McHenry County Blog

The newly-elected County Board members have been sworn in and it’s conceivable that their constituents might want to get in touch with them by phone.  The numbers I have been able to gather are found below:

Here are the phone numbers I have gathered:

• Michele Aavang – 815-648-4210
• Yvonne Barnes – 847-516-2719
• Nick Chirikos – 847-658-3434
• Sue Draffkorn – 815-653-6057
• Diane Evertsen – 815-943-3298
• Joe Gottemoller – 815 382 9940
• John Hammerand – 815-728-0700
• Jim Heisler – 815-459-1971
• Tina Hill – 815-347-4222
• John Jung – 815-338-6201
• Ken Koehler – 815-459-7841
• Donna Kurtz -815-788-0632
• Bob Martens – 815-675-6353
• Mary McCann – 815-568-1061
• Mary McClellan – 815-482-5693
• Anna May Miller – 847-639-5112
• Robert Nowak – 847-516-9637
• Nick Provenzano – 815-355-8540
• Sandy Salgado – 815-271-5293
• Carolyn Schofield – 815-455-9550
• Ersel Schuster – 815-338-2207
• Mike Skala – 847-669-3804
• Mike Walkup – 815-459-7090
• Paula Yensen – 815-404-3918

This is from Fox River Grove Police Chief Ronald Lukasik, but one can easily believe it could happen in other local communities:

Fox River Grove Police Solicitation Scam

This morning the police department was notified by a resident that he received a phone call from an individual claiming to respresent the Fox River Grove Police Department. The caller, only identified as “Mike”, indicated he is soliciting funding on behalf of the police department.

The Fox River Grove Police Department DOES NOT solicit monetary funding from the community. If you receive a call similar to this, do not give them any personal information and report this to the police department.

Thank You,

Chief Lukasik

The paper that has done everything it could to make sure that 8th District Congresswoman Melissa Bean gets re-elected is running a major article in Sunday’s.

Lowering the risk of being on the wrong side is my guess.

The Daily Herald relentlessly publicized Republican challenger Joe Walsh’s financial woes with regard to a condo purchase gone bad, plus other stuff that I can’t remember.

The effort to make certain that liberal Melissa Bean had no significant opposition was so blatant that I thought at the time the paper should send Bean a statement estimating the value of its in-kind campaign contribution to her.

But now reporter Kimberly Pohl has been tasked to try to explain why Walsh is still in the race. It’s as if she had read my article explaining the New York Times blogger Nate Silver having lowered Bean’s odds of winning from 97.8% to 80.6%.

This comes over two weeks after a very large (1,381–the largest I have ever seen in a congressional race–We Ask America telephone poll showed a 41% to 41% tie, with Green Party candidate Bill Scheurer getting 5%.

That, bizarrely, showed up in the Quincy Herald-Whig.

Strangely enough, the poll interviewed 56.1% woman and and 43.88% men.

Most neutral observers would suggest than overweights women. And since women were going for Bean 44% to 40% , maybe the survey really indicated that Walsh was ahead.

The article ends by summarizing University of Illinois at Springfield Professor Kent Redfield cautioning “that no Democrat in a potential swing district should feel safe, particularly with such strong anti-incumbent sentiment.”

From the Crystal Lake Police Department comes this area warning:

Telephone Scam Warning: Beware of subjects posing as DEA agents requesting fines to be paid

Crystal Lake police received a report from a resident who had received suspicious telephone calls from a subject posing as an agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The caller indicated the resident had been determined through an investigation to have purchased pharmaceutical drugs illegally via the internet, and demanded a fee be paid to avoid prosecution.

The DEA does not conduct investigations in this manner.

The DEA is aware of several such scam attempts in other areas of the country, and is investigating further.

Crystal Lake Police wish to remind all residents to be wary of any unsolicited caller requesting money be sent to them.

When in doubt, contact police to investigate further.

The hearing before Judge Michael Caldwell Tuesday was supposed to be about Moore’s attempt to move phone lines so she could answer them off-site.

Friday Judge Thomas Meyer had ordered telephones to be under the control of Grafton Township Attorney Keri-Lyn Krafthefer, but since Township Supervisor Linda Moore’s attorney was in another court due to the short-noticed request for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO), Meyer scheduled for a Tuesday hearing before Caldwell, who has Moore’s separation of powers case.

Tuesday’s hearing turned out to be as much on Moore’s having been moved out of her office by order of the Township Trustees and newly-hired Pam Fender’s having been moved into Moore’s former space than about mere telephone access.

The Trustees’ motion for a TRO to prevent Moore from switching the phone service from the township office is part of Moore’s separation of powers case being heard by Judge Michael Caldwell.

This is the same judge that put the kabash on the Trustees’ and former Supervisor John Rossi’s attempt to build a new township hall without adequate notice, and ordered a November referendum on whether voters want a new $3.5 million ($5 million with interest) township hall.

But, let’s cut to the chase. Read the court order’s language for yourself:

This cause coming on for status this 30th day of March, 2010, the Court ORDERS;

Linda Moore

1. Linda I. Moore is hereby restored to her office in the Grafton Township Hall ding the township business.2. The telephone lines shall remain in service to the Grafton Township Hall at 10109Vind, Huntley, IL 60102.

3. The access codes, access to offices, access to copy machines, faxes, mail, and any other township information shall not be restricted from any party.

4. The purpose of the Order shall be maintaining the status quo and restoring same to the last peaceable time between the parties.

5. The hearing on this case is set for April 13 and 14, 2010 from April 14 and 15, 2010.

6.The Township Administrator shall not be excluded from the office designated as the Township Main Public Office on Exhibit “A” attached to this order for reference and made a part hereof.

Discussion of the outer office part of the court order was going on between Moore attorney John Nelson and Trustees’ Ancel Glink’ litigating attorney, Thomas DiCanni, when one or more of the Trustees present—Gerry McMahon and Betty Zirk—plus Township Administrator Pam Fender said something.

“What’s the problem?” Caldwell asked sharply.

“I don’t want to hear any objection or interjection.

“If you can’t follow that simple advice, I will (hold you) in contempt of court.

“I have only used it twice, but I will use it a third time.

“Do you understand me?”

For the rest of the hearing, the three did not interrupt.

The possibility of holding Grafton Township officials in contempt of court came up in the prior suit as well. (Here’s where you can read about the earlier contempt comments.)

Today the venue was the McHenry County Courtroom of Judge Thomas Meyer.

Grafton Township Trustees successfully sought a Temporary Restraining Order to change phone and internet lines back to the way they were before Supervisor Linda Moore rerouted several township numbers, including the one listed in the phone book as “Township Supervisor.”

The judge ruled,

“Linda Moore is hereby ordered to refrain from interfering, altering, transferring or otherwise directing AT&T to transfer telephone, fax or DSL service for the township’s phone numbers 847-669-3328, 847-669-9256, 847-669-8500, 847-669-1171 and 847-669-1064.”

Township Attorney Keri-Lyn Krafthefer was made the contact person with the phone company.

What caused the court action, which undoubted cost of $1,000 in legal fees?

“She took all the phone lines to her house,” new-hired Township Administrator Pam Fender told me.

“She could have told us at the meeting on Tuesday. She could have told us at Bingo. We had the internet missing on Wednesday. I tried calling AT&T on Wednesday, but they wouldn’t talk to me. I don’t have a pass code. They won’t do anything without a court order.

“Once again, we have seniors waiting around. Now, they can’t make reservations. Friday is a busy day.

“He (the judge) said OK to h ave some kind of an emergency order.”

Judge Meyer had made his decision and Krafthefer was writing the court order.

Then the clerk said,

“I’ve just gotten an email saying Linda Moore is here for the TRO.”

Then, Linda and David Moore entered the room with two township attorneys, Fender and Trustees Gerry McMahon and Betty Zirk.

Moore explained that her attorney John Nelson, from Rockford, was a single practitioner, and in court elsewhere.

She did, however, hand the judge a rebuttal that Nelson had written after receiving the papers from the township attorney’s firm, Ancel, Glink last night at 8:30.

“The long and the short of this matter is that the petitioners for the Temporary Restraining Order come to court with unclean hands and their petition should either be denied or set over to be heard on April 14, 2010 when other matters are heard.”

In addition, Moore’s attorney argued,

“The defendants have hired a woman who they have designated in their pleadings as the Township Administrator to usurp the plaintiff’s position as township supervisor, an obvious attempt for them to claim that the plaintiff has abandoned her duties and should be removed from office.

“As part of the action of the defendant they have made it impossible for the township supervisor to do her duties on site at the Grafton Township Hall.

“Following the advice of one of the defendants when the issue was discussed at a Township Board meeting, she has temporarily moved her office to her home until the matter is resolved. As such it was necessary to transfer the telephone number of the Township Supervisor of Grafton Township to her home.

“The Supervisor should be running the day-to-day operations of the township and would be, but for the unlawful interference by the defendants.

“This includes answering the telephone. In Grafton Township what remains of a transportation system for the elderly that employees three drivers while the Supervisor is easily able to run the system—which appears to exist without any statutory authority under township law—the plaintiff Supervisor of Grafton Township is forwarding all request(s) for bus service to the Township Administrator until the matter is resolved…

“The defendants cannot force the plaintiff out of her office and complain she ‘hijacked’ ‘their’ telephone number.

“The plaintiff submits that it is much more important that the Grafton Township General Assistance applicants be referred to the proper place with maximum confidentiality than any real claim that can be made by defendants. They have telephone service, it’s simply the listed number for the Grafton Township Supervisor and Grafton Township should go to the CEO.”

The judge asked Moore to try to contact her attorney.

After numerous attempts, she was unsuccessful.

Explaining to Moore what had happened before she arrive, Meyer said,

“They’re saying you had the phone numbers re-routed. They want to undo that.

“I granted the relief they requested and then set it over until Thursday so that Judge (Michael) Caldwell, who is more familiar with the case (can decide whether to make the order permanent).

“The purpose of my order is to preserved yesterday’s status quo and let you get your two cents in.”

When Moore tried to comment, Meyer warned,

“I am specifically saying, ‘Don’t argue your (case).’”

Then Meyer asked Ancel, Glink attorney Thomas G. DiCanni,

“If you could give her the order.”

“My order is to preserve yesterday’s status quo,” he repeated.

“I don’t know your side of the story. Talk to your attorney. (I would prefer you) not to speak for fear you might say something you shouldn’t.”

Meyer said that he could set the next court date on Tuesday or Wednesday and Moore indicated that Nelson would be available Tuesday.

The township attorney expressed his problem “that we’re going to lose a whole day,” if the judge’s order were not entered Friday.

After considering Nelson’s pleadings, Meyer concluded,

“I’m going to go with my first decision…I’m not going to hold it on the basis of the (Moore lawyer’s). I petition. I think (the Trustees’) petition is adequate.”

Later he said, “In reading your attorney’s response it was helpful to me, but (not persuasive).”

I”m just addressing the phone numbers,” the judge emphasized.

“’I think the equity lies with them.

“If your attorney can make it Tuesday, let’s put it on for 9 o’clock on the 30th.

“My order will only have effect until Judge Caldwell has a chance to extend it.”

To the court, Fender revealed, “They changed it on Monday. One took effect on Wednesday. The other took effect yesterday.

“If you want to call your attorney (again), I’ll be here (for a while),” Meyer told Moore.

When Moore came back she said her attorney wanted it noted that the order was “entered over our objections.”

That was noted.

After the hearing I asked Fender how soon service could be connected the way it was.

“I don’t know,” she replied.

“No comment,” said Trustee McMahon.

“No comment,” echoed Trustee Zirk.

Just got one of those phone solicitation calls, this time from “Brian.”

“Hi, Mr. Skinner. I’m from the Police Protective Fund. The reason for the recorded call is…”

(I think I got the name of the organization correct. If not, I apologize. This article is about the technique, not the organization.)

That was enough. Sounded like an attempt to put fear into those being called.

When I told him I was not interested, Brian seemed surprised.

I am not surprised.

With the level of intimidation of having someone connected (however loosely) with “the police” say how you answer whether you are willing to give money to “the police,” I imagine a great many people don’t hang up before making a contribution.

After all, the “police” would know whether I contributed or not.

Sorry, whatever the Police Protective Fund is, but Compassion International’s efforts in Haiti are more important. I know about 90% of my money will go for goods and services there.