McHenry County Blog

You  might think that McHenry County is the only one where there is contention about the power of the head of the County Board to make appointments unilaterally.

The issue here arose from  the County Board’s failure to approve nominee Jeff Thorsen to a vacancy on the 708 Mental Health Board.

Immediately after that rejection, newly-elected Chairman Tina Hill announced she would make her own recommendation without reference to committee.

In Stephenson County, the question arose when the new County Board Chairman interviewed a candidate for a vacancy on the County Board.

Anonymous blogger Tutty Baker (founder of Freeport, Illinois) doesn’t write often, but when he does information appears that you won’t read in his local daily newspaper.

The blog’s title, “The Stephen Blomdoggle” references the former County Board Chairman John Blum, who spearheaded or was the front man, depending on one’s point of view, a failing industrial subdivision financed by non-referendum bond money.

The local “Good Ole Boys” are regularly referenced by Tutty Baker, who “still haunts the southern most Pecatonica River flats in an effort to keep local politicos on the up and up.”

Tutty, by the way, follows McHenry County Blog.

I met Jim Gitz when he was a State Senator aligned with Governor Dan Walker.

He was part of a group called “the Crazy Eight.”

They were independent Democrats at the time.

Gitz got defeated by Harlan Rigney in 1982 and went into the investment banking business, if memory serves me correctly.  Seems he earned a law degree, too.

He served as Freeport Mayor from 1997 to 2005, when he was replaced by George Gaulrapp,

But Gitz hasn’t shaken the political bug.

He showed up on the ballot in Freeport running against  Mayor Gaulrapp.  Gaulrapp might be remembered by some as the Demcoratic Party candidate for Congress against Don Manzullo.  Manzullo won.

And Gitz won.

He has an April opponent named Jon Staben.  He got 258 votes compared to Gitz’ 1,233.

I asked Freeport founder Tutty Baker if Gitz had opponents and got this reply:

“Yes, he has two and both may have a chance, he only beat Gaulrapp by about 200 votes and about 500 people voted in the other primary (Freeport uses the “Citizens” and “Peoples” Parties for primary elections).

“Gitz and Gaulrapp were in the Citizens Party where more than 2000 people voted.

“Because the Peoples Party ticket had two newcomers and novice politicians, I have to believe that the 500 people that voted that ticket want something new and Gitz is not new. Jon Staben (retired Newell executive) won the Peoples Party and will face Gitz and independent candidate Kathy Knodle in April.

“It could be wild.”

The founder of Freeport, Illinois, Tutty Baker, who died in 1855, is the pseudonym of a Stephenson County blogger. He calls his publication the Stephenson Blumdoggle.

The blog seems to have been inspired by Stephenson County’s Board Chairman, whose last name is Blum.

John Blum and his county board seem to have put the taxpayers in debt to build an industrial park that has not worked out too well.

Hence, the play on the word “boondoggle,”

Imagine my surprise when I discovered an article about an article about the McHenry County Finance Committee that ran on McHenry County Blog yesterday.

Tutty’s article is entitled,

A Freeport Connection in McHenry County

I was finished a good novel–”Julian Comstock, A Story of 22nd Century America” by Robert Charles Wilson–last night, so didn’t make it to the County’s Administrative Building for the Finance Committee meeting.

But I am interested if the Committee members recommended selling Z Financial two lots in the Village of Wonder Lake with a market value, according to the assessor last year, of over $30,000 for $1,300.

While it probably has no connection, Z Financial gave three multi-thousand dollar contributions to County Treasurer Bill LeFew a couple of years ago.

Tutty suggests that his readers might be interested in looking at the Illinois State Board of Elections pages that show

• contributions from Z Financial and
• contributions from John Zajicek, its owner.

Zajicek is identified as an “investor” in reports made to the state.

I note the Bill LeFew is not the only County Treasurer to whom the company and the man have made contributions.