McHenry County Blog

My favorite political fund raiser is the cruise that Family PAC puts on each summer.

The scenery is stunning whether the boat goes out from a mooring near Navy Pier on Lake Michigan as the sun is setting or up the Chicago River where the reflections from glass skyscrapers are stunning in a different way.

Jim DeMint

Tom Coburn

And Executive Director Paul Caprio manages to draw top-flight speakers.

Both conservative United States Senators Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Jim DeMint of South Carolina have spoken to the summer gathering.

This year, the main attraction will be Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.

Having just preserved his Wisconsin Senate majority from the threat of recall elections, even if just barely, I have no doubt that Walker will have lots of interesting things to say.

I also suspect that the boat may fill up sooner than usual.

The details of the August 23rd event can be found below.  The cost is $90 a person or $175 per couple.

From

Report released by U.S. Senators Tom Coburn and John McCain yesterday.

Summertime Blues

100 Projects to Give Taxpayers the Blues

Senator Tom Coburn speaking at last year's Family PAC Cruise.

Senator John McCain at his 2008 pre-primary rally in Addison.

Today, United States Senators Tom Coburn and John McCain released “Summertime Blues,” a compilation of

“100 Stimulus Projects that Give Taxpayers the Blues during the Summer of Recovery.”

The introduction of this third in a series of publications starts like this:

“When Congress passed the $862 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009, otherwise known as the stimulus bill, it passed with assurances that it would stem the loss of American jobs and keep the economy from floundering. As most can see, it hasn’t.”

McHenry County’s SportsPlex made number 67 on the list.

67. If Government Builds it, They Will Come . . .We Hope

(Lakewood, IL) – $18 million

Local officials in Lakewood Village (pop. 3,050) recently approved plans for a $40 million sports complex by a unanimous vote in the hopes of bringing in up to $500,000 in annual tax revenue from hosting local, national, and even international sports events. FN425 The complex, spanning over 165 acres will feature 17 lighted baseball fields, seven soccer fields, an indoor soccer dome, an arena for basketball, an extreme sports park for skating and BMX competitions, a gas station, and a 125,000 square foot building for a restaurant and retail facilities – all of this using $18 million of bonding authority granted to McHenry County from the stimulus bill. FN426 That portion of the money has been described as both “only a start-up mechanism” and a “bridge loan.” FN427

McHenry County Blog's photo is in the report, but there isn't a credit line.

Not so fast, say the neighboring residents whose lives will be affected by the proposed facility. The most recent public meeting of the Lakewood Village trustees drew enough attendees to fill the room, the standing-room behind the chairs, and standing room into the hallway. FN428 A local blogger who attended observed that “besides the consultants, village officials and staff, most in attendance were people objecting from the neighborhood.” FN429

Concerns raised included traffic, light pollution, noise, water quality, and utility bills. Following the meeting, Village Trustee Ken Santowski wrote an e-mail to residents justifying his vote, arguing that “…the village would only lose face if the project fails…” FN430 He went on to say “This project is far from a done deal.” FN431 Perhaps Mr.
Santowski is the only one who sees it that way – the Continental Amateur Baseball Association (which calls itself “the greatest show on dirt”) is already trying to attract teams with a video “flyover” of the planned facility, calling it the “new CABA complex.” FN432

Several residents came away from the recent meeting frustrated. Tom Balboney of a nearby subdivision said “we feel all of this was done behind our backs,”FN433 and Larry Larson, long time resident, summed it up for the local newspaper: “It stinks…if they had to use their own money, they wouldn’t do it.” FN434

= = = = =
The footnotes follow:

425 Bustos, Joseph. “Lakewood village board OKs special use permit, preliminary plan for sports complex.” Northwest Herald. July 28, 2010. Accessed July 30, 2010.
426 Resolution allocating Recovery Zone Volume Cap and approving a project for McHenry County Sportsplex LLC for the purposes of the American Recovery and Reinvestment tax Act of 2009. McHenry County, IL, Finance and Audit Committee Agenda, April 13, 2010. Accessed July 30,2010.
427 McHenry County Blog. “Lakewood Approves McHenry County Sportsplex.” July 28, 2010.
Accessed July 30,
2010.
428 Bustos, Joseph. “Lakewood village board OKs special use permit, preliminary plan for sports complex.” Northwest Herald. July 28, 2010. Accessed July 30, 2010.
429 McHenry County Blog. “Lakewood Approves McHenry County Sportsplex.” July 28, 2010. Accessed July 30, 2010.
430 McHenry County Blog. “Lakewood Village Trustee Gives View of Sportsplex Meeting.” July 29, 2010.  Accessed July 30, 2010.
431 McHenry County Blog. “Lakewood Village Trustee Gives View of Sportsplex Meeting.” July 29, 2010. Accessed July 30, 2010.
432 CABA website.  Accessed July 30, 2010.
433 McHenry County Blog. “Lakewood Approves McHenry County Sportsplex.” July 28, 2010.
434 Sroka, Diana. “Residents near planned $40 million sports complex not happy.” Northwest Herald. July 29. 2010.  Accessed July 30, 2010.

“I don’t think I could have been more victorious,” Barrington Hills resident Sharon Meroni told me after the the conclusion of her challenge to Independent judicial candidate Sally Wiggin’s candidacy.

“I have respect for her for doing that (revealing a copy of her birth certificate),” Meroni added.

"No Politics in My Courtroom" reads the card of Independent candidate Sally Wiggins.

Wiggins reaction:

“I have no problem disclosing that I was actually born in Harvard.

“I’m proud to have been born in the USA.

“By doing that she no longer has a forum that should be decided in Springfield.”

Sharon Meroni

In her statements to the McHenry County Officials Officers Board, Meroni expressed her frustration on not being able to find a way to verify that those running for public office were actually citizens.

She related how McHenry County Clerk Kathie Schultz had told her how the voter registration process does not check to verify citizenship.

In a court suit trying to require candidates to reveal their birth certificates, Meroni learned that the place to make that objection was during the five-day petition challenge period after candidacy filing.

That’s was Meroni did this year.

Meeting with an Illinois State Board of Elections hearing officer, they both agreed that her challenge had nothing to do with whether the number of signatures filed were enough. It was strictly whether the candidates challenged were United States citizens.

Meroni thought that presentation of birth certificates would be the way to go.

When one applies for a passport, one has to provide an original birth certificate. (Someday, I’ll write the story of how my son and wife got a passport, but how I was initially rejected, even though I provided my birth certificate.)

Sharon Meroni holds up the page of the Sally Wiggins' motion to dismiss that contains a copy of Wiggins' McHerny County Birth Certificate.

So, to get back in the country one needs more evidence of citizenship than to run for office to govern other citizens.

Wiggins offered up a copy of her birth certificate, filed in the McHenry County Clerk’s Office, in a motion to dismiss Meroni’s objection. She also noted that she had signed a notarized Loyalty Oath, which states that she is “citizen of the United States.

When the hearing got to the point of Meroni’s being asked to offer evidence, she stated what anyone who had taken a logic course would offer:

“I’m asked to prove the negative…an impermissible barrier…”

Some elements of the media have treated Meroni, who admits to having been on the TEA Party Express, where “nobody knows” one does not have to prove citizenship to run for public office.

Her goal is to have all candidates have to provide they are citizens, either born here or naturalized. I imagine this was inspired by President Barack Obama’s unwillingness to let people view his paper birth certificate.

Before the hearing reached the evidentiary stage, Wiggins, Meroni and Wiggins’ attorney Margo Ely conferred behind closed doors.

But, Wiggins did not share the contents of the motion to dismiss behind closed doors.

“I didn’t know she had posted her birth certificate.

“Now that’s she’s done that, I say she really complied with my request.

“She has cooperated in such a wonderful way.”

Hearing Officer Don Leist then asked,

“Do you wish to withdraw your objection?”

From left to right are Hearing Officer Don Leist, McHenry County County Clerk Katherine Schultz, McHenry County Circuit Clerk Katherine Keefe and Chief Deputy State's Attorney Tom Carroll.

“Based on her having tendered her birth certificate, I withdraw my petition.” Meroni said.

Serving on the hearing board were County Clerk Schultz, Circuit Clerk Katherine Keefe and Assistant State’s Attorney Tom Carroll.

Other reporters in the room were the First Electric Newspaper’s Pete Gonigam, the Daily Herald’s Chuck Keeshan and Iris Bryan of the Town Crier.

So far, McHenry County Blog has published four articles on Paul Caprio’s August Family PAC cruise.

The first was about U.S. Senator and Dr. Tom Coburn’s take on the health care debate. The rest are full of pictures of participants:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Below is Part 4.

As I continued wondering around the boat, I found Peter Breen and Chris Sullivan near the bow on the upper deck. Sullivan is one of Kathleen Sullivan’s sons. Breen is one aspirant to replace State Rep. Bob Biggins. Breen is Executive Director & Legal Counsel of the Thomas Moore Society, which bills itself as the “Pro-Life Law Center.” He is currently working on the Aurora Planned Parenthood case. Breen has a good button/sticker on his web site, but he wasn’t wearing it. I always preferred to have a really large button announcing to the world that I was a candidate.

The last time I saw my former and now deceased colleague’s twin sons was in San Diego at an ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) conference. That was at the Hotel del Coronado beach over ten years ago when my son was mainly interested in looking at the turtles and fish on the first floor of our hotel. My Matthew has grown. I never met former Cook County Board of Review Murphy’s oldest son, but he was on the cruise, too. 29-year old Shaun, on the right, is running for the post his mother held. They were talking to Chris Sullivan.

Maureen almost always made me laugh. I wish I could repeat her interactions with her arch-foe House Speaker Michael Madigan, who lived in Lincoln Towers, where she stayed during legislative sessions. They apparently had similar morning schedules. Some of the conversations, started usually, I gathered by Maureen, were bizarre. If you would like to sample her how she could make little piggies and blueberries hilarious, click here.

I didn’t get a great shot of Cook County Commissioner Liz Gorman talking to Peter Breen, but I guarantee she would like this one better than the one I took on the lower deck, which included her mother.

Politicians I have come in contact with almost always want to pose for a picture. I tell them I don’t do posed pictures. David McAloon gave me so much grief about the photo I published of him last year, though, I relented and took this one. Note the corn cob architecture on the Chicago River in the background. It’s pretty obviously designed by the same architect who did Marina Towers.

As I was wondering downstairs to get some food, catered by Harry Carey’s, I got this shot of State Senator and gubernatorial candidate Kirk Dillard and State Senator Chris Lauzen.

More pictures and commentary tomorrow in Part 5.

This is a delayed third part of my view of Paul Caprio’s August 11th Family PAC cruise.

Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here. A story about guest of honor Oklahoma U.S. Senator and Dr. Tom Coburn’s views on the health care debate is here.

Asking Senator Coburn if the health care debate could include end of life protocols on hydration and sustenance was former Republican Party gubernatorial aspirant Steve Baer. He’s the man in the picture’s center.

After the speech, attendees greeted friends and acquaintances. Here State Representative Bob Biggins, who just announced his retirement, chats with State Representative Ron Wait’s Legislative Assistant Verna Rightnowar and Wait.

State Senator Chris Lauzen, who again had about 900 at his Porky Picnic last Saturday was talking with Larry Therianit.

In good campaign style, Schaumburg resident Ryan Higgins came up to introduce himself to me. The 28-year old is running for the GOP state representative slot to replace State Rep. Paul Froelich, the man who switched parties before last year’s election. He has been endorsed by the Schaumburg Township GOP organization.

The next people I got a shot of are campaign consultant Jon Zahm and State Representative Randy Ramey. Ramey told me he tried to leave a message on McHenry County Blog after I posted a picture of a car with a Ramey bumper sticker and state rep. license plate 105 saying that it was his car.

Part 4 is next up.

This is the second in a series of posting about the folks I saw on Family PAC’s summer cruise on the Chicago River. You can find the first here. Here’s U.S. Senator Thomas Coburn’s thoughts on health care reform.

Vernon Township Republican Committeeman Don Castella was among those greeted by Senator Tom Coburn as he boarded for the cruise.

Here State Representative Bob Biggins (on the left) visits with State Representative Ron Wait’s Legislative Assistant Verna Rightnowar and Wait (on the right).

In order to get home from the Senate session earlier, Senator Coburn addressed the crowd before the boat left the dock.

He explained that those without health coverage include 16 million eligible for Medicaid, 11 million illegals, 11 million who earn more than $75,000 a year and 11 million who can’t get or afford health insurance. (More here.)

After finishing his summary of the legislation that passed out of the committee on which he serves on a straight party vote, Coburn took some questions from the audience.

More pictures tomorrow.

Yesterday, I wrote an article about what guest of honor United States Senator Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma) had to say about the health care bill that Democrats just voted out of committee on a party line vote on the Family PAC cruise Tuesday night.

Today, I’ll start a multi-part series showing some of the politicians and McHenry County folks who attended the fund raising event.

The August 11, 2009, Family PAC cruise had a goodly number of people on this non-election year. You see folks milling around the gang plank above.

Contributors to the political action committee like McHenry County’s Gene Brown, seen above, got to visit with Oklahoma’s United States Senator Tom Coburn before boarding.

Chicago’s 32nd Ward GOP Committeeman John Curry was among those taking the opportunity to talk with the Senator.

Family PAC’s Director Paul Caprio took the opportunity to talk with Senator Coburn as well.

Dr. Steve Sauerberg, the Republican opponent to U.S. Senator Dick Durbin last year, conversed with Coburn, too.

Part 2 tomorrow.

Oklahoma United States Senator Tom Coburn was in Chicago Tuesday night as the featured speaker for Paul Caprio’s Family PAC’s annual cruise.

Having heard people senior to myself question whether the real purpose of the bill was to withhold expensive end-of-life services from people, my ears perked up when he said the bill is about

“abandonment of life at the end…about the very ethics of being human.

“There isn’t a life that doesn’t have value,” Coburn continued.

He reported only two amendments had been accepted by the Democratic Party majority:

1 – “a conscience clause for assisted suicide” and

2 – “making sure members of Congress are in any plan we pass”

During the question and answer session on deck of the boat, Coburn declared,

“First of all, it’s will not pass.”

Asked about the political consequences of passage, he said that

“next year’s elections will be impacted, but not nearly as much as 3-4 years from now.”

The doctor described the bill as giving “you access to a waiting line” and predicted that 15% of doctors will retire to work in other countries or do mission work, if it does pass.

Asked about the Democratic agenda, the obstetrician said he it his

“hope and prayer is that they keep overreaching.”

“They actually believe in a nanny state. You don’t have the ability to look after yourself and your family.”

A later observation about politicians:

“Politicians routinely give what they don’t have.”

Encouraging people to follow him into elective politics, Coburn observed,

“I’ve seen liberty diminished in my adult life.”

A final analytical comment on who will pay for the $1.7 billion the Democrats health care plan will cost over the next seven years:

“50% will come from small business tax increases.”

= = = = =
In the bottom photo, U.S. Senator Thomas Coburn indicates the size of a baby which any doctor could recognize as a human being.

Crystal Lake State Rep. Mike Tryon passed House Bill 4765 this week.

118-0.

That’s everybody voting for it.

That probably means it’s not objectionable, but, considering the Democrats control everything, what bill sponsored by a Republican that is controversial is likely to pass?

What’s the bill do?

It requires the Department of Central Management Services to maintain a web site called the “Illinois Accountability Portal.”

It’s a short bill, so I’ll just reprint it below:

AN ACT concerning State government.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Department of Central Management Services Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is amended by adding Section 405-335 as follows:

(20 ILCS 405/405-335 new)

Sec. 405-335. Illinois Accountability Portal. To establish and maintain a website, known as the Illinois Accountability Portal, with a full-time webmaster. The website shall provide direct access to each of the following:

(1) A database of all current State employees and individual consultants, sorted separately by name, agency, and position title, listing for each their current pay rate and year-to-date pay.

(2) A database of all current State expenditures, sorted separately by agency, category, customer, and Representative District.

(3) A database of all current State tax credits, sorted separately by tax credit category, customer, and Representative District.

(4) A database of all revocations and suspensions of State occupation and use tax certificates of registration and all revocations and suspensions of State professional licenses, sorted separately by name, geographic location, and certificate of registration number or license number, as applicable. Professional license revocations and suspensions shall be posted only if resulting from a failure to pay taxes, license fees, or child support.

(5) A database of all current State contracts, sorted separately by contractor name, awarding officer or agency, contract value, and goods or services provided.

It sounds a bit like Republican United States Senator Tom Coburn’s bill which Barack Obama got passed in Washington to track pork.

On, almost forgot. They call such line items “earmarks” in Washington.

In Springfield they are called “member initiatives”…like the $250,000 I got for Home of the Sparrow in the late 1990′s to buy a home in Crystal Lake. (So, Crystal Lakers, you can help out without even leaving home.)

Locally, State Rep. Jack Franks (D-Marengo) jointly sponsored the bill. Mark Beaubien (R-Barrington Hills) and Ron Wait (R-Belvidere) were among the co-sponsors.

= = = = =
The photo of State Rep. Jack Franks on the left talking to State Rep. Mike Tryon on the right was taken at the budget hearing the two, plus State Senator Pam Althoff, held at McHenry County College on March 19th. The pig’s snout was taken south of the Wisconsin border town where House Speaker Mike Madigan sometimes takes his granddaughter to lunch. The waitresses refer to him as “that Illinois state representative,” not “Speaker.”

Crystal Lake State Rep. Mike Tryon passed House Bill 4765 this week.

118-0.

That’s everybody voting for it.

That probably means it’s not objectionable, but, considering the Democrats control everything, what bill sponsored by a Republican that is controversial is likely to pass?

What’s the bill do?

It requires the Department of Central Management Services to maintain a web site called the “Illinois Accountability Portal.”

It’s a short bill, so I’ll just reprint it below:

AN ACT concerning State government.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Department of Central Management Services Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is amended by adding Section 405-335 as follows:

(20 ILCS 405/405-335 new)

Sec. 405-335. Illinois Accountability Portal. To establish and maintain a website, known as the Illinois Accountability Portal, with a full-time webmaster. The website shall provide direct access to each of the following:

(1) A database of all current State employees and individual consultants, sorted separately by name, agency, and position title, listing for each their current pay rate and year-to-date pay.

(2) A database of all current State expenditures, sorted separately by agency, category, customer, and Representative District.

(3) A database of all current State tax credits, sorted separately by tax credit category, customer, and Representative District.

(4) A database of all revocations and suspensions of State occupation and use tax certificates of registration and all revocations and suspensions of State professional licenses, sorted separately by name, geographic location, and certificate of registration number or license number, as applicable. Professional license revocations and suspensions shall be posted only if resulting from a failure to pay taxes, license fees, or child support.

(5) A database of all current State contracts, sorted separately by contractor name, awarding officer or agency, contract value, and goods or services provided.

It sounds a bit like Republican United States Senator Tom Coburn’s bill which Barack Obama got passed in Washington to track pork.

On, almost forgot. They call such line items “earmarks” in Washington.

In Springfield they are called “member initiatives”…like the $250,000 I got for Home of the Sparrow in the late 1990′s to buy a home in Crystal Lake. (So, Crystal Lakers, you can help out without even leaving home.)

Locally, State Rep. Jack Franks (D-Marengo) jointly sponsored the bill. Mark Beaubien (R-Barrington Hills) and Ron Wait (R-Belvidere) were among the co-sponsors.

= = = = =
The photo of State Rep. Jack Franks on the left talking to State Rep. Mike Tryon on the right was taken at the budget hearing the two, plus State Senator Pam Althoff, held at McHenry County College on March 19th. The pig’s snout was taken south of the Wisconsin border town where House Speaker Mike Madigan sometimes takes his granddaughter to lunch. The waitresses refer to him as “that Illinois state representative,” not “Speaker.”