McHenry County Blog

The following press release has been received from Zane Seipler, who is running against Sheriff Keith Nygren in the GOP primary election on February 2nd.

It comments on this Northwest Herald article.

I’d be willing to bet that the inspiration for that article was Seipler’s web site, McHenry County Sheriff’s Department Exposed.

There is so much there, including a very early post entitled “Ratio of Supervisors to Deputies.”

It’s one supervisor to every three deputies.

When I was studying public administration in grad school at the University of Michigan I seem to remember that one supervisor could ride herd over 8 or 9 employees.

“Seipler, Nygren differ over supervisor ratios”

A response to the Northwest Herald Article

On January 20, 2010, an article was printed in the Northwest Herald titled “Seipler, Nygren differ over supervisor ratios”.

Jillian Duchnowski, a reporter I have talked to many times, contacted me late last week to comment on this story. Jillian and I had a five to ten minute conversation about the way she reports.

I explained to her that refusing to comment was better than being misquoted, not quoted and misrepresented.

In the last 35 articles the Northwest Herald has written since I entered this race it is easy to see which way the paper leans. Their support of Keith Nygren’s re-election is not limited to the paper’s editorial page.

When I made mention of this to Jillian, she immediately stated, “The editor makes the changes”.

I am glad to see that today’s article fairly states the circumstances of my wrongful termination. I am happy to see that Jillian took to heart the comments I made with regards to the traffic stop that so often gets mentioned in every article where my name is present. I feel today’s article shows positive improvement and diligent journalistic investigation. This type of journalism pleases me immensely considering that, win or lose this election, I will be the focus of countless more Northwest Herald articles in the years to come.

The issue discussed is “Top Heavy” supervision.

Jillian Duchnowski reports that under Keith Nygren the ratio is three and a half deputies to every one supervisor.

It was not always this way.

In the last several years the number of supervisors has increased.

The number of deputies has remained relatively constant. Supervisor positions were created for the Traffic Unit and the Apprehension Unit. The Apprehension Unit consists of one sergeant and two deputies.

Nygren would have you believe that this unit is constantly coordinating with the U.S. Marshal Service in attempts to apprehend fugitives here in McHenry County. This is not true.

The Marshal Team assists the Apprehension Unit once maybe twice a month. The rest of the time the sergeant is supervising two deputies.

The Traffic Unit is a little more complicated and, because of that, a secondary supervisor assists the primary supervisor.

This is wasteful when you consider that the deputies involved with the Traffic Unit are all certified accident investigators, all well versed in trial testimony and all self motivated, highly intelligent individuals. They don’t need two supervisors looking over their shoulders. This pattern of bureaucracy can be seen in the Investigation Division as well.

“Whatever we do out there [on the more serious calls] at some point very likely will be litigated in court, and you want to know that you’re setting the record straight so you have all the information you need to go to court,” Nygren said.

In March of 2008 Jerome and Carla Pavlin were seriously injured and arrested by five McHenry County deputies. Two supervisors arrived on the scene that day.

In the summer of 2009 the McHenry County State’s Attorney dismissed all charges against the Pavlins with prejudice. The reason for the dismissal was evidentiary inconsistencies.

Keith Nygren was quoted by the Daily Herald as saying, “I’m at a total loss to explain what happened here and why it happened”.

This case will go to court, again. It will cost the taxpayers of McHenry County possibly millions of dollars. The number of supervisors present isn’t going to change that.

More supervisors make it easy for Nygren to pass the “buck” and take no responsibility. That is the reason he thinks a 3.5 to 1 ratio is fine. More people to blame when everything goes bad.

I am confident that if I would have made these statements to Jillian Duchowski, they never would have been printed.

Zane Seipler- Republican Candidate for Sheriff

The recent filing of potential conflict of interest information by Democratic Party candidate for sheriff Mike Mahon means all of McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren’s opponents have taken this step by transparency.

Nygren has not done so yet.

GOP primary opponent Zane Seipler was the first to file the form.  Green Party candidate Gus Philpott was the second.

The form in question was proposed as part of a county ordinance by the Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water.

Its intent is to allow the public and other public officials to know what property those filing have as well as their business relationships.

Most county officials will show they have no such potential conflicts of interest.

16 of 27 county board candidates have their replies posted on the ALAW web site here.

But only five (half) of the incumbents running for re-election have voluntarily submitted a completed form:

• Tina Hill – District 5
• Mary McCann – District 6
• Lyn Orphal – District 2
• Sandy Salgado – District 4
• Barb Wheeler – District 3

None of the three male incumbents filed:

• Ken Koehler – District 2
• Pete Merkel – District 4
• Dan Ryan – District 6

And, the two District 1 females also did not fill out the ALAW ethics questionnaire:

• Yvonne Barnes
• Anna May Miller

I see the Northwest Herald has run a story today about McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren’s family having received two Homestead Exemptions, one in Florida and another Illinois.  (The Nygren home photo above comes from the web site of the Lee County Appraiser.)

The NW Herald story comes almost a week after former Democratic Party Coroner candidate Dave Bachmann’s blog, Dirty Keith vs. Dirty Harry posted the information.

The Herald’s “hook” was that Green Party candidate for sheriff, Gus Philpott, who publishes the blog Woodstock Advocate, wrote stories about the subject.

Nice to know the Herald reporters are still checking out what stories they might have missed by reading the blogs the paper refuses to identify by name.

Used to be, stories would even link to the blogs in question.

Not anymore.

The internet version of the story was posted at 1:20 AM, but revised over nine hours later at 10:58 AM, as you can see below.

The change I found quoted Sheriff Nygren. The printed version reads,

“…If I spend a couple of days there a year, that’s it.”

The current internet version reads,

“On Wednesday, Nygren clarifiied a previous statement and said he spends a few days at a time in Florida, which amounts to a few weeks overall. ”

The only new information I saw in the NW Herald article is that the Nygrens will owe “about $1,100” to Lee County, Florida, local governments because of Nygren’s McHenry County 2007 and 2008 Homestead Exemptions.

Zane Seipler, the man challenging almost 11-year incumbent Republican McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren has issues a press release challenging the incumbent’s credentials as a Republican. The statement follows:

Republican Sheriff Keith Nygren’s Support of the Democratic Party

Woodstock, IL, September 30, 2009- In the latter part of the 1970’s, Keith Nygren embarked on a political career.

Record states that Mr. Nygren was a Democratic committeeman in Algonquin Township.

At the age of 32, Keith Nygren was endorsed as the candidate for the appointment of sheriff by the McHenry County Democratic Central Committee. He did not get the appointment but his career as a politician began.

Keith Nygren was appointed Sheriff of McHenry County in 1997, this time as a Republican.

Prior to 1997, Mr. Nygren never participated in Republican Party politics.

According to recent record, Sheriff Nygren has not completely left his Democratic ideologies behind.

At a time when the Republican Party struggles to rebuild, Sheriff Nygren gives financial aid to a local Democratic leader.

Not just once but several times over the past couple of years.

When the Republican Party is in need of cohesiveness, leadership and support, Sheriff Nygren openly undermines the party that appointed him to office.

By providing campaign contributions to members of the Democratic Party, Keith Nygren turns his back on the Republican campaign donors that have helped solidify his tenure over the past 12 years.

Bi-partisan relationships are necessary in all aspects of government, including law enforcement.

Financing the other team crosses the line.

If Mr. Nygren has formed personal relationships with members of the opposing party, those relationships are to be respected.

Party unity and loyalty should also be respected.

Republican campaign contributions should not end up in Democratic coffers.

County Republican leaders should not be attending breakfast fundraisers for any member of the Democratic Party.

I am asking Republican Sheriff Keith Nygren to publically withdraw his support for any and all Democrats running for office, or to resign from the Republican Party.

= = = = =

I presume Seipler is referring to Keith Nygren’s name being listed as a member of State Rep. Jack Franks’ “Host Committee” for his October 3, 2009, fund raiser.

He is not the only Republican whose name was published–a couple of letters at a time–over the last two weeks on McHenry County Blog.

If don’t want to go down on the blog to find the article you seek, just click on the image you wish to enlarge.

Zane Seipler is the head shot on top of the article. Keith Nygren’s is just below.