McHenry County Blog

While my email was in limbo last weekend I guess I missed this clearance of newly elected District 300 school board members John Ryan and Monica Clark.

Hearing Officer Tony Morgando wrote two long paragraphs about Nancy Zetter’s complaint, which you can see here. I shall break them up to make them easier to read on this screen.

“A review of the documents and statements in this matter clearly establishes the Family Taxpayers Network, as a major funding source in the campaigns of Mr. John Ryan and Ms. Monica Clark.

“Both candidates indicate acceptance of yard signs from the Family Taxpayers Network promoting their campaign in mid-March, 2007, at a cost of $1,320. The parties to the complaint were in agreement that the campaign mailer/postcard produced by the Family Taxpayers Network was received by residents in the district on April 10th, or 11th, 2007, at a combined cost of $2,539.32.

“The respondents state that the notification of the in-kind contributions was received on April 27th (Ms. Clark) and April 30th (Mr. Ryan).

“Based upon these dates, it appears the candidates were liable to file a Statement of Organization (From D-1 ) ‘within 10 business days of the creation of such committee’, 10/ILCS 5/9-3. It is the opinion of the Hearing Examiner, that both candidates filed their Statement of Organization within the statutory time limit.

“Also, based on the dates presented above, it appears the candidates were not liable to file a Pre-Election Report for the April 17th, 2007, election, as such reporting period, January 1st, – March 18th, 2007, was prior to the creation of date of the political committees: April 30th, 2007 (Mr. Ryan) and April 15th (Ms. Clark).

“The Hearing Examiner feels the Complainant had reasons to believe violations of the Disclosure Act had occurred, therefore it is the opinion of the Hearing Examiner that the complaint was filed on justifiable grounds, but recommends no further action on the Board be taken on this matter.

“The Hearing Officer further recommends that the Board in its Final Order, serve notice upon the Respondents that as candidates they ‘have the responsibility to report such in-kind contributions or expenditures from the donor if it actually knows or reasonably should have known from the facts available to it that an in-kind contribution had been made in its behalf’, Adm. R&R 100.120.”

So, it turns out pretty much as predicted on McHenry County Blog right after Zettler filed her complaint.

Let me repeat what I said then:

I can understand Zettler’s frustration.

During the three Republican primary elections I was under siege by Personal PAC, their mailings and phone calls did not show up in campaign disclosure forms until after the primary election.

I think they should show up ahead of the election, but that, apparently, would require a change in state law.

Maybe Zettler’s lobbying can be expanded from trying to raise our income taxes to changing the campaign disclosure laws.

I’d be happy to join her in such an effort.

In this case, however, one would have to be blind not to figure out that the Family Taxpayers Network was helping Clark and Ryan.

Take a look at the return address on the literature.

I’d add that learning who is paying for a campaign is the purpose of the Campaign Disclosure Act and Zettler and anyone who could read knew it as well.

= = = = =
You can click on the recommendations to make it large enough to read.

While my email was in limbo last weekend I guess I missed this clearance of newly elected District 300 school board members John Ryan and Monica Clark.

Hearing Officer Tony Morgando wrote two long paragraphs about Nancy Zetter’s complaint, which you can see here. I shall break them up to make them easier to read on this screen.

“A review of the documents and statements in this matter clearly establishes the Family Taxpayers Network, as a major funding source in the campaigns of Mr. John Ryan and Ms. Monica Clark.

“Both candidates indicate acceptance of yard signs from the Family Taxpayers Network promoting their campaign in mid-March, 2007, at a cost of $1,320. The parties to the complaint were in agreement that the campaign mailer/postcard produced by the Family Taxpayers Network was received by residents in the district on April 10th, or 11th, 2007, at a combined cost of $2,539.32.

“The respondents state that the notification of the in-kind contributions was received on April 27th (Ms. Clark) and April 30th (Mr. Ryan).

“Based upon these dates, it appears the candidates were liable to file a Statement of Organization (From D-1 ) ‘within 10 business days of the creation of such committee’, 10/ILCS 5/9-3. It is the opinion of the Hearing Examiner, that both candidates filed their Statement of Organization within the statutory time limit.

“Also, based on the dates presented above, it appears the candidates were not liable to file a Pre-Election Report for the April 17th, 2007, election, as such reporting period, January 1st, – March 18th, 2007, was prior to the creation of date of the political committees: April 30th, 2007 (Mr. Ryan) and April 15th (Ms. Clark).

“The Hearing Examiner feels the Complainant had reasons to believe violations of the Disclosure Act had occurred, therefore it is the opinion of the Hearing Examiner that the complaint was filed on justifiable grounds, but recommends no further action on the Board be taken on this matter.

“The Hearing Officer further recommends that the Board in its Final Order, serve notice upon the Respondents that as candidates they ‘have the responsibility to report such in-kind contributions or expenditures from the donor if it actually knows or reasonably should have known from the facts available to it that an in-kind contribution had been made in its behalf’, Adm. R&R 100.120.”

So, it turns out pretty much as predicted on McHenry County Blog right after Zettler filed her complaint.

Let me repeat what I said then:

I can understand Zettler’s frustration.

During the three Republican primary elections I was under siege by Personal PAC, their mailings and phone calls did not show up in campaign disclosure forms until after the primary election.

I think they should show up ahead of the election, but that, apparently, would require a change in state law.

Maybe Zettler’s lobbying can be expanded from trying to raise our income taxes to changing the campaign disclosure laws.

I’d be happy to join her in such an effort.

In this case, however, one would have to be blind not to figure out that the Family Taxpayers Network was helping Clark and Ryan.

Take a look at the return address on the literature.

I’d add that learning who is paying for a campaign is the purpose of the Campaign Disclosure Act and Zettler and anyone who could read knew it as well.

= = = = =
You can click on the recommendations to make it large enough to read.

I received this email yesterday after John Ryan returned from his Chicago hearing before the State Board of Elections hearing officer Tony Morgando:

Both Monica & I were completely exonerated. Or to put it in the parlance of the Hearing Officer, “No grounds exist that this matter be referred for public hearing”.

It was unfortunate that we had to be drawn into an unnecessary game of sour grapes.

We knew we acted appropriately and are gratified that the Board of Elections agreed.

What’s done is done.

We can now move forward with the tasks we were elected to perform.

I called Morgando to ask the results and, as I expected, he said that his recommendation on the complaints by attorney Nancy Zettler against the Family Taxpayers Network, plus District 300 board candidates John Ryan and Monica Clark, would be made to the Elections Board at its next meeting.

No details until then.

But, what Ryan writes sounds reasonable, as I wrote when I first heard of Zettler’s complaint.

Let me repeat what I said:

I can understand Zettler’s frustration.

During the three Republican primary elections I was under siege by Personal PAC, their mailings and phone calls did not show up in campaign disclosure forms until after the primary election.

I think they should show up ahead of the election, but that, apparently, would require a change in state law.

Maybe Zettler’s lobbying can be expanded from trying to raise our income taxes to changing the campaign disclosure laws.

I’d be happy to join her in such an effort.

Here is the detailed article about Zettler’s complaint.

I received this email yesterday after John Ryan returned from his Chicago hearing before the State Board of Elections hearing officer Tony Morgando:

Both Monica & I were completely exonerated. Or to put it in the parlance of the Hearing Officer, “No grounds exist that this matter be referred for public hearing”.

It was unfortunate that we had to be drawn into an unnecessary game of sour grapes.

We knew we acted appropriately and are gratified that the Board of Elections agreed.

What’s done is done.

We can now move forward with the tasks we were elected to perform.

I called Morgando to ask the results and, as I expected, he said that his recommendation on the complaints by attorney Nancy Zettler against the Family Taxpayers Network, plus District 300 board candidates John Ryan and Monica Clark, would be made to the Elections Board at its next meeting.

No details until then.

But, what Ryan writes sounds reasonable, as I wrote when I first heard of Zettler’s complaint.

Let me repeat what I said:

I can understand Zettler’s frustration.

During the three Republican primary elections I was under siege by Personal PAC, their mailings and phone calls did not show up in campaign disclosure forms until after the primary election.

I think they should show up ahead of the election, but that, apparently, would require a change in state law.

Maybe Zettler’s lobbying can be expanded from trying to raise our income taxes to changing the campaign disclosure laws.

I’d be happy to join her in such an effort.

Here is the detailed article about Zettler’s complaint.

The Northwest Herald’s David Fitzgerald had a story Friday about District 300’s most vocal tax hiker–Nancy Zettler–having filed a quarter inch thick complaint against District 300 board victors Monica Clark and John Ryan, plus Jack Roeser’s Family Taxpayers Network.

I’m not about to pay for a quarter inch of paper at 25 cents a page, so an exploration of the charges will have to wait.

The motivation might be that John Ryan successfully complained about lawyer Zetter’s group not having followed the law. The Advance 300 tax hike folks somehow managed to forget that District 300 School Superintendent Ken Arndt gave $600 to the tax hike committee.

They only forgot for about five months, though.

So, here we are, what, three weeks after the campaign and the tax hike committee’s spokesman is apparently bitter about the trouncing her candidates took.

Oh, I forgot.

The tax hike committee didn’t take sides it this election.

They sat on their over $42,000 and just ran a cheap web site campaign.

Or, maybe we’ll see money was spent on other things when its spending report is filed.

I talked to Ryan Firday night and he told me that he had just learned that his committee had spent more than $3,000 recently and filed the necessary registration form with the State Board of Elections on April 30th.

Zetter filed her complaint a couple of hours later, he said.

Is that a coincidence or what?

The NW Herald’s article reports that the Family Taxpayers Network misreported “$1,320 each for yard signs and paid for campaign literature to be mailed out,” according to the article.

Board member-elect Monica Clark got off the best comment:

“Her efforts to discredit me before I have even been officially sworn into the office voters selected me to serve is petty, vindictive and childish.”

The State Board of Elections hearing is scheduled for May 15th.

I can understand Zettler’s frustration.

During the three Republican primary elections I was under siege by Personal PAC, their mailings and phone calls did not show up in campaign disclosure forms until after the primary election.

I think they should show up ahead of the election, but that, apparently, would require a change in state law.

Maybe Zettler’s lobbying can be expanded from trying to raise our income taxes to changing the campaign disclosure laws.

I’d be happy to join her in such an effort.

In this case, however, one would have to be blind not to figure out that the Family Taxpayers Network was helping Clark and Ryan.

Take a look at the return address on the literature.

Come to think of it, Zettler probably included that as evidence in her complaint.

The Northwest Herald’s David Fitzgerald had a story Friday about District 300’s most vocal tax hiker–Nancy Zettler–having filed a quarter inch thick complaint against District 300 board victors Monica Clark and John Ryan, plus Jack Roeser’s Family Taxpayers Network.

I’m not about to pay for a quarter inch of paper at 25 cents a page, so an exploration of the charges will have to wait.

The motivation might be that John Ryan successfully complained about lawyer Zetter’s group not having followed the law. The Advance 300 tax hike folks somehow managed to forget that District 300 School Superintendent Ken Arndt gave $600 to the tax hike committee.

They only forgot for about five months, though.

So, here we are, what, three weeks after the campaign and the tax hike committee’s spokesman is apparently bitter about the trouncing her candidates took.

Oh, I forgot.

The tax hike committee didn’t take sides it this election.

They sat on their over $42,000 and just ran a cheap web site campaign.

Or, maybe we’ll see money was spent on other things when its spending report is filed.

I talked to Ryan Firday night and he told me that he had just learned that his committee had spent more than $3,000 recently and filed the necessary registration form with the State Board of Elections on April 30th.

Zetter filed her complaint a couple of hours later, he said.

Is that a coincidence or what?

The NW Herald’s article reports that the Family Taxpayers Network misreported “$1,320 each for yard signs and paid for campaign literature to be mailed out,” according to the article.

Board member-elect Monica Clark got off the best comment:

“Her efforts to discredit me before I have even been officially sworn into the office voters selected me to serve is petty, vindictive and childish.”

The State Board of Elections hearing is scheduled for May 15th.

I can understand Zettler’s frustration.

During the three Republican primary elections I was under siege by Personal PAC, their mailings and phone calls did not show up in campaign disclosure forms until after the primary election.

I think they should show up ahead of the election, but that, apparently, would require a change in state law.

Maybe Zettler’s lobbying can be expanded from trying to raise our income taxes to changing the campaign disclosure laws.

I’d be happy to join her in such an effort.

In this case, however, one would have to be blind not to figure out that the Family Taxpayers Network was helping Clark and Ryan.

Take a look at the return address on the literature.

Come to think of it, Zettler probably included that as evidence in her complaint.