McHenry County Blog

McHJenry County State's Attorney holds up his speech after he announces he will seek a third term.

Having been vindicated by not one, but two verdicts of acquittal in Circuit Court, McHenry County State’s Attorney has decided to seek voter approval of his stewardship of the office he first won in 2004.

Speaking at his annual fund raiser, Festa Italiana, Bianchi said,

“I cannot think of a more appropriate (time or place) to announce to you and our community that I will be seeking another term as State’s Attorney.”

The First Electric Newspaper's Pete Gonigam chats with Cary's Yvonne Barnes, a former McHenry County Board member who is contemplating another run.

McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler had laudatory comments about Lou Bianchi when he introduced him.

The place was packed with reporters and I would imagine there will be big stories tomorrow.

There were also lots of office holders and candidates.

Bianchi was introduced by McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler, as he was four years ago when Bianchi announced his run for a second term.

Four years ago, Koehler was reported to be filling in for Sheriff Keith Nygren, who went on to heavily support Bianchi primary opponent Dan Regna.

Koehler, of course, like all County Board candidates must stand for re-election in 2012.

Nunda Township Trustee Jim Schlader is running in District 3.

I’m not aware of any incumbents who are not running for re-election, but Barb Wheeler, who is running for State Rep.  At the risk of missing some (whose names I shall add if they contact me), the following were at the fund raiser:

• Donna Kurtz
• Marc Munaretto
• Nick Provenzano
• Sandy Salgado

There were also challengers who wanted publicity:

• Jim Schlader, a Nunda Township Trustee, who is a candidate in District 3.
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  Rachel Smith said she "definitely" was running for County Board in District 6. Here she is taling to Hebron Village Trustee and County Board Chairman Ken Koehler.

  Rachel Smith, a Republican Precinct Committeeman from Greenwood Township whose mailing address is Wonder Lake.

And people thinking about running who were not ready to have their ambitions spread across the McHenry County Blog screen.

Plus former County Board member Yvonne Barnes, who, as indicated in the cutline under her picture above, is thinking about trying to regain the seat she lost to Robert Novak in 2010.

Chad Koppie, an announced candidate for State Senate in the 33rd District, shared a light moment with Lou Bianchi.

State legislative candidates were present, too.

Kane County’s Chad Koppie, who just announced he was running for the State Senate in an empty district where Kane County Chairman Karen McConnaughay has announced her candidacy was in attendance.

I did not see McConnaughay.

When she announced I asked when she would be visiting McHenry County.

There was nothing on her schedule at that time.

Arriving after the festivities had concluded was newly-appointed State Representative Kent Gaffney and his wife Elizabeth.

McHenry County Board member Donna Kurtz converses with State Rep. Kent Gaffney and his wife Elizabeth.

I vented about Governor Pat Quinn’s proposal to hike toll taxes by 88%, wondering why Republican legislators were not pinning the toll tax hike on the state’s top donkey.

Gaffney was not the only person in the room interested in being elected from the district represents.

One of the many people who talked to Lou Bianchi after his announcement was Robert Hanaford.

Former Fox River Grove Village Trustee Bob Hannaford was discussing a potential candidacy in the Republican primary election against Gaffney.

Hanaford now lives in the southwestern corner of Lake County and has been active in the Cuba Township Republican Party.

McHenry County Board member Barb Wheeler, who is a candidate for State Representative in the 64th District, talks with Donna Kurtz.

So I won’t be accused of discrimination, let me point out that McHenry County Board member and State Representative candidate Barb Wheeler was escorted to the Festa Italiana by her husband Joe Wheeler, even though he was not in the photo published here.

Imagine my surprise to see that the McHenry County Health Department is again floating the McHenry County Republican Cat Tax in its FY2011 “Goals.”

Don’t believe me?

Take a look at the 2011 Draft Budget, a link for which can be found on this page.

Search for page 246 in the 425 page document.

Naturally, the Board of Health did not emphasize its Cat Tax proposal, but it is the departments third goal. Higher ones have to do with internet submission of of private sewage and well permit applications and computerized food inspection and record storage system with web access. The top two priorities, plus most of the others in the list of ten priorities cost money, as you can see below. The Cat Tax is the only proposal that seems to raise cash.

Click to enlarge the ten goals listed by the Health Department in the preliminary 2011 budget posted on the internet.

Besides wondering why the final budget has not been posted, I wonder what part of “No” that the Board of Health doesn’t understand.

You may remember that District 2 County Board Member Lyn Orphal blind-sided Board Chairman Ken Koehler in February of 2007 when she advanced a motion to remove the all references from about the Cat Tax.

But Orphal didn’t win re-nomination. She was replaced by Donna Kurtz and I don’t remember if she had taken a position on the Republican Cat Tax or not.

Looking at the people up for election who supported the Cat Tax, I see all won election. One of the opponents, Democrat Jim Kennedy lost to John Jung, who voted for the tax before he was defeated in 2008 by Democrat Paula Yensen.

Dan Ryan and Yvonne Barnes, both opponents of the Cat Tax, also did not win re-nomination.  They were replaced by Diane Evertsen and Robert Novak, neither of whose stands on the issue, if any, I know.

Both Ed Dvorak, who is retiring this year, and Nick Provenzano, who took his place, voted against the Cat Tax.

Maybe the word has been passed to the Board of Health that it’s OK to ask the County Board to impose this tax a second time now that the elections are over and two Cat Tax opponents will not be serving for the next two years.

The vote three years ago was 12-10. Apparently two people were absent.

But twelve votes would have killed the tax hike, if all had voted against Tina Hill’s motion to approve the amendatory ordinance. Ties fail, you see.

It’s unlikely that Koehler has zeroed in on this issue, however.

Keely, the McHenry County Republican Watchcat, hasn't gotten too worried about the 22-2 Republican majority's sending out the Republican Cat Tax Collectors yet.

Keeley Cat isn’t too bothered yet. He doubts many County Board members have even noticed that the Board of Health is planning another assault on the kitties.

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Thanks to Gus Philpott, who writes “Woodstock Advocate,” for letting me know of what was in the Health Department’s Goals.

Marc Munaretto

Led by Finance Committee Chairman Marc Munaretto, the deadline to have borrowed the money allocated by the McHenry County Board under the subsidized Federal Stimulus Program was extended until the end of December for three projects previously approved:

• $15 million for the EquityOne minor league baseball stadium in Woodstock got a 16-7 vote.
• $5,932,730 for Wonder Lake’s Master Property Owners Association of dredging purposes won 19-4.
• $18 million for the McHenry County SportsPlex planned for Lakewood tallied 15-8.

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The eight voting “No” on the SportsPlex question were Yvonne Barnes, Randy Donley, John Hammerand, Jim Heisler, Mary McCann, Kathy Bergan Schmidt, Ersel Schuster, Paula Yensen (in whose district the project sits).

The seven voting against EquityOne’s minor league baseball funding were Randy Donley, Ed Dvorak, John Hammerand, Jim Heisler, Virginia Peschke, Kathy Bergan Schmidt and Ersel Schuster.

The vote opposing the Wonder Lake dredging financing were Randy Donley, John Hammerand, Virginia Peschke and Ersel Schuster.

In an interview with the Daily Herald, Sun City McHenry County Board member Dan Ryan blamed his refusal to disclose personal financial information requested by the Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water and low turnout in his retirement community.

“It infringed on individual privacy too much,” was what he told a reporter.

Regrets?

“Absolutely not,” he told the Daily Herald. “I don’t care if it cost me my office. I have principles.”

District 6 incumbent Daniel Ryan, sitting second from the right of the photo was the only candidate who either has not filed the ALAW conflict of interest form or committing to doing so. From left to right you see Richard Draper, Diane Evertsen, Victor Narusis, Dan Ryan and Mary McCann,

At the Patriots United County Board Candidates’ Forum, Ryan received decidedly tepid applause when he said he was not going to fill out the ALAW form.

Ryan was similarly resistive when the Illinois Family Institute, in conjunction with Patriots United made phone calls to him, among others, seeking people to call Ryan in favor of a ban on video gambling. When he figured out who had stimulated the 50-some calls, Ryan called IFI, telling the person who answered the phone that he would call them every time someone called him.

Ryan voted to allow video poker in rural bars and restaurants.

The conflict of interest form, which asks for property ownership and business relationships, was completed by 20 of 27 candidates in the February 2nd primary election.

Ryan was the only incumbent who lost who failed to fill out the form.

District 1′s Yvonne Barnes and District 2′s Lyn Orphal, both of whom sent ALAW the answers to the financial questions asked, also lost.

The other four Republican candidates in Ryan’s District 6 voluntarily turned in their questionnaires. (Those who did not volunteer for the financial exposure can be found here.)

With regard to the Sun City turnout question, the precinct voting returns for Ryan’s Grafton Township Precinct 15 showed these returns:

• Ryan – 107
• Evertsen – 71
• McCann – 55
• Draper – 33
• Narusis – 33

These totals are not the final precinct totals. The finals will show more votes, perhaps many more because lots of folks in Sun City are out of town this time of year and Ryan made a determined effort to solicit absentee votes.

It should be noted, however, that the McHenry County Clerk’s web site shows Ryan receiving 272 votes for precinct committeeman.

It will be interesting to see the final totals to compare his precinct committeeman total with those votes he received to retain his county board seat.

Here’s what happened to those county board candidates who did not send in a completed ALAW ethics form.

Yvonne Barnes from Cary and Dan Ryan from Huntley’s Sun City are the two McHenry County Board members who are far enough behind before the early and absentee votes are added to the totals for me to conclude have lost.

I’m having a hard time finding a common thread.

Robert Nowak sits along next to empty seats set aside for incumbent District 1 candidates Anna May Miller and Yvonne Barnes. Nowak beat both incumbents in the primary election.

In District 1, Robert Nowak is leading both Anna May Miller by almost 100 votes. Miller is leading Barnes by 200 votes.

I think it unlikely that adding the early and absentee ballots will allow Barnes to pick up almost 300 votes.

I am searching for reasons for Nowak’s victory. Can anyone help me out?

Nowak was the only District 1 candidate to come to the Patriots United County Board Candidate Forum.

But, since the paper of record in McHenry County, the Northwest Herald couldn’t spare a reporter than Friday night, the only story on the event appeared on McHenry County Blog.

Although those interested in politics certainly read this publication, I hardly think Miller’s and Barnes’ missing the event caused them to run behind the challenger who did.

In District 6, it’s time to play “The Girls Are Back in Town.”

Mary McCann led the race. She asked supporters to vote for her exclusively.

Second, running 375 votes behind before the County Clerk’s Office folded in the early and absentee ballots, is newcomer Diane Evertsen.

Fellow newcomer Victor Narusis is 436 votes behind.

Incumbent Dan Ryan trails Narusis by 63 votes at this point in the vote counting. Ryan failed to complete the Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water conflict of interest form. He was the only candidate running in District 6 who did not voluntarily fill out the ethics questionniare.

Running last is Wonder Lake’s Richard Draper.

I thought the two women members of the McHenry County Board in District 1 would walk away with the contest over challenger Robert Nowak.

Both incumbents Anna May Miller and Yvonne Barnes made mailings.

If Nowak made one, no one got me a copy of it.

Look at the results with 20 of 39 precincts reporting:

It’s only a a 164 vote lead, but the trend is with Nowak.

If anyone has a clue what is going on beyond a “Let’s kick the incumbents out,” please let me know.

Apparently the advantage incumbency and the advantage that having a woman’s name on the ballot usually brings wasn’t enough to spare District 1 from the expense of a mailing.

Both Yvonne Barnes and Anna May Miller have sent out mailings.

If their challenger Robert Nowak has, no one has shared it with me.

Miller has managed to capture the gold ring.

Hers was delivered today, at least in Algonquin.

The day before the election. Can’t get much better than that.

Miller lists her committee assignments, plus these goals:

• Improved transportation
• Fiscal responsibility
• Managed growth
• Groundwater protection
• Preserving our quality of life

Yvonne Barnes’ piece came last week.

Barnes emphasizes her experience on the Cary Village Board (three terms), her integrity (“caring, honest and dedicated public servant) and professionalism (small business owner, bachelor’s degree in business administration).

If either woman loses, consider it a big upset.

Lurking in the background is the question of filling out the Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water’s (ALAW’s) conflict of interest statements.

Only seven of 27 candidates have not yet filed the ethics statements. Interesting that two of those seven are from District 1.

Perhaps that will change if the Democrats slate one of more opponents after the primary election and they make property and business disclosure an issue.

Of the three candidates, only Barnes has sent hers in.

Two more county board candidates have filed their conflict of interest forms with the Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water.

That brings the total to 20 out of 27 candidates who have answered the ALAW questionnaire.

74%.  Pretty amazing.

McHenry County Board Distrist Map

District 1 incumbent Yvonne Barnes is one of the recent filings. She has a contested primary election with three candidates—fellow incumbent Anna May Miller, Algonquin Township Highway Commissioner Bob Miller’s wife, and Robert Nowak, neither of which have filed. At the Patriots United County Board Candidates’ Forum, Nowak was the only one of the three to attend.

The second new filer is unopposed District 3 Democrat Lori McConville. District 3 is where the Democrats picked up a seat two years ago when Kathy Bergan Schmidt beat incumbent Nick Provenzano. Provenzano is trying to regain that seat this year. All five Republicans previously filed forms.

That means both non-incumbent Democrats have filled out the form. The other is District 4 candidate Jeff Thirtyacre.

However, the Democratic Party incumbent who is up for re-election, District 5′s Jim Kennedy, has not yet done so. He will be on the ballot this fall whether or not he decides to reveal his potential conflicts of interest. His Democratic Party colleague from District 5, Paula Yensen, not up for re-election this year, has also voluntarily filed the form.

Twenty-seven people want to be elected to the McHenry County Board next fall.

Twenty-one are Republicans, three are Democrats and one is a member of the Green Party.

Although the February 2nd election will decide who will be on the GOP ballot, the Democrats and Greens could appoint people to the ballot after the primary to challenge Republicans in Districts 1, 2 and 6, where Republicans currently face no fall contest.

100% of the Greens have filed (Frank Wedig, running in District 5).

Two-thirds of the Democrats have filed.

Of the twenty-one Republicans, seventeen have filed. That’s over 80%.

So, which Republicans haven’t told us what land they own and what business interests they have?

• District 1 – Incumbent Anna May Miller of District 1 and challenger Robert Nowak.
• District 2 – McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler of District 1. ( All of his opponents have filed their ethics forms with ALAW.)
• District 4 – Incumbent Pete Merkel
• District 5 – Challenger Dave Frederick
• District 6 – Incumbent Dan Ryan

Two-thirds of the non-filing Republican candidates are incumbents.

Of the ten Republicans and Democrats now in office running for re-election, sixty percent have now filled out the conflict of interest forms.

There’s still time to file and I’ll more than happy to write an article if addition people decided to reveal their potential conflicts of interest.

Illinois Citizens for Life, a statewide pro-life group, has endorsed Zane Seipler for McHenry County Sheriff.

Seipler is challenging incumbent Sheriff Keith Nygren in the February 2nd Republican primary election.

The organization is also endorsing candidates for county board.

In District 1, ICF is endorsing the only man and only non-incumbent running for one of the two spots. His name is Robert Nowak. He is a Cary resident, as are the two incumbents he is challenging—Anna May Miller and Yvonne Barnes.

In District 2, McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler and challenger Sandra DePaul are the two getting the group’s nod. Both are from Crystal Lake. Other candidates are incumbent Lyn Orphal and challengers Donna Kurtz, a McHenry County College board member and Crystal Lake City Councilwoman Ellen Brady Mueller.

In District 3 the only incumbent running for re-election, Barbara Wheeler is endorsed. Former county board member Nick Provenzano also won the group’s support. The opponents are Karen J Tynis, Veronica Armstrong and Craig Steagall.

In District 5, newcomer Dave Frederick and former county board member John Jung received the pro-life endorsement. Also running is incumbent Tina Hill.

There is no endorsement in District 4, where there is no GOP primary election, or in District 6, where five candidates are vying for the two places on the fall ballot.

State legislative candidates are ranked as well.

Mike Tryon (R-Crystsl Lake) is deemed to be “Fully Pro-Life.” His Democratic Part opponent Bob Kaempfe merited an “Unknown (Did not answer or complete survey).” State Reps. Jack Franks (D-Marengo) and Mark Beaubien (R-Barrington Hills) are rated the same as Kaempfe.

Franks’ Republican opponent, on the other hand, was characterized as “Fully Pro-Life.”

The only other state candidate endorsed is for the 2nd Appellate Court. Mary S. Schostok is endorsed for the Barbara Gilleran-Johnson vacancy.

It’s been a couple of weeks since the McHenry County Board bucked Chairman Ken Koehler, State Senator Pam Althoff, State Rep. Mike Tryon and those who stand to gain financially from placement of video poker machines in local taverns and restaurants.

It’s time to tell the tale of how McHenry County Establishment got narrowly beaten in that fight.

The vote was close (13-10-1) and my guess is that video poker proponents will try to reverse that vote after new county board members are sworn in, if the people they back defeat anti-gambling incumbents like District 2′s Barbara Wheeler.

Video gambling was the first local issue taken on by Patriots United, the folks who coordinated the Independence Day TEA Party, picketed State Rep. Jack Franks’ office on a cold spring day about his sponsorship of a bill considered pro-abortion and gun control, held a well-attended forum on the Democrats’ health care reform, and co-sponsored with the McHenry County Young Republicans a candidates’ night for 8th congressional district GOP aspirants.

Members attended John Hammerand’s License and Liquor Committee meetings and sponsored a debate between proponents and opponents.

Here are Patriots United video slot machine debate panels, ban proponents on the right, opponents on the left. Opponents, from left to right, are Tom Grey, David Smith and James Blue.

Then, Patriots United had a forum in Woodstock during which video poker machine salesmen debated three social conservatives:

• Tom Grey, the nationally- known Methodist minister who started out in Galena during the time the county board decided to site a riverboat in Jo Davies County and now Field Coordinator and National Spokesman for Stop Predatory Gambling
• Jim Blue, representing Illinois Church Action on Alcoholism and Addiction Problems
• David Smith, Executive Director of the Illinois Family Institute

They urged their members to contact county board members, but that was not what did the trick.

They used this robo call technique I first saw tobacco companies us in lobbying against cigarette tax hikes maybe ten years ago.

Call people, explain the issue and ask if they would like to speak to their county board member.

Since there are four county board members per district, how would that work?

The Illinois Family Institute selected six county board members considered to be approachable on the issue.

They were

• Yvonne Barnes in District 1
• Jim Heisler in District 2
• Ed Dvorak in District 3
• Sue Draffkorn in District 4
• Jim Kennedy in District 5
• Dan Ryan in District 6

From 1,334 to 1,453 calls were made in each district.

From to 649 to 774 of the calls were answered by voters. After the recorded pitch, voters were asked to push a phone button if they wished to be transferred to their county board member.

There were over fifty transfers for all but one district.

From the time my father served on the county board, I can tell you that he never got that many calls on any subject. On some zoning matters, especially the landfill ones, he might have gotten fifty letters. One phone call on a subject was a big number back in the 1980′s.

Getting dozens of calls must have sounded like a tidal wave.

And it was. You can’t find an issue where that many constituents have contacted county board members by phone. Undoubtedly, some of them were friends and supporters of each member.

A little over half of the calls were answered in person; the rest went to answering machines.

Of the six county board members receiving calls, only Huntley’s Ryan, a Sun City resident, voted in favor of allowing video slot machines in establishments serving liquor in unincorporated McHenry County.

Barnes, Kennedy and Ryan are up for election this year. District 6′s Ryan is the only one with GOP primary opposition.

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Check out possible targets for the pro-gambling forces in this post.