Here are the details:
Don’t forget the third debate party is tomorrow night. As in the past food will be served. There will also be a cash bar.
Tuesday, October 16th
7:00 – 10:00 PM
Corkscrew Bistro
1402 N. Riverside Dr.
McHenry
A press release from the McHenry County Republican Party:
CRYSTAL LAKE…..The Republican Party of McHenry County will host a presidential debate-watch party this week on Wednesday, Oct. 3 at the Cottage in Crystal Lake.
Mitt Romney supporters are invited to gather at the Cottage from 7:00 until 10:00 pm on Wednesday night, as Governor Romney faces off in his first debate against Barack Obama this election season.
“This should be a lively debate and watching it together as a group will make the evening even more enjoyable,” said McHenry County GOP Chairman Mike Tryon.
“We’ll have a limited number of Romney yard signs and bumper stickers for those who attend.”
Pizza will be provided free of charge, courtesy of Tryon and Illinois Senate Candidate for District 33 Karen McConnaughay. A cash bar will also be available.
The Cottage is located at 6 East Crystal Lake Avenue in Crystal Lake.
The McHenry County GOP office is always looking for enthusiastic Republican volunteers. Those interested volunteering should contact the campaign office at (815) 444-1910.
And a notice from Allen Skillicorn about a similar gathering in East Dundee:
Watching Party at Emmett’s Tavern. Meet and network with fellow Republicans and get your Romney yard sign.
(Appetizers and soft-drinks will be served at no charge, cash bar available.)
Wednesday, October 3, 2012, 7:30PM‐9:30PM
Emmett’s Tavern & Brewing Co.
128 West Main Street
West Dundee, IL 60118
RSVP to allen@allenskillicorn.com
or 847-417-5611.
Florida’s U.S. Senator Mark Rubio observed, “Dreams that are impossible anywhere else–they come true here.”
McHenry County Republican Party Chairman made robo-calls (I got two, one right after another) to invite people to Crystal Lake’s d’Andrea’s for a free Mitt Romney yard sign and to watch the final night of the Republican National Committee.
Guess whose flash is reflected in the mirror. No, you do not get two chances.
The floating crowd totaled 150, according to McHenry County Romney Chairman John McCrory’s count.
“You know there’s something wrong [with President Obama] when the bestday you had was the day you voted for him.”
“Is it any wonder that somebody who attacks success has led the greatest recession since the Great Depression?”
There were only a couple of signs left when I went home.
Mark Widhalm, a Delegate candidate for Ron Paul’s Presidential campaign, ran for Republican Precinct Committeeman in McHenry 3 as a write-in.
He didn’t win, but was appointed to the spot.
Now he has resigned.
His resignation letter appears below:
Mike Tryon
County Chairman
McHenry County Republican Central Committee
PO Box 723
McHenry, IL 60051Mr. Tryon and members of the Central Committee,
Mark Widhalm
The actions of the Republican Party at the local, state and national level leave me quite dismayed.
I have witnessed the party partake in the character assassinations of good, honest people.
It seems that unethical, last minute rule changes in order to keep the party power structure in place have become the norm.
I have watched as the party bosses ignore and refuse to seat delegations because they don’t tow the party line.
The Republican Party leadership has become an immoral, unethical group of thugs who seek to crush any dissent within the party and I now realize that attempting to use an irreparable system to fix an irreparable system is entirely futile.
The harder folks try to bring a shred of sanity to the party, the greater the corruption from the party leadership as they struggle to retain power.
I can no longer associate myself with the constant immoral actions of the Republican Party and therefore, I am resigning from my position as McHenry Township Precinct 3 Committeeman, effective immediately.
Please remove me from any party listserv and future mailings.
Sincerely,
Mark C Widhalm
An email from Sharon Meroni, who organized the effort to get Tonya Franklin on the ballot to oppose Democrat “Chainsaw Jack” Franks.
Meroni, a write-in candidate for Republican Precinct Committeeman in Fox River Grove, did something I have seen no other GOP Precinct Committeemen do since 1966–she got a Special Meeting of the Central Committee.
I want to thank the spirited coalition of supporters for Tonya Franklin’s application to be placed on the Republican ballot against Jack Franks.
Tonya Franklin
We worked hard to get our vote.
We failed.
Truthfully, that still hurts.
I am new to McHenry County Republicans.
Many of us are.
This project to get a legitimate vote for or against Tonya’s application had positive momentum with the goals to inform fellow committeemen (and precinct captains) while providing a venue to vote.
My personal disappointment at being denied that vote is raw.
I work at Defend the Vote every day and actually suspended my research to fight for the committeemen’s vote with the McHenry County Republican Party leadership.
That is how important this matter was to me.
This fight wasn’t planned.
After discouraging GOP Precinct Committeemen from attending the Special Meeting, Chairman Mike Tryon drove back to Crystal Lake, rather than to his vacation home in Missouri, to chair the meeting.
Rep Tryon asked us to find a candidate.
We did so, and we stepped up to support that candidate.
The discovery process of learning that Rep Tryon was actually actively suppressing the legal vote of the Committeemen was just that; a discovery process.
It was disappointing.
One unavoidable outcome of the meeting is on-the-record proof that our own party leadership literally actively worked to defeat the committeemen’s effort to have the vote Illinois law and McHenry Count By-laws specifically provides for.
Rep Tryon has never responded to the charge that he failed to set up the required meeting, despite being given ample notice that the vote from the “committee that was not a committee” (in his letter redefined as the Executive Committee) was not authorized in Illinois Law or in McHenry County Republican By-Laws.
In addition, Rep. Tryon made the political and tactical decision to cancel the meeting required by McHenry County By-Laws, and which should have been held on May 17th.
If this meeting had been held, Committeemen would have had the vote (for or against Tonya’s application) that is entitled as solely ours by Illinois law.
When we asked for this May 17th meeting to be scheduled, Tryon’s leadership responded with silence and then a cancellation of a meeting that was never scheduled.
When we asked McHenry County Republican Committeemen for a special meeting and achieved the 25% required in McHenry County Republican By-laws, Tryon’s leadership responded with two blasts from an email intimating it was not a legal meeting and that the Chairmen would not attend…Leaving the definite impression the June 2nd Special Meeting was not legitimate.
Then Chairman Tryon and Vice Chairman Mark Daniel showed up to Chair the meeting.
Chairman Tryon admits on the record, more than once, that it this was a legitimate meeting, but we needed a quorum.
Mark Daniel and Sharon Meroni compared Precinct Committeemen lists they had received from the McHenry County Clerk's Office.
When committeemen questioned Chairmen’s obvious manipulation to suppress a quorum, he literally ran off the stage.
Disappointing?
Chairman Tryon was unable to speak to us.
While emotions were high, we were not shouting; Committeemen who had the floor, asked for accountability.
We had lawyers and parliamentarians there to assure the meeting was professionally run.
Our attorney, a skilled election lawyer named Laura Jacksack, and the parliamentarians were instrumental in guiding the meeting. (You guys were great!)
It was an exercise in Liberty!
The result, Chairmen Tryon, who was unable to withstand scrutiny, ran off the stage.
We all know why Jack Franks is laughing.
The McHenry County Democrat who can do almost no harm, according to the Northwest Herald, is getting a free ride for the third out of four elections.
Instead of allowing Tonya Franklin and her supporters to go out and see if they could get 500 “good” signatures in less than two days, a feat never accomplished in McHenry County, the Republican Central Committee has let slip the appointment of two members of an obscure body called the 63rd State Representative District.
So there is no need to collect any signatures…because the Republican Party will offer no opponent to the Democrat on whose fund raising “Host Committee” too many members serve.
The fox is being chased by a faction of the Republican Party that wants to shoot him down.
That 63rd Representative District Committee would have had the power to nominate Tonya Franklin (or anyone else) yesterday in Woodstock, but so many of the Committeemen boycotted the meeting at Chairman Mike Tryon’s and his Leadership Team’s urging or had other things to do that not enough people were showed up to conduct business.
So the process has hit the brick wall of apathy or, perhaps, antipathy.
The fox wants to catch a free ride in this Milk Day Parade vehicle.
The McHenry County Republican Party decided to give Jack Franks a free ride.
He’s made friends with high ranking Republicans like Sheriff Keith Nygren and Woodstock Mayor Brain Sager, who wants to take Franks’ place in the Illinois House when Franks gets tired enough of his eight hour a week commute to Springfield a quarter of the year to try for another post.
The wily fox gets into the Republican milk truck for a free ride.
So join the celebration by playing the Edgar Winter Group’s song of that title.
Meanwhile, replace a few words in this Linda Ronstat song, “When Will I Be Loved?” and Tonya Frankin could be at the microphone:
Andy Martin
Back in his student days, Andy Martin-Trigona so irritated the legal establishment in Illinois by probing the corruption in the Illinois Supreme Court that when he got his law degree he wasn’t granted a license.
Since then he has been successful in the radio business, been vilified by a certain segment of the political arena who will probably pop up here in the comment section and been the most cogent opponent to Judy Baar Topinka when she and he ran in the Republican Party primary for Governor. (The WBEZ debate was something to see and hear.)
He has run for other offices in other states, as well as for President this year. More recently he has run as and is known as Andy Martin.
Somehow what McHenry County Republican leaders are doing to prevent Democrat Jack Franks from having an opponent in Tonya Franklin has caught his eye.
His open letter of yesterday to Chairman Mike Tryon follows:
May 28, 2012
Michael Tryon – Chairman
5501 Northwest Highway
Crystal Lake, IL 60014via email and USPS
Re: Your efforts to block Republican candidates
Dear Mike:
I am writing you about the scandal you are creating by trying to manipulate Illinois election laws to
- frustrate Republican candidates and to
- create a local “cabal” with another Democratic Party representative from McHenry County.
Republicans have been stooges for Democrats going back well into the last century.
The “West Side Block” was a group of nominal Republicans who worked in conjunction with Democrats in the Illinois House.
More recently some current state representatives are also identified as stooges of the Democratic Party.
But, historically, the suburbs and suburban leaders have rejected your Chicago-style bipartisan cronyism and corruption.
I have never met Tonya Franklin, who wants to run against Representative Jack Franks for state representative, and the only time I met Sharon Meroni was in court—when I sued her.So I am no front man for either Franklin or Meroni.
Then what is my agenda?
I am a constitutional conservative.
Ever since I went to the Illinois General Assembly as an intern in 1965 I have fought against corruption, cronyism and perversion of our Constitution.
Instead of encouraging Republicans to run, you are trying to run them down.
Mike Tryon
Jack Franks
Is that your idea of what makes for an effective county chairman?
You and Franks could be subject to potential federal criminal and civil liability for conspiring to prevent candidates from running for office, see e.g. 18 U.S.C. §§ 241, 245 (a), 42 U.S.C. § 1983.
I don’t know if Tonya Franklin is a good candidate or a bad candidate.Tonya Franklin
I don’t know if she can run an effective campaign or not.
Let the voters decide!
She at least is willing to try to defeat your crony, Representative Jack Franks, and that is more than you are willing to do.
You have also tried to sabotage direct election of Illinois State Central Committee members.
Your actions in trying to personally control local appointments to the state central committee, and to deprive McHenry voters of their constitutional right to vote for state committee representation, is apparently part of your ongoing and extensive campaign to dilute and defeat Republicans other than yourself, and to use party office and public office as a personal fiefdom instead of as a public trust.
I ask you to see that Ms. Franklin is appointed the Republican candidate to oppose Representative Franks without any further harassment, corruption or delay.
Your tactics are becoming another embarrassment to the Illinois Republican Party.
The party is the people; the party is not a handful of corrupt insiders led by State Representative Tom Cross and his followers. Cross is selfishly trying to “lock the doors” to new Republicans and trying to prevent Republicans from once again becoming a majority party and taking control of state government, to avoid diluting his own petty personal political power.
Given your record and Cross’s record of defeating democracy and working to deny ordinary Republicans a voice and vote in their own party and state central committee, all of you insiders should either stand up and fight for Republicans, or step down and stop helping the Democrats destroy Illinois government.
Please feel free to call if you have any questions. Otherwise, I assume you will comply with Illinois state law, appoint the statutorily-mandated district committee, and see that Ms. Franklin is named as the party’s candidate for state representative without further delay.
Sincerely yours,
ANDY
A press release from Tonya Franklin, who is seeking the McHenry County Republican Central Committee’s blessing to run for State Representative against Democrat Jack Franks.
Tonya Franklin
Tonya Franklin, a local Republican and a nationally renown Tea Party activist, wants to run against Democrat Jack Franks for Illinois State Representative in the 63rd district.
For unknown reasons she has yet to be given the ok to run as a Republican by the McHenry County Republican Party central committee.
Tonya does not support the enactment of Obamacare in Illinois TWO YEARS EARLY as is being proposed by Democrats and many Republicans.
“I would simply vote ‘NO’ and I would work with every conservative in Springfield to make sure this never saw the light of day,” said Tonya Franklin.
“Can we be sure that Jack Franks would vote against this? I do not think so.
“This idea is reckless, fiscally irresponsible, empowers big government, and crushes the free market system… something we all know the Democrats and Jack Franks want to do.”
Tonya Franklin has a network in McHenry County’s 63rd district ready to help get her on the ballot.
She also has statewide and national support from many activists and leaders.
Currently, she is waiting for the ok to run by the Republican Party of McHenry.
“As someone who works in the medical field I know exactly just how damaging this compromise would be, not only be to our state, but people right here in the 63rd district,” added Franklin.
The McHenry County Republican Party needs a qualified conservative to run against Jack Franks in the November Election! There is a conservative who can run and win.
Her name is Tonya Franklin.
Tonya Franklin is currently employed as a licensed Medical Instructor. Tonya has been working in the Health Care Industry for over 16 years on and off since 1996.
As a small business owner she has created four successful businesses from the ground up.
Moreover, she hired through a program that employs at-risk teens and teen mothers.
Tonya understands the importance of free market capitalism and how destructive an intrusive government can be.
Tonya was a Red Cross Relief Coordinator on Hurricane Katrina efforts. Tonya understands how important volunteering and local activism is in the community.
While her husband was stationed in Florida, she worked with her State Representative in Florida by speaking in front of a large audience on the problems that were plaguing the Child Support Enforcement System, specifically deadbeat parents leaving the state to avoid payment. Tonya’s direct efforts led to the successful submission and overwhelming passage of legislation reforming child support laws in Florida.
How many times will Mike Tryon have to explain why he didn't put Tonya Franklin on the GOP ticket to take on Democrat Jack Franks?
There’s still an opportunity for McHenry County Republican Party Chairman Mike Tryon to call a Central Committee meeting at which the two Representative Committee members besides himself could be appointed.
But, it’s his call.
Is he willing to take responsibility for Democratic Party State Rep. Jack Franks getting two free rides during the three election cycles when he was head of the local GOP.
Only time will tell.
Other articles that might be of interest follow:
4/29/12 Help Wanted – GOP Opponent for Labor-Lawyer-Lobbyist Democrat “Chainsaw Jack”
Lots of Jack Franks' campaign contributions come from lawyers, lobbyists and labor unions, three entities that are not among the most popular in the country.
5/9/12 “Chainsaw Jack” Franks’ Drano Bill Makes Menards’ Shelf
5/9/12 Clock Is Running on Finding GOP Opponent for Jack Franks
5/10/12 Republican Candidate Steps Forward to Challenge Jack Franks
5/11/12 GOP Interviewing Committee Turns Thumbs Down on Woman Who Volunteered to Run Against Jack Franks
5/11/12 Jack Franks Now Free to Help Democrats Running for the McHenry County Board
Tonya Franklin
5/12/12 Who Could Name a Candidate to Run Against “Chainsaw Jack” Franks?
5/16/12 19 Days Until Jack Franks Gets a Third Free Ride from McHenry County Republicans
Tom Cross
Mike Tryon
State Rep. Tom Cross, the Republican House Minority Leader, put a lot of pressure on State Rep. and McHenry County Republican Chairman Mike Tryon to get his budget staffer selected to fill Mark Beaubien’s shoes.
Gaffney ran a decent campaign, but was overwhelmed by the money thrown into the political arena by winner David McSweeney.
Because Gaffney lost, one could argue that Tryon and others who lent their names, if not their efforts, to the appointed State Representative’s campaign spent some political capital without getting positive results.
Something like playing the slot machines…except the campaign wasn’t even fun before the last coin was lost, that is election day.
Let’s assume that Tom Cross would rather have someone run against Democrat Jack Franks than not.
After all, no opponent for Franks means the Democrat with statewide ambitions can go campaigning for other Democratic legislative candidates around the state.
And, there is a candidate waiting in the wings.
Tonya Franklin
Her name is Tonya Franklin.
Inspired by the Tea Party movement, she is ready, willing and able to send Jack Franks up the wall.
Of course, Franks or his allies will use the same last minute smear tactics that they used against John O’Neil two years ago.
But, if Mike Tryon decides to take the steps necessary to nominate Franklin in time for the collection of 500 good petition signatures–the deadline for submission is June 4th, as I read the law–Republicans trying to pick away at Mike Madigan’s income tax hiking incumbent House Democrats will have less help from Jack Franks.
Other articles that might be of interest follow:
4/29/12 Help Wanted – GOP Opponent for Labor-Lawyer-Lobbyist Democrat “Chainsaw Jack”
The 2010 billboard that greatly agitated Jack Franks.
5/9/12 “Chainsaw Jack” Franks’ Drano Bill Makes Menards’ Shelf
5/9/12 Clock Is Running on Finding GOP Opponent for Jack Franks
5/10/12 Republican Candidate Steps Forward to Challenge Jack Franks
5/11/12 GOP Interviewing Committee Turns Thumbs Down on Woman Who Volunteered to Run Against Jack Franks
5/11/12 Jack Franks Now Free to Help Democrats Running for the McHenry County Board
5/12/12 Who Could Name a Candidate to Run Against “Chainsaw Jack” Franks?
5/16/12 19 Days Until Jack Franks Gets a Third Free Ride from McHenry County Republicans
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