McHenry County Blog

A Message From Illinois State Representative Michael W. Tryon  |  District 64
March 19, 2010

Dear friends,

Mike Tryon

With an unprecedented budget deficit of $13 billion facing Illinois, it’s no secret that things need to change in Springfield.

The wrong solution is to propose a tax increase. Gov. Quinn’s proposal would increase the income tax by 33 percent and would result in an, on average, a $1,000 tax increase per household.

To saddle the families of Illinois with an even greater tax burden, when many are struggling to make ends-meet, would be irresponsible.

The fact is, this crisis was created by years of irresponsible spending and complete financial incompetence. If we are serious about addressing the deficit, and erasing the mistakes of the past 10 years, we must immediately enact a number of responsible, reasonable budget cuts and reforms.

For example, I have proposed legislation called the Truth in Accounting Act of 2010 which will move Illinois to full accrual accounting standards. This will put everyone involved in the budget process on the same page by offering a real look at the fiscal condition of the state.

I’m also supporting efforts to reform the Medicaid system which will result in more than $2 billion in savings to the state.

Under Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Medicaid spending alone increased by almost 50 percent, from $9.5 billion to $14 billion, in only four years. We need to repeal some of those expansions, and include other reforms, such as residency requirements and a renewal process for Medicaid recipients.

Unfortunately, for reasons that I cannot understand, House Speaker Mike Madigan has refused to allow these bills and others like them, to be heard for a vote. These are common sense, bipartisan approaches to reforming state government.

I urge you to contact both Gov. Pat Quinn and Speaker Mike Madigan to ask them to support responsible budget cuts and reforms to reduce the deficit and move our state forward.

Governor Pat Quinn                Speaker Mike Madigan
207 State House                   300 State House
Springfield, IL 62706              Springfield, IL 62706
(217) 782-0244                     (217) 782-5350

Looking for Volunteers

Groups and individuals throughout the state are already feeling the affects of the state’s budget crisis, and many have contacted my office directly to ask for help. It is our hope to respond to these questions and requests as quickly as possible. To help us accomplish this we are looking for volunteers to help us work through all the correspondence we have received.

If you are interested in helping or know someone who is, such as a high school or college student looking for an internship, please contact my office at mike@miketryon.com or 815.459.6453.

As always, do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns regarding state issues.  It is an honor to serve you in Springfield.
Sincerely,

Michael Tryon
State Representative – 64th District

From left to right are seen the 2010-2012 McHenry County Republican Central Committee leadership: Chairman Mike Tryon, Secretary Glenda Miller, Vice Chairwoman Kathy Kuchta and Treasurer Fred Wickham.

The leadership team of the McHenry County Republican Central Committee will be the same as it has been the last two years.

Mike Tryon addressing committeemen after his re-election as chairman.

State Rep. Mike Tryon of Crystal Lake continues as Chairman.

Vice Chairwoman will be McHenry’s Kathy Kuchta.

Harvard’s Glenda Miller will be Secretary.

Fred Wickham, who won a contest two years ago will again be Treasurer.

Likewise there was no contest for 8th Congressional District State Central Committeeman. All present voted for Barrington Township’s Gene Dawson.

With the empty precincts added in, pursuant to passage of a motion earlier in the night, Dawson received 10,134 votes in his attempt to turn back a challenge by the Schaumburg Township Committeeman, Michael Adelizzi.

In the race for the 16th Congressional District Committeemanship, the race was more interesting.

Cal Skinner made a pitch for Joe Wiegand, pointing out that he had never seen incumbent Dave Syverson during the past two years since he had joined the Central Committee for the third time. He said that Wiegand’s lack of a public office gave him the time to do much more than a state senator could.

Jack Schaffer spoke for Syverson, explaining that he was a respected leader on the Republican State Central Committee.  He added that Syverson had been in Congressman Don Manzullo’s Sunday School class.

Tom Zanck supporting Joe Wiegand's candidacy.

After Schaffer, Tom Zanck asked if he could second Wiegand’s nomination and was granted that wish.

“I don’t agree with Cal Skinner on anything, but I agree with him on Joe Wiegand,” he said. Zanck said he had worked with Wiegand in the campaign to defeat the establishment of a Kishwaukee Water Authority and praised his imagination, thoroughness and initiative.

A not-so-secret ballot was taken instead of a roll call, resulting in Syverson getting 4,054 votes and Wiegand 2,554.  (Because each precinct committee had the number of Republican votes cast in his precinct, the way people voted had to be known to the canvass team.)

After the vote Chairman Tryon asked if anyone wanted to switch to the winner and Dan Shea and Patrick Collins did, leaving the tally at 4,347 to 2,261.

Adding in the precinct totals of precincts where no vote was cast, Syverson ended up with a margin of 11,428. The total vote of precincts not represented because the elected committeeman did not show up or because no one ran for precinct committeeman was 9,342 votes.

15,950 people voted in the GOP primary in Congressman Don Manzullo’s part of McHenry County, but only 6,608 of them had elected precinct committeemen present at the meeting.

That means there is plenty of room for volunteers. If you would like your name passed on, you can email McHenry County Blog. The email is on the upper left hand side of this page.

Mike Tryon hand microphone to Jack Schaffer, who chaired gubernatorial winner Bill Brady's McHenry County campaign.

Schaffer, who chaired Bill Brady’s McHenry County campaign, told the party representatives that Brady was leading Kirk Dillard by 246 votes by Brady’s count.

“We think Brady will be the winner,” the former Central Committee Chairman said.

Brady is expected to be in Chicago shaking hands at the Union Pacific train station Friday morning and do a fly-around on Monday. The closest landing will be in Rockford.

Extolling the virtues of his candidate, Schaffer said, “His family is from Central Casting.”

Describing his principles, his spokesman described them as “solid.”

Schaffer also said that he his answers frustrate the media.

When asked a question about social values, he says,

”I am who I am.“

Then, he starts talking about the problems of the day.

“We stand at the brink,” Schaffer said. “The demographics are running against us. We have a chance. The Democrats have done everything for us but raise money…and Blagojevich is still working for us.

“If we can’t prevail this year, I don’t know when we ever will again.

“I won’t say, ‘It’s now or never,’  but you guys will all be as old as I am when we get the next chance.”

Republican County Board candidtes, from left to right, Nick Provenzano, Diane evertson, John Jung, Tina Hill and Donna Kurtz.

John O'Neill, who is a candidate for state representative against Democrat Jack Franks, makes pitch for attendance at his corn beef and cabbage Bull Valley Country Club fund raiser Monday, March 15th.

Tryon then introduced the county board candidates in attendance and let state representative candidate John O’Neill make a pitch for his March 15th corn beef and cabbage fund raiser at the Bull Valley Country Club.

Young Republican President Bryan Javor announcing he would not be running for re-election.

McHenry County Young Republican President Bryan Javor took the opportunity to announce he was not running for re-election, but, pointing to the county board candidates,  instead “would work to get these guys elected.”

Then, Tryon headed back to Springfield for session on Thursday.

He had left 1 PM Wednesday afternoon to drive up to Woodstock.

In keeping with my goal to allow politicians to give their messages to the public in an unfiltered manner, the following message from Illinois State Representative Michael W. Tryon is provided:

Dear friend,

Mike Tryon

The spring legislative session has begun in earnest, and already hundreds of bills have been introduced for consideration by the legislature.
Last month, the House of Representatives approved a bill that I sponsored which will require legislative input and consent on certain property transactions by the state.

The legislation, House Bill 4744, would require the State to receive approval from the General Assembly prior to selling any piece of surplus property that is worth more than $1 million. This is a change from current law which states that if a piece of property is “surplus” property, then the State can sell it immediately after appraisal and without any requirement for the consent of the General Assembly.

I strongly believe that properties worth more than $1 million, like the Thomson Correction Center, should not be sold in the dead of night by administrative procedure, but in the light of day with legislative approval. Other state legislatures are required to approve similar transactions in their respective states, and there’s no reason it should be any different in Illinois.

It is my hope that my colleagues in the Senate will also approve this bill to provide safeguards to the rightful owners of state property in Illinois, the taxpayers.

Truth in Accounting

Weighing heavy on the minds of legislators, as well as residents throughout the state, is the financial crisis facing Illinois.  With a $13 billion budget deficit, service providers, state contractors and even local schools are already making drastic cuts and in some cases closing their doors due to the state’s inability to pay its bills on time and in full.

To help shed light on the state budget, and improve the state budget process, I’ve introduced the Truth in Accounting Act of 2010. This bill, House Bill 5212, is the culmination of work between me, the Institute for Truth in Accounting and the Americans for Prosperity. Among other things, the legislation would:

• Require all state government agencies to switch to full accrual accounting standards as promulgated by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB);
• Prohibit the General Assembly from approving any appropriations bill during a fiscal year until both houses of the General Assembly have adopted a joint resolution scrutinizing, accepting, and if necessary amending the budget estimates generated by the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA);
• Require the electronic publication of all appropriation bills;
• Requires the Comptroller to publish a Consolidated Annual Financial Report (CAFR), prepared in accordance with the principles of full accrual accounting, no more than 90 days after the end of each fiscal year. This report must explain any differences that exist between the estimates accepted by the General Assembly prior to the fiscal year, and the actual outcomes achieved by the State during that fiscal year.
• If we truly want to reign in spending, put an end to borrow-and-spend budgeting, and address the massive debt facing this state, we must reform the budget process through accountability and transparency. This legislation will put everyone involved in the process on the same page by offering a real look at the fiscal condition of the state annually and allow the legislature to focus on long-term, responsible budgeting, instead of the ineffective, piecemeal approach that it currently takes.
  As always, do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns regarding state issues.  It is an honor to serve you in Springfield.

Sincerely,

Michael Tryon
State Representative – 64th District

Mike Tryon

It was “just” a surplus property issue.

Should it take approval of the Illinois General Assembly to dispose of surplus property worth more than $1 million?

But House Bill 4744 was aimed by Crystal Lake State Representative Mike Tryon directly at the Democratic (and some regional Republican) Party politicians promoting turning maximum security Thomson Correctional Center into terrorist central.

How creative!

President Barack Obama, Governor Pat Quinn and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin think it is such a wonderful idea.

But, led by not-yet-nominated-for-U.S.-Senate Congressman Mark Kirk, Republicans, including Congressman Don Manzullo, in whose district the prison is located, attacked the idea, not once, but repeatedly. All over TV.

Liberals pooh-poohed the unreasonable fear of opponents. When Manzullo pointed out that the terrorists would likely be tried in Rockford, the Obama Administration rushed in with the alternative that the courtroom would be behind the prison’s walls.

Then the would-be Christmas airplane bomber turned out to be from Yemen, the same country as most of the Guantanamo terrorists President Obama wants to transfer to Northwestern Illinois.

Byron nuclear power plants as seen from Interstate 39, upwind from McHenry County.

That got me thinking about

those Byron nuclear power plants we see on our annual pilgrimage to the Springfield Old Capitol Art Fair.

A terrorist act there releasing radiation would float right over McHenry County.

Enter Tryon with his bill.

It got out of committee, indicating House Speaker Mike Madigan’s approval.

And, it passed overwhelmingly. 81 of 116 voting “Yes.”

Mike Tryon

Happened upon the endorsement of State Senator Kirk Dillard by Crystal Lake’s State Rep. Mike Tryon.

If anything has been made of it, except listing it on Dillard’s web site in a press release announcing that the Sangamon County Republican Party (can’t get much more Establishment than that) was endorsing Kirk, I’ve missed it.

Also listed there is Family PAC right next to the Illinois Education Association. That’s the first time I’ve seen those ideological opponents on the same page.

Found Irene Napier of McHenry County Right to Life, as well. She attended State Senator Pam Althoff’s breakfast at 1776 for Dillard.

McHenry County Treasurer Bill LeFew has signed up, too.

Jack Franks

And, on Pete Gonigam’s First Electric Newspaper, I discovered that Democratic Party State Rep. Jack Franks supports State Comptroller Dan Hynes for governor.

No big surprise there.

Franks was willing to hold hearings on Governor Pat Quinn’s “Catch and Release” prisoner program.

Some call it by the “Revolving Door.”

McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler

McHenry County Board member Lyn Orphal

There’s a five-way race for two seats in the Crystal Lake-Lake in the Hills District 2.

The incumbents are County Board Chairman Ken Koehler and Lyn Orphal.

Challenging them are three women:

• Sandra DePual, a member of the Regional Board of School Trustees
• McHenry County College Board member Donna Kurtz
• Crystal Lake City Councilwoman Ellen Brady Mueller

McHenry County Regional Board of School Trustee Sandra DePaul

If one were to handicap this race, Sandra DePaul would be coming in last place…just because she is the only candidate who is virtually unknown as a result of the low profile position she holds.

So, what’s up with the Northwest Herald’s endorsement of DePaul, along with the perfectly predictable endorsement of Koehler.

Let’s begin by making the perfectly reasonable assumption that the primary goal of the paper is to get Koehler re-elected.

To do that one must split the opposition.

If two women were running against Koehler, he might have some trouble.

But with five women…split the vote evenly and just over 20% of the vote is enough to win.

McHenry County College Board Trustee Donna Kurtz

Let’s agree that it won’t be split even.

Orphal, although able to manage to put out a letter to Republican voters the same day Koehler early this week, is the more vulnerable of the two candidates. Even though in her second term, she does not have a lot of name identification.

So, with Kurtz charging hard and Brady Mueller having quite noticeable signs, how to pull votes to perhaps the least known of the female candidates?

Endorse her along with Koehler.

That will pull some votes to DePaul that otherwise would go to one of the better known women.

Crystal Lake City Councilwoman Ellen Brady Mueller

Koehler will probably get more than enough of the combined vote to win. Surely being chairman of the board, he ought to be able to do that.

He will remember how a strong-charging Leslie Root managed to beat out then-County Board Chairwoman Dianne Klemm, however. In that contest, Mike Tryon was on the ballot. He and Root beat Klemm.

In this race, I can’t point to the second candidate who could beat Koehler.

One final thought.

The Northwest Herald also managed to pick two people who hd not filled out the ALAW conflict of interest questionnaire. The only candidate in District 1 to have done so when the endorsement appeared was Donna Kurtz.  Now, all but Koehler have answered ALAW ethics form, not because they were forced, but voluntarily.

From left to right are Sandra DePaul, Lyn Orphal, Ken Koehler's empty seat, Ellen Brady Mueller and Donna Kurtz. They were participating in Patriots United county board candidates' forum.

In the Patriots Unity county board candidates’ forum Friday night, the only candidate in District 2 who did not come was County Board Chairman Koehler.

When I wrote the story about the Citizens for Life pro-life endorsements yesterday, there was an omission that deserves noting.

Instead of taking a dive this year, the Republican Party has put up a candidate to challenge veteran Democratic Party State Representative Jack Franks.

His name is John O’Neill and he holds three elective offices in the McHenry area.  I left him out of the original (but now modified) post.

He is on the grade school board, the library board and is a GOP precinct committeeman.

I left him out of the article.

So you can see the differences on the abortion issue among those in legislative office and those running in McHenry County, a summary of the local ratings follows:

“Fully Pro-Life”

• Mike Tryon (R-Crystal Lake)
• John O’Neill (R-McHenry)

“Unknown (Did not answer or complete survey)”

• Jack Franks (D-Marengo)
• Bob Kaempfe (R-Crystal Lake)
• Mark Beaubien (R-Barrington Hills)

= = = = =
John O’Neill is top left. On the right is Mike Tryon. From left to right on the bottom are Bob Kaempfe, Mark Beaubien and Jack Franks.

Illinois Citizens for Life, a statewide pro-life group, has endorsed Zane Seipler for McHenry County Sheriff.

Seipler is challenging incumbent Sheriff Keith Nygren in the February 2nd Republican primary election.

The organization is also endorsing candidates for county board.

In District 1, ICF is endorsing the only man and only non-incumbent running for one of the two spots. His name is Robert Nowak. He is a Cary resident, as are the two incumbents he is challenging—Anna May Miller and Yvonne Barnes.

In District 2, McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler and challenger Sandra DePaul are the two getting the group’s nod. Both are from Crystal Lake. Other candidates are incumbent Lyn Orphal and challengers Donna Kurtz, a McHenry County College board member and Crystal Lake City Councilwoman Ellen Brady Mueller.

In District 3 the only incumbent running for re-election, Barbara Wheeler is endorsed. Former county board member Nick Provenzano also won the group’s support. The opponents are Karen J Tynis, Veronica Armstrong and Craig Steagall.

In District 5, newcomer Dave Frederick and former county board member John Jung received the pro-life endorsement. Also running is incumbent Tina Hill.

There is no endorsement in District 4, where there is no GOP primary election, or in District 6, where five candidates are vying for the two places on the fall ballot.

State legislative candidates are ranked as well.

Mike Tryon (R-Crystsl Lake) is deemed to be “Fully Pro-Life.” His Democratic Part opponent Bob Kaempfe merited an “Unknown (Did not answer or complete survey).” State Reps. Jack Franks (D-Marengo) and Mark Beaubien (R-Barrington Hills) are rated the same as Kaempfe.

Franks’ Republican opponent, on the other hand, was characterized as “Fully Pro-Life.”

The only other state candidate endorsed is for the 2nd Appellate Court. Mary S. Schostok is endorsed for the Barbara Gilleran-Johnson vacancy.

It’s been a couple of weeks since the McHenry County Board bucked Chairman Ken Koehler, State Senator Pam Althoff, State Rep. Mike Tryon and those who stand to gain financially from placement of video poker machines in local taverns and restaurants.

It’s time to tell the tale of how McHenry County Establishment got narrowly beaten in that fight.

The vote was close (13-10-1) and my guess is that video poker proponents will try to reverse that vote after new county board members are sworn in, if the people they back defeat anti-gambling incumbents like District 2’s Barbara Wheeler.

Video gambling was the first local issue taken on by Patriots United, the folks who coordinated the Independence Day TEA Party, picketed State Rep. Jack Franks’ office on a cold spring day about his sponsorship of a bill considered pro-abortion and gun control, held a well-attended forum on the Democrats’ health care reform, and co-sponsored with the McHenry County Young Republicans a candidates’ night for 8th congressional district GOP aspirants.

Members attended John Hammerand’s License and Liquor Committee meetings and sponsored a debate between proponents and opponents.

Here are Patriots United video slot machine debate panels, ban proponents on the right, opponents on the left. Opponents, from left to right, are Tom Grey, David Smith and James Blue.

Then, Patriots United had a forum in Woodstock during which video poker machine salesmen debated three social conservatives:

• Tom Grey, the nationally- known Methodist minister who started out in Galena during the time the county board decided to site a riverboat in Jo Davies County and now Field Coordinator and National Spokesman for Stop Predatory Gambling
• Jim Blue, representing Illinois Church Action on Alcoholism and Addiction Problems
• David Smith, Executive Director of the Illinois Family Institute

They urged their members to contact county board members, but that was not what did the trick.

They used this robo call technique I first saw tobacco companies us in lobbying against cigarette tax hikes maybe ten years ago.

Call people, explain the issue and ask if they would like to speak to their county board member.

Since there are four county board members per district, how would that work?

The Illinois Family Institute selected six county board members considered to be approachable on the issue.

They were

• Yvonne Barnes in District 1
• Jim Heisler in District 2
• Ed Dvorak in District 3
• Sue Draffkorn in District 4
• Jim Kennedy in District 5
• Dan Ryan in District 6

From 1,334 to 1,453 calls were made in each district.

From to 649 to 774 of the calls were answered by voters. After the recorded pitch, voters were asked to push a phone button if they wished to be transferred to their county board member.

There were over fifty transfers for all but one district.

From the time my father served on the county board, I can tell you that he never got that many calls on any subject. On some zoning matters, especially the landfill ones, he might have gotten fifty letters. One phone call on a subject was a big number back in the 1980’s.

Getting dozens of calls must have sounded like a tidal wave.

And it was. You can’t find an issue where that many constituents have contacted county board members by phone. Undoubtedly, some of them were friends and supporters of each member.

A little over half of the calls were answered in person; the rest went to answering machines.

Of the six county board members receiving calls, only Huntley’s Ryan, a Sun City resident, voted in favor of allowing video slot machines in establishments serving liquor in unincorporated McHenry County.

Barnes, Kennedy and Ryan are up for election this year. District 6’s Ryan is the only one with GOP primary opposition.

= = = = =
Check out possible targets for the pro-gambling forces in this post.

Want to give some input to your local state legislators?

Wednesday and Thursday night is the time for those living close to Huntley and Crystal Lake, according to the following press release:

Althoff and Tryon Seek Public Input at Town Hall Meetings

Springfield, IL… State Senator Pamela J. Althoff (R-Crystal Lake) and State Representative Michael Tryon (R-Crystal Lake) are hosting two Town Hall meetings in early December to gather input from those they represent on a variety of issues.   The meetings are free and open to the public.

“Listening to constituents about their concerns is very important to us.  Knowing where our constituents stand on issues is vital to helping us to make the right decisions when faced with tough choices down in Springfield,” said Rep. Tryon.  “I hope area residents will take the time to attend.”

Rep. Tryon and Sen. Althoff will present a brief legislative update, but will primarily be seeking opinions and questions from members of their community.

“I am pleased to host these town hall meetings with Representative Tryon,” said Sen. Althoff.  “These meetings have been very productive in the past and are an excellent opportunity for us to meet with constituents and address their questions and concerns.”

The public should feel free to attend either of the following dates/locations:

7 – 9 p.m., Wednesday, December 9
Huntley Village Hall
10987 Main Street
Huntley City Council Chambers

7 -9 p.m., Thursday, December 10
100 Municipal Complex
Crystal Lake, Illinois 60014
Crystal Lake City Hall