The McHenry County Board last year. In the discussion of the waiver, Board Chairman Ken Koehler was not in the room.

Commenting on the McHenry County Board’s decision to send a conflict of interest waiver to the Federal government’s Department of Housing and Urban Development, District 2 Democrat Jim Roden made the following comments:

“I can’t believe what just happened.

“17 people on the County Board think that HUD can make a better decision about who should or should not get county money.”

“The County Board’s role in the matter is little more than relaying the request to HUD…because members were uncomfortable with vouching for the accuracy of information in the proposal,” Roden quotes an article in the Northwest Herald by Kevin Craver.

“Are you saying you can’t vouch for information about people in your own back yard?

“You want some outside government agency to do it?

“ARE YOU NUTS?

“This is our county!

“Oh, and by the way, who keeps the $13,000 for the feasibility study either way?

“Guess!

“This is one of the reasons I am running for The County Board.”

The issue is whether there is a conflict between Ken Koehler’s being Chairman of the McHenry County Board and his son’s being Executive Director of the McHenry County Attainable Housing Corporation, which has asked for a $13,000 planning grant for a senior citizens facility in McHenry.

Citing an appearance of a conflict of interest, Wonder Lake’s John Hammerand said, “It cheapens the county board in many ways,” according to the Daily Herald story by Elena Ferrarin..

Votes against the resolution were cast by

• Randall Donley
• Diane Evertsen
• John Hammerand
• Donna Kurtz
• Ersel Schuster

All are Republicans.