Will Kane County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay Run for State Senate and, If So, Why?

Karen McConnaughy

The rumor mill is hot and heavy that Kane County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay will run for the State Senate in the 33rd District.

When I searched for her name and web site on Bing, the text said,

“The fast-growing county has a strong leader and rising star in Karen McConnaughay.”

If one held the top job in one of the largest counties in Illinois, what could the words “rising star” mean?

Running for state senator in a district containing fewer constituents that one currently has strikes me as a step down.

Conversely, if Chris Lauzen, a State Senator, decided to run for Kane County Board Chairman, that would be a step up.

Here's the bing search engine result for "Karen McConnaughhay web site."

But the rumor is out there and are strong rumors about no other candidate running in the 33rd State Senate District.

There was talk about State Rep. Mike Tryon’s doing so, but he has announced he will run for re-election in the 66th State Rep. district. This is half of the 33rd Senate District.

But what about the self-described “rising star” language.

I conclude that McConnaughay, whose new district would spike into McHenry County to the southern edge of my Algonquin Township Precinct 7, must want her “star” to rise above the State Senate.

So, what could that be?

The only thing I can think of is statewide office.

2014 is not that far away and it is helpful for people running for statewide office to have the firm grasp on state issues that comes with serving in the Illinois General Assembly. Every statewide official is up for election then, plus U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, who will be 70 shortly after election day.

At the end of the reporting quarter, McConnaughay reported having just over $21,000 in her campaign fund. Not a lot for a state senate campaign.

But since then, she picked up the following big contributions in May:

  • $1,500 – Attorney’s Title Guaranty Fund, Inc., Chicago
  • $1,500 – Cisar & Mrofka, Oak Brook Terrace
  • $1,500 – Fona International Inc., Geneva
  • $1,500 – Hoving, Kenneth, Kenneth Hoving Companies, Oak Brook, IL 60523
  • $1,500 – Realtor Political Action Committee, Springfield
  • $1,500 – Shanahan & Sons, S. Elgin
  • $1,000 – Union Pacific Railroad, Chicago
  • $1,000 – Sheaffer & Roland, Inc., Geneva
  • $1,000 – XPress Professional Services, Springfield

XPress Professional Services did a $781 poll on February 1st. The same day she contributed $2,500 to the Illinois Republican State Central Committee. She also gave State Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka and Congressman Randy Hultgren $1,000 apiece this year.


Comments

Will Kane County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay Run for State Senate and, If So, Why? — 5 Comments

  1. A number of years ago, I served with Karen on a volunteer project in Kane County, where we heard the appeals from first time offenders for alternative sentencing and made recommendations to the state’s attorney. She is a capable lady, a good person and well thought of by her constituents, as she should be. I look forward to supporting her campaign in whatever she chooses.

  2. Chad Koppie, a member of the Kane Co. Regional Board of Schools, will probably run for the 33rd State Senate District.

    If Chairman McConnaughay runs, statewide, in 2014, I hope that she’ll run for comptroller. Comptroller Topinka might decide to retire, since she’ll be 70.

    I emailed State Sen. Lauzen, and I asked him to run for Congress, in the new 11th District, which won’t have an incumbent. No Republican has announced, in that district, and a Republican can easily win. Most of that district has a republican state senator, including Senators Lauzen, Dillard, and Radogno.

  3. Chad Koppie is supporting Orville Brettman for State Senate in the 33rd. Rick Zirk, the Village President of Gilberts and former Village President of South Elgin is considering a run for the 33rd. He is the only person in Illinois history to be electing Mayor of two different communities. Zirk is a former Public Works director and currently works for a major McHenry County company, so he has many contacts in the north end of the district. Cliff Surges, a twice elected Gilberts board member and owner of a successful insurance business with offices in Gilberts and Chicago is also exploring a run. Surges is the Booster Club President at Jacobs HS in Dundee and has been very involved in Gilberts and East Dundee campaigns and elections over the years. Surges was born and raised in the St. Charles part of the district so he has key contacts there. McConnaughay can run from her record of crony hiring, pay to play, and big pay raises to favorite staff members, but she cannot hide.

  4. Here are the facts friends in McHenry County. McConnaughay has worn out her welcome in Kane County. She was the topic of a weekly expose from just about every news source in the middle and south end of the county.

    With Headlines like McConnaughay’s patterns of “pay to play”, “Karen’s Casino Connections” etc. she knew the gig was up in Kane County.

    She chose to join her fellow spenders like Kenyon, Hurlbut and Fahy on the north end and pray that she can get a Senate seat before the voters determine that catchy phrases like efficiency, transparency and conservative aren’t actually investigated in her case.

    If so who knows if the sure thing she was promised in regard to a Senate seat can be delivered?

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