growth west of Randall Road, said that Tryon had represented it well and asked that it continue to be in his district. Carlin is a former Huntley School District Board member.

Noting the “communities of interest” mentioned in the meeting’s introduction, he asked that both the Kane and McHenry County portions of Sun City be included in the same legislative district.

He was effusive of his praise of Tryon.

“I like this,” the represented interjected.

“You’re kicking me out of Huntley,” Schmitz asked.

“Once we get a state government and federal government that encourages jobs, we’re going to take off.”

He said he was talking about taxes.

That was the end of those who signed up to speak. Then Lang asked if there was anyone else who wanted to talk.

Yours truly couldn’t resist criticizing the district boundaries included in “Currie II.”

I called it “Currie 2.”

I argued that McHenry County had little in common with the tract subdivision east of the Fox River in Carpentersville. It’s mainly Meadowdale, one of the first post-World War II housing developments.

Following me was MaryMargaret Maule, who ran a hard campaign for McHenry Count Board in District 4. She suggested that legislative districts try to have as much as McHenry County College in them as possible, rather than crossing the Lake County line. She complained about part of the eastern part of McHenry County being used to complete State Rep. Mark Beaubien’s Lake County district.  She manages MCC’s Shah Center in McHenry, which is an area split between two legislative districts.

Kathy Bergan Schmitt, another Democrat, one who got elected to the County Board from District 3

and who used to be Chair of the McHenry County Democratic Party, also complained about being the tag end of a Lake County district.

“I often feel in the orphan part of the county,” she said.  “There is an overabundance of the disease known as ‘incumbent protection.’”

She agreed that it would always be a factor, but “it doesn’t have to be (the main) factor.”

Without it, she said, “Civil life would be ever so much better.”

Bill Jordan of Woodstock also spoke up.

He talked about having “a certain amount of skepticism about the process.  Iowa has a (computerized) system of drawing districts.”

Jordan pointed out that we were “moving toward a government that can be audited.”

He suggested that the process used by both the Greek and Venetians–random selection of public officials–might be better than what we have in Illinois.

Not speaking from the microphone was Cary resident Raymond Scheff (at least that’s what my notes say).

He had suggested reapportionment maps that he had prepared for Tryon.

Lang asked if he wished to share them with the committee.

The reply was that was up to Rep. Tryon.

I don’t know if this is an indication that Melissa Bean’s campaign for re-election to her 8th Congressional District seat is in trouble or that a League of Women Voter member is really angry about the negative publicity engendered on the Glenn Beck show fed by a video from a cell phone that was forbidden by rules at the Grayslake event.

Melissa Bean supporter “LCTruth” posted the following comment on the Glenn Beck YouTube article. It threatens a suit against the Joe Walsh for Congress campaign.

I thought you might want to read it, even if you don’t always read comments, so here it is:

“One hellava lawsuit coming to the Walsh Campaign for the video violation. The issue is not the Pledge, which no one finds fault with, it is the fact that Walsh and morseo his supporters feel they are above the rules.

“Walsh had the format three weeks prior to the debate.

“If the Pledge was SO important to him then he should have demanded it be added to the format.

“He did not, but insiders say he was behind this outburst.

“He pandered!

“Throughout the campaign, there is one thing that is ever so clear to people that witness his band of merry-men and women, they like to break the rules, disrespect those that have a different view.

“Well in just over 120 hours, the voters of the 8th will send a clear message, we are not taking the country BACKwards…we are moving forward.”

I presume the threat has something to do with the negative publicity that the League of Women Voters got from this Glenn Beck video:

The McHenry County League was more open to voter education than the Lake County League.

You can see that from the video camera in the McHenry County College Conference Center in which its candidates’ forum was held.

One can only wonder why the Lake County League imposed its regulations.

By the zingers that flew between McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren and his Democratic opponent Mike Mahon, you could be excused for thinking there was a real contest going on.

In the last debate, the one in which the incumbent said the biggest problem was traffic while Mahon said it was heroin, Nygren hardly engaged Mahon.

Not so this time.

After Mahon reminded people he’d “walk in and save the taxpayers $1 million,” he cited the Deputy Chief of the jail.

“Why do we have a deputy chief, taking a vehicle home. It’s a waste, another crony job.”

Green Party candidate Gus Philpott provided a buffer this time. He said, “I’d probably spent all of it. If I can trim expenditures, I will. Have to look.”

Then, Nygren took a shot:

“You’re a Deputy Chief (of the Cook County Jail with 10,000 inmates). Why don’t they cut your job and save big money?

“Your solution is to fire people.”

Nygren said he wouldn’t do that.

He again said he would bring more revenue, rather than getting rid of people

There was applause from the Sheriff’s supporters such that the moderator admonished,

“I would ask that you restrain yourselves.”

In discussions about the $61 million that Nygren has said renting out the jail has brought into the county, Nygren never answered the question of what the net revenue was, even though the question was asked directly.

Twice Mahon pointed out that Nygren had not answered the question.

“We haven’t seen it broken down. What does does it cost?” Mahon asked.

“How much is it really bring in, Sheriff? You’re just not clear on that. That’s just your being a politician.”

“What happens if the Feds move the detainees to Thomson?” Philpott added.

In discussing training prisoners for work in the outside world, Nygren went off topic to point out that the Crystal Lake Police Department had announced Halloween trick or treating hours on the Nixle system. Mahon had criticized Nygren for using this community alert system to send out his press release about the food training program that is scheduled to start the day before the election.

One of Nygren’s supporters undoubtedly put in the question asking if any of the candidates had been arrested. It was the same one that Brent Smith repeatedly asked at the McHenry County Fair in front of Sally Wiggins’ tent.

“Have you ever been arrested for anything?”

Mahon said he had been arrested for drunken driving 19 years ago.

“It was the best thing that ever happened to my life.

“In 19 years, I haven’t picked a drink. I pleaded ‘No Contest.’”

Philpott revealed he had been stopped for a broken headlight ten minutes after it went out by a Woodstock policeman.

He said that he had heard that there was a $100 bounty “out on me.” The first officer was writing him a warning ticket when a second one came up and told him to issue a ticket.

“Two and a half years later, he told me he wrote the ticket because he had been told to write it.”

Nygren said he had never been arrested.

A shot across Nygren’s bow came twice about Nygren’s spending a lot of time out of the office.

When asked about community outreach, Mahon said he would “get rid of cronyism.”

“I’ll be at work everyday,” he emphasized.

Talking about the most important accomplishment or goal, Mahon added, “I’ll put my hours on the web site.”

In his concluding remarks, he repeated the theme,

“I also think it’s very important for the Sheriff to spend time here. I don’t believe he spends the quality amount of time in McHenry County he should.”

Nygren bragged about his “professionalization of the Sheriff’s Department.”

And his experience:

“I handled dog calls. I’ve handled homicides. Each time I’ve been promoted, I’ve learned,”

said the former Crystal Lake Police Chief.

Philpott said he would strive for openness. He complained about not being able to get information about McHenry County Crime Stoppers, whose calls are answered by Sheriff’s Department dispatchers.

He showed his sense of humor by pointing out that he was “guaranteed to come in no worse than third.”

He also said he would drive his own car, a 1999 Volkswagen, to work.

“I’m not going to ask the county taxpayers to pay for my gas,” he added.

Mahon taunted Nygren for having had the Chicago Tribune endorsement in the primary election.

“But he lost it (for the November election).”

Asked about community involvement, Mahon had an interesting answer.

“I have four children. I work 16 hours a day to support my family.

‘I’m not very involved with my community.

“I’m very involved with drug abuse.”

Philpott spoke of his involvement in special education and mental health.

Nygren was proud of his work with the Shop with a Cop program, which buys needy kids toys for Christmas.

Asked about red light cameras, Philpott’s response was, “I’m absolutely in favor of red light cameras,” explaining that many people “scoot through on a yellow light. The habit needs to change.”

Mahon said it was a legislative issue, but pointed out that vehicles were being rear ended because of stopping too fast.

Speaking last on the issue, Nygren came out flatly against them.

“I won’t hedge on the question. I’m absolutely against them.”

Outside the auditorium was judicial candidate Gordon Graham and State Rep. candidate Robert Kaempfe.