McHenry County Blog

This article started with a press release from the Illinois Church Action Council on Alcohol and Addiction. There are so many bills expanding gambling (despite the loss of the one to give Chicago, Danville, Rockford and the Waukegan-area casinos) that I am adding the roll calls. In order not to make an article too long, I shall run one a day.

Gambling Bills Passed by the Legislature – Part 6

Senate Bill 1738 is an expansion of video gambling.  More specifically,

• defines “electronic card” (and removes a cross-reference to the Illinois Administrative Code);
• provides that the central communications system vendor may be licensed as a video gaming terminal manufacturer or a video gaming terminal distributor, or both, but in no event shall the central communications system vendor be licensed as a video gaming terminal operator; [emphasis added]
• provides that the Board shall not permit the development of information or the use by any licensee of gaming device or individual game performance data;
• provides that nothing in the Act shall inhibit or prohibit the Board from the use of gaming device or individual game performance data in its regulatory duties;
• requires the Board to adopt rules to ensure that all licensees are treated and all licensees act in a non-discriminatory manner and develop processes and penalties to enforce those rules;
• adds language authorizing the Illinois Gaming Board to adopt rules establishing standards for advertising video gaming; removes language prohibiting the Board from disseminating information that is specific to individual licensed locations (and removes corresponding changes to the Freedom of Information Act); and,
• in provisions amending the Criminal Code of 2012, provides that video gaming terminals for sale to a licensed distributor or operator (rather than a licensed establishment, licensed fraternal establishment, licensed veterans establishment, or licensed truck stop establishment) under the Video Gaming Act are exempt from seizure.

FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION

The ICACAA recommends contacting Governor Quinn and ask him to VETO the gambling expansion bills: House Bills 996, 1140, 1570, 2520 and Senate Bills 70, 1738, 1884, 2234, 2371.  Phone:  800-642-3112, 312-814-2121 or 217-782-6830 or Click here to send the Governor an e-mail.

Share this Alert with your faith community and ask them to CALL and PRAY for the Governor.

This article started with a press release from the Illinois Church Action Council on Alcohol and Addiction. There are so many bills expanding gambling (despite the loss of the one to give Chicago, Danville, Rockford and the Waukegan area casinos) that I am adding the roll calls. In order not to make on article too long, I shall run one a day.

Gambling Bills Passed by the Legislature – Part 3

House Bill 1570 expands video gambling in restaurants that have Off Track Betting Parlors.

FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION

The ICACAA recommends contacting Governor Quinn and ask him to VETO the gambling expansion bills: House Bills 996, 1140, 1570, 2520 and Senate Bills 70, 1738, 1884, 2234, 2371.  Phone:  800-642-3112, 312-814-2121 or 217-782-6830 or Click here to send the Governor an e-mail.

Share this Alert with your faith community and ask them to CALL and PRAY for the Governor.

This article started with a press release from the Illinois Church Action Council on Alcohol and Addiction.  There are so many bills expanding gambling (despite the loss of the one to give Chicago, Danville, Rockford and the Waukegan area casinos) that I am adding the roll calls.  In order not to make an article too long, I shall run one a day.

Gambling Bills Passed by the Legislature – Part 1

While Legislators and reporters awaited changes to the massive gambling expansion bill, SB 1739, both the House and Senate passed the following bills to expand gambling:

House Bill 996 is an expansion of charitable gambling that also allows video gambling machines in the same facility, turning the events into full casinos. Gambling companies, not charities, will rake in most of the money. The Department of Revenue does not have enough investigators to adequately monitor and enforce this law.

FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION

The organization urges people to contact Governor Quinn and ask him to VETO the gambling expansion bills: House Bills 996, 1140, 1570, 2520 and Senate Bills 70, 1738, 1884, 2234, 2371.  Phone:  800-642-3112, 312-814-2121 or 217-782-6830 or Click here to send the Governor an e-mail.

Share this Alert with your faith community and ask them to CALL and PRAY for the Governor.

A press release from McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi:

MCHENRY COUNTY STATE’S ATTORNEY’S OFFICE HOSTS THE ILLINOIS GAMING BOARD

Louis A. Bianchi is pleased to announce that the State’s Attorney’s Office is sponsoring a free seminar on Legal and Illegal Video Games on June 4, 2013, in the State’s Attorney’s Office Grand Jury Room at the McHenry County Government Center at 3:00 p.m.

This seminar is open to all law enforcement, public officials, municipalities, judiciary, lawyers, business owners and the general public.

Mark Ostrowski, Administrator, Illinois Gaming Board will be presenting.

Pretend you are a legislator.

It is very highly unlikely you will read each bill. Actually, that is impossible as the deadline for passage out of each house approaches.

In the House, you don’t even know the order in which the bills will be called anymore.

It’s whenever Speaker Mike Madigan decides. (It wasn’t like that before Madigan. There was an actual calendar from which the bills were called in numerical order each day.)

Yesterday, the Illinois State Senate amended what is commonly called the “video poker” bill. It’s really about the slot machining of Illinois.

Here’s the summary that would have been on your computer screen about Senate Bill 1738, sponsored by Lake County’s Terry Link:

Replaces everything after the enacting clause with the introduced bill with the following changes: defines “electronic card” (and removes a cross-reference to the Illinois Administrative Code); provides that the central communications system vendor may be licensed as a video gaming terminal manufacturer or a video gaming terminal distributor, or both, but in no event shall the central communications system vendor be licensed as a video gaming terminal operator;

provides that the Board shall not permit the development of information or the use by any licensee of gaming device or individual game performance data;

provides that nothing in the Act shall inhibit or prohibit the Board from the use of gaming device or individual game performance data in its regulatory duties;

requires the Board to adopt rules to ensure that all licensees are treated and all licensees act in a non-discriminatory manner and develop processes and penalties to enforce those rules;

adds language authorizing the Illinois Gaming Board to adopt rules establishing standards for advertising video gaming;

removes language prohibiting the Board from disseminating information that is specific to individual licensed locations (and removes corresponding changes to the Freedom of Information Act); and,

in provisions amending the Criminal Code of 2012, provides that video gaming terminals for sale to a licensed distributor or operator (rather than a licensed establishment, licensed fraternal establishment, licensed veterans establishment, or licensed truck stop establishment) under the Video Gaming Act are exempt from seizure.

Effective immediately.

In the form legislators see the description, it is one fully packed paragraph. I have cut it up to make it easier to read.

Below is the roll call:

Locally, Senator Pam Althoff voted in favor, while her McHenry County colleagues Dan Duffy and Karen McConnaughay voted against the measure.

The Illinois Church Action on Alcohol and Addiction Problems (ILCAAP) offers the following commentary:

Wednesday, the Senate passed SB 1738, which hides information about video gambling at individual establishments from the public examination. The vote on SB 1738 was 35 Yes and 15 NO.

SB 1738 also changes the video gambling act to allow the company that has the contract for the Central Communications System (Scientific Games) to also manufacture video gambling machines. This is a conflict of interest.

Two issues were considered for the second time at Tuesday night’s:

• slot machines at bars and restaurants in unincorporated McHenry County
• electronic billboards outside of municipalities

Also called video poker machines, the electronic devices will be allowed after a 15-9 vote.

The argument that the unincorporated bars were playing on an uneven playing field seemed to carry the day over arguments that gambling can lead to addiction that can destroy lives.

In 2009 the McHenry County Board voted 13-10-1 to prohibit the devices.

At that time rules had not been promulgated and no municipality had voted to allow them.

As Ken Koehler, maker of Tuesday’s motion put it, “It probably made sense to send a message to the rest of the County.  Now twenty [cities and villages] have [approved video gaming."

Names of the fifteen who voted in favor follow:

• Michele Aavang
• Nick Chirokos
• Sue Drafkorn
• Joe Gottemoller
• Jim Heisler
• Tina Hill
• John Jung
• Ken Koehler
• Bob Martens
• Mary McCann
• Mary McClellan
• Anna May Miller
• Robert Nowak
• Sandy Salgado
• Mike Skala

Those voting “No” were

• Yvonne Barnes


Bethany Lutheran Church Pastor Carrie Smith, not speaking for her church, told of how gambling had devastated her brother’s life.

• Diane Evertsen
• John Hammerand
• Donna Kurtz
• Nick Provenzano
• Carolyn Schofield
• Ersel Schuster
• Mike Walkup
• Paula Yensen

The second issue was prompted by villages not wanting electronic billboard near their municipalities.

A moratorium enacted at their request was about to expire and, according to one village’s representative, “the word on the street” was that lobbying to let the moratorium run out was heavy.

Appearing were those wishing to keep the ban on electronic billboards in unincorporated areas.

Algonquin Village President John Schmitt. He pointed out that the issue was so important to him that he was missing only is fifth meeting in twenty years of having served on his Board.

Catherine Peterson, Lakewood’s Village Manager, also weighed in asking for a continuance of the billboards’ prohibition through the summer months until the new zoning ordinance could be approved.

Also present was Lake in the Hills’ Community Development Director Dan Olson.

Despite the apprehension of village officials, the County Board approved the requested extension by voice vote. I heard no dissension.

Besides the 6 PM meeting at McHenry County College at which the lame duck Board seems destined to renew President Vicky Smith’s contract, there are other meetings people might find of interest.

Each of McHenry County’s 17 Townships will hold annual meetings. They start at 7.

I’ve attended the Grafton Township Annual Town Meeting for the past four times, all of which were action-packed…often with Huntley Police presence.

It probably will be an interesting meeting, but the McHenry County Board might be more interesting.

It also starts at 7 PM.

The bar owners have retained attorney Tom Zanck to lobby County Board members to vote to reverse their prohibition of the video poker/slot machines from bars and restaurants regulated by the County.

My sources tell me that the proponents have about ten votes.

If all 24 members attend the meeting, thirteen votes will be needed to pass the measure.

The vote was 13-10-1 against legislation in late 2009.

That’s if no one abstains or, as they say in the Illinois General Assembly, someone “takes a walk.”

In any event, the last time around the vote was quite close.

Voting in favor of a ban of the video gambling machines in unincorporated areas in 2009 were the following, who are grouped by county board district (those up for election in 2010 are show in bold face type):

District 1

• Yvonne Barnes

District 2

• Jim Heisler

District 3

• Ed Dvorak (retiring)
• Kathy Bergan Schmidt
• Barbara Wheeler

District 4

• Sue Draffkorn
• John Hammerand
• Sandy Salgado

District 5

• Paula Yensen
• Jim Kennedy
• Virginia Peschke

District 6

• Mary McCann
• Ersel Schuster

Voting against the ban, thus in favor of expanding gambling were the following:

District 1

• Anna May Miller
• Bob Bless
• Marc Munaretto

District 2

• Scott Breeden
• Ken Koehler
• Lyn Orphal

District 3

• Mary Donner

District 4

• Pete Merkel

District 5

• Tina Hill

District 6

• Dan Ryan

I’ve been told that the proponents of repeal have only locked up ten votes and the lobbyist of those seeking to reverse the video gaming prohibition, Tom Zanck, is asking if those inclined to vote “Yes” could abstain to lower the number of affirmative votes needed to win the day.

Those wishing to let their Board members know where they stand can call them at the numbers below:

District 1

• Robert “Bob” Nowak – Home: 847-977-5516, email – rcnowak@co.mchenry.il.us
• Anna May Miller – Home: 847-639-5112, Work: 847-639-2700, email – ammiller@co.mchenry.il.us
• Yvonne Barnes – Home: 847-516-2719, email – ymbarnes@co.mchenry.il.us
• Nick Chirikos – Home: 847-658-3434, email -nachirikos@co.mchenry.il.us

District 2

• Carolyn Schofield – Home: 815-455-9550, Work: 815-341-2440, email – cdschofield@co.mchenry.il.us
• James L. Heisler – Home: 815-459-1971, Work: 815-459-0171, email – jlheisler@co.mchenry.il.us
• Kenneth D. Koehler – Home: 815-459-7841, email – kdkoehler@co.mchenry.il.us
• Donna Kurtz – Home: 815-788-0632, Work: 815-353-5972, email – dmkurtz@co.mchenry.il.us

District 3

• Nick Provenzano – Cell: 815-355-8540, email – nxprovenzano@co.mchenry.il.us
• Mary E. McClellan – Home: 815-482-5693, email – memcclellan@co.mchenry.il.us
• Michael J. Walkup – Home: 815-477-8978, Work: 815-459-7090, email – mjwalkup@co.mchenry.il.us
• Joseph Gottemoller – Home: 815-382-9940 (Cell), Work: 815-459-5152, email – jxgottemoller@co.mchenry.il.us

District 4

• Sue Draffkorn – Home: 815-653-6057, email -sxdraffkorn@co.mchenry.il.us
• John D. Hammerand – Home: 815-728-0700, email – jdhammerand@co.mchenry.il.us
• Bob Martens – Home: 815-675-6353, Cell: 815-354-9300, email – rmmartens@co.mchenry.il.us
• Sandra Fay Salgado – Home: 815-276-2317, email – sfsalgado@co.mchenry.il.us

District 5

• Tina Hill – Cell: 815-347-4222, email – trhill@co.mchenry.il.us
• Paula Yensen – Home: 815-404-3918, email – peyensen@co.mchenry.il.us
• John Jung, Jr. – Home: 815-338-6201, email – jpjung@co.mchenry.il.us
• Michael Skala – Home: 847-669-3804, Work: 815-337-5550, email – mjskala@co.mchenry.il.us

District 6

• Michele Aavang – Home: 815-648-4210, email – mraavang@co.mchenry.il.
• Mary T. McCann – Home: 815-568-1061, email – mtmccann@co.mchenry.il.us
• Diane Evertsen – Home: 815-943-3298, Work: 815-943-3298, email – dxevertsen@co.mchenry.il.us
• Ersel Schuster – Home: 815-338-2207, email – ersel@sbcglobal.net

Several new members have said they will vote as their perceived their constituents feel.

The McHenry County Liquor and License Committee met Monday morning with an audience of liquor license holders pretty much filling the room.

According to Committee chairman Ken Koehler, there were 15 people testifying in favor of a vote on a resolution to legalize slot machines in taverns and restaurants with liquor licenses in unincorporated McHenry County.  Four were in opposition.

Four testified in favor of keeping the ban on video poker in unincorporated areas.

The argument has shifted from when the legalization was defeated 13-10-3.

Then union members were arguing that money from video gambling was necessary to fund infrastructure improvements that would provide jobs.

Those folks were not in the committee room, as far as I could tell.

Instead tavern owners attended, arguing that there was an uneven playing field in their line of work with many municipalities having approved gambling in bars that competed directly with them.

Randy Kief, who owns a bar south of McHenry, gave an easy to understand example. He’s the one who presented a petition from liquor license owners, which was distributed to all County Board members.

“The problem now is the playing field is uneven.”

He told of missing two brothers, long-time customers, on Super Bowl Sunday. He discovered that they and their wives spent the day at a bar two miles away.

“The wives were playing the games while the guys were watching the game,” he related.

He added that he had heard of no problem that had been caused by the in-tavern gambling.

Another establishment owner, Tom Hensy of Horizontals Saloon, told of his business’ being “down 40% in food sales alone since December.”

He said there were “sixty establishments without gaming.”

On the other side of the argument was McHenry’s Joyce Story.

“Last year when I came before the Board, it came from a concern for my community, for our chi8ldren and the impact on their future.”

While she said she felt “bad for the people” asking for repeal of the prohibition of gambling, she argued, “It is not for the betterment of our community. It is for the detriment of our future.”

Story warned of businessmen trying to get liquor licenses just so they could get a video gaming license.

“We will have mini-casinos all over this community.

“We don’t want to become another Las Vegas…It will lead to the destruction of our community.”

Jack Meyer, owner of the Crystal Bowl, told of his initial opposition to having the machines.

But he has changed his mind.

He complained about the state’s having opened up casinos.

“If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”

When testimony was completed, County Board member Joe Gottemoller asked how many votes it would take to pass the proposal.

The answer was three. And only three of the five members were in attendance.

Bob Nowak and Sue Draffkorn were absent.

Next Diane Evertsen spoke.

She noted that the last time the issue came up she was in the audience and heard people complaining that without video gambling customers would go to Wisconsin.

After taking a look at Wisconsin law, she concluded, ‘If there were in fact gambling in Wisconsin that was paying off, it was indeed illegal.”

Continuing on what happened the last time around, she said, “We saw the room absolutely stuffed with union members saying they would lose their homes [if video poker were not allowed.

"Two weeks later we saw those very same people across the street on strike.

"That's my soap box."

Gottemoller related that the neighbor next door when he was growing up [in LaSalle County] “had a slot machine in his home and I started using it at age 4.”

“I’m not thrilled that we’re gong to have gambling every place.

“I would at least move this forward to the County Board. If it takes three votes, it’s not going to happen today.”

“I’d say so,” Evertsen interjected.

The committee voted 3-0 to table the resolution until Monday, April 8th, at 10 AM. That is not the regular meeting date. It was set so that Chairman Koehler would be in town.

The names of those signing in can be seen below:

Monday morning video poker (or slot machines, if one wants to be accurate) returns to the Liquor & License Committee again.

Opponent John Hammerand isn’t Chairman any more.

Now, proponent Ken Koehler has the gavel.

The other members are

• VC Bob Nowak
• Joseph Gottemoller
• Sue Draffkorn
• Diane Evertsen

Public comment is allowed shortly after the meeting begins at 10 AM on the second floor of the Administrative Building across from the Jail.

Toward the end of the meeting the following will be considered:

“Resolution Repealing Video Gaming Ordinance for Unincorporated Areas of McHenry County”

Here is the Resolution bring considered.

See

• “Is Another Push for Slot Machines in Unincorporated Taverns Coming?” in which I wrongly say, “Not likely.”
• McHenry County Board Bans Video Slot Machines 13-10-1

Thought you might be interested in this warning from a Friend of McHenry County Blog:

I wanted to bring to your attention an issue that is near and dear to our hearts, one that we have been rallying against for some time.

Recently, a gentleman by the name of Robert Dellutri applied for a conditional use permit for a tavern and an off-street parking variance for his proposed video gambling business on Rte. 120 (near Angelo’s and Jewel). He stated that it would be “much like a Starbucks, a cafe serving coffee, soft drinks, and packaged food items

IN ADDITION TO ALCOHOL AND VIDEO GAMING. he also stated that he was “looking for an area with high traffic volume of shoppers (i.e. grocery stores, shopping malls).

The McHenry City Council voted it down. FOR NOW. Two council members voted in favor.

This is what is happening. Since our state legislators voted in 2009 to allow video gambling, we have business owners, who have no interest in preserving our communities, trying to make their money here and live in other cities (as in the case of Robert Dellutri of Aurora).

The potential is that opportunists will try to move into any vacant building and open up a tavern. This is exactly what Dellutri tried to do in a strip mall in McHenry under the ruse of a “cafe like Starbucks”. Starbucks doesn’t stay open until 2:00am and is not a “mini-casino”!

Cities in McHenry county (like Spring Grove and Johnsburg) that have approved video gambling may be targeted in the future.

Please call your pastors and alert them. Then call your Village Board or City Council members and let them know that you are against this expansion!