MCC’s New Student Trustee, Tom Kendzie, Asks What Rosemary Kurtz Was Talking About

The students at McHenry County College elect a student trustee each year.

Replacing Katie Claypool will be Tom Kendzie.

Kendzie lives in Crystal Lake. He won the election 180-150. (I told him I won my first contest by 72 votes out of about 13,000–33%-, 33%, 33%+).

Sorry about the slightly fuzzy photo and that of Lowe below, but without being able to use the camera’s flash attachment, the lens has to be open longer and that increases the probability of my shaking the camera. Claypool’s was taken before the ban took effect.

Kendzie was asking Claypool why the college board met in secret. (In last night’s case, it was to discuss employee contract negotiations.)

He was reacting to former State Rep. Rosemary Kurtz’ comments to the board, which she almost finished before MCC Board Chairman George Lowe interrupted her to tell her time (3 minutes and opposed to 5 the Crystal Lake City Council allows) was up.

Kurtz pointed out that Erv LeCoque and his friends “already (had) several millions in hand” for the every high school graduate can go to MCC scholarship fund, “if the MCC Board of Trustees drops the minor league baseball enterprise.”

Based on what happened at the Committee of the Whole meeting Tuesday, Kurtz expressed optimism that would happen. It “gave me great hope.”

“If you go back to your (educational) focus, (you will be well served), Kurtz said.

She then compared the proposed baseball investment to what people do when they invest in a hedge fund.

Kurtz explained that hedge fund investors “don’t know what their hedge fund manager is doing, (because) they do it in secret.”

Investors also know that “the hedge fund manager takes a big share,” she continued.

Then the part that Kenzie was inquiring about:

“According to the open meetings act, you don’t have to go into a secret meeting when (you negotiate a contract).

“I hope you will open up those meetings to the public.”

Kurtz pointed out that MCC taxpayers have expertise in areas beyond what the board members and staff have and that the board would do well to utilize it.

Then, Lowe interrupted Kurtz.

= = = = =

Mr. Kendzie could find the secret meetings that got the college in so much trouble by typing “secret meeting” into McHenry County Blog’s search engine. Indeed, if he or others want to be brought up to date on how McHenry County College hid the baseball stadium proposal from the public and the incredible amount of trouble MCC got into as a direct result, just type “baseball stadium” in the search engine. McHenry County Blog broke the story and has certainly covered it more extensively than any where else, including Monday’s death knell announcement by President Walt Packard.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *