The Tight Noose of Leaders

The following article about how House Speaker Mike Madigan controls what happens in the House of Representatives spurs me to make some comparisons of how McHenry County Board Chairman Jack Franks is emulating his techniques: Rules Committee: Where thousands of … Continue reading

McHenry County Board Committee Recommendations (Corrected)

Correction: My eyes were not working well enough yesterday when I copied the following information from item 14.2a in tonight’s McHenry County Board Agenda.  Most of my mistakes were in the Public Health Committee. = = = = = On … Continue reading

Two Days Before County Budget Rolllout and Bottom Line Still Missing

The McHenry County Board’s Finance Committee gathered for a long meeting on Tuesday, but a huge chunk of next year’s budget is still missing. What will the levy be? That’s the unanswered question. Committee members were told that a paper … Continue reading

County Board Members Use Letter Against Township Abolition by Referendum Bill to Try to Scuttle Bill

Below is the letter that McHenry County Board member and former Grafton Township Supervisor Jim Kearns circulated among his colleagues. All signed it but Yvonne Barnes, Michael Rein and Craig Wilcox. The letter, addressed to the State Senate, was handed … Continue reading

Former Democratic County Board Member Nick Chirikos Gets $550 in Bonuses Miscellaneous Income from Bob Miller

Former McHenry County Board member Nick Chirikos was employed by Algonquin Township Road Commissioner Bob Miller during his last year in office. Chirikos beat Republican Bob Bless in 2012. Republican Andrew Gasser beat him four years later. Chirikos was hired … Continue reading

Fight Over McHenry County Board Rules Fight Continues

First, what Ersel Schuster found in the audio recording of the last Internal Support & Facilities Committee meeting. The saga continues over the McHenry County Board’s Rules How much more honest it would have been had the new chairman entered … Continue reading

Internal Support Committee Discussing Hiring and Rules

Look at the agenda for Wednesday’s 8:15 meeting agenda below: Go to New Business, item 8 and you will read: “Discussion on the County Board Rules, Electronic Voting Rules and Electronic Voting Training” What you won’t find after the work … Continue reading

“Nunc Pro Tunc,” After the Fact Purchasing Approval

You can read the last substantive item on the Tuesday McHenry County Agenda below: Resolution Authorizing the Purchase of a Used 2015 Chevrolet Silverado Pickup Truck Nunc Pro Tunc for the McHenry County Emergency Management Agency in FY2016. There are … Continue reading

Yvonne Barnes Wins County Board Seat with Less than $5,000, Tom Wilbeck Spends $6,285

Financial reports have been filed by District 1 County Board candidates and the top vote-getter spent less than $5,000. That’s the “magic number” under which a candidate does not have reveal how much money was raised and spent. Spending less … Continue reading

Questioning Jack Franks Patronage Hire End Run Around the County Board

Listened to a little of the end of the McHenry County Internal Services Committee recording and discovered a couple of the members are none too happy that McHenry County Board Chairman Jack Franks has hired to patronage employees without County … Continue reading

McClellan Gains Support for Rapid Election Software Payment

“Houston, we have a problem,” began McHenry County Clerk Mary McClellan’s presentation of the Finance Committee of the County Board Wednesday. She explained that she could not conduct the February 28th township primary elections without the voting software from Dominion Voting … Continue reading

Thanks to Four County Board Members

Former McHenry County Board member Ersel Schuster takes time to thank those County Board members who voted against raising the County’s tax levy: A belated, but nevertheless grateful “thank you” to Yvonne Barnes Andrew Gasser Jeff Thorsen Craig Wilcox for … Continue reading

Jack Franks’ Agenda Item to Raise Real Estate Taxes Sees Nineteen County Board Members Vote Approval

Discussion showing that far too many McHenry County Board members don’t understand the property tax system ended with nineteen County Board members, including many who campaigned Taxes will be increased $80,000.against increasing real estate taxes, voting to increase next year’s … Continue reading

Jack Franks Choices for Committee Chairmen Emerge from County Committee on Committees Meeting

The McHenry County Committee on Committees held its meeting today and the following Finance& Audit – Mike Skala (District 5) Internal Support and Facilities (formerly Management Services) – Yyonne Barnes (District 1) Law and Government – Michele Aavang (District 6) … Continue reading

The County Board Winners Get Sworn In

There are so many aspects of the December 5th McHenry County Board meeeting that there will be stories coming for a while. One that was overshadowed by the activies of newly-elected Chairman Jack Franks was the swearing in of the … Continue reading

Committee on Committees Members Announced

The McHenry County Board gets recommendations from its Committee on Committees as to who will serve as committee chairmen and members. In past years, the recommendations were just that. The McHenry County Board Chairman made the final selections. This past … Continue reading

Messages the Democrats Didn’t Get Out – District 1

The Sunday before the election I was wondering where the Democrats mail was. You may remember that McHenry County’s Democratic Party accepted some big checks ($32,400 to be precise) from a very, very liberal Chicago millionaire in mid-October and then gave … Continue reading