McHenry County Blog

With almost all the votes cast in person totaled in McHenry County and reports in from Kane and Lake Counties, it appears that the McHenry County College Board is due for a major transfusion of new blood.

Molly Walsh, a former employee of MCC is leading the nine-person field.

In second place is Cary Grade School Board member Chris Jenner.

Running third is former GOP County Board candidate Tom Wilbeck, a resident of Lakewood.

He is almost 1100 votes ahead of Lakewood’s Mike Smith.

Running next are incumbent Trustees Carol Larson and Barbara Walter.

With only a couple of precincts, plus early and absentee votes outstanding, the third place person, Tom Wilbeck leads the person in fourth by almost 1100 votes in McHenry County.

Kane County has a chunk of votes in Sun City that are in the McHenry County College District.  Mike Smith trails Tom Wilbeck, the man whose votes he must top if he is to win one of the three seats.

The Lake County Clerk kicked Chris Jenner off the ballot because of conflict that McHenry County Associate Circuit Judge Thomas Meyer ruled did not exist.  Fourth place finisher Mike Smith beat Tom Wilbeck by 9 votes, which will not diminish Willbeck’s over 1,000 vote margin in McHenry County by much.

Below is Lakewood resident Mike Smith’s campaign piece listing his endorsements by

• Northwest Herald
• Daily Herald
• MCC Staff Council
• MCC Faculty Association
• MCC Adjunct Faculty Association

MCC Board candidate Mike Smith lists endorsements on this side.

On the other side is his biography.

MCC Board candidate Mike Smith lists his endorsements again, plus his bio.

Continuing on my effort to post literature from candidates, here is what MCC Board candidates Tom Wilbeck and Chris Jenner are distributing.

This is the front of the door know hanger prepared to promote the campaign of Chris Jenner and Tom Wilbeck for McHenry County College Board.

The back of the literature promoting the election of Tom Wilbeck and Chris Jenner to the McHenry County College Board has little snippets of information about all nine candidates.

Those wishing some to hand out may email tomwilbeck@yahoo.com or cjenner01@yahoo.com.

Here is what Lakewood’s Mike Smith is distributing in his campaign for McHenry County College Board:

Mike Smith’s McHenry County College Board campaign literature.

Chris Jenner

Last week, the Northwest Herald was set to endorse Chris Jenner for the McHenry County College Board.

But he was sued, along with Eric Sivertsen, by the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office in attempt to knock them off the ballot.

The suit must have unsettled the Editorial Board at the NWH, because when a revised editorial was posted, Jenner’s name was gone and Tom Wilbeck, Mike Smith and Molly Walsh were recommended.

Last Monday, the case went to trial and Judge Thomas Meyer ruled the State’s Attorney’s claim invalid.

So Jenner and Sivertsen stayed on the ballot for MCC.

Jenner had previously withdrawn from a second race to be elected to a third term on the Cary Grade School Board, but Sivertsen did not.

The dual candidacies were what the State’s Attorney was objecting to.

Because of Judge Meyer’s ruling Sivertsen remains on both ballots.

Now, the NWH has posted a revised editorial with the following note below it:

“Note to readers: The Northwest Herald Editorial Board’s original endorsement for McHenry County College’s Board of Trustees included candidate Chris Jenner.

“When the McHery County Clerk’s Office announced that Jenner and another candidate could not be on the ballot because the two simultaneously filed to run for other seats, we removed Jenner from our list of endorsed candidates, expecting that he no longer would be on the ballot.

“But a judge has since ruled that Jenner can remain on the ballot.

“In light of that, we add him back to our list of endorsed candidates.

“As a result, four candidates are endorsed. Note that voters can choose only three at the polls.”

“The endorsement of Jenner has been added to Wilbeck’s, Smith’s and Walsh’s.”

An email from the Political Action Committee of McHenry County College employees that was sent to Chris Jenner, candidate for the MCC Board:

Chris Jenner

Dear Chris,

Thank you very much for coming to the interview with McHenry County College Faculty and Staff. It’s gratifying to see so many public-spirited citizens come forward to seek this challenging job. It was a difficult decision, but the MCCFA chose to endorse Mike Smith, Molly Walsh, and Arne Waltmire.

We wish you the very best of luck, and appreciate all that you do for the college and the community!

Best regards,

Ann Esarco
MCCFA – PAC Chair

Eight of the nine candidates for the McHenry County Board showed up to face a small fraction of the public at the MCC auditorium Monday night.

From left to right are Scott Alford, Chris Jenner, Carol Larson, Erik Sivertsen, Mike Smith, Molly Walsh, Arne Waltmire and Tom Wilbeck.

There were

• Scott Alford
• Chris Jenner
• Carol Larson
• Erik Sivertsen
• Mike Smith
• Molly Walsh
• Arne Waltmire
• Tom Wilbeck

Missing was long-time incumbent Barbara Walters.

From left to right are Scott Alford, Chris Jenner, Carol Larson, Erik Sivertsen, Mike Smith, Molly Walsh, Arne Waltmire and Tom Wilbeck.

There was really only one question I wanted answered and that was whether the candidates would borrow tens of millions of dollars without asking permission in a referendum.

There was good news. All but incumbent Larson seems to say they would not. And, of course, there was no answer from Walters.

Here’s what was said in answer to a question asking whether they would favor such a referendum:

• Alford – “The taxpayers need to make the decision.”
• Jenner – “I would require the permission of taxpayers to raise taxes.
• Larson – “I would not be for a referendum now. Referendums are expensive and they don’t usually pass.”
• Sivertsen – I think it’s important [to hold a referendum] before the college issues bonds.”
• Smith – “I would.”
• Walsh – “Yes, any expansion plan should be community supported.”
• Waltmire – “If there’s a need to build, the Board should take [it} out to the community.”
• Wilbeck – “Absolutely. 61% comes from the taxpayers. The use of alternative revenue bonds is not really a good funding source.”

A press release from McHenry County College Board candidate Mike Smith is below, but let me remind candidates that if they would like to share their thoughts and/or background, such information should be emailed to calskinner2@gmail.com.

Mike Smith Running for Community College Board

Mike Smith

“I genuinely believe that MCC, as an institution should be the pride of McHenry County, and I look forward to contributing to the reshaping of a positive image of the college within the community,” Smith wrote.

“I recognize, as I enter the fourth year of my volunteer service to the College on the foundation board, that MCC addresses an extensive number of interests as diverse as the County itself, and it is imperative that it’s leadership understands the needs and perspectives of all stakeholders, from the students, to the faculty, administration and the taxpayers in order successfully govern.

“I believe that I can play an active role as a steward of the institution through participation in legislative advocacy for MCC, intelligent policy development and being a prudent fiduciary in the oversight of the college budget, and would consider it a privilege to serve the community and this college that I am so passionate about in that capacity.”

Mike is a 25 year resident of McHenry County, and currently serves as the President and Executive Committee Chairman of the Friends of McHenry County College Foundation Board of Directors.

He is entering his fourth year of volunteer service for the organization, having served as the Treasurer and Finance Committee Chairman of the organization prior to his current role as President.

Mike is also currently serving in a volunteer capacity for the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s office, having been appointed to serve on the Citizen’s Panel for the First Offender Program in McHenry County when the program originated in 2010. The First Offender Program provides accepted candidates, who have been charged with a first-time, non-violent felony, the opportunity to prevent that felony charge/conviction from being permanently entered onto their record.

Mike’s professional career in Financial Services originated in 1985, and he has worked with corporate retirement plans throughout his 26 year career as a Registered Investment Advisor, Management Consultant and Defined Contribution Plan administrative service provider. He had extensive stints with Automatic Data Processing (ADP) and the Management Consulting arm of Ernst & Young before becoming President of Plexus Financial Services, LLC, a Registered Investment Advisory Firm and Broker/Dealer with offices in Deer Park, Illinois and Dallas, Texas.

Plexus Financial Services, LLC, focuses on Financial Advisory and Co-Fiduciary services to Corporate Retirement Plans (Defined Contribution, Defined Benefit, Non-Qualified and ESOP plans).

He holds an MBA from the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business at DePaul University in Chicago, and a BA in Management from North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. He has industry designations as an Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF), an Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst (AIFA), and an Accredited Retirement Plan Consultant (ARPC), while carrying multiple Securities Industry licenses (Series 7, 24, and 66).

Mike and his wife of 26 years, Erin, reside in the Village of Lakewood, and have 4 children, Brittani, Morgan, Rachel and Keith.

There has been turbulence on the McHenry County College Board over the last couple of years.

First there was the proposal to put the taxpayers on the hook for $25 million in bonds in order to benefit a minor league baseball team. Minor league baseball teams, it turns out, go under about every five years and the proposed non-referendum bonds were for at least for twenty years.

The public flipping of position by Donna Kurtz and Scott Summers right before the Crystal Lake City Council was to vote on the stadium and classrooms zoning in the watershed, which, needing a supermajority, failed by one vote, even led to the censuring of the two dissidents.

Then there was the proposal to sell the southeast corner of the college property to a broadcast tower company.
It would have been the tallest such tower in Illinois and, in my opinion, a blight on the horizon.

Now, we have something that looks a lot like the $25 million baseball stadium idea, that is, a private entity will throw off enough money to finance the health sciences classrooms, except the non-referendum bond amount being discussed is up to $41 million.

And the public has the biting analysis of local resident, but, more importantly, professional bond analyst Steve Willson.

= = = = =
Part 1 is here.

Part 2 is here.

Part 3 is here.

A shorter version is here.

A critique of the massive, 40-year expansion plan is here.
= = = = =
In any event, here are the three candidates who have filed so far:

• Carol Larson, Harvard
• Mike Smith, Lakewood
• Arne Waltmire, McHenry

Mike Smith

Carol Larson

Arne Waltmire

Larson is a long-time incumbent.

Smith is President of the Friends of McHenry County College Foundation.

Waltmire is the Illinois Education Association (IEA) Region 23 Chair. He teaches industrial technology at South High School in Crystal Lake.

Filing is open until the close of business on December 26th. Those thinking about running need to file a Statement of Economic Interest with the County Clerk and attach it with a staple to one’s petitions and Statement of Candidacy. And, be sure to number the pages.

Will there be another Tribune editorial on the subject?

Another ousted Democratic Party State Senator has gained a little-work sinecure from an appointment made by Governor Pat Quinn.

And in discussing it with a Chicago Tribune reporter, Quinn is bold enough to link it to hiking income taxes:

“The governor said Smith has been ‘friend of mine for quite some time,’ noting that Smith once sponsored a resolution on Quinn’s behalf calling for the state to raise income taxes on those who make more than $250,000, with the money going toward education.”

Most people can connect the dots.