McHenry County Blog

The Daily Herald’s Jim Davis wrote an opinion piece criticizing the cost of holding township primary elections.

It’s an easy hit on politicians.

Hey. Nobody voted.

So, divide the number of people voting into the cost of the election and the result is a high price per vote.

That, of course, is the fault of the politicians.

After reading his article, I sent Davis this email:

“As the House sponsor of the twp primary bill, I really wonder at your line of logic about abolishing that option in the name of saving money.

“Why not just let the party leaders select who will be on the ballot in November general elections, too?

“Where do you draw the line on encouraging democracy?

At 22, Melissa Sanchez will be the youngest township official in McHenry County.

“Do you really think a 22-year old, just-graduated-from-college Melissa Sanchez would have been selected by party leaders to be the Republican candidate in McHenry County’s largest township, Algonquin?”I don’t.

“Why should every place but Cook County elect individual precinct committeemen, rather than have precinct captains appointed by the local party boss?

“Waste of space on the ballot, wouldn’t you say?

“Maybe you would say it’s too much democracy.

“I would argue the lack of such local precinct level elections in Chicago has thwarted the chance of minorities to take power in an incremental process, delaying the taking of power from white politicians until the voter majority was overwhelming.

“Dictatorships often save money by never having an election.

“But that’s a cheap shot.

“The real question is where you would draw the line?”

Now, if Davis had suggested cutting down the number of judges from two in the majority party and one in the minority party, I would have supported such an idea.

Maybe next time he will.

And it’s not that I haven’t bemoaned the low voter turnout. Consider what happened in Algonquin Township.

4.6% voter turnout.

I only managed to interest 7.8% of the voters in Algonquin’s 7th precinct to vote in the Republican primary election.

Quite disappointing but not a reason to abolish elections in favor of party caucuses that would have even fewer participants.

Melisssa Sanchez soon to be an Algonquin Township Trustee.

As I was knocking on doors this past weekend, I was talking about Melissa Sanchez.

You may remember that political commentators after the President election said that Republicans had to find more appeal to Hispanics (I prefer the word “Latino” because it’s not a government-created word) and young people.

Enter now 22-year old Melissa Sanchez.

Except she decided to run for Township Trustee before the election.

She just earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois in Springfield.

During her course of study, she was an intern with House Republican Leader Tom Cross.

After graduating last month, she was snapped up by a statewide trade association.

This past summer she went to the McHenry County Fair and visited the GOP booth while it was being manned by Tom McDermott.

She asked him how to become a Republican Precinct Committeeman.

This past October, GOP Chairman Mike Tryon appointed her and her Township Trustee running mate Larry Emery to fill two of the many empty precincts–Sanchez in Lake in the Hills and Emery in Crystal Lake.

Sanchez met her fiancé on a bus three years ago.

Where was the bus going?

To the annual Pro-Life Rally in Washington, D.C.

When do you think someone in the mainstream press will figure out she is worth interviewing?

As I reported eight days ago, Algonquin Township Road Commissioner Bob Miller, unopposed for re-election, was trying to take control of the Algonquin Township Board.  Maybe I should say “keep control.”

He contributed $1,000 to Marc Munaretto in his campaign to unseat Supervisor Dianne Klemm. While Munaretto ran a superior campaign, Klemm’s superior name identification led her to a convincing victory.

Bob Miller has supported monetarily stand next to each other on Algonquin Road.

For Township Trustee, Miller contributed another $1,000 to Lowell Cutsforth’s campaign.

Shortly thereafter, signs started popping up promoting a slate of four candidates for Township Trustee:

• Dan Shea
• Lowell Cutsforth
• Neils Kruse
• Bill Bligh

On the other side were three candidates:

• appointed incumbent Russ Cardelli
• Larry Emery
• Melissa Sanchez

As you can see below, those three bested all of Miller’s Trustee candidates.  The fourth winner, who came in second, was incumbent Shea, a former Fox River Grove Village President and McHenry County Board member.

Sitting on the Township Board will be the top four vote getters.

Now, as evidenced by the salary increases approved by Trustees Shea, Cutsforth and Linda Lance, who ran for Clerk against Chuck Lutzow and lost, allies of Miller control the Algonquin Township Board.

After the newly-nominated, but certain-to-be elected, township officials are sworn in, four of five Board members will carry the memory that Miller tried to defeat them.

While the Township Road District is run by Miller with little oversight from the Board, there may be some.

Will taxpayers pick the salary hikers or their opponents on Tuesday?

Four of seven candidates will be nominated in the Algonquin Township Republican primary election on Tuesday.

Since the deadline for the Democratic Party to nominate candidates by caucus passed December 4, 2012, whoever wins the GOP primary in Algonquin Township will run unopposed in the April general election.

In other words, any Algonquin Township Democrats reading this story is forewarned that if they don’t vote in the Republican primary election Tuesday, they won’t have any say in who gets to tax them.

When I was going door-to-door in two Algonquin Township precincts, I was talking about the salary increases that three Trustees voted for.

Who are those Trustees?

• Lowell Cutsforth
• Linda Lance
• Dan Shea

Cutsforth and Shea are running for re-election.

They are on the slate of Township Road Commissioner Bob Miller.

Lance is running for Township Clerk against Chuck Lutzow.

In this time of layoffs and salary freezes in the private sector, sympathy for the salary hikers did not manifest itself.

The three running against raising township salaries (in various permutations) four years from now are

• Larry Emery
• Melissa Sanchex
• Russ Cardelli

In fact, Cardelli led the fight against salary hikes for the upcoming term, but lost the vote 3-2. The only person voting with him was Supervisor Dianne Klemm.

As I said in my letter, “Vote as you please, but please vote.”

Look what I found distributed by the Crystal Lake Tea Party:

REMINDER OF TOWNSHIP ELECTIONS ON TUESDAY. THIS IS THE CLOSEST GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATION WE HAVE. BE SURE TO VOTE!

For what it is worth here are my personal recommendations for Nunda Township (of which I am a resident)

• Road Commissioner: Rob Parrish
• Supervisor: Bridgett Provenzano
• Clerk: Angela Koscavage

Township Polling places:
http://mchenry-il.connect.clarityelections.com/ElectionPollingPlaces.aspx

Letter from Irene Napier in support of Pro-life candidates in Algonquin Township:

Irene Napier at the annual Pro-Life Pig Roast, usually held at her farm.

Dear Pro-Life Supporter,

I was going to sit this election out, but two Pro-Lifers running for Algonquin Township Trustee are being slandered.

One is Melissa Sanchez, a 22-year old recent college grad (who has a job already!). Melissa, from Lake in the Hills, took a bus to the Pro-Life Washington demonstration three years ago and ended up meeting the young man she is going to marry. She is running with Larry Emery of Crystal Lake.

The key issue is pay raises voted for by three incumbent Trustees—Dan Shea and Lowell Cutsforth, plus Linda Lance, running for Township Clerk.

Both Melissa and Larry are being accused of voting to raise their own salaries.

The absurdity of the falsehood being spread is obvious when you think about it.

How could two candidates who are not in office have voted to raise their own salaries?

Such a “Big Lie” approach has been used successfully in politics before.

Shame on us if we let it work next Tuesday, when the Republican primary election is held.

What kind of a world do we live in when supporters of politicians spread outright lies about a recent retiree and a young woman inspired to try to improve things by entering public service?

Shouldn’t we be encouraging people like her and her friend Larry Emery, another Pro-Lifer, to stay involved in a political process that most of us would rather ignore because it is so often so dirty?

To summarize, there are three people on the ballot who voted to raise township salaries:

•         Dan Shea running for Trustee
•         Lowell Cutsforth running for Trustee
•         Linda Lance running for Clerk

There is one candidate, a current Trustee, running for re-election who led the fight to cut salaries

•         a Pro-Lifer named Russ Cardelli.

And there are the two candidates opposed to higher salaries who are being lied about

•         Melissa Sanchez
•         Larry Emery

Finally, a well-known Pro-Lifer named

•         Chuck Lutzow

is running for Township Clerk against a woman who voted to raise salaries.

Vote as you please, but please vote.

Irene Napier

Melissa Sanchez

Algonquin Township Trustee candidate Melissa Sanchez shares endorsements below:

“I have been very fortunate to have the support of my friends and family.

“Through hard work and dedication in my campaign I have been able to gain endorsements from local officials, volunteers, neighbors, and new friends.

“Most recently 3 Lake in the Hills trustees have endorsed my candidacy for Algonquin Township trustee-

• Russ Ruzanski
• Stephen Harlfinge
• Ray Bogdanski

“Also included is Democrat McHenry County board member Nick Chirikos.

“These are only a few of the local officials but the most recent, an official list of endorsements will be released and soon to follow.”

An email sent by recent University of Illinois at Springfield college graduate (who has a job) Melissa Sanchez.  She interned in House Republican Leader Tom Cross’ office.

Melissa Sanchez

Dear Neighbors,

It has come to my attention that some constituents of Algonquin Township are under the impression that I already am an elected official, and voted to raise my own salary.

I am fiscally conservative, and have promised to not vote on any more pay raises for Township Trustees.

This is the exact opposite of the rumor that is being spread about my person.

I cannot say how ardently hurt I was to find out that rumors are being spread about my political title, as of right now I identify myself as a Republican, precinct committeewoman, and concerned citizen.

This smear campaign to confuse the vote of many should not and will not be tolerated.

I hope that the people who have started this clandestine rumor will come forward with an apology.

This is the first time I have ever sought public office in the state of Illinois.

I want constituents to know that this smear campaign is an attack on my campaign, and that of any person who has run for office and had lies told about them.

I encourage everyone to take advantage of early voting until the 23 of February, and to vote on February 26th.

I thank everyone for their support, and help during my campaign to change Algonquin Township for the better.

That’s the question candidates face if they are doing well.

The latest lie to reach my ears came from Fox River Grove.

Melissa Sanchez of Lake in the Hills, a candidate for Algonquin Township Trustee.

Larry Emery of Crystal Lake, who is running for Algonquin Township Trustee.

A citizen was told that Larry Emery and Melissa Sanchez had voted to raise their own salaries on the Algonquin Township Board.

That’s pretty funny because neither serve on the Algonquin Township Board.

Indeed both are candidates for Township Trustee.

And, perhaps not coincidentally, they are running against two incumbent Township Board members who did vote to raise salaries for Algonquin Township officials.

Those two are Dan Shea and Lowell Cutsforth.

A third incumbent, appointed to the position, Russ Cardelli, led the fight against raising Algonquin Township salaries.

So, what’s it all mean?

I think it means that supporters of the two incumbents who voted to raise salaries are worried they might lose.

In any event, it has not been my experience that one can’t sell a lie in a campaign.

Coincidentally, a mailing arrived today from the slate of Trustee candidates that include Shea and Cutsforth.  You can see it below:

The slate of four candidates backed by Road Commission Bob Miller manifested itself for a second time in a mailing delivered today. The first was on a sign that has been displayed next to Marc Munaretto for

Supervisor Marc Munaretto and Chuck Lutzow for Clerk signs appear next to those of the four candidates running on a slate–Dan Shea, Lowell Custsforth, Niels Kruse and Bill Bligh. All mailings seem to have come from the same mail house.

Fox River Grove Republican Precinct Committeeman Andrew Gasser has published his Algonquin Township GOP primary election recommendations, which he has given me permission to share.

Here they are:

Consolidated Primary Endorsements – 2013

“All politics are local.” – Tip O’Neill, 1982

We have an election coming up in a week.

Many of my friends and neighbors in the 4th precinct are not sure who to vote for so I wanted to put together a small voter guide for the people that I am supporting in the Consolidated Primary to be held on February 26th, 2013.

As many of you know – I am a reformer. I am an articulate conservative who believes in the core values of

• fiscal responsibility
• limited government
• free market principles

These are the things that America great. These are the principles that are so definitively dictated in our constitution.

The candidates listed below will do just that for us here locally.

The is how we begin to rebuild the Republican Party in the belly of the beast, or in the lion’s den. I have attached a PDF you can download here to print out and share with your friends and neighbors. Lets turn out the vote.

Andrew Gasser’s Sample Ballot.

Chuck Lutzow

Chuck Lutzow is running to be your Township Clerk.

Chuck owns a small business in Crystal Lake and has lived in the local area for over 20 years. He is an active committeeman in the local party.

He does not want to raise taxes or government wages, however his opponent voted to raise her salary and the tax levy.

We simply can’t afford NOT to have Chuck representing us.

Russ Cardelli

Russ Cardelli was appointed to be a trustee last year and is now running for election, not re-election.

He has raised his family here in Algonquin.

He has made a name for himself asking good, difficult questions at township board meetings.

I want you all to know Russ was the only trustee who voted NO to the elected official salary hike.

We need to send him back to the township as a trustee so he can continue to work to bring down the cost of government, not raise it.

Larry Emery

Larry Emery is a retired business analyst who lives in Crystal Lake.

He is an active precinct committeeman who worked several campaigns as well as an election judge. He is running to be one of our four trustees in the township.

Larry has already attended several township board meetings and even has pointed out mistakes to the sitting board members.

His excellent “attention to detail” is desperately needed.

Melissa Sanchez of Lake in the Hills, a candidate for Algonquin Township Trustee.

Melissa Sanchez of Lake in the Hills is another active precinct committeeman running for trustee.

Even as she finishes up her double major in Political Science and Legal Studies, she has still found the time to work locally with the local party.

Like Larry, she has vowed to follow Russ’ lead and vote NO to raise salaries.

Melissa will be a great addition to the board and serve us all well.

I know many of you are disgruntled, angry, and somewhat detached from politics after November; especially nationally. However, all politics start locally.

Let’s work to build a stronger, more vibrant local Republican party that increases its influence.

Early voting is going on now so please vote today at the township hall!

Dan, Shea, Lowell Cutsforth, Neils Kruse and Bill Bligh share sign space in the Algonquin Township GOP primary election contest for four Trustee spots.

The long-rumored slate of

• Dan Shea
• Lowell Cutsforth
• Neils Kruse
• Bill Bligh

popped up on some lawns recently.

Shea and Cutsforth are currently on the Algonquin Township Board.

Both voted to raise township salaries and, with the help of a third Trustee, Linda Lance, carried the day.  (Lance is now running for Township Clerk against Chuck Lutzow.)

Township Supervisor Dianne Klemm and appointed Trustee Russ Cardelli voted against the higher salaries.

There are seven people running for the four Township Trustee slots.  The others are

• Larry Emery
• Melissa Sanchez
• Russ Cardelli