McHenry County Blog

Yesterday in an article entitled

Kirk Dillard Woos McHenry County Women

McHenry County Blog started a three-part series on what happened when the GOP candidate came to Crystal Lake.

Stephanie Dillard talks with Irene Napier and Joyce Story after the breakfast at 1776.

Besides covering pensions and a new tax credit for contributions to charitable organizations, Dillard also spoke favorably about subsidizing private schools, noting that their being open saved taxpayers lots of money.

He said he wanted to increase it (the tax credit) to “make it meaningful.”

There were lots of claps in the roomful of women.

A business woman asked the candidate about reforming Workers Compensation.

“I’ve already begun talking to unions about this,” he said. Dillard advanced a voluntary arbitration plan which would “cut the trial lawyers out of the system,” encouraging “faster payment and more money.”

He stressed that it would not be mandatory, but would be accomplished through collective bargaining.

Advocating an “agreed bill” process he said,

“I’m going to lock these folks (business and union officials) in a room in the mansion (until they bring) Workers Comp costs in line with the nation.”

In a nod to the historically-minded, Dillard told of having spent ten years trying to get his father-in-law to donate the bedroom set in his house to the Executive Mansion.

I can’t remember the number of great-greats, but one of those great-grandmothers of Dillard’s wife Stephanie bore a child in the bed while her husband, Gov. Richard Oglesby, was in office during the mid-1900′s. Oglesby nominated Abraham Lincoln for president.

If her husband is elected governor, Mrs. Dillard promised,

“I won’t be giving birth in the mansion.”

Near the end of the formal part of the gathering, the state senator urged the women to go back to work to improve the economy and, incidentally, the health of the state’s finances.

“That’s the best way to grow the economy.”

He wants them to shop, too, I guess, because he added,

“We need the sales tax revenue.”

My wife and arrived in Decatur for the Republican State Convention later than we intended—about 6:30 Friday night.

You know, I actually went thinking I might be able to vote like you see in national conventions.

But, none of the decisions made in committee before we arrived were overturned in what passed for democracy on the floor of the convention.

I would characterize the convention as “an administered one.”

It was pretty tightly controlled, in other words. Delegates couldn’t even bring in signs that were not pre-approved.

Since the decision-making process was over before we arrived, I decided to play photo bug.

Here’s what I found.

Bruno Behrend, who is a talk show host on Waukegan’s WKRS, promoting a constitutional convention. Although I think the chances of conservatives controlling a constitutional convention in a state where the legislature, all statewide elected officials and the supreme court are all controlled by Democrats is zero, I brought a bumper sticker home. I shall be happy to give to anyone for whom hope springs eternal.

Stu Umholtz, the Tazewell County State’s Attorney, the only one with guts enough to run against incumbent Democrat Lisa Madigan for Attorney General in 2006. Note the sign next to Umholtz, produced by the state central committee. It says,

My wife said it should say,

In the hotel registration area, we bumped into Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica, who is running for Cook County State’s Attorney, along with Lemont Township Supervisor Steven Rosendahl.

We decided to go over to State Senator Kirk Dillard’s reception at the mansion of Lincoln intimate Richard Oglesby.

State Senator Dan Rutherford was in what looked like the dining room. You can see him hugging a fellow delegate.

More notables tomorrow.

My wife and arrived in Decatur for the Republican State Convention later than we intended—about 6:30 Friday night.

You know, I actually went thinking I might be able to vote like you see in national conventions.

But, none of the decisions made in committee before we arrived were overturned in what passed for democracy on the floor of the convention.

I would characterize the convention as “an administered one.”

It was pretty tightly controlled, in other words. Delegates couldn’t even bring in signs that were not pre-approved.

Since the decision-making process was over before we arrived, I decided to play photo bug.

Here’s what I found.

Bruno Behrend, who is a talk show host on Waukegan’s WKRS, promoting a constitutional convention. Although I think the chances of conservatives controlling a constitutional convention in a state where the legislature, all statewide elected officials and the supreme court are all controlled by Democrats is zero, I brought a bumper sticker home. I shall be happy to give to anyone for whom hope springs eternal.

Stu Umholtz, the Tazewell County State’s Attorney, the only one with guts enough to run against incumbent Democrat Lisa Madigan for Attorney General in 2006. Note the sign next to Umholtz, produced by the state central committee. It says,

My wife said it should say,

In the hotel registration area, we bumped into Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica, who is running for Cook County State’s Attorney, along with Lemont Township Supervisor Steven Rosendahl.

We decided to go over to State Senator Kirk Dillard’s reception at the mansion of Lincoln intimate Richard Oglesby.

State Senator Dan Rutherford was in what looked like the dining room. You can see him hugging a fellow delegate.

More notables tomorrow.