McHenry County Blog

Saturday’s Nunda Township Republican Picnic was a success by any measure.

A who’s who of local Republican office holders and office seekers was in attendance:

Congressman Randy Hultgren
Congressman Joe Walsh
State Senator Dan Duffy
State Rep. Mike Tryon
State Rep. Kent Gaffney
State Rep. Ed Sullivan
State Rep. candidate Barb Wheeler
State Rep. candidate Dave McSweeney
Sheriff Kieth Nygren
Sheriff’s candidate Andy Zinke
State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi
Auditor Pam Palmer
Coroner candidate Anne Majewski
County Board member Mary Donner
County Board member Nick Provenzano
County Board member Barb Wheeler
County Board candidate Lyn Orphal
County Board candidate James Schlader
County Board candidate Mary Alger
County Board candidate Linda Kvidera Murphy
Mitt Romney GOP Convention Alternate Delegate candidate Brian Sager
Grafton Township Supervisor Linda Moore
Algonquin Township Road Commissioner Bob Miller
Nunda Township Assessor Dennis Jagla
Nunda Township Trustee Joni Smith
Nunda Township Trustee Kelvin Jennings
Nunda Township Trustee James Schlader
Nunda Township Trustee Thomas Palmer
8th Congressional District State Central Committeeman Gene Dawson, plus
Woodstock Mayor Brian Sager
Prairie Grove Village Trustee Lisa Behm

Lots of Republican Precinct Committeemen

Nunda Township GOP Chairman decided to honor men in uniform at the event.

A mayor and a township supervisor, assessor and trustees.

Firefighters, policemen and veterans were in attendance.

A special attraction was a demonstration of police dogs at work.

In the biggest primary margin I noticed in Tuesday’s Republican primary election, incumbent Nunda Township Assessor Dennis Jagla beat back a challenge by appointed Alden Township Assessor Alan Weaver by almost a two to one margin.

Jagla, a member of “Team Nunda,” received 550 (pre-early voting and pre-absentee ballot) votes to Weaver’s 292.

Weaver was criticized for a pamphlet sent to past Democratic Party primary voters by Nunda Township Democratic Party township trustee candidate Patrick Murfin.

In Nunda Township, the challenger for township assessor is Alan Weaver. He is running against incumbent Dennis Jagla. Weaver is now the appointed assessor in the much smaller Alden Township between Harvard and Hebron.

Democratic Party candidate for Nunda Township Trustee Patrick Murfin has taken offense to a mailing whose most prominent visual is a red, white and blue donkey.

Murfin has written the following on his web site:

“I came home from work and was mystified to find a slick postcard mailing (click to enlarge) splashed with Democratic blue and featuring prominent donkey logos promoting Alan Weaver for Nunda Township Assessor.

“I went to his campaign web site and confirmed that he is running in the Republican primary.

“My guess is that this was a special targeted mailing to Dems to get us to vote in the Republican primary under the theory that anyone opposed to the incumbents are our allies. It does mean that he is pretty well financed for a Township campaign if he can afford to print and send a special mailing to Democrats.
“I am not sure if he will succeed in attracting any votes.

“I think his message is confusing.

“And as a real Democratic candidate for office in Nunda Township, I certainly won’t be voting in a Republican primary or encouraging anyone else to do so.”

Democrats in Nunda Township, of course, decided not to hold a primary election to select their candidates. They held a party caucus on one of the coldest nights of the year.

That means the only candidates on the ballot on February 24 in Nunda Township are Republicans.

The same situation exists in Algonquin, Dorr and Grafton Townships.

People who don’t consider themselves Republicans can vote in the GOP primary in those four townships. They will have to sign a piece of paper saying they are a Republican, but Illinois does not have a closed primary. People can switch back and forth anytime they want to.

But, back to what Weaver has done.

I asked him for a comment and here it is:

“As you know, the number of people who vote in primaries is small. I mailed postcards to everyone who has voted in a primary in the past based on the records from the County Clerks office.”

I inquired further and got this reply:

“I mailed two separate cards for a simple reason.

“Even though one party did not field a candidate, there is still a choice in the election.

“ALL the voters need to be able to have a choice and decide for themselves who is the better choice for them, even if the choices are from the same party.

“If the voters decide not to particpate in the election process, that is their choice. They also cannot complain when they have not exercised their right to make a change.”

Can’t you see a comparison piece from the incumbent using the donkey symbol that Weaver has used in the piece above?

= = = = =
If you get mailings during the campaign, I would appreciate your mailing them to me or scanning them and emailing them to me.

In Nunda Township, the challenger for township assessor is Alan Weaver. He is running against incumbent Dennis Jagla. Weaver is now the appointed assessor in the much smaller Alden Township between Harvard and Hebron.

Democratic Party candidate for Nunda Township Trustee Patrick Murfin has taken offense to a mailing whose most prominent visual is a red, white and blue donkey.

Murfin has written the following on his web site:

“I came home from work and was mystified to find a slick postcard mailing (click to enlarge) splashed with Democratic blue and featuring prominent donkey logos promoting Alan Weaver for Nunda Township Assessor.

“I went to his campaign web site and confirmed that he is running in the Republican primary.

“My guess is that this was a special targeted mailing to Dems to get us to vote in the Republican primary under the theory that anyone opposed to the incumbents are our allies. It does mean that he is pretty well financed for a Township campaign if he can afford to print and send a special mailing to Democrats.
“I am not sure if he will succeed in attracting any votes.

“I think his message is confusing.

“And as a real Democratic candidate for office in Nunda Township, I certainly won’t be voting in a Republican primary or encouraging anyone else to do so.”

Democrats in Nunda Township, of course, decided not to hold a primary election to select their candidates. They held a party caucus on one of the coldest nights of the year.

That means the only candidates on the ballot on February 24 in Nunda Township are Republicans.

The same situation exists in Algonquin, Dorr and Grafton Townships.

People who don’t consider themselves Republicans can vote in the GOP primary in those four townships. They will have to sign a piece of paper saying they are a Republican, but Illinois does not have a closed primary. People can switch back and forth anytime they want to.

But, back to what Weaver has done.

I asked him for a comment and here it is:

“As you know, the number of people who vote in primaries is small. I mailed postcards to everyone who has voted in a primary in the past based on the records from the County Clerks office.”

I inquired further and got this reply:

“I mailed two separate cards for a simple reason.

“Even though one party did not field a candidate, there is still a choice in the election.

“ALL the voters need to be able to have a choice and decide for themselves who is the better choice for them, even if the choices are from the same party.

“If the voters decide not to particpate in the election process, that is their choice. They also cannot complain when they have not exercised their right to make a change.”

Can’t you see a comparison piece from the incumbent using the donkey symbol that Weaver has used in the piece above?

= = = = =
If you get mailings during the campaign, I would appreciate your mailing them to me or scanning them and emailing them to me.

The article I wrote Tuesday about Nunda Township Republican Party filings was based on what had happened as of 4:30 Monday afternoon. I asked Township Clerk to call me if anyone else filed, but, getting no call, make the false assumption that no one else had filed.

It turns out that incumbent Nunda Township Assessor Dennis Jagla is being challenged by the same man who ran against him four years as an independent. His name is Alan Weaver and he is listed as the Alden Township Assessor in the McHenry County Yearbook.

In my first article about Nunda Township, Weaver’s name appeared as a person passing petitions for township assessor.

The article I wrote Tuesday about Nunda Township Republican Party filings was based on what had happened as of 4:30 Monday afternoon. I asked Township Clerk to call me if anyone else filed, but, getting no call, make the false assumption that no one else had filed.

It turns out that incumbent Nunda Township Assessor Dennis Jagla is being challenged by the same man who ran against him four years as an independent. His name is Alan Weaver and he is listed as the Alden Township Assessor in the McHenry County Yearbook.

In my first article about Nunda Township, Weaver’s name appeared as a person passing petitions for township assessor.