McHenry County Blog

“Come and help our group of 35 precincts, which has been meeting to organize our efforts to educate and
promote our Republican candidates,” says the fund raiser.

The cost is $20 and it is being held at All Seasons Apply Orchard on Route 176 between Route 47 and Franklinville Road. 6-8:30 PM.

Other details are below:

The invitation for the newly-renamed group of less populated townships in McHenry County. Click to enlarge.

The cover of Jack Franks’ 2012 McHenry County fund raiser invitation.

A friend of McHenry County Blog has forwarded an invitation to Democrat State Rep. Jack Franks’ September 29th fundraising breakfast at Donley’s Wild West Town.

The Jesse White Tumblers will perform.

As usual Franks provides a list of those who have agreed to be on his Host Committee.

In 2010 those attending the Crystal Lake 4th of July Parade could have seen this flip.

Unlike last year, GOP Sheriff Keith Nygren is not on the list.

But Woodstock Mayor Brain Sager still is.

He’s there with Chicago Democratic Party Ward Committeeman and Alderman Ed Burke.

Last year, such sponsorship was less significant than this year.

Brian Sager

Then, Sager was only a minor cog in the McHenry County Republican Party, a Precinct Committeeman from Greenwood Township Precinct 6.

The mayoral post is non-partisan.

Sure, I’ve written that I believe he wishes to run for Franks’ seat when Franks runs for something else, but his official role is that a GOP Precinct Committeeman.

This year, Sager

• was recruited to run as an Alternative Delegate by State Treasurer Dan Rutherford,
• was elected and
• is just returning from the National Republican Convention.

Looking for Republican County Board member candidates, I see far fewer than last year.

Randy Donley, who is retiring this year is listed.

There is a listing for “Bob & Judi Martens.”  I do not know if that is the District 4 candidate listed on the ballot as “Robert Martens Sr.”

Want to see who was on the Host Committee last year? Click away below:

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 6
• Part 7
• Part 8
• Part 9
• Part 10
• Part 11

Here are the Republican Precinct Committeemen, newly appointed by McHenry County Republican Party Chairman Mike Tryon:

• CORAL 2 – Josephine Gilio (Appt 5/29/12), Huntley
• GRAFTON 5 – John McGuire (Appt 5/25/12), Crystal Lake
• GRAFTON 9 – Eric P Hartmann (Appt 5/25/12), Huntley
• GRAFTON 13 – Gary Cooney (Appt 5/25/12), Huntley
• GRAFTON 20 – Michelle M. Nigro (Appt 5/28/12), Lake in the Hills
• MCHENRY 25 – Peter N. Heimsoth (Appt 5/26/12), McHenry
• ALGONQUIN 65 – Eleni K. Markos Tsilimigras (appt 5/26/12), Cary

Jeff Thirtyacre

Below are the people who have filed to run write-in campaigns in McHenry County:

For public officer there are two Democrats:

• John Joseph Polachek  – United States President [Polachek did not filed a copy, not an original document, so there will not be a write-in spot for President on the ballot]
• Jeff S. Thirtyacre -  64th District Representative

Polackek isn’t local.  He is from Chicago.  The link to Thirtyacre has his background.  He will have to obtain 500 votes to appear on the fall ballot against Republican Barb Wheeler.

For Republican Precinct Committeeman, there are six:

Dave Goss

• Cynthia Allen Schenk – Marengo 3
• Michael Clarke – Chemung 3
• Donald J. Drzal -  Grafton 18
• Mark Widhalm – McHenry 3
• David Goss – Algonquin 38
• Sharon Ann Meroni – Algonquin 45
• Kenneth Poling -  Algonquin 54

Cynthia Allen Schenk was an unsuccessful candidate for the Marengo Grade School Board last year.

Michael Clarke is a newly-elected Alderman in Harvard.  “I was the only city council member who voted against raising Harvard’s property tax levy,” he told me.

Donald J. Drzal is on Huntley’s District 158 School Board.  He was aligned with the Grafton Township Trustees at the Annual Meeting two years ago, I found when I ran a search of his name in past McHenry County Blog articles.

Mark Widhalm is running on the Ron Paul slate for Delegate to the National Convention.

Dave Goss is a former Crystal Lake City Councilman who now serves on the city’s Planning and Zoning Board.

Sharon Ann Meroni runs Defend the Vote, an organization that seems to be a lineal descendent of Operation LEAP (Legal Elections in All Precincts)  and filed an objection to President Barack Obama’s petitions.

Ken Poling was active in politics in Michigan before moving to Crystal Lake.

For Democratic Precinct Committeeman, there are three:

• Robert S. Jackson – Dorr 8
• Barbara Bovinet – McHenry 14
• Sandra Bartholmey – Algonquin 10

Richard S. Jackson

Barbara Bovinet

Robert S. Jackson of Woodstock was an unsuccessful candidate for the McHenry County College Board
last year.

Change.org reports that Barbara Bovinet’s interests line in human rights and criminal justice from the petitions she has signed.

The masthead of the McHenry County Republican Party web site.

[Either I can't count or I typed 45 with I meant 54, as John Landon points out in a comment on another post. Correction has been made and I thank another citizen-editor.]

As of noon Friday, more Republicans had filed for Precinct Committeeman than the 18 Democrats, but there were still oodles of vacancies.

Below are the 55 Republican candidates who filed. There are no contests yet.

• CHEMUNG 1 – *Glenda L. Miller, 601 Little John Ln, Harvard
• CHEMUNG 2 – *Joseph F. Hagenbruch, 404 W McKinley St, Harvard
• SENECA 1 – *R. Mark Gummerson, 1225 Dublin Ct, Woodstock
• SENECA 2 – *Mary T McCann, 18110 Kishwaukee Valley Rd, Woodstock
• CORAL 1 – *Pamela K. Palmer, 7511 Dunham Road, Union
• GRAFTON 6 – *Harriet Ford, 9301 Loch Glen, Lakewood
• GRAFTON 7 – Fredrick W. Wickham, 811 Blue Mound Dr, Crystal Lake
• GRAFTON 8 – *Carolyn Schofield, 1580 W. Crandon Ct, Crystal Lake
• GRAFTON 19 – Samuel F Paglini, 2871 Cadbury Cir, Lake in the Hills
• DORR 8 – *Katherine M. Keefe, 335 S. Tryon, Woodstock
• DORR 11 – John Jung Jr., 8902 Robin Hill, Woodstock, IL 60098
• GREENWOOD 6 – *Brian Sager, 811 Regina Court, Wodstock
• RICHMOND 3 – Tamara A Valentine-Garza, 6516 Valentine Ct, Richmond
• MCHENRY 1 – *Richard E Mack, 5207 Kaylinsway, Ringwood
• MCHENRY 2 – *Geraldine “Geri” Davis, 3202 Golfview Ter, McHenry
• MCHENRY 13 – Neal Schepler, 1614 Pleasant Ave, McHenry
• MCHENRY 16 – *Gregory L Foreman, 4319 Riverdale Dr, McHenry
• MCHENRY 21 – Thomas M. Hughes, 2902 Stilling Blvd, McHenry
• MCHENRY 26 – *Andrew “Andy” Glab, 5001 W Oakwood Dr, McHenry
• MCHENRY 27 – *Robert “Bob” Koehl, 2965 Bay Meadow Ln, Lakemoor
• MCHENRY 32 – *Sandra Fay Salgado, 3711 Maple Ave, McHenry
• MCHENRY 33 – *John D. Hammerand, 4601 W Wonder Lake Drive, Wonder Lake
• NUNDA 7 – *Kelvin Lee Jennings, 730 Area Drive, McHenry
• NUNDA 11 – Mark Daniel, 7231 Great Hill, Crystal Lake
• NUNDA 12 – *Mary McClellan, 3014 S. Bergman, Holiday Hills
• NUNDA 14 – Patrick Collins, 773 Providence, Crystal Lake
• NUNDA 15 – Mike Shorten, 445 Mira St, Crystal Lake
• NUNDA 21 – *Brent Smith, 4603 Barreville Rd, Prairie Grove
• ALGONQUIN 2 – Kenneth (Ken) D Koehler, 320 Douglas Ave, Crystal Lake
• ALGONQUIN 3 – *Michael E. Barnas, 392 Lloyd St., Cary
• ALGONQUIN 5 – *Charles A. Lutzow, Jr, 305 Greenview Dr, Crystal Lake
• ALGONQUIN 7 – Cal Skinner, Jr., 75 Meridian St., Crystal Lake  [I filed after noon Friday.]
• ALGONQUIN 8 – *Neils Kruse, 199 Mildred Ave, Cary
• ALGONQUIN 9 – *Dan Shea, 600 School Dr, Fox River Grove
• ALGONQUIN 13 – *Rita M. Heuel, 640 Sharon Dr, Crystal Lake
• ALGONQUIN 16 – *Lou Anne Majewski, 10317 Haegers Bend R, Algonquin, IL 60102
• ALGONQUIN 17 – *David W Miller, 65 Northwest Hwy, Cary
• ALGONQUIN 18 – *Mary Cardelli, 1538 N Harrison St, Algonquin
• ALGONQUIN 22 – *Lowell A. Cutsforth, 505 Highview Drive, Fox River Grove
• ALGONQUIN 25 – *Thomas P. McDermott, 440 E. Broadway, Crystal Lake
• ALGONQUIN 33 – *Sean Murphy, 3110 E Bend Dr, Algonquin
• ALGONQUIN 40 – *Mallory A. Rosencrans, 50 Hickory Lane, Cary, IL 60013
• ALGONQUIN 46 – *Kathleen R. DeRaedt, 341 Alicia Dr., Cary
• ALGONQUIN 49 – Demetrios Pete Tsilimigras, 601 Cove Dr, Cary
• ALGONQUIN 50 – *Linda (Lyn) Orphal, 4525 David Lane, Crystal Lake

= = = = =
It only takes ten signatures to get on the ballot. I got more, even though I am confident that each of those I solicited are registered voters.

Filing deadline is 4:30 Monday afternoon. Petitions must be filed with the McHenry County Clerk in Woodstock.

Everyone seriously interested in McHenry County politics need a copy of the most recent Yearbook. They may be obtained for free by contacting the McHenry County Clerk's Office.

Here are the Republican Precinct Committeeman listed in the online version of the McHenry County Year Book as of October 5, 2011.

The ones with no precinct committeeman are obvious.

Less obvious are the ones where no one ran in last year’s GOP primary election. Those precincts are the ones with the word “(APPT)” after the Committeeman’s name.

Such people don’t have to live in their precincts. However, they may be residents.

One might reasonably conclude if they didn’t run last time, they won’t run this time.

In any event, the appointed Committeemen did not take the time to get what I would suggest be twenty signatures to get on the ballot.

(While only ten are required, I would suggest anyone interested in running get twenty, just in case someone thinks about trying to knock you off the ballot with a petition challenge.)

Who are elected Republican Precinct Committeemen next March could determine the GOP’s candidate for Sheriff, if Keith Nygren decides to resign before the November election, but too late for candidates to have run in the March primary election.

In such a situation, the Committeemen would make the decision.

The numbers you see (“TOTAL VOTE”) represent the number of GOP voters during the last primary election. These numbers are the ones used in “weighted” votes of the Republican and Democratic Parties.

An email to voters of the McHenry County College District from Erik Sivertsen:

Dear Concerned Citizens of McHenry County,

Erik Sivertsen

Did you know that MCC’s Board of Trustees voted to raise tuition by 9% last Thursday?

Did you also know that in that same meeting they approved nearly $4.5 million in additional spending?

The citizens of District 528 are having to make changes and trim their budgets to cope with these tough economic times.

How can our college’s board justify raising tuition beyond the level of both College of Lake County, and Elgin Community College, rather than cut the waste out of the budget?

Several current board members are attempting to make the argument that the state has decreased its funding of the school from 33.3% to only 5%.

Erik Sivertsen's campaign post card. Click to enlarge.

To say that state funding has decreased is a misrepresentation of the facts.

State funding has not increased as quickly as other sources of income, but has remained virtually unchanged throughout the last 7+ years.

Most recently, between 2009-2010 state funding increased by approximately $1.5 mil dollars.

Due to the fact that the revenue from property taxes has increased and the tuition has more than doubled since 2000, the state is now supplying a smaller percentage of the schools gross revenue.

The projected shortfall in next year’s budget was less than 5% of total expenses.

A 5% decrease in funding throughout the budget would not hinder the school’s ability to offer a first-rate education. By seeking alternative sources of revenue, the need to decrease expenses would be even less.

$3.5 mil of the spending approved in the last meeting will go towards remodeling the commons, student lounge, cafeteria, and kitchen.

The focus of the project would be to add a new kitchen for the culinary program.

In coming years the school may have the need to move the culinary program on campus, but at this point the school would be best served by continuing to use the facilities at Woodstock North High School.

This benefits the college and the high school.

MCC is able to develop the culinary program and go through the initial growth stages at a significantly reduced cost. Both schools share part of the costs for the facilities and therefore taxpayers are not forced to pay twice for the same resource.

Beyond the financial shortcomings of this decision, the proposal that they decided on places the new kitchen in the center of the school.

Erik Sivertsen's palm card.

This may seem like a convenient location, but if the culinary program is one of MCC’s fastest growing programs, when it comes time to expand these new facilities, there will be nowhere to go without removing other current facilities or starting over.

My name is Erik Sivertsen and I am running for MCC’s Board of Trustees in the election this Tuesday.

I am currently

• a Republican Precinct Committeeman,
• the President of MCC’s Students Supporting the Right to Life,
• Secretary of MCC’s Political Theory and Debate Group,
• a Student Senate Representative, and
• a recent Graduate of MCC.

I have walked the halls at MCC the last 3 years, so I know where the school does really well, and I also know where the school could use improvement.

I will fight to meet the needs of the community without increasing taxes or tuition. I will do this by making responsible decisions, and making sure that every dollar spent goes to improve the education of the students.

The election is getting close, and every vote counts! Please help me out by forwarding this email to everyone who lives within McHenry County.

Together we can make a positive impact in our community and in the future students of MCC.

Thank You for Your Support,

Erik Sivertsen

Precinct Map of Dorr Township

Earlier I calculated and posted the percentage turnout in the February 2nd Republican primary election for each precinct in

• Algonquin Township
• Grafton Township and
• Nunda Township

The figures are not for the percentage that voted in all primary elections; rather, they show the percentage of people who voted in the Republican primary.

The GOP turnouts were poor this year, even in the best precincts.

It used to be that Charlie Nelson and I would compete to see who could get the highest turnout. It would always be above 40% and was nearer 50% some years.  This year, only 24.2% turned out in our Algonquin Precinct 7 primary election.

No more.

Surely there are TEA Party folks who would like to see if they can influence votes at the ballot box.

Look at Dorr Township. County Board member Virginia Peschke did best—just under 25%.

The next best was Tom Zanck’s at 20.1%.

County Board member Tina Hill, on the ballot in a three-way race was next with 18.5, closely followed by former County Board member John Jung, seeking to recapture the seat he lost to Democrat Paula Yensen two years ago. 18.2% of his precinct voted in the Republican primary election.

Newly-elected McHenry County Circuit Clerk Katherine Keefe saw 14.1% of her precinct take a GOP ballot. McHenry County Sheriff’s candidate Zane Seipler pulled 13% to the polls.

All the rest of the precincts—seven in all—but Tom Harding’s are vacant. Harding got 10% opting for a Republican ballot.

Unlike other townships with Republican township officials, I see none as precinct committeemen.

Lots of room for improvement in Dorr Township.

• Dorr 1 – (10%) Tom Harding
• Dorr 2 – (11%)
• Dorr 3 – (10.4%)
• Dorr 4 – (10.8%)
• Dorr 5 – (13.3%)
• Dorr 6 – (13.5%)
• Dorr 7 – (18.5%) Tina Hill
• Dorr 8 – (10.6)
• Dorr 9 – (14.1%) Katherine Keefe
• Dorr 10 – (13%) Zane Seipler
• Dorr 11 – (18.2%) John Jung, Jr.
• Dorr 12 – (20.1%) Tom Zanck
• Dorr 13 – (5.3%)
• Dorr 14 – (24.9%) Virginia Peschke

Remember, if a precinct does not have a name after it, there is no elected precinct committeeman. (The office is “precinct committeeman,” even if the person holding it is a woman.)

So, if you are interested in filling a vacancy by appointment, drop me an email and I’ll pass the information on.

The post of party precinct committeeman is usually not contested.

One doesn’t get compensated. If one writes a precinct letter, one has to dip into one’s own pocket to pay for it.

Look at the bottom of the sample ballots for the Republican and Democratic Parties and you’ll see precincts all over the place with no candidates.

I see no contests in the Democratic Party.

There were a couple in the Republican Party, however.

The Northwest Herald made a big deal about a three-way race between McHenry County Board member Ersel Schuster, attorney Mark Gummerson and Robert Schlenkert, a prime supporter of McHenry County Sheriff’s candidate Zane Seipler.

The results for that Seneca Township Precinct 1, in which Gummerson emerged victorious, follow

• Mark Gummerson – 112
• Ersel Schuster – 77
• Robert Schlenkert – 29

Jon Heideman and family

Schuster also lost the election for Seneca Township Supervisor last spring.

Nunda Township Precinct 19 had a two-way contest between active Young Republican Jon Heideman and William Mann.

Heideman won the face-off 88-76.

In Algonquin 35, former Crystal Lake City Council candidate Kay Stanish, having been appointed to the office, was challenged by David King.

Stanish turned back the challenge 54-44. Now she is an elected committeeman.

There was another race I Nunda 15, but when former Crystal Lake City Councilman Mike Shorten filed for the office, Joe Gottemoller, the other candidate withdrew in Shorten’s favor.

Shawn Green at the Crystal Lake April 15th TEA Party at Route 14 and Main Street

Here’s a surprising press release from Shawn Green, the Huntley School Board president. He notes, as McHenry County Blog did earlier this year, that he is running for Republican precinct committeeman (Coral Township Precinct 3).

In April he told me of his initiative to have the school board oppose House Bill 2354.

The language he proposed to the school board follows:

“The Board of Education for Consolidated School District #158 opposes HB 2354.“We believe the provisions in this bill amending the School Code by removing the teaching of ’sexual abstinence until marriage,’ and adding the requirement for school districts to provide ‘comprehensive sexual health education’ are wholly inappropriate.

“These requirements take critical local control authority away from school districts, and the District 158 Board of Education strongly encourages our legislators to vote against passage of this bill.”

I was surprised to have seen him at mid-April’s TEA Party in Crystal Lake.

Just last Friday I saw him at the Patriots United county board candidates’ forum at McHenry County College. He told me of being a new father of a baby girl.

With that background, here’s his statement:

Shawn Green- CSD158 Board of Education President
21 January 2010

I have decided to become more active within the Conservative movement, and will soon begin serving as a Republican Precinct Committeeman.

While no legal conflict arises from holding this position concurrently with the office of Board of Education member, it does create a personal conflict regarding the amount of time and effort I can devote to each. Heightened professional responsibilities and the recent arrival of my first child make it impossible to serve in both public offices with the dedication I demand of myself.

Therefore, I regretfully announce my intent to resign from the School District 158 Board of Education. I will remain in office until my replacement is chosen and seated.

It was always my intention to serve a single term on the school board.

However, in early 2009 as the deadline drew closer and the lack of candidates running for the board became apparent, I reluctantly filed my petition to run for a second term. The current board has now worked together for nearly a year, and I am confident they, along with my replacement, will continue to move District 158 forward.

I encourage the board members to choose a replacement who shares my commitment to academic excellence, fiscal accountability, and the conservative values reflective of our community.

District 158 faces many tough challenges ahead and I intend to remain involved, albeit on the sidelines, in school district affairs. But for me, the more pressing task at hand is dealing with the plethora of troubling issues at the national, state, and county levels.

The Democrat Party has been in power in both houses of the United States Congress since January 2007, and added the presidency more than a year ago.

They’ve had, for all practical purposes, complete control over the state of Illinois for as long as I can remember.

Liberal influence is on the march even in McHenry County as evidenced by the 2008 presidential election results.

What’s worse is the most radical thinkers are steering the Democrat agenda.

The Republican Party, until very recently, has been weak in its opposition and has strayed from its conservative roots. The results have been devastating economically, socially, and in terms of our national security.

It is time to change course, and I will do my part to make that happen.

It has been an honor to serve the students and tax payers of District 158, and I am proud of our accomplishments. As one chapter in public service ends for me, another begins;

I am eager to help revitalize the Republican Party, bring about a return to our founding principles, and halt the advance of the morally and intellectually bankrupt ideals of the far Left.

Respectfully,
Shawn Green