McHenry County Blog

The Daily Herald’s Jim Davis wrote an opinion piece criticizing the cost of holding township primary elections.

It’s an easy hit on politicians.

Hey. Nobody voted.

So, divide the number of people voting into the cost of the election and the result is a high price per vote.

That, of course, is the fault of the politicians.

After reading his article, I sent Davis this email:

“As the House sponsor of the twp primary bill, I really wonder at your line of logic about abolishing that option in the name of saving money.

“Why not just let the party leaders select who will be on the ballot in November general elections, too?

“Where do you draw the line on encouraging democracy?

At 22, Melissa Sanchez will be the youngest township official in McHenry County.

“Do you really think a 22-year old, just-graduated-from-college Melissa Sanchez would have been selected by party leaders to be the Republican candidate in McHenry County’s largest township, Algonquin?”I don’t.

“Why should every place but Cook County elect individual precinct committeemen, rather than have precinct captains appointed by the local party boss?

“Waste of space on the ballot, wouldn’t you say?

“Maybe you would say it’s too much democracy.

“I would argue the lack of such local precinct level elections in Chicago has thwarted the chance of minorities to take power in an incremental process, delaying the taking of power from white politicians until the voter majority was overwhelming.

“Dictatorships often save money by never having an election.

“But that’s a cheap shot.

“The real question is where you would draw the line?”

Now, if Davis had suggested cutting down the number of judges from two in the majority party and one in the minority party, I would have supported such an idea.

Maybe next time he will.

And it’s not that I haven’t bemoaned the low voter turnout. Consider what happened in Algonquin Township.

4.6% voter turnout.

I only managed to interest 7.8% of the voters in Algonquin’s 7th precinct to vote in the Republican primary election.

Quite disappointing but not a reason to abolish elections in favor of party caucuses that would have even fewer participants.

Dan, Shea, Lowell Cutsforth, Neils Kruse and Bill Bligh share sign space in the Algonquin Township GOP primary election contest for four Trustee spots.

The long-rumored slate of

• Dan Shea
• Lowell Cutsforth
• Neils Kruse
• Bill Bligh

popped up on some lawns recently.

Shea and Cutsforth are currently on the Algonquin Township Board.

Both voted to raise township salaries and, with the help of a third Trustee, Linda Lance, carried the day.  (Lance is now running for Township Clerk against Chuck Lutzow.)

Township Supervisor Dianne Klemm and appointed Trustee Russ Cardelli voted against the higher salaries.

There are seven people running for the four Township Trustee slots.  The others are

• Larry Emery
• Melissa Sanchez
• Russ Cardelli

Since the 1973 fiasco of a caucus conducted by the Algonquin Township Republican Central Committee, McHenry County largest township has allowed voters to decide who GOP candidates for township office shall be.

That was the year that first-term Assessor Forrest Hare was challenged by a young school teacher.

While the caucus looked like a three-precinct primary, after the 3 AM Crystal Lake Community High School Field House results showed the school teacher winning by a handful of votes and even the judges weren’t sure the count was correct, the Central Committee members would not allow a recount.

There was no way to legally force a recount, because the committeemen set the rules.

At that time losers could run as a write-in and Forrest Hare did.

And he won.

The local Republican Party really took a beating as every weekday it was taken to task by Crystal Lake WIVS Radio station owner Mal Ballairs on his morning talk show.

To avoid future similar problems, our State Senator Jack Schaffer and I passed legislation to allow township party organizations to select candidates by citizen votes.

When I brought up the idea at Monday night’s meeting in an Algonquin Township Road Commissioner’s building, only I and Lou Anne Majewski remember the 1973 fiasco.

Precinct Committeemen attending the Algonquin Township Republican Central Committee organization meeting on April 9, 2012.

I was immediately met with the objection of cost.

I couldn’t come up with a figure, but with the low turnout of 19% from both party primaries in March (plus non-partisan only votes on referendums) it’s pretty easy to predict that the turnout will be less when only township officials are on the ballot.

The result will be a high cost per vote, which could be lowered if McHenry County Clerk Kathie Schultz can combine precincts.

The projected expense was really the only argument.

But it was a long discussion.

I pointed out that Democrats could have a field day challenging Republican candidates who had been selected in a secret meeting.

Conversely, Republicans could make hay of any Democratic Party candidates who were not selected at the ballot box, but rather by party bosses.

With township government under attack, I argued, the potential negative publicity would not be helpful.

In the end, all of the Algonquin Township Republican Precinct Committeemen present voted to authorize a primary election next February in which candidates for Township Supervisor, Road Commissioner, Assessor, Clerk and Township Trustees would be selected.

When I heard that U.S. Senator Dick Durbin’s suggestion that the Illinois General Assembly hold a special election to replace President-Elect Barack Obama, I thought it was an interesting idea.

Certainly, very few think Governor Rod “Let’s Make a Deal” Blagojevich should be allowed to be the only one with a say.

Then, watching a couple of hours of news programs, I figured out that the idea was gaining steam.

House Speaker Mike Madigan seems to have signed on, as have Senate Democratic Party leaders.

And Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna expressed his support as well.

Sounds almost like a done deal, except for Governor Rod Blagojevich and his opinion pretty much doesn’t count anymore.

Any veto would be overridden if there is a consensus among legislators.

There are other possibilities, of course. Before the William Lorimer (R-Summer Home in Crystal Lake) scandal, members of the Illinois General Assembly made the appointment. They appointed Stephan A. Douglas over Abraham Lincoln after the legislative elections in 1858, for instance.

But after the Lorimer scandal in the early 1910′s, Congress passed and state legislators ratified a constitutional amendment requiring direct election of U.S. Senators.

The General Assembly might be able to take back that power for interim appointments or allow the governor to nominate, but require State Senate confirmation or enact some other scheme.

If they took back the power themselves, then a present day Lorimer could bribe Democratic Party House members the way Republican Lorimer did in 1909. Or vice versa.

The logical dates for a primary election would be the same date as the township and municipal primary elections on February 24, 2009. Likewise, with a United States Senator’s seat at stake, the April 7th local elections, including the five McHenry County Republican Party primaries, would have a much higher turnout.

= = = = =
The luminary seen above in Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna. Disgraced Republican U.S. Senator William Lorimer is seen in the black and white photo. His Crystal Lake summer home across from the Main Beach is near the bottom of the article.

When I heard that U.S. Senator Dick Durbin’s suggestion that the Illinois General Assembly hold a special election to replace President-Elect Barack Obama, I thought it was an interesting idea.

Certainly, very few think Governor Rod “Let’s Make a Deal” Blagojevich should be allowed to be the only one with a say.

Then, watching a couple of hours of news programs, I figured out that the idea was gaining steam.

House Speaker Mike Madigan seems to have signed on, as have Senate Democratic Party leaders.

And Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna expressed his support as well.

Sounds almost like a done deal, except for Governor Rod Blagojevich and his opinion pretty much doesn’t count anymore.

Any veto would be overridden if there is a consensus among legislators.

There are other possibilities, of course. Before the William Lorimer (R-Summer Home in Crystal Lake) scandal, members of the Illinois General Assembly made the appointment. They appointed Stephan A. Douglas over Abraham Lincoln after the legislative elections in 1858, for instance.

But after the Lorimer scandal in the early 1910′s, Congress passed and state legislators ratified a constitutional amendment requiring direct election of U.S. Senators.

The General Assembly might be able to take back that power for interim appointments or allow the governor to nominate, but require State Senate confirmation or enact some other scheme.

If they took back the power themselves, then a present day Lorimer could bribe Democratic Party House members the way Republican Lorimer did in 1909. Or vice versa.

The logical dates for a primary election would be the same date as the township and municipal primary elections on February 24, 2009. Likewise, with a United States Senator’s seat at stake, the April 7th local elections, including the five McHenry County Republican Party primaries, would have a much higher turnout.

= = = = =
The luminary seen above in Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna. Disgraced Republican U.S. Senator William Lorimer is seen in the black and white photo. His Crystal Lake summer home across from the Main Beach is near the bottom of the article.