McHenry County Blog

Yesterday was one of the biggest fundraisers for the McHenry County Republican Central Committee.

My guess is that parking along the road during previous golf outings has led to the “No Parking” signs there now.

Time was that late comers had to park on the road. Today, I had no trouble finding a parking spot in the McHenry Country Club lot.

Talking to some folks outside the front door, I saw Sheriff Keith Nygren and his wife approaching. I asked if I could take a photo.  They kept walking.

Inside volunteers were collecting checks and issuing meal tickets.

I didn’t get all the luminaries, but 8th Congressional District Republican candidate Joe Walsh and his wife Helene were courting support.

Wives of politicians end up doing things they might not really want to do and going places they might not really want to go. Tryon was about party business most of the evening…but not all the time.

State Rep. Candidate John O’Neill was eating with former State Rep. Rosemary Kurtz and her daughter Donna Kurtz, who is a McHenry County Board member and county board candidate in District 2. Her running mate Ken Koehler was at the event, too, but I didn’t get a shot of him.

State Rep. Mark Beaubien ate with his wife Dee.

Judge Gordon Graham was eating with former McHenry County Board member and former Algonquin Village Board President Don Brewer.

Former Algonquin Township Supervisor and County Board member Bob Vorisek was talking with McHenry County Board member and Algonquin Township Clerk Marc Munaretto.

I caught this tower of feminine courthouse power after I finished eating steak.

Former State Senator and GOP County Chairman Jack Schaffer was eating with Greenwood Township Supervisor Barbara Klasen and McHenry County Board member John Hammerand.

Woodstock Mayor Brian Sager spoke with McHenry Township Clerk Bruce Novak and his wife Louise.

Three Grafton Township politicians, from left to right, newly-appointed Lakewood Village Trustee Blake Hobson, Cheryl Meyer and Huntley School Board member Mike Skala.

There were many other Republicans present, of course, including former McHenry County Republican Party Chairman Al Jourdan and Bill LeFew. Coroner Marlene Lantz was sighted. McHenry County Board candidate Nick Provenzano, who is managing Joe Walsh’s campaign, was in attendance as was McHenry County Board member Pete Merkel. I’m sure there were more candidates. Please email me with others’ names.

McHenry County Board member Nick Provenzano is holding a fund raiser at the Richmond Hunt Club.  (If you can’t read the invitation, click on the image to enlarge it.)

It’s more than a little appropriate for a candidate who spoke at the largest political meeting of the primary season—one of Second Amendment supporters desiring have Illinois join 48 other states in allowing its citizens to carry guns for their personal protection.

The event is June 26th, but RSVPs are requested by June 18th. The price is $100 for the shoot and the reception, $50 for the reception only. More information can be obtained at 815-355-8540.

There’s a movement on the McHenry County Board to freeze their own, plus countywide officials’ salaries.

And a counter-movement to raise the salaries of the McHenry County Clerk, Treasurer and Sheriff.

There’s politics involved, of course,

Those voting for such a freeze have a campaign dot point.
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Challenger Nick Provenzano used the issue to good effect in his primary election for county board.  He ran first in the District 3 county board primary.

Now some of those with a vote on the matter are picking up the issue.

Yesterday, the DuPage County Board took similar action.

That will increase the pressure on McHenry County Board members to follow suit.

I understand there has been some push back from elected officials who are none too pleased with missing out on a raise next year.

If the “Raise my salary!” folks get their way, they will be handing a marvelous issue to the Democrats and newly elected Democratic Party Central Committee Chairman Mike Bissett is just the man to know how to make hay out of it.

On the County Board’s Human Resources Committee, everyone is agreed on a freeze.

Ed Dvorak made motion a motion to approve salary freezes for the Treasurer, Clerk and Sheriff. It was seconded by Paula Yensen. All members present voted, “Aye.”

Besides Dvorak and Yensen, the “Yes” votes were Ersel Schuster, Sue Draffkorn and Sandy Salgado.

In the motion on freezing their own salaries, all voted in favor. Schuster made that motion, while Yensen seconded it.

The Finance Committee also got a crack at the resolutions.

For the countywide officials, Scott Breeden, Mary Donner and Marc Munaretto voted against the freeze, while John Hammerand, Tina Hill and Dan Ryan voted for the salary freeze.

3-3.

Tie votes fail.

On going without a raise for themselves, everyone present voted in favor.

The County Board vote tally should be interesting.

An email from 8th Congressional District Joe Walsh’s campaign manager Nick Provenzano has arrived which deserves sharing. So, here it is below.

All,

I want to respond to an unfortunate recent email sent by two former Walsh staffers.

First, the two individuals pretend to have not been aware of information we’ve all been aware of for some time.

In fact, these matters are matters of public record—his condo foreclosure, failing to file a FEC disclosure document in a timely fashion which has now been filed, traffic citations for lacking auto insurance which he paid for and reinstated his license, late payment on some bills. These matters are part of Joe’s past.

He made mistakes.

He accepted responsibility and dealt with the consequences.

He made amends.

Walsh has addressed a vast multitude of personal issues both internally within the campaign and publicly to media and 8th District constituents.

For example, we have statements Joe issued months ago on the campaign website that explain the foreclosure on his condo and his personal financial struggles subsequent to the end of his first marriage. Joe visited with the Daily Herald editorial board in a taped interview where these matters were discussed at length and he answered every question asked, just as he has at several townhall meetings, open to the public.

All one has to do is Google Joe Walsh and you will find stories in the Daily Herald and elsewhere that detail the matters. Thus, what a couple of disgruntled former employees would have people believe are “revelations” are nothing of the sort.

Joe is probably the most openly vetted candidate on the planet!

Second, the two individuals who make these allegations had been with Joe since the primary campaign—and had been handsomely compensated since that time by the campaign.

In fact, their departure had nothing to do with principle.

There were personality conflicts. Sometimes people have different visions for the direction of an enterprise and ultimately management decisions have to be made.

The way these two individuals chose to part company with the campaign says more about them than it does Joe Walsh.  This sort of thing happens on campaigns like in business, as a campaign is very much like a start-up business.

There are growing pains and personnel changes that inevitably occur.

Third, Lake County GOP Chairman Bob Cook rightly characterized this mini-melodrama as little more than an internal staff conflict.

That conflict was resolved in the space of a single day.  The campaign has already brought in a new volunteer coordinator and new persons to direct the field program.  The transition was seamless and, frankly, a positive development for the campaign.

Fourth, Joe Walsh is keeping his promises.

Joe promised to release his tax returns and he did so last week (Melissa Bean still refuses to do so).  After he won the primary, Joe Walsh promised to move into the district by May 1.

He has kept that promise.  He is moving in to his home in Johnsburg (McHenry County) this week for which he and his family signed a lease effective May 1.

He promised to hold open-invite, public townhall forums on the issues and he has hosted or co-hosted several since the primary, even inviting Rep. Bean to participate jointly on more than one occasion (which she has declined to do).

This is a time when Republicans and reform-minded Independents and Democrats should be coming together to demand Melissa Bean release her tax returns like virtually every other politician.

This is a time when Republicans and reform-minded Independents and Democrats should be asking why the media doesn’t press Melissa Bean as to why she has failed to move into the district even after 6 years in office—and after saying she would, if she won, when she ran against Phil Crane in 2004.

This is a time when we should be putting partisan affiliation aside and seizing the opportunity to elect a responsive, reform Congressman who will put the interests of his constituents first while Rep. Bean continues to put her own political interests first and hide from her constituents.

Joe Walsh welcomes questions while Rep. Bean refuses to have an honest, open discussion in public with 8th District families about her votes for Obamacare, Cap-and-Trade, bank bailouts, and phony stimulus plans.

Fifth,  Joe Walsh is not a perfect candidate but a perfect candidate for these difficult times we’re living in.

He has had some past financial struggles.

He received poor counsel in the primary and, even though the records are public, he didn’t broadcast this information as widely as he should have to ensure a general awareness of the facts so that people could separate the truth from the fiction being spread by his political opponents.

But Joe also took ownership of those past mistakes, accepting and dealing with the consequences.

The campaign has made mistakes too.

Joe failed to a file a personal disclosure statement with the FEC during the primary that should have been filed.

But, upon becoming aware of this oversight, Joe had the campaign contact the FEC to remedy the matter immediately, which was done within 48 hours and the campaign is presently in full compliance with FEC regulations and will maintain that compliance.

So, yes, Joe has had financial struggles in the past.  But he took ownership of them and worked his way through them, just like a lot of folks in the 8th District do every day.

And, yes, the campaign has not been flawless.  But, again, when mistakes have been made, Joe has stepped up to take ownership and remedy them with all due speed along with keeping the public informed of the remedy.

None of the mistakes Joe Walsh has made were rooted in an attempt to mislead or obfuscate the truth.

He made honest mistakes and he’s taken the lumps for those mistakes.

If you have a question, ask.

If you have a concern, raise it.

Joe has and will answer any questions and address any concerns of any interested person.

Sixth, as you sift through all the sniping and gossip, keep in mind one other thing:

Joe Walsh is poised to win this race.

The most recent survey on the race has Joe Walsh in a statistical dead heat with Rep. Bean. Ask yourself why Joe is getting hit so hard so quickly after the primary.

Finally, Joe Walsh recognizes we must defeat Melissa Bean.  Joe is focused on presenting voters with a choice to the big-spending, big-taxing, big-government liberal Melissa Bean.

Joe Walsh recognizes who this race is really about.

It’s not about him.

It’s not about his staff, past or present.

It’s not about the media.

It’s about you.

It’s about fighting for the economic interests and addressing the economic anxieties of 8th District families.  And Joe Walsh recognizes one other thing:  He knows “regular Joes” like him cannot afford Melissa Bean in Congress.

Contact us and help us spread the word — we finally have a candidate who has “cracked the code” for the Republican Party:

Joe is bringing tea party supporters and Independents into the Republican Party, galvanized around a small government, pro-growth reform platform to take our country back from the established political class in Washington.

Obviously, there are some out there trying to bring him down because of it.

They have their hidden agenda.

Joe has his public agenda.

Thank you for your time and your support.

Nick Provenzano
Campaign Manager
Walsh for Congress Committee
847-752-8155

Under Brent Smith’s leadership, the Nunda Township Republican Central Committee has held the first of its monthly meetings.

There was even a commemorative cake.

Now, Nunda Township Republicans are rolling out a fund raising raffle, the prize for which will be a politician to cook dinner for the winner in his or her home.

I bought my ticket in between getting signatures for the “Fair Map” reapportionment constitutional amendment petition at the Crystal Lake Business Expo.

I figured the only woman on the list, Barb Wheeler probably would provide the best meal, so she’s going to learn where the Lakewood home with the tree house is, if I win.

Below is the flyer for the fundraiser:

Ticket contact email is coonpy@att.net.

Earlier I figured out the percentage turnout of Republican voters for Algonquin Township and Grafton Township. All parts of the three townships had contested primaries for Republican county board seats.

Nunda Township also had a hotly contested Republican county board primary. Five candidates ran with the results you see below:

In the analysis below you see the Nunda Township precinct number, the percentage of GOP turnout and the name of the elected precinct committeeman, if anyone ran for the office.

• Nunda 1 – 13.5%
• Nunda 2 – 12.2%
• Nunda 3 – 9.7%
• Nunda 4 – 10.2%
• Nunda 5 – 15.4% (Howard Parth)
• Nunda 6 – 13.0%
• Nunda 7 – 9.7% (Kevin Lee Jennings)
• Nunda 8 – 11.6% (Kathy Corwin)
• Nunda 9 – 11.8% (Bernard Narusis)
• Nunda 10 – 17.0%
• Nunda 11 – 22.5% (Mark Daniel)
• Nunda 12 – 13.9%
• Nunda 13 – 14.4% (James Becker)
• Nunda 14 – 11.4% (Patrick Collins)
• Nunda 15 – 16.4% (Mike Shorten)
• Nunda 16 – 19.5% (James Schlader)
• Nunda 17 – 16.7% (Nick Provensano)
• Nunda 18 – 22.6% (Dave Gervais)
• Nunda 19 – 13.7% (In the only contest, Jon Heideman beat Doug Mann.)
• Nunda 20 – 18.2%
• Nunda 21 – 16.7% (Brent Smith)
• Nunda 22 – 16.3%
• Nunda 23 – 9.3%
• Nunda 24 – 13.1%
• Nunda 25 – 10.9%
• Nunda 26 – 7.1%
• Nunda 27 – 7.0%
• Nunda 28 – 9.3%
• Nunda 29 – 22.7% (Barbara Wheeler)

So, who did the best job of getting GOP voters to the polls?

The only three precincts with turnouts over 20% are those of county board member and candidate Barb Wheeler, Dave Gervais and Mark Daniel.

If you live in one of the precincts without an elected precinct committeeman and would like to serve in that position, shoot me an email.

It’s time for those people who attended TEA Party demonstrations to increase the intensity of their activity.  Serving as a precinct committeeman is one way to do that.

McHenry County Board members Nick Provenzano and John Jung lost their seats two years ago in District 3 and District 5.

It wasn’t that Provenzano and Jung didn’t have signs up supporting their re-election.

In retrospect, I believe it was because they did not run joint campaigns with their Republican running mates.

There was nothing but being next to each other on the Republican Party ballot to encourage supporters of their running mates to vote for them as well.

This causation factor hit me the night before the election when I saw this joint yard sign for Mary Donner and Provenzano.

It turned out to be too little, too late,

Provenzano lost to Kathy Bergan Schmidt and Paula Yensen beat Jung.

Jung’s running mate, Virginia Peschke, put on no discernible campaign until yard signs appeared about two weekends before the fall election.

So, here’s my unsolicited advice to Republican county board candidates.

Convince your running mates to have joint yard signs.

Even if you don’t like them and they don’t like you.

Consider it a self-preservation move.

Right now, most GOP candidates don’t have Democratic Party opponents.

It is legal for the Democratic Party to slate candidates. They’ve done it before.

Certainly, it is difficult to find candidates like Yensen and Schmidt, people who will put shoe leather into a campaign.

Campaigning is boring work.

But, there are personal benefits. Candidates who are serious tend to miss meals and, because of that and the energy required going door-to-door, lose weight.

Nevertheless, odds are good that the Democrats won’t find vigorous candidates and, without “fire in the belly” opponents, Republican ballot holders probably aren’t in much trouble in this year of the backlash to corruption so evident among the Democrats’ high profile politicians.

But, it’s always better to do more, rather than less, in an election campaign.

If I were running for county board, I’d want a joint sign campaign.

And joint literature.

Especially, if I came in second in the primary election.

“Hostile” would be fair in characterization of McHenry County Board member Pete Merkel’s reaction to the ALAW conflict of interest proposal, as reported by Kevin Craver of the Northwest Herald

Merkel, running unopposed in the Republican primary election, did not volunteer to reveal his property ownership outside of his home or other potential conflicts of interest.

No opponent. No political need to do so.

Nevertheless, his running mate Sandy Salgado was one of the 20 people running for the county board who did fill out the Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water ethics questionnaire.

And, so did Jeff Thirtyacre, so far, the only Democratic Party challenger in the fall election.

Merkel ran first in the primary election.

Looking at the almost final primary election results, Merkel would seem to have no reelection problems.   The Democrat received 1,800 fewer votes than Merkel.

So, he would be the perfect person to lead the charge against ALAW.

The questionnaire was politically motivate, he charges.

No question about that.

It was designed to influence the February 2nd primary election.

Truth.

But, then Merkel charged that the conflict of interest form had nothing to do with “transparency and openness.”

He really should have come to the Patriots United County Board Candidates’ Forum and heard the tepid applause after incumbent Dan Ryan (R-Huntley) made known that he was not going to fill out the ALAW form.  Subsequently, Ryan blamed his loss on the questionnaire.

There he swerves from the truth and threatens to lead the Republican Party, as exemplified by its county board members, into an abyss.

No matter how insulated McHenry County’s Republican board members are from the public, even they, if they will just let their emotions subside, are capable of figuring out that Illinois voters are fed up with politics as usual.

Those who don’t think so aren’t paying attention.

Will it be the sea change that I noticed in 1969?

Before that date, the fact that Crystal Lake’s mayor worked for the biggest developer in town was no big deal.

Everybody had to work somewhere.

Then the Crystal Lake Jaycees, many of whom lived in Coventry, the development built by that developer, did a fire safety project. They discovered that in the back section of Coventry fire trucks could not get through if cars were parked on the streets.

Then, it became important where the mayor worked.

Tony Wujcik beat incumbent Mayor Lou Goosens handily in the 1971 election. (More about that change in ethical standards here.)

To mix metaphors, are we at a similar fault line now?

I think so.

Twenty of twenty-seven candidates for county board voluntarily completed ALAW’s questionnaire.

Of those who won nomination in the Republican Party, incumbents

• Anna May Miller,
• Ken Koehler,
• Pete Merkel, plus
• newcomer Robert Nowak

are a minority of 4 out of 12 GOP county board candidates on the ballot this fall who did not do so.

Democrat incumbent Jim Kennedy is the only Democrat who did not fill one out.

Maybe these four incumbents know something that the rest of the people (sans District 1 newcomer Robert Nowak) running for county board don’t know.

Eight of twelve people on the Republican Part ballot this fall have filled out the form are:

• Donna Kurtz
• Nick Provenzano
• Barb Wheeler
• Sandy Salgado
• Tina Hill
• John Jung
• Diane Evertsen
• Mary McCann

Among the Democrats, two-thirds answered ALAW’s questions:

• Jeff Thirtyacre
• Lori McConville

So did the only Green Party candidate:

• Frank Wedig

So, maybe those out of step with the times are those who have not yet sent in the questionnaire.

= = = = =

I’ll have some more comments a bit later.

With almost all of District 3 precincts reporting (30 out of 37), it appears that incumbent Barb Wheeler and former member Nick Provenzano will win the two spots on the fall GOP ballot.

Provenzano is running first, which means that the proponents of video gambling have picked up one vote. Two pick-ups are needed to switch the vote from a ban to allowing video poker at bars and restaurants in unincorporated areas.

Precincts Reporting		30/37	81.08%
KAREN J. TYNIS	REP	763	20.47%
VERONICA ARMSTRONG	REP	325	8.72%
NICK PROVENZANO	REP	966	25.91%
BARBARA WHEELER	REP	884	23.71%
S. CRAIG STEAGALL	REP	772	20.71%

Here is the direct mail piece designed to “close the sale” with voters. 4,700 in all.

It would be interesting to compare the endorsements above with the ones Provenzano listed when he announced his candidacy last July.

In an email accompanying the images above, Provenzano wrote,

“On the last mail piece, I was going to add a photo of Keely Cat next to the Cat Tax comment but attempts to reach his agent went unanswered.”

Just in case you want to know who voted for the McHenry County Republican Cat Tax, you can find out here.

This is what Provenzano’s Saturday robo-call to 4,200 people said,

“Hi this is Nick Provenzano, wait don’t hang up, I hate these robo calls as much as you do, but I have a tax alert message that you need to hear.

“I’m sure your household budget was much like mine, growing smaller everyday, and finding ways to save out of pure necessity. And yet the County board voted to spend another 10 million dollars.

“This is Nick Provenzano and I’m running for County board to send a message. I feel enough is enough, together, let’s draw a line in the sand, right here, right now, let’s start here in McHenry County and tell our politicians that enough is enough. – No longer will we tolerate tax and spend politicians who just don’t get it. It’s time to cut spending and reduce taxes.

“My opponent doesn’t get it, she voted for that 10 million dollars in additional spending. She also voted in favor of pay raises for all County Employees, when most of us are either getting laid off or getting pay CUTS.

“I need your help and your vote to get this done, please select a Republican ballot and vote for Nick Provenzano on February 2nd.

“To learn more about my history and efforts to fight higher taxes and reform county government go to my web site at nickpro2010.com that’s N I C K P R O 2010 dot com.”

Another robo-call from Irene Napier went to pro-lifers.