WIND’a morning email has the following survey data:

Hill: Not many voters are looking forward to a potential rematch between President Biden and former President Trump, according to a survey released Sunday, even as both men ready their campaigns for a possible collision course. More Republicans and Democrats say their parties should nominate someone else for the 2024 race than believe it should be Trump and Biden. Fifty-eight percent of Democrats support the idea of nominating someone other than Biden, and 49 percent of Republicans want their nominee to be a figure other than Trump… In a hypothetical rematch, Trump held a 48 percent to 45 percent advantage over Biden (Hill).

ABC: Four in 10 Americans say they’ve gotten worse off financially since Joe Biden became president, the most in ABC News/Washington Post polls dating back 37 years. Political fallout includes poor performance ratings for Biden and a tight hypothetical Biden/Trump rematch next year (ABC).

From Algonquin School District 300 School Board candidate Robert Reining:

“I thought I would share a little bit about me and why I’m running for school board.

“I have been a resident of Lake in the Hills since 1999.

“I have two children one graduated from D300 and one still attends.

“I have been very fortunate over the years to volunteer in my kids classroom helping students with reading and math.

“I have never missed a end of the year field day and assisted the PTO as much as possibe.

“I have been very lucky to meet many great parents and teachers along the way.  

“I have been an auto mechanic for the past 30 years.

“In 2019 I enrolled at Harper College and work towards my welding certificate.  

“I am going to get my CDL with hazmat endorsement.

“I am a firm believer that college is not for everyone.

“I think that the high schools should encourage kids to also explore the trades. 

“The past few years has motivated me to get more involved.

“In 2022 I ran for the Mchenry County Board and unfortunately fell short of my goal in the primary.

“My heart and my drive has stayed firm.

“With the encouragement of many friends and parents in the district I decided to run for school board.

“I want To bring balance to the school board.

“I want to bring transparency, fiscal responsibility and the focus on education back to our district.

“I have and will continue to stand up for our kids, parents and taxpayers.  

“I will not vote for any tax increases whether it is by tax levy or referendum.  

“I will be the voice of reason on the board and not a go along to get along member.  

“I am not going to pretend to know all the answers but I will promise to do all the necessary research and listen to all the vested party’s  prior to my decisions.”

The letter sent to residents of Bull Valley:

Frm State Rep. Suzanne Ness:

“This week was our first week in session for the 103rd General Assembly.

“As I type, we are debating the “House Rules” which determine how we do our jobs.

“We cannot start committees without the passage of our rules so this is necessary for us being able to get our work done.

“It is also the first time for me that I return to a role as an incumbent.

“As I look out from my seat, I see many new faces.

“We had a big turnover this session as former members retired, moved to other positions, or lost their elections.\” I’m looking forward to getting to know and work with our new legislators.

“Back in the District Office, I am excited about the programs we are planning, including the Hearts for Heroes Valentine’s Day event. We did this event for the first time last year, handing out homemade valentine’s day cards made by local children, for healthcare workers and it was such a positive experience, we decided to do it again. This year we have even more partners helping us show our love to those that work hard to keep us healthy and safe all year long.

“This month is also Black History Month and we will be featuring highlights throughout the month in honor of the contributions of African Americans who may not be known to many of us.

“As my colleague Representative Cyril L Nichols, stated on the House Floor ‘There is no American History without Black History.’

“I appreciated that statement and agree with it wholeheartedly.

“I also held my first mobile office hour event last month at the Algonquin Public Library.

“It was our first evening event and I’m looking forward to doing more and meeting constituents all across our district. I hope to see you there at a future one.

“Lastly, we will be sending out this newsletter twice a month in order to keep constituents informed in a more timely basis, not just about programs and events, but also about bills and priorities happening in Springfield.

“The session is going to be a busy one and I’m eager to get to work.”

= = = = =

Thus far, Ness has introduced no legislation.

She has been assigned to the following committees:

There are nine candidates for the Huntley School District 158 Board of Education of which four have been endorsed by the Grafton Township Republican Party.

Candidates for a four-year term follow:

• Katherine (Kate) Policheri
• Jonathan Dailey (appointed incumbent)
• Melissa M. Maiorino (incumbent)
• Stephen G. Buchs
• William Geheren (incumbent)
• Laura Murray (endorsed by Republican Party)
• Andrew Bittman (endorsed by Republican Party)
• Gina Galligar (endorsed by Republican Party)
• Paula Yensen (former Democratic Party McHenry County Board member)

Candidates for a two-year term follow:

• Andrew Fekete
• Kevin Gentry (incumbent)
• Michael Thompson (endorsed by Republican Party)

The Grafton Township GOP held a reception for its four candidates Thursday night.

Photos from the event follow:

From State Senator Don DeWitte:

Illinois Unemployment Rate Continues to Trail the Nation

The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics released its December unemployment statistics, and Illinois remains among the worst in the nation with an unemployment rate at 4.7%. The only state with a higher rate than Illinois was Nevada.

In December, Illinois’ 4.7% unemployment rate meant that at that time 303,000 Illinoisans were unemployed.

This rate is higher than its neighboring states, where the highest rate is 4.3% in Michigan and the lowest is 2.8% in Missouri.

Additionally, Illinois’ unemployment rate stands significantly higher than the national average rate of 3.5%.

While Illinois’ December rate still shows a 0.4% decrease in the unemployment rate from December 2021, it still marks a trend of slight increase over the past few months. I

n 2022, unemployment had been slowly decreasing in the first half of the year, but from August 2022 on, the data showed a steady increase for the first time since April 2020.

At a Special Meeting last night attended by Township Trustees Ed Zimel, Teresa Sharpe Decker and Trustee Millie Medendorp, sans Supervisor Randy Funk and Trustee Theresa Fronczak, a new attorney was retained.

Mark Kimzey was hired to replace John Nelson, who is retiring.

Kimzey will represent the Township Trustees, who have been disputing the way that Supervisor Funk runs Algonquin Township.

A Friend of McHenry County Blog reported,

“

“The meeting was basically that the Lawyer that was representing the trustees is retiring and Mark J. Kimzey was approved as representing the Trustees going forward.

“Kimzey responded to a Q.&A. session of questions from the trustees.

“He also gave a short explanation of what their duties and powers are and what the Township Supervisor’s duties and responsibilities are.

“The meeting lasted around 28 minutes.”

From the Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse:

Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA) Names Phil Melin Executive Director for Illinois

Washington, D.C. – Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA) welcomes Phil Melin as Executive Director of CALA-Illinois.

CALA is a nonpartisan, grassroots movement working to end lawsuit abuse across the United States.

CALA advocates for commonsense legal reform measures by educating the public about the devastating, real-world costs of lawsuit abuse on working families and small businesses. CALA-Illinois leads CALA’s mission in Illinois.

“Small business is a the heart of the Illinois culture and economy, and every city and town in the state is dependent on small business success,” said Melin.

“Sadly, big money from the trail lawyer lobby has made Illinois one of the country’s most unfriendly states for small businesses.

“It’s an honor to fight alongside small business entrepreneurs to help level the playing field against lawsuit abuse here in Illinois.”

Phil Melin of Lake Forest, Illinois brings more than a decade of advocacy and small business experience to CALA-Illinois. He served as a Congressional District Director and co-founded an Illinois small business. He practiced law in California before moving to Illinois.

“My background as a lawyer, small businessman, and advocacy professional prepare me well to help improve the climate for small businesses in Illinois,” said Melin.

“We have much work to do in Illinois as Cook County, Madison, and St Clair counties are identified as among the worst regions in the United States for lawsuit abuse according to the American Tort Reform Foundation’s 2022/2023 Judicial Hellholes report.”

Contact
Phil Melin
pmelin@cala.com
(224)250-8974

About CALA-Illinois

CALA-Illinois is the grassroots arm of Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse. Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA) is a nonpartisan, grassroots movement working to end rampant lawsuit abuse across the United States. CALA advocates for commonsense legal reform measures by educating the public about the evastating, real-world costs of lawsuit abuse on working families and small businesses. Learn more at https://cala.com/illinois/

From McHenry County:

Kerri Wisz Named as New McHenry County CFO

WOODSTOCK, Ill. – McHenry County is pleased to announce that Kerri Wisz has been promoted to Chief Financial Officer.

Wisz, who has served as Assistant Director of Finance since 2020, succeeds Kevin Bueso, who left to become chief financial officer for the Regional Transportation Authority.

She first joined the Finance Department in 2015 as senior financial analyst.

“McHenry County’s finances are in very experienced and capable hands with Kerri as our CFO,” County Administrator Peter Austin said.

“She will continue our long tradition of financial excellence and responsibility that taxpayers have come to expect from McHenry County Government.”

Besides developing the annual county budget with the guidance of the County Board, the Finance Department oversees payroll, accounts payable, and financial reporting. Wisz supervises a staff of seven.

Wisz was instrumental in developing seven annual budgets that won national awards from the Government Finance Officers Association, as well as furthering budget transparency with the implementation of Questica OpenBook software that allows the public to review revenue and expenses.

Wisz also played an important role in the transition to new software that further modernized county financial reporting.

McHenry County has a long history of fiscal prudence and discipline that allowed county government to go 12 years without increasing its tax levy, weathering the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic without cutting services or staff. Since 2010, McHenry County has been assigned the top Aaa bond rating from Moody’s Investors Service.

It is a back-to-back winner of the Triple Crown Award bestowed by the for winning all three of the GFOA’s financial reporting awards in a single year.

Still reflecting on Groundhog Day. Maybe I’ll watch the movie again to see my my old neighborhood on Madison Street in Woodstock.