McHenry County Blog

McHenry County Board members Nick Provenzano and John Jung lost their seats two years ago in District 3 and District 5.

Joint sign for Mary Donner and Nick Provenzano for county board showed up for the first time the night before the election around polling places. Provenzano lost the election to Democratic Party challenger, now central committee chair, Kathy Bergan Schmidt.

It wasn’t that Provenzano and Jung didn’t have signs up supporting their re-election.

In retrospect, I believe it was because they did not run joint campaigns with their Republican running mates.

There was nothing but being next to each other on the Republican Party ballot to encourage supporters of their running mates to vote for them as well.

This causation factor hit me the night before the election when I saw this joint yard sign for Mary Donner and Provenzano.

It turned out to be too little, too late,

Provenzano lost to Kathy Bergan Schmidt and Paula Yensen beat Jung.

Yard signs for John Jung running mate Virginia Peschke began showing up two weekends before the election in which Democrat Paula Yensen picked off Jung. Peschke ran first.

Jung’s running mate, Virginia Peschke, put on no discernible campaign until yard signs appeared about two weekends before the fall election.

So, here’s my unsolicited advice to Republican county board candidates.

Convince your running mates to have joint yard signs.

Even if you don’t like them and they don’t like you.

Consider it a self-preservation move.

Right now, most GOP candidates don’t have Democratic Party opponents.

It is legal for the Democratic Party to slate candidates. They’ve done it before.

Certainly, it is difficult to find candidates like Yensen and Schmidt, people who will put shoe leather into a campaign.

Campaigning is boring work.

But, there are personal benefits. Candidates who are serious tend to miss meals and, because of that and the energy required going door-to-door, lose weight.

Nevertheless, odds are good that the Democrats won’t find vigorous candidates and, without “fire in the belly” opponents, Republican ballot holders probably aren’t in much trouble in this year of the backlash to corruption so evident among the Democrats’ high profile politicians.

But, it’s always better to do more, rather than less, in an election campaign.

If I were running for county board, I’d want a joint sign campaign.

And joint literature.

Especially, if I came in second in the primary election.

State Senator Bill Brady listens to State Rep. Mark Beaubien at the Nunda Township Republican Picnic. Wife Nancy Brady's listens in the foreground.

Look at the vote totals for governor in McHenry County:

Coming in behind Dan Proft, of all people, was State Senator Bill Brady from Downstate Bloomington.  The only candidate who got fewer votes was Bob Schillerstrom, who withdrew from the race and threw his support to Jim Ryan.

“Downstate” is the key word in the paragraph above.

As in “Not from Chicago.”  (Downstaters think all of use in the Chicago media market are from Chicago.)

Brady garnered only 8½% of the vote in McHenry County. Less than 2,200 votes (before adding in the early and absentee ballots).

With the exception of Adam Andrzejewski, who has legitimate Downstate credentials having been raised in Kankakee County, ALL of the candidates were from the Chicago metropolitan area.

With 99% of the precincts having been counted as of 12:20 AM, it appears the winner is Bill Brady:

Not by much, but he is in the lead over Kirk Dillard by about 1,600 votes.

Let’s assume that his victory margin holds up.

And no one forces a recount, which would certainly not help the cause of Republican unity.

Not being part of the Chicago-area bodes well for Brady’s being able to unify the Republican Party.

Not too many people are really angry at him.

And, who is the big winner in McHenry County?

Former State Senator Jack Schaffer.

Schaffer is the one who took on the task of putting up Brady’s signs.

The signs didn’t produce many votes, but Brady will remember who helped him when precious few others would.

One who had a yard sign in front of his house was Bloomington native, now-Crystal Lake lawyer and former Grade School District 47 board member David Phoenix.

I wonder whether he will head up Volunteers for Brady in the county.



Although the Crystal Lake Park Board won't allow signs on park district property in front of a polling place on election day, Crystal Lake's Grade School District 47 seemed to have no problem with the concept today at Lundahl Junior High School.

A loyal reader wonders I haven’t asked who the most politically intelligent residents in McHenry County think is going to win the election.

So, here goes.

In the comment section, list who you think will win for governor and senator in both parties (OK, the GOP pick is a give away), 8th District GOP congressional nomination, McHenry County Sheriff and county board for each district on which you care to speculate.

Go at it.

As I drove to Andy’s Family Restaurant for my Walk to Emmaus Reunion breakfast at 7:30 this morning, I noticed my Zane for Sheriff sign had been stolen.

The wire was still there, but the sign was missing.

You have to wonder about the genius who took it.

He’s obviously not deeply enough into politics that he could figure out I might write an article about the theft.

An equal opportunity sign displayer on Route 47 on the way to the Courthouse in Woodstock. The center yard sign for Zane Seipler was stolen Friday night from next to my mailbox in Lakewood

When people start stealing signs, it’s generally an indication that the side doing the stealing is nervous about the election.  And mine is not the only Zane for Sheriff signs to have “disappeared.”

Why would there reason for Keith Nygren to be worried about his re-election chances? After all, how can one with $123,000 in the bank on January 1st lose an election to someone running a hand-to-mouth financed campaign?

Still, Nygren has only had one mailer so far. At least one more to come, of course. And there’ll be radio and newspaper ads, but, still, in spite of the Nygren signs all over, I wouldn’t exactly characterize his campaign as “all out.”

With that kind of money, I could think of a lot more to do.

But, maybe Nygren is saving the bulk of his money to fight Democrat Mike Mahon in the f

McHenry County Board candidate Karen Tynis' 4X4 foot sign appeared, along with one for Sheriff Keith Nygren, at the Northwest corner of Bull Valley and Walkup Roads late last week.

First there was a four by four foot sign for 8th congressional candidate Joe Walsh on the small billboard skeleton in the field at the Northwest corner of Bull Valley Road and what Crystal Lakers call the McHenry Blacktop.

Then it disappeared.

Last week, when I took my son to swim practice at McHenry West High School, there was a sign for county board candidate Karen Tynis where the Walsh sign had been

I must admit to have not heard of Tynis prior to her filing for the McHenry County Board in the Republican primary in District 3.

I did pick up her campaign piece at the Republican precinct committeeman’s literature distribution last Friday night.

It shows a smiling family on the address side with the message:

HELP ME, TO HELP YOU!
Let’s Bring Business Back
to McHenry County!

Karen Tynis, is an experienced businesswoman, wife, mother, grandmother and community volunteer. Whe will work for what the residents of McHenry County need and want.

On the back side is a

Vote

Vote
Karen J.
Tynis
County Board

Personal Background:

• Married with 3 children
• Resident of County for 19 years
• BS Degree Eastern Illinois University

Business Experience:

• Manages the family business, Tynis Concrete, with an avg. of 20 employees, for the last 12 years.
• Owner of KT Leasing, Inc.
• 10 exp. with Real Estate Closings and New Construction
• Treasurer of 2 Property Owners Associations

Community Service:

• Prairie Ridge Volleyball Volunteered
• Club Fusion Volleyball Volunteer
• Salvation Army Volunteered
• Shepherd of the Hills Church Volunteered
• Prairie Grove Parks Dept. Volunteer

Objectives:

• Establish New Business Relationships for the County that encourages growth without hurting taxpayers
• Help Keep Existing Business in McHenry County
• Lowering Taxes
• Reduce Government Spending
• Establish Open Door Policy for Residents
• Community Safety

At the bottom is a notice that reminds people that early voting stats today.

Tynis answered the questionnaire for the Northwest Herald.

While not mention on the mailing, of possible interest is that she supports video poker and the two District 3 board members whose terms are up voted to ban it. One, Ed Dvorak, is retiring. The other, Barbara Wheeler was a leader in the fight to ban this gambling in the unincorporated areas of McHenry County.

The cop board vote on the ban was 13-10-1,  so the District 3 elections could tilt the balance in favor of video slot machines. If two pro-gambling members were elected—and no other changes occurred—the vote would be 12-11-1 in favor of video gambling.

One other observation:

I can’t remember the last time anyone campaigned in favor of growth. Past pro-growth candidates have usually said they were for “controlled growth.”

Saw this sign on State Rep. Jack Franks (D-Marengo) well placed sign in front of his office on Route 47 in Woodstock today.

Today’s sign was seen as the Liberty Train TEA Party demonstration was ending at 1 PM. It was at the intersection of Randall and Algonquin Roads.

The sign reads,

More on the demonstration Sunday.

Today’s “Message of the Day” was found on a Four Colonies subdivision lawn in Crystal Lake.

It says,

What kind of an anti-socialist is this?

One who likes Jimmy Buffet.

Here’s a sign on Route 14.

Lowe Enterprises seems to be conveying a political message.

Who in Cary can tell me what it’s all about?

The message says,

Our first meal after leaving Crystal Lake for our Intermountain West vacation in June was the Happy Trails Roadside Diner.

This was the same place I found Illinois’ future.

It was a truck stop with a roomful of slot machines.

Any kid could walk into it.

It had 1950’s decorations like this girls bike with balloon tires.

And, these signs. Not an original among them, I’d bet.

Since “Happy Trails to You” was the theme song for Roy and Dale Rogers, I expected to see something relating to my favorite cowboy in the 1940’s and early 1950’s. Why it was one his first color movies that I took Barbara Newell to on my first date (17 cent entry fee, plus candy) in 4th or 5th grade. (She and I played Monopoly after school for weeks on end.)

When I asked, the waitress told me there was nothing about Roy Rogers in the restaurant.

Bummer.