Yesterday McHenry County Blog concentrated on the fun kids had at Crystal Lake’s Nunda Township Republican Picnic. Today, we’ll look at political activities.

Going toward the food and drink, one could not miss Brent Smith. He was collecting petition signatures for all sorts of candidates. Here Christian Kwasigroch affixes his signature.

Not only politicians were in evidence, so were the bureaucrats. Here’s a permit required by the McHenry County Health Department. I guess it protects people from being poisoned by Republicans.

Chicago’s 11th Ward Republican Committeeman Carl Segvich, in Crystal Lake in support of Adam Andrezejewski’s gubernatorial campaign, can be seen at the food along with Bob and Veronica Armstrong.

The bratwurst and hamburgers were wonderful. Here you see the grilling area. Joe Wheeler can be seen on the left talking with Bloomington’s State Senator Bill Brady, who is running for the GOP nomination for governor for the second time.

Will Brady introduced himself on behalf of Senator Brady. I took him to be Bill’s brother, but it turns out he is Bill and Nancy’s son.

I saw GOP gubernatorial aspirant Adam Andrzejewski talking with Nick Provenzano, who is running for the GOP nomination for county board.

Two county board members, Mary Donner and Barb Wheeler, were looking at the table where a silent auction was being held. That’s Nunda Township Highway Commissioner Don Kopsell in the background.

I bumped into a face from my 1970’s past, former Dundee Township and now Barrington Township Trustee Ron Szymanski. Here he is being approached by DuPage County’s Appellate Court Justice Ann Jorgensen. Being from Cook County now, Szymanski can’t vote for her.

Jennifer Gibson, Nunda Township GOP Chairwoman, was the next person approached by Jorgensen.

Nearby, former Nunda Township Republican Chairman and precinct committeeman Blake Hobson (now a resident of and precinct committeeman in the Grafton Township portion of Lakewood) was talking to McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi. When Hobson commented on his carnation, Bianchi credited his wife.

I turned around and the second Appellate Court Justice in attendance, Lake County’s Mary S. Schostok, was chatting up Will Brady.

His father and mother were working the tent. Here Bill Brady is seen talking with Don Kopsell and Bob Armstrong.

State Rep. Mark Beaubien arrived and talked to Nunda Township Supervisor John Heisler, among others. I praised him and other House Republicans for forcing Democrats to cast the votes for any income tax those Democrats think they require. Beaubien is on the right.

(A parentheses about why Republicans should not vote for an income tax hike:

When Ron Blagojevich took office, he said he discovered a $5 billion budget deficit. Funny how he couldn’t find it before the election, but, assuming he was correct, I figured it was a two-year deficit that could easily be worked off…if Blagojevich made cuts similar to those proposed by Governor George Ryan, which Blagojevich campaigned against.

Blagojevich and the Democrats controlling the General Assembly did not cut the budget.

They raised it about $1 billion a year. Health insurance for illegal aliens, etc.

After six years, Blagojevich’s replacement, Pat Quinn, announced that there was an $11 billion deficit.

Let’s see.

$5 billion, plus $1 billion a year, equals $11 billion.

So, I conclude that the Democrats created any financial mess the state is in and the Democrats should have to provide any votes needed to raise taxes they think are needed.)

Now, back to Nunda Township’s Picnic.

2000 GOP state representative nominee Tom Salvi is seen with former Nunda Township Trustee James Schlader and Appellate Justice Ann Jorgensen.

Gubernatorial and other candidates spoke next.

I missed getting Adam Andrzejewski’s picture, but got shots of

• State Senator Bill Brady and
• Dan Proft,

all running for the Republican nomination for governor.

Brady, who can be seen on the left, is believed to be the runaway favorite in the contest so far.

After the speechifying, at least Brady was off to the McHenry County Fair.

All three were undoubtedly planning to visit the Young Republican picnic in Barrington later Saturday afternoon.

On the way out, Brady stopped to talk with State Rep. Beaubien. That the back of Nancy Brady’s head.

McHenry County Republican Central Committee Chairman and State Rep. Mike Tryon arrived. I caught him talking with McHenry County Auditor Pam Palmer, who isn’t even up for election this year. (Of course, neither is Bianchi.)

I really don’t like posed shots, but who could resist Tryon’s standing between two Appellate Court Justices? Amy B. Jorgensen is on Tryon’s left. Mary Seminara Schostok is on his right.

Before I left, McHenry County Young Republican President Bryan Jayor was arriving. You see Tom Salvi on the left and Appellate Justice Mary Schostok in the center.

As I was leaving, Pat Morris was signing her name to petitions being held by Brent Smith. Pat has been a community activist since at least the early 1970’s. I remember her song about our money never returning from the RTA (written to tune of the “MTA.” More recently, she offered opposition to McHenry County College’s proposed taxpayer-subsidized baseball stadium before the Crystal Lake City Council. She also wrote piraty lyrics about Mayor Aaron Shepley’s 75% Crystal Lake sales tax hike to the tune of the “Lincoln Park Pirates.”

I had come full circle.