McHenry County Blog

For one term and one term only I was allowed to be on the higher education appropriations committee.

I asked every college president what percentage of his students graduated in four years.

That was after I discovered–to my great surpries–that most students took five years to graduate.

The reason?

Turns out that the students couldn’t schedule the required courses during the four years most of my generation took to get through undergraduate school.

I figured that was because state universities exist as much to employ people as to educated students.

But it won't cost less.

Now comes Interim and Past President and chief income tax hike advocate for former Governor Jim Edgar Stanley Ikenberry saying that 20% of University of Illinois students could graduate in three years.

“Time is money,” he accurately points out. “One of the hidden costs of college is forgone income.”

Full-time college. No summer breaks. Advance placement credit. Online courses.

Put them all together and one out of five might get out in three years.

As I read the article, I see there is a catch:

Tuition costs wouldn’t necessarily drop.

I guess where something seems to be too good to be true, it probably is.

Just when I thought there might be some relief to the way-over-the-cost-of-living increases in college tuition costs, my hopes are dashed.

A Message From Illinois State Representative Michael W. Tryon  |  District 64
March 19, 2010

Dear friends,

Mike Tryon

With an unprecedented budget deficit of $13 billion facing Illinois, it’s no secret that things need to change in Springfield.

The wrong solution is to propose a tax increase. Gov. Quinn’s proposal would increase the income tax by 33 percent and would result in an, on average, a $1,000 tax increase per household.

To saddle the families of Illinois with an even greater tax burden, when many are struggling to make ends-meet, would be irresponsible.

The fact is, this crisis was created by years of irresponsible spending and complete financial incompetence. If we are serious about addressing the deficit, and erasing the mistakes of the past 10 years, we must immediately enact a number of responsible, reasonable budget cuts and reforms.

For example, I have proposed legislation called the Truth in Accounting Act of 2010 which will move Illinois to full accrual accounting standards. This will put everyone involved in the budget process on the same page by offering a real look at the fiscal condition of the state.

I’m also supporting efforts to reform the Medicaid system which will result in more than $2 billion in savings to the state.

Under Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Medicaid spending alone increased by almost 50 percent, from $9.5 billion to $14 billion, in only four years. We need to repeal some of those expansions, and include other reforms, such as residency requirements and a renewal process for Medicaid recipients.

Unfortunately, for reasons that I cannot understand, House Speaker Mike Madigan has refused to allow these bills and others like them, to be heard for a vote. These are common sense, bipartisan approaches to reforming state government.

I urge you to contact both Gov. Pat Quinn and Speaker Mike Madigan to ask them to support responsible budget cuts and reforms to reduce the deficit and move our state forward.

Governor Pat Quinn                Speaker Mike Madigan
207 State House                   300 State House
Springfield, IL 62706              Springfield, IL 62706
(217) 782-0244                     (217) 782-5350

Looking for Volunteers

Groups and individuals throughout the state are already feeling the affects of the state’s budget crisis, and many have contacted my office directly to ask for help. It is our hope to respond to these questions and requests as quickly as possible. To help us accomplish this we are looking for volunteers to help us work through all the correspondence we have received.

If you are interested in helping or know someone who is, such as a high school or college student looking for an internship, please contact my office at mike@miketryon.com or 815.459.6453.

As always, do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns regarding state issues.  It is an honor to serve you in Springfield.
Sincerely,

Michael Tryon
State Representative – 64th District

Erin Smith at a Country Club Additions "Pizza with the President" meeting

Dear Neighbors,

I would like to take this opportunity to provide a series of brief updates to you regarding items that have been addressed during recent Board Meetings and other topics where I have received questions or comments from residents.  As always, I welcome and encourage your participation at Board Meetings and your input and feedback through phone conversations and email.

Committees

I am so proud of the work we already see coming out of the new resident committees we formed this year:

The Economic Development Committee is planning a Farmers’ Market and working diligently to get a unique zip code for Lakewood.

The Parks and Recreation Committee is planning fund raising events that will pay for new entrance signs for our Village and contribute additional money toward bike paths along Huntley and Lakewood Roads.  The first event is a “Dine and Donate” at our very own Lou Malnati’s on Monday, May 17.  Additional information will be forthcoming, please save the date.

The Redtail Golf Committee is constructing the business case for a clubhouse.  We look forward to recommendations from this Committee in the spring.

Finally, the SSA 1 Lakes Committee has led fundraising efforts and applied for grants that have already provided new fish shelters and fish restocking, as well as education for residents about how to keep the lakes healthy.

Economic Development

Interest in the remaining locations at Lakewood Commons remains high even in this challenging economy, and we expect one or two new businesses to open in the very near future.

The success of Lou Malnati’s is apparent from the parking lot.  My family regularly enjoys both pizza and salad takeout from Malnati’s.  Their family size salads are the best “on the way home from work” dinner I have found.

My son is a student at the Illinois Martial Arts Academy next to Malnati’s.  The birthday party package they provided was one of the best I’ve seen.

Finally, feedback regarding Leix Dental has been extremely positive.  Dr. Leix‘s reputation for innovation and customer service is well-deserved.

Progress regarding development at Route 47 and Route 176 continues, although there are numerous steps that are still necessary before the Village of Lakewood will even begin the process of considering a formal application for development.  Numerous opportunities for public review and comment will be available prior to Board action.

Finally, many residents have inquired about the status of Turnberry County Club.  Please be assured that we are actively engaged with the bank to support the transition in ownership and, until such time, to make certain that the property is maintained in an acceptable manner.  It is also important to note that the covenants require that this golf course remains a private golf course and any change would require a 2/3 vote from these residents.

East Side Water and Sewer Projects

Crew lining the sanitary sewers in the eastern part of Lakewood served by the Crystal Lake Sewage Treatment Plant to prevent infiltration into the pipes laid during the 1930's under the Works Progress Administration. There are no storm sewers.

On the east side of Lakewood, our efforts have been directed towards completing the sanitary sewer relining system rehabilitation project which will reduce inflow and infiltration.  This will ultimately reduce the chance of sewerage backing up into homes.  The final phase of this project was anticipated to cost $310,000, but bids came in at approximately 50% of the projected cost.

The award of an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 grant and a zero percent interest loan from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency allowed the project to move forward and construction should be complete by late spring.  As a reminder, wastewater treatment for the majority of the east side residents is provided by the City of Crystal Lake.

West Side Water and Sewer Projects

Lakewood Sewer Plant whose financing is in jeopardy because of the slow down in the building of new homes and their expected tap on fees.

Lakewood Utilities, the west side’s water and sewer service operated by the Village, has seen an unprecedented drop in tap on fee revenues due to the lack of new home starts in the past two years.  Therefore, the tap on fee revenues that were expected to fund the bond payments for the wastewater treatment plant have not materialized.

West side users of Lakewood Utilities, such as my family, have to cover any shortfall in revenues through increased water and sewer rates.  During the last two years, the Village utilized reserves to maintain these rates at current levels.  With those reserves now depleted, a new approach was needed.

Our Finance Director, Carole Robertson, has proposed a solution which allows us to meet our bond obligations, minimize rate increases, and replace the aging water tower on Turnberry Trail.  The proposal includes refinancing the wastewater treatment system bonds to lengthen the repayment term and issuing Build America Bonds for a new water tower.  This proposal takes advantage of the historically low interest rates, the competitive construction bid environment, the advantages of Build America Bonds, and decreased bond issuance costs by issuing the bonds at the same time.

Current projections indicate that this approach will save the users more than $500,000 over the next few years, while minimizing rate increases. We have directed staff to begin the bond issuance process and to include financing the construction of a new water tower.

Pedestrian Path

While not yet formalized, we also have reason to believe that our grant request for a pedestrian path along Huntley Road will be approved.  If approved, 70% of the project will be funded through federal dollars.

Pizza with the President

The next Pizza with the President will occur at the Annual Meeting of the Turnberry Property Owners Association (TPA) on Sunday, March 21, 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. at RedTail Golf Club.  As always, pizza will be provided by Lakewood’s own Lou Malnati’s.

Sincerely,

Erin

The following press releases were received from 8th District GOP Congressional candidate Joe Walsh:

Bean Puts Party Politics Ahead of Constitution, Constituents:
Votes to Sanction Shady “Deem-and-Pass”

Joe Walsh

Melissa Bean

(Lake Zurich, Ill)– Yesterday, Melissa Bean voted down a bi-partisan effort that would have forced members of the House to cast their vote for or against Obamacare in the light of day.

In so doing, Melissa Bean, who voted for an even more expansive government takeover of health care last year, has endorsed the so-called “deem-and-pass” sleight-of-hand House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appears intent on employing to get Obamacare passed on Sunday.

Twenty-eight Congressional Democrats joined every Congressional Republican in voting against allowing the use of this procedural gimmick.

Former U.S. Attorney Generals Ed Meese and William Barr had this to say about the “deem-and-pass,”

“The ‘deem and pass’ and similar options under consideration in the House of Representatives plainly violate at least the spirit of the Constitution’s bicameralism and presentment requirements.

“Those constitutional requirements were intended to ensure democratic transparency with a straightforward up-or-down vote in each House on all bills that become law.

“More importantly, these requirements were designed to ensure that the new national government actually followed ‘the consent of the governed,’ which the Declaration of Independence had declared before the world to be the only basis of legitimate government.”

In an age where both parties agree on the need for transparency and accountability from our government, Melissa Bean is still cutting backroom deals and obfuscating the process to put her party ahead of her district.

Melissa Bean is hiding from constituents because she cannot defend this unprecedented federal government power grab, nor can she explain the cynical political scheming she has promoted for the passage of legislation that will cost Illinois 169,000 jobs, raise taxes on small businesses, drive talented providers from the medical profession, and worsen the quality of care for Americans, the overwhelming majority of whom are content with their care. IPI Study

Whether she will listen or not, Melissa Bean needs to hear from you.

Call her office in Washington at:  202-225-3711 or email her at: Bean Email and tell her to vote her district not her party.  Her Washington Fax number is 202-225-7830.

Joe Walsh is the Republican candidate running against Democrat incumbent Melissa Bean in 2010 for the Illinois 8th Congressional District. Born and raised in North Barrington, a policy advocate, teacher, and business entrepreneur, Joe has spent his adult life advancing limited-government and conservative principles. For more information on Joe Walsh and his campaign visit www.joewalshforcongress.com.

In other news, Walsh says he intents to attend the demonstration outside Bean’s Schaumburg office.

His press release says,

“All week the Joe Walsh campaign has been calling for Melissa Bean to represent the interests of her district and vote NO on the President’s health care bill.

Demonstration earlier this week near Woodfield Mall.

“Like many citizens in the 8th, Joe is angry and frustrated with Congress for trying to ram through the federal takeover of health care this Sunday.  He will be representing his beliefs in-person at the rally from 12:30 pm to 1 pm.  Come out and talk with Joe and make your voices heard!!!”

The map below shows the location of Bean’s office:

Mike Mahon

Keith Nygren

Democratic Party candidate for McHenry County Sheriff Mike Mahon has issued this statement:

“McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren appears to have a hard time getting into the spirit of Sunshine Week, which promotes openness in Illinois government.

“Yesterday, an unpaid private citizen and volunteer of my campaign delivered this campaign’s third Freedom of Information Act request, only to have Nygren call the volunteer into his office, berate him personally, repeatedly state that the Sheriff’s Office was ‘too busy’ to handle FOIAs, and threaten to file retaliatory FOIAs with my current employer for every FOIA his office received.

“It happened as follows:

“When the volunteer arrived at the Woodstock Government Center in Woodstock, Illinois, at about 11:30 a.m., to officially file an additional FOIA request, the volunteer was asked to wait.

“After about five minutes, Sheriff Nygren in person came out and asked to speak with the volunteer alone in his office. After reaching his office, he ‘ordered’ the volunteer to sit down and, visibly angry, proceeded to berate the volunteer about the campaign, about the volunteer’s professional background, and stated several times that his office was ‘too busy’ to handle FOIA requests.

“He also stated multiple times that for every FOIA request he received from the Mahon campaign, he would file a retaliatory FOIA request with my employer.

“Nygren’s boorish and unprofessional behavior aside, his statements indicate at the very least an attitude toward the Freedom of Information Act that could not possibly be more diametrically opposed to the spirit of Illinois’ new statute. J

“Just today in the current edition of the Northwest Herald paper there is an editorial titled ‘Government in Illinois still too secretive’ which discusses how this week is part of the national initiative called Sunshine Week, specifically designed to raise the awareness of the importance of open government. Obviously Keith Nygren didn’t get the memo.”

A complaint with all the specifics has been filed with the Public Access Counselor’s Office of the Illinois Attorney General.

For more information contact the Mike Mahon for Sheriff Campaign at 847.515.4772.

That’s what sprang to mind about noon as I was listening to the robo-call from Crystal Lake Grade School Director of Communications Lori Parish.

Read what she said and see if you come to a similar conclusion:

“School administrators have been contacted by Crystal Lake authorities and notified that some middle school students have been engaging in off campus fighting.

Lundahl Middle School serves junior high school students on Crystal Lake's south side.

“We are cooperating fully with the Police Department as they investigate these incidents.

“While the events have occurred outside of school property, the school environment has been disrupted.

“The information is the majority of the students involved in the fighting reside in the south end of town.

“However, we have information that leads us to believe that students form the other D47 middle schools may have been involved.

“It is our expectation that this behavior will stop immediately.

“Fighting can be considered mob action and is punished as a felony.

“The police will determine what, if any, charges may be filed based on the outcome of their investigation.

“Please talk with your child of the inappropriateness of this type of behavior.”

Most children on the south side of town attend Lundahl Middle School.

Jack Franks was interviewed on Chicago's Fox News yesterday.

Jack Franks was interviewed on Chicago Fox News yesterday.

He said that ever line of the budget should be examined.

When Franks was first in office, he was on the same appropriations committee on which I served as Republican Spokesman (primarily transportation, and public safety, that is, prisons and State Police).

Franks does not serve on an appropriations committee now.

His committees follow:

• State Government Administration (Chairperson);
• Committee of the Whole (which, by definition, everyone is on);
• Aging;
• International Trade & Commerce (Vice-Chairperson);
• Electric Utility Oversight;
• Special License Plates, Subcommitte (Sub-Chairperson);
• Govt. Accountability and Streamlining (Sub-Chairperson).

The web site of the Bradenton, Idaho, newspaper featured a photo of proponents of health care reform at Melissa Bean's Schaumburg office.

While Associated Press distributed a photo of the mainly out-of-district proponents of President Barack Obama’s health care reform, opponents are gearing up for another demonstration.

Word just in from Schaumburg Tea Party Coordinator Carrie Miller that opponents propose another rally this Saturday at noon at Congresswoman Melissa Bean’s office at 1701 E. Woodfield Road, Suite 200, Schaumburg, IL 60173.

If you can’t go, why not phone 847-517-2927 or Fax 847-517-2931. The phone probably won’t be answered over the weekend, but the Fax machine might be operational.

Incidentally, word from within Bean’s Schaumburg office is that calls are running 3-4 to one against the bill.

No wonder she is listed as undecided, even with the Daily Herald’s string of stories about Republican opponent Joe Walsh’s financial problems.

Schaumburg map showing where Melissa Bean's office at 1701 E. Woodfield Road is located near Woodfield Mall.

Maybe her polling is showing she is in more trouble than she has been previously.

Here’s the email’s appeal:

Many people who were not able to attend Tuesday’s rally would like to rally tomorrow.

Melissa Bean’s Office
Saturday, March 20th
12 PM

Bring your flags, signs, bullhorns!…Let your voices be heard!!!

Did you know:

• 

  If awakened Joyce Story goes to the demonstation, she will be late, because she is one of the organizers of the Patriots United Pro-Life Breakfast at D'Andrea's (southeast corner of Routes 14 &31) at 9 AM.

  Back room deals continue to be cut with Obama & Pelosi

• IRS expansion by 16,000 agents to track your HC insurance coverage
• Insurance premium increases up to 78%
• Job killing tax of $2,000 per employee on many companies
• Unfunded mandates
• Bill includes student loans…only the government can provide student loans!!!
• Walgreens will no longer accept new Medicaid customers as of April 16th
• Mayo clinic ….some of their doctors have informed their patients …should Obama Care pass they will no longer accept medicare patients
• Chicago area doctors have already begun to decline medicare patient coverage.
• 1-3 doctors will leave their practice
• 30 million people added….. no doctors to cover them….you will wait for months to get an appointment
• Prescription Drugs….how would you like to wait for those as well?

Here’s a video of the last demonstration and counter-demonstration:

More information about the rally can be found here.

16th District Congressman Don Manzullo received an encouraging letter yesterday, March 18th.

Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich wrote,

“With respect to your suggestion to move forward whether (or not) detainees from Guantanamo are moved there, the President has directed the Department of Justice to acquire the facility to fulfill both the goals of reducing federal prison overcrowding and transferring a limited number of detainees out of Guantanamo.”

So, Illinois will have two really secure Federal prisons. One at Marion in Southern Illinois and one at Thomson in Northwestern Illinois.

And the goal of Governor George Ryan to provide jobs to his constituents up there will be fulfilled…if eight years after it could have been, had Democratic Party successor Rod Blagojevich been alert enough to rent out the space for imported prisoners from other states.

Below is the text of the letter Manzullo received:

This responds to your letter to the President, dated November 30,2009, expressing strong support for establishing a federal prison at the Thomson, Illinois Correctional Center. We agree with your assessment that the facility “is ideally suited to help the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons meet their growing demands for more prison capacity.”

Thomson Correctional Center where Barack Obama originally wanted to incarcerate Gitmo terrorists, some of whom trained in Yemen, as did the Detroit Christmas bomber

As you stated in your letter, Harley Lappin, Director of the Bureau of Prisons, has briefed you and other Members of the Illinois congressional delegation numerous times about the critical overcrowding problem in the federal prison system, including a particularly urgent need for “supermax” type bedspace. Director Lappin has also been working closely with local and state officials on the process of obtaining appraisals and meeting other federal and state requirements for the sale.

With respect to your suggestion to move forward on the acquisition regardless of whether detainees from Guantanamo are moved there, the President has directed the Department of Justice to acquire the facility to fulfill both the goals of reducing federal prison overcrowding and transferring a limited number of detainees out of Guantanamo. The Department has made clear, however, that it would be seeking to purchase the facility in Thomson even if detainees were not being considered for transfer there. (Emphasis added.)

As you may know, the Department of Justice requested $237 million in its Fiscal Year 2011 budget to acquire, activate, and operate the facility in Thomson. We appreciate your support for this request and look forward to working with you as this process moves forward.

The Environmental Defenders of McHenry County held its annual meeting last Saturday, elected officers and bestowed awards.

Pat Dieckhoff is awared the Theta Award by Bill Howenstine.

The Theta Award went to Pat Dieckhoff in recognition of “her years of leadership on behalf of the McHenry County environment at many organizations:

• the Defenders,
• McHenry County Schools Environmental Education Program and
• the Lou Marchi Total  Recycling Institute

The Theta Award is the highest honor the Defenders bestow upon an individual or group for environmental service.

Alice and Bill Howenstine hold their Lifetime Achievement Award.

Alice and Bill Howenstine received a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of “the leadership, inspiration and simply the example they have provided to other people who share their love of the Earth, on how to care for it and how to treat their fellow human beings.”

Cassandra McKinney accepted the Government Award on behalf of the McHenry County Groundwater Protection Program Task Force.

Cassandra McKinney accepted the Government Award on behalf of the the McHenry County Groundwater Protection Program Task Force. The recognition was given to the many who worked cooperatively to develop the McHenry Groundwater Protection Action Plan to ensure a safe and sustainable supply of fresh water for current and future generations.

Named volunteer of the year for “her unwavering and successful advocacy for inclusion of the clean water needs of our aquatic ecosystems in the Northeastern Illinois Regional Water Supply Plan” was Lynn Rotunno.

Officers for the next year are

• President Nancy Schietzelt – Crystal Lake
• 2nd Vice President Joe Starzynski – Woodstock (first VP is currently vacant)
• Treasurer Jim Wigman – Woodstock
• Secretary and Board member Suzanne Johnson – Cary
• Board member Dwight Dalton – Crystal Lake
• Board member Cynthia Kanner – Algonquin
• Board member Jim Donato – Woodstock
• Board member Roy Asplund – Woodstock

Videos of the event can be found here.

The only politicians I discovered were McHenry County Board member Barb Wheeler and county board candidate John Jung.

= = = = =

Photos are from the web site of the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County.