McHenry County Blog

Bob Abboud spoke to the McHenry County Democratic Central Committee when he unsuccessfully ran against Republican Congressman Don Manzullo.

Next month, Martin McLaughlin will take two-term Barrington Hills Village President Robert Abboud’s place at the spot with the gavel in front of it.

There will also be some changes on the Barrington Hills Village Board.

Let’s look at the numbers on a county-by-county basis.

Challenger Martin McLaughlin won in all four counties.

The margins were

• McHenry County – 42
• Lake County – 27
• Cook County – 72
• Kane County – 2

145 votes in all.

In McHenry County Martin Mclaughlin beat Bob Abboud by 42 votes.

In Lake County the margin was 27 votes in Martin McLaughlin’s favor.

In Cook County, Bob Abboud lost by 72 votes.

A small part of Barrington Hills is in Kane County.  Martin McLaughlin bested Abboud by two votes there.

Now, let’s look at the results for Village Trustee on a county-by-county basis.

Here are the results for Village Trustee in McHenry County.  Only 23 votes separated the five candidates.

In Lake County, the spread was 32 votes, but over twice as many people voted.

There were about half as many votes in Cook County as in Lake County.

Very few live in Kane County.

Here’s how the numbers add up:

• Colleen Konicek Hannigan – 604
• Michael Harrington – 573
• Fritz Gohl – 566
• Kelly Mazeski – 563
• David Stieper – 553

The top three were elected.

Harrington, Gohl and Mazeski were supported by Abboud.

The more sources of information about local affairs, the better I figure.

Actually, one of the most influential thinkers of my time in Aaron Wildavski’s Oberlin College (before he went to Berkley) government class was Yale’s Robert Dahl.  He wrote “Who Governs?”

The basic thesis, now challenged I see, is that no “power elite” is in control, as Floyd Hunter contended was the case in Atlanta.

My experience in the public arena still sides with Dahl.

A couple of years ago I searched for what Dahl did after I left college.  In the 1980′s he studied democracies from around the world, writing what was necessary for them to succeed.

One essential element is more than one source of information.

With the Northwest Herald dominating the McHenry County flow of news, it is my goal to provide something of an alternative.

Since Zane Seipler won his appellate court case to get his job back in the Sheriff’s Department, I think the need for alternative sources of news locally has been verified.

I posted a comprehensive story on Friday.  I linked to the case itself.

I’ve looked at the online version of the Northwest Herald three days running since I put up a story about the deputy and former GOP primary opponent to Sheriff Keith Nygren and have not been able to find a mention of the defeat of Nygren’s efforts to keep Seipler off work.

Nothing in the Daily Herald either, but that paper has pretty much abandoned McHenry County coverage since Chuck Keeshan left the beat.

Hey, folks.

This is a case with political implications.

You can’t ignore it forever or you will lose credibility.

But, back to Barrington Hills’ new information sources.

One is called “The Barrington Hills Observer.”

It appears to be put up by those not in power.

A top story, for instance, reports the following Appellate Court suit loss by the Village:

“…the Appellate Court ruled in that case, ‘because the [property owners] are using the stable for the commercial boarding of horses, which is a primary use and not a subordinate use, it is a use that does not comport with the Village’s Zoning Code.’  Immediate action on this matter should be clear to any elected or appointed member of our Village government.”

The second source is called “Preserve Barrington Hills” and there is no doubt that it is anti-Establishment.

Here’s what is on the front page:

The link to a subpoena shows what you see below:

May 6, 2011, subpoena for Robert Abboud, Steven Knoop, Dan Lundmark and Patrick McKevitt in Drury v. LeCompte.

Barrington Hills Village President Robert Abboud, not up for election this year, took exception to parts of the article run earlier. What follows is his email:

Cal:

I read your blog entailed “Hot Village Board Race in Barrington Hills “. There are several items that concern me about the accuracy of your reporting. I am somewhat surprised you did not do a better job of fact checking before posting your blog.

Barrington Hills Village Board President makes presentation to the McHenry County Democratic Party Central Committee about his 2008 congressional campaign against Republican Don Manzullo

First, the Save5acres group is not running as a party but rather as a loosely connected slate of independents. They are as independent as Mr. (David) Stieper. They are listed as INDEPENDENT on the ballot. This race is decidedly about whether developers will unwind the unique zoning in our community.

It is the so-called ‘Common Sense Party’ that is not independent and heavily financed by developers and outside interests. (See SBOE filings). Note that CSP has not registered any candidates per a loop hole for new Tea Parties but intended by the campaign finance law.

Second, Mr. Stieper’s literature falsely suggests that the Village approves budgets and spends money without the majority pre-approval of the Board of Trustees. The Village manages money strictly according to state statute. Please see the attached mailing I sent him on 2/22/2011 when I discovered he was fostering this non-sense. I have since noticed him a second time asking him to be ethical and accurate. To date he has refused to do so. I hope you will call him out on this.

Third, your anonymous commenter at the end of your article accuses my previous campaign, and by proxy the current Save5Acre campaign, as being “vicious”. I would challenge you to demonstrate any “vicious” activity or messaging by my campaign or that of Save5Acres in either of these elections. It is Ms. Wamberg and her party, fueled by developers, that has fostered the negative rant, false information, and disruption in our community.

The Lighting Ordinance issue was resolved some time ago with the Village Board approving an INCREASE in allowable lighting. Principally the allowance of lighting for play areas such as tennis courts, pools, and the like. Only the HALO / CSP people voted against this. One might ask, why would the HALO / CSP group vote against expanding the allowances of property owners – the very thing they polluted our Village with horse urine colored signs for. I suggest that their efforts had nothing to do with the ordinance and were entirely political. I see you failed to report on these aspects in your mention of the Ordinance.

Finally, I have included a bit of background information from a couple of years ago to address a number of frequently asked questions that may be helpful to you.

I enjoy reading your blog. But I am at the least troubled by your reporting of events in Barrington Hills. I expect you to report accurately and with attribution of your sources who make such wild claims. While you expect transparency from government, we in Barrington Hills expect the same transparency from you.

Please let me know if you have any further questions about our very unique Village. Please feel free to print my letter in your blog.

Best Regards.
Bob A.

It’s Village President Bob Abboud’s slate versus those who don’t like the way he’s been running things.

The village has been torn by a fight over how much light should be allowed on lots that are, on average, larger than any other municipality in McHenry County.

Save 5 Acre versus Common Sense Party.

Former Democratic Party congressional candidate Abboud is backing the Save 5 Acre group.

But there’s an independent in the mix named David Stieper.  Not exactly an unknown, since he is chairman of the Plan Commission.

A letter from him can be seen below.  Click to enlarge.
An observer writes, “Because of the very vicious nature of the last election, someone prepared a ‘Civility Statement’ for all candidates to sign (they’re one election too late Abboud’s slate was undeniably vicious). Stupid that grown adults would find it necessary to sign such a paper, just like high schoolers signing 0 tolerance contracts.”

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Other candidates who would like to see their messages published are welcomed to email them.  The address is on the left hand side of the page.

Word of the speaker at next Tuesday’s McHenry County Democratic Party Central Committee meeting has arrived. It’s the party’s challenger to incumbent Congressman Don Manzullo, George Gaulrapp.

The party press release, which points out this is the third time in a row that Manzullo has faced off against a mayor, follows:

CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE GAULRAPP TO SPEAK TO McHENRY DEMS

CRYSTAL LAKE—Freeport Mayor George Gaulrapp will be a special guest at the Democratic Party of McHenry County meeting at 7 PM on Wednesday, November 18, at the McHenry County Farm Bureau Building, 1102 McConnell Road in Woodstock. Gaulrapp has announced his candidacy for Congress in the 16th District, a seat now held by Republican Don Manzullo.

Gaulrapp is in his second term as mayor of the western Illinois city, a manufacturing hub in an agricultural region. He cites jobs as the major reason for challenging the incumbent.

“Jobs will solve the problems with unemployment, jobs will solve the reduction in good housing stock, jobs will solve problems for the social service agencies who have been drained economically,” Gaulrapp recently told a Rockford television station.

Prior to his election as mayor, Gaulrapp served as a Freeport alderman for eight years and has been a long time community leader. His business experience includes 29 years in the dental laboratory and supply industry and several years with E*Trade Solutions Group.

This is the third time in three elections that Manzullo has been challenged by Democratic mayors in his district.

In 2006 former Galena Mayor Richard Auman mounted a challenge. In 2008 Barrington Hills Mayor Robert Abboud made a run.

“It is a telling indictment when responsible municipal leaders from all corners of his congressional district challenge a powerful incumbent,” said McHenry County Democratic Chair Kathleen Bergan Schmidt.

The public is invited to attend the meeting. For further information see www.mchenrydems.org.

With the campaign successfully completed, 16th district GOP Congressman Don Manzullo points to “free-market strategies” to restore America’s economic health. The congressman voted against the $700 billion bailout, which U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson can’t seem to figure out what to do with.
Manzullo’s press release follows:

Manzullo Proposes New Free-Market Strategies to Strengthen America’s Struggling Economy

[WASHINGTON] Congressman Don Manzullo (R-IL) today proposed several new strategies Congress can pursue to ease America’s credit crunch, strengthen our economy and create jobs without sticking taxpayers with the bill. Manzullo offered his suggestions during a Financial Services Committee hearing called to discuss the state of the U.S. economy.

Manzullo, who opposed the $700 billion taxpayer bailout of Wall Street in favor of several proven free-market alternatives, said one strategy — accelerating the domestic manufacturing tax deduction — would give our companies a cash infusion they could use to sustain and create new jobs in America.

The American Jobs Creation and Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 (HR 5101), which Manzullo authored with Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL) earlier this year, would speed up the domestic manufacturing tax deduction to give manufacturers a larger tax break on the goods they produce in the United States.

The tax deduction – which Manzullo helped create in 2004 – currently provides a 6 percent tax rate reduction for manufacturers on the goods and services they produce in the United States. The tax rate reduction is scheduled to increase to 9 percent by 2010, but the bill would accelerate the phase-in to 9 percent retroactively to Jan. 1, 2008.

“This legislation gives our manufacturers an extra 3 percent cut in their tax rate immediately that they can use to sustain and create jobs in America,” Manzullo said. “It also provides a greater incentive for our manufacturers to keep jobs in the United States and actually bring some jobs back from overseas because they would pay a 9 percent tax premium on any work they send offshore.”

Manzullo supports several other free-market strategies to strengthen our economy, including:

• Allowing companies to repatriate their overseas profits back to the United States tax free for one year if the money is used to pay off distressed debt or support business expansion or job creation.
• Suspending the capital gains and recapture taxes for two years to encourage Americans to invest in America and encourage corporations to sell unwanted assets and acquire the capital they need to sustain and create jobs.
• Allowing companies to carry back losses an additional two years, generating a tax refund and immediate capital.
• Directing the Securities and Exchange Commission to suspend the mark-to-market regulatory rules until the agency can issue new guidelines that will allow firms to mark these assets to their true economic value.
• Reducing the corporate tax rate from 35 to 15 percent.

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Shown during a Rockford TV debate is Don Manzullo on the right and Democratic Party challenger Robert Abboud to his right. With only his left arm in the screen is Green Party candidate Scott Summers.

With the campaign successfully completed, 16th district GOP Congressman Don Manzullo points to “free-market strategies” to restore America’s economic health. The congressman voted against the $700 billion bailout, which U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson can’t seem to figure out what to do with.
Manzullo’s press release follows:

Manzullo Proposes New Free-Market Strategies to Strengthen America’s Struggling Economy

[WASHINGTON] Congressman Don Manzullo (R-IL) today proposed several new strategies Congress can pursue to ease America’s credit crunch, strengthen our economy and create jobs without sticking taxpayers with the bill. Manzullo offered his suggestions during a Financial Services Committee hearing called to discuss the state of the U.S. economy.

Manzullo, who opposed the $700 billion taxpayer bailout of Wall Street in favor of several proven free-market alternatives, said one strategy — accelerating the domestic manufacturing tax deduction — would give our companies a cash infusion they could use to sustain and create new jobs in America.

The American Jobs Creation and Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 (HR 5101), which Manzullo authored with Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL) earlier this year, would speed up the domestic manufacturing tax deduction to give manufacturers a larger tax break on the goods they produce in the United States.

The tax deduction – which Manzullo helped create in 2004 – currently provides a 6 percent tax rate reduction for manufacturers on the goods and services they produce in the United States. The tax rate reduction is scheduled to increase to 9 percent by 2010, but the bill would accelerate the phase-in to 9 percent retroactively to Jan. 1, 2008.

“This legislation gives our manufacturers an extra 3 percent cut in their tax rate immediately that they can use to sustain and create jobs in America,” Manzullo said. “It also provides a greater incentive for our manufacturers to keep jobs in the United States and actually bring some jobs back from overseas because they would pay a 9 percent tax premium on any work they send offshore.”

Manzullo supports several other free-market strategies to strengthen our economy, including:

• Allowing companies to repatriate their overseas profits back to the United States tax free for one year if the money is used to pay off distressed debt or support business expansion or job creation.
• Suspending the capital gains and recapture taxes for two years to encourage Americans to invest in America and encourage corporations to sell unwanted assets and acquire the capital they need to sustain and create jobs.
• Allowing companies to carry back losses an additional two years, generating a tax refund and immediate capital.
• Directing the Securities and Exchange Commission to suspend the mark-to-market regulatory rules until the agency can issue new guidelines that will allow firms to mark these assets to their true economic value.
• Reducing the corporate tax rate from 35 to 15 percent.

= = = = =
Shown during a Rockford TV debate is Don Manzullo on the right and Democratic Party challenger Robert Abboud to his right. With only his left arm in the screen is Green Party candidate Scott Summers.

16th congressional district Democratic Party candidate for U.S. Representative Don Manzullo’s seat has sent this communication:

Thank You!!!

We knew from the beginning that this was going to be an uphill battle. Unfortunately, we did not make it over the top of the hill on Nov 4, 2008. We knew that going up against a 16 year incumbent on the first shot was a very long climb. As we look across the state of Illinois, despite a historic victory by President Elect Obama, many centrist Democrat candidates were unsuccessful. However, yesterday’s negative result is not the end. It must be the beginning.

Patricia and I want to thank all of the hundreds of volunteers and those who worked so hard on this campaign. We want to thank the hundreds of people who came out to knock on doors and make phone calls, the thousands of supporters that entrusted me with their vote, and the many organizations that supported us faithfully through this difficult contest. We will never forget all the hard work and support you gave to the campaign and to us. Let me assure you that your efforts are not wasted.

Unfortunately, we did not have a chance to thank many of you on the evening of Nov 4th. The size of the district made it difficult to thank everyone in person, but I assure you that our work together will continue and we will have a chance to spend some time together in the very near future.

I congratulate Mr. Manzullo on his re-election and hope that our contest moves him to being more accessible and responsive to the needs of everyone in the 16th District.

I am proud of the campaign we ran together because it was a campaign of ideas and issues. We came together behind a common purpose, to fundamentally change the direction of our country and our communities. The issues that existed on November 3rd still exist on November 5th. We still have the highest unemployment in Illinois, our economy is still on the ropes, manufacturing will continue to struggle, and we have yet to confront issues of transportation congestion, energy, health care and foreign policy. That must change. In this moment we must renew our resolve and continue our campaign for the issues we know to be critical to the prosperity of our families, our communities and our nation.

I promise to continue fighting for the issues and ideas that we all believe in, and I will remain active in the district so we may continue working together to confront our most trying challenges.

Thank you all for all your support. I am forever grateful. Please continue to contact me directly so we can work together to make the 16th District and our country the world leader we know it should and can be.

Bob Abboud

16th congressional district Democratic Party candidate for U.S. Representative Don Manzullo’s seat has sent this communication:

Thank You!!!

We knew from the beginning that this was going to be an uphill battle. Unfortunately, we did not make it over the top of the hill on Nov 4, 2008. We knew that going up against a 16 year incumbent on the first shot was a very long climb. As we look across the state of Illinois, despite a historic victory by President Elect Obama, many centrist Democrat candidates were unsuccessful. However, yesterday’s negative result is not the end. It must be the beginning.

Patricia and I want to thank all of the hundreds of volunteers and those who worked so hard on this campaign. We want to thank the hundreds of people who came out to knock on doors and make phone calls, the thousands of supporters that entrusted me with their vote, and the many organizations that supported us faithfully through this difficult contest. We will never forget all the hard work and support you gave to the campaign and to us. Let me assure you that your efforts are not wasted.

Unfortunately, we did not have a chance to thank many of you on the evening of Nov 4th. The size of the district made it difficult to thank everyone in person, but I assure you that our work together will continue and we will have a chance to spend some time together in the very near future.

I congratulate Mr. Manzullo on his re-election and hope that our contest moves him to being more accessible and responsive to the needs of everyone in the 16th District.

I am proud of the campaign we ran together because it was a campaign of ideas and issues. We came together behind a common purpose, to fundamentally change the direction of our country and our communities. The issues that existed on November 3rd still exist on November 5th. We still have the highest unemployment in Illinois, our economy is still on the ropes, manufacturing will continue to struggle, and we have yet to confront issues of transportation congestion, energy, health care and foreign policy. That must change. In this moment we must renew our resolve and continue our campaign for the issues we know to be critical to the prosperity of our families, our communities and our nation.

I promise to continue fighting for the issues and ideas that we all believe in, and I will remain active in the district so we may continue working together to confront our most trying challenges.

Thank you all for all your support. I am forever grateful. Please continue to contact me directly so we can work together to make the 16th District and our country the world leader we know it should and can be.

Bob Abboud

Green Party candidate for the 16th District congressional district has issued this statement:

November 5, 2008

Dear Friends:

Thank you for your encouragement and support of my candidacy for U.S. Congress. Please join me in congratulating and thanking Mr. Abboud and Congressman Manzullo.

So what’s next?

I expect to remain engaged in the public interest. And I expect that this will manifest itself in multiple ways.

I’ll continue to serve as a community college trustee.

I’ll continue to blog on matters of politics and public policy at www.SummersTimes.com.

I’ll continue to develop and articulate some of my public policy ideas through writing and advocacy. Watch in the coming months for me to elaborate on my concepts of

(1) “microcapitalism” (that is, grassroots economic development through new home-based businesses) and

(2) community-based business cooperatives in the style of the old time general store.

I’ve already reserved a couple of domain names: www.microcapitalism.info and www.OurGeneralStore.info. (See you there early next year!)

Might I turn now to litigating in the public interest? I’ll have to think about that.

Will I run for office in 2010? I’ll have to think about that, too.

Finally — I’ll actually combine civics with a bit of fun during 2009 as I work with the McHenry County Lincoln Bicentennial Birthday Committee (www.alincoln200.com). I’ll be authoring a regular “Thinkin’ of Lincoln” column and – yes – occasionally impersonating the man at community events, and reciting excerpts from his speeches.

In short – I’m going to keep on going.

Stay in touch at this e-mail address: Scott (at) SummersTimes.com.

Thanks again.

Sincerely,

Scott