There have been three announced candidates in the 33rd State Senate District that runs from just south of my precinct, which is just south of Crystal Lake, the lake, but they weren’t the three that showed up on the Illinois State Board of Elections web site after petition filing closed.
A previously unknown candidate for State Senate in the 33rd District popped up on the State Board of Elections web site Monday. His name is Craig Powers and he is from Geneva.
The 33rd State Senate District with underlying State Rep. districts.
Karen McConnaughay
Kane County Board Chairman Karen McConanughay of St. Charles was the first to announce.
So far, she has by far the best organized campaign.
A very interesting set of spreadsheets showed up in my mailbox. It’ll take some time to figure out what all the information means, but today I’ll share a comparison of 2008 household income among McHenry County’s 17 townships.
Those earning the most money live in Seneca Township.
$94,423.
Why would have guessed?
Seneca starts in the Woodstock area and goes west into the area north of Union.
Number 2 is tiny (in area) Burton Township in the far northeastern portion of McHenry County.
Grafton Township came in third at $91,991.
Another lightly populated township near Woodstock, Hartland, located just north of Seneca Township northwest of Woodstock, placed 4th in the household income sweepstakes.
The rural township of Coral, south of Seneca Township, and west of Grafton, came in 5th.
The county’s largest township, Algonquin, scored 6th. $85,683.
Seventh was another of the top four townships in population, Nunda.
Richmond was eighth.
Ninth was Riley Township, located in the southwestern corner of McHenry County.
Tenth was Alden, a rural township on the Wisconsin border west of Harvard.
McHenry County map of townships and municipalities.
McHenry Township, the second largest in population, ranked 11th in household income with $68,354. The township includes Wonder Lake east of the lake.
Twelfth was Greenwood Township. It starts at the funeral home on Route 47 and runs north. It covers the western side of Wonder Lake.
Number 13 was Marengo Township. It is bisected by Routes 23 and 20. Route 176′s western terminus is Marengo.
Hebron is fourteenth in family income at $63,462.
Dorr Township is fifteenth. Most of Woodstock is locate there. It runs from the far northwestern part of Crystal Lake through Bull Valley to the county seat. Average income is $62,062.
Next to the bottom is Chemung Township, which is where Harvard and Lawrence are located…in the northwest corner of the county bordering Boone County and Wisconsin.
The lowest income level is in the township just south of Chemung. It includes the southern part of Harvard where most of the stores are located. The average household income is $53,095.
The Trading Post on the corner across the street no only sells novelty items, but appears to be THE shoe store in town. It also has cold cans of soft drinks for 75 cents.
My apologies to the first-time commenters this past extended weekend as my family and I were taking a short vacation at Galena’s Eagle Ridge Inn. All are now up but the one with the swear word.
One of my diversions was trying to find if I could find more Wisconsin State Senators. I figured that now they don’t have to be in Illinois to avoid legislative votes they might have come back for the ambiance.
And what part of northern Illinois has more ambiance than Galena?
We’re walking up the main drag and I see a couple getting out of a car in front of the DeSoto House.
It is not as easy as you might think to spot a Wisconsin State Senator. They don’t have legislative plates as is the case in Illinois.
This Green Bay Packer fan admitted he was a Wisconsin State Senator.
So I had to ask.
“Are you a Wisconsin State Senator, sir?”
I got was a smile from the man as the man denied being one and walked from the street to the sidewalk to join his wife.
We were walking on the other side of the street and I spotted a man wearing a “WISCONSIN” sweatshirt.
He, too, denied representing his state in the upper house.
But at Happy Joe’s the last day I hit pay dirt.
Sitting next to us at the place where the Taco Pizza was invented was a man wearing a Green Bay Packer jersey.
Having struck out up until then I was hesitant to ask.
But, finally, I did.
And he admitted to it!
He didn’t even object to my taking his photograph.
And, maybe he was.
The self-identified Wisconsin State Senator made tracks for the door of Happy Jack's in Galena.
The last time I saw him he wasn’t headed toward the game room to play Foosball.
He was headed for the Exit to the Route 20 parking lot.
Pictures of the 14 missing Wisconsin State Senators scroll across the screen.
The Illinois Young Republicans are having some fun with Democratic State Senators, “fugitives on the run.”
The YR's use the photo I took of the Heritage inn in Harvard and quote the Northwest Herald.
They present the charges:
"Wanted for: AVOIDING TOUGH DECISIONS"
Avoiding tough decisions
"Wanted for: EVADING THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES"
Evading their responsibilities
Then they ask people to call Governor Pat Quinn. if they have any information regarding their location.
Hey, if you know where they are, call me at 815-459-3506. It’s not as if it is an unlisted number. Or shoot me an email on the left hand side of the page (Email Cal Skinner).
Seeing that the Northwest Herald has found some missing Wisconsin State Senators in Woodstock, but neglected to tell readers where they were meeting, except to say it was in a private home.
Undoubtedly the senators told the NWH the location on the condition that the reporter would not reveal it.
Take a look at the neighborhood. Maybe you will recognize it and share your opinion in a comment. It looks like an upscale more or less “rural” location in Woodstock or Bull Valley.
= = = = =
The Woodstock Independent reports that a name associated with the house is Kelly Vinehout. Kathleen Vinehout is one of the Wisconsin State Senators.
= = = = =
It’s interesting that the senators are still meeting in McHenry County. I suggested that staying in Woodstock, McHenry, Richmond or Crystal Lake would likely not result in their being discovered.
How about playing private detective tonight or tomorrow morning?
Look for Wisconsin license plates in motel parking lots.
Here are the Wisconsin plates that were in Harvard’s Heritage inn & Suites Tuesday:
If you find Wisconsin plate 655-PJV or any others below, tell me where and, if you have a digital camera, please take a close-up picture of it, as well as one with the motel visible behind it, plus a photo of the motel sign.
The plate number here is 666-KHA.
816-GVX is this Pontiac's license plate.
Look for this specialty plate number N8802T on a Toyota Camera.
This Chevy Malibu has plate number UCN-302.
Again, if you find any of these Wisconsin plates, tell me where in the comment section or email me at calskinner2@gmail.com (address button on the left hand side of the page) and, if you have a digital camera, please take a close-up picture of the plate(s), as well as one with the motel visible behind it, plus a photo of the motel sign. Let me know whether you wish credit or would prefer just to be a “friend of McHenry County Blog.”
State Rep. Mike Tryon explains to House colleagues why Wisconsin and Indiana legislators meeting in Illinois should be subject to the state income tax, recently raised 67% by the out-of-stater's Illinois Democratic Party allies.
“If it’s good enough for the Green Bay Packers, it ought to be good enough for Wisconsin legislator.”
That’s part of what State Rep. Mike Tryon (R-Crystal Lake) told Statehouse News Service today when they asked him why he introduced a bill to impose the Illinois income tax on Wisconsin and Indiana legislators working in the state.
View the two-minute explanation below:
Here is Rep. Tryon’s press release on the bill introduction:
Rep. Mike Tryon Files Bill to Force Out-of-State Legislators to Pay
Illinois Taxes While Hiding Here to Dodge Votes in Their State
SPRINGFIELD…..State Representative Mike Tryon (R-Crystal Lake) filed a bill on Thursday that would force legislators from other states to pay Illinois income taxes if they are hiding out in Illinois to prevent votes from taking place in their state legislature.
The bill is an extension of legislation approved by the Illinois General Assembly in 2007 and is a direct response to Wisconsin democrat legislators who are currently hiding out in Illinois to prevent a controversial vote in the Wisconsin legislature on collective bargaining for unions.
“The Wisconsin General Assembly is supposed to be in session and these MIA legislators are earning their salaries while hiding out in Illinois,” said Tryon.
Wisconsin Democratic Party Caucus Leader Mark Miller and Assistant Caucus Chairperson Kathleen Vinehout enter Harvard's Heritage Inn & Suites by a back door on the way to a Caucus meeting. After the meeting, four cars drove down Route 23 to Route 20 and drove toward Rockford.
“They say they are working, and I believe these legislators should be subject to the same laws as other people who come here in the name of doing business.”
The 2007 law aims to close loopholes in Illinois tax laws by mandating that individuals living in other states who are in Illinois doing business will be taxed for the work done in this state.
“If a movie star comes to Illinois to work on a film, the Illinois Department of Revenue will send them a tax document letting them know they owe income taxes here,” said Tryon.
“The same is true for professional athletes. When the Green Bay Packers come to Chicago for a football game they also must pay income taxes for the work they do here.”
The bill filed Thursday states that income from a nonresident individual who is a member of a state legislature other than Illinois will pay income taxes based on the portion of the individual’s total compensation for services performed as a legislator when:
1 – The legislator is physically located in Illinois; and
2 – The legislator is in Illinois for the purpose of denying a quorum to the legislative body of which the legislator is a member
The bill would provide an exemption to out-of-state legislators who are in Illinois working on mutually-beneficial legislation between the two states.
Tryon admitted that he voted against the 2007 bill because he felt it would be difficult to monitor, but contends that regardless of his feelings for the original bill, it is now the law in Illinois.
“I think our law that taxes people who come to Illinois to work for even one day is a silly law and I also think that the Wisconsin legislators’ maneuver of coming here to escape a quorum of their General Assembly is a silly maneuver,” said Tryon.
“Our silly law and their silly maneuver are going to collide. The 2007 law was initiated by Illinois democrat lawmakers and I’m sure the democrat legislators from Wisconsin will want to cooperate with the spirit and intent of our laws here in Illinois.”
Photo taken of two Wisconsin Democratic Party leaders in Harvard after they saw the camera. Top dog Mark Miller is on the right, Kathleen Vinehout on the left.
State Rep. Mike Tryon (R-Crystal Lake) is introducing legislation today that will apply the Illinois income tax to visiting legislators from Wisconsin and Indiana.
Noting that the Democrats passed legislation to “close corporate loopholes” which resulted in Illinois taxing planes while they were flying over Illinois, incomes of movie stars filming in Illinois, baseball and football team players on Illinois fields,
“I think that ought to apply to visiting Democrats.”
“What’s good enough for the Green Bay Packers is good enough for the Wisconsin legislature.”
Of course, there’s no chance that House Speaker Mike Madigan would allow such a bill to be considered, don’t be surprise if you hear of Tryon’s bill introduction on radio and TV.
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