Grafton Township GOP Primary Candidates File

Marty Waitzman

Pam Fender

Linda Moore

Candidates who have filed in the Republican Party primary election for Grafton Township Supervisor are the three who have previously been mentioned:

  • Linda Moore
  • Martin Waitzman
  • Pam Fender

Moore is the incumbent.  Huntley Village Trustee Fender was appointed by the Township Board as Township Administrator basically to replace Moore, but was ousted by Judge Michael Caldwell.  Waitzman is the newcomer to the political arena.

For Trustee only three people have filed for the three spots:

  • Betty Zirk
  • Carol Williams
  • Robert Wagner

Zirk has been one of the biggest proponents for a new township hall.  Wagner is a former Mayor of Crystal Lake.

Fender has previously indicated that she would be running with Zirk, Jenna Jones, Jim Kelly and Marci Gordon.  Only Zirk’s candidacy materialized.

Since there are four slots, people could run write-in campaigns for the vacant one.  I believe a minimum of 30 votes would be necessary to win a place on the April ballot (the number of petition signatures needed to get on the ballot), but, if more than one person runs, the one with the most votes over 30 would be the winner.

For Assessor Alan Zielinski is challenging incumbent William Ottley.

Highway Department employee Tom Poznaski is facing off against contractor Rich Dvorak.

No one filed for Clerk, so someone could become a write-in candidate for the $7,200 a year (to begin with) job.  Same minimum vote requirements as for Trustee.

Salaries for the people to take office next spring are found here.


Comments

Grafton Township GOP Primary Candidates File — 53 Comments

  1. What!?! Only 3 trustee candidates filed in Grafton Township!?

    Sounds like township trustee is such a thankless job in Grafton, a complete Republican ticket could not file.

    And what happened to the “peace train” of the Pam Fender slate!?

    Did Jenna Jones, Jim Kelly and Marci Gordon get off the train, seeing how hippie-ish the Fender candidacy was looking?

    Or are these candidates realizing they are not “Republicans”, and want to run as independents in the April 9th election and forego the primary, where the focus will be on the supervisor’s race, anyway.

    Well, December 17th can’t get here fast enough, to see who will file in Grafton Township has “independents”.

    If Fender’s running mates are doing this, and given she is one of 2 women in a 3-person race, looks like Fender’s odds would be better if she withdrew her petitions, and run as an independent in April.

    And no one filed for clerk?

    Grafton Township voters — you are blowing it, with your lack of candidates for trustee and clerk.

    May lots of candidates file for April in December!

  2. OK, just tried to find the page Cal had highlighted in his article concerning the Fender trustee slate:

    http://pamfender.com/grafton-township-trustee-team/

    This page has been taken down, and I didn’t see anything in the Facebook blasts indicating the end of the “Peace Train” slate.

    Unless I’ve missed something, this unannounced development reflects very poorly on Pam Fender’s leadership, as in, she couldn’t keep her team intact.

    Not a good start for her candidacy.

    Pam Fender — take my advice from the previous post.

    Withdraw from the Republican primary (I doubt you are truly a Republican, anyway), and re-file as an independent next month on December 17th.

    Make sure the voters in Grafton Township have a choice on April 9th, and let the 2 Republican supervisor opponents bleed themselves for the February primary election.

    You’ll be stronger to take on the winners.

  3. Start saving your money for a new playpen for trustees if fender gets in.

    As far as Assesser, Bill Ottley should keep his job.

    He is doing a great job.

    No reason to replace him.

  4. Is it true?

    Fender voted for Obama?

    Now she claims to be Republican?

    Does she deny this?

    Will she post as herself?

  5. Why did it take a Judge to oust Fender?

    What kind of person would take a job to replace an elected official?

  6. I’m amazed you know who everyone voted for.

    Another one of your opinions.

    You stick with your “opinions,” I’ll stick with the “facts.”

    I’m pretty sure Fender was hired by the trustees to “administer” and do ALL of the duties that Linda proved herself incapable of doing.

    Least we forget stripping the financials and senior bus schedule, being incapable of writing a grant application, thereby losing a $40,000 grant for said senior bus service.

    I’m glad Grafton’s financial records were not destroyed in yesterday’s residential fire on Harmony Road.

    When you’re in over your head, you’re over your head . . . right Linda?

  7. 1. IF (and that’s a big if) any new supervisor pushed for a new building (which is unlikely given the political fall-out), at least we would have something to show for our tax money, unlike the mountain of legal bills that have lined the pockets of attorneys as we have seen with the current supervisor.

    2. The decision to run for a public office is a personal decision. One candidate has no control over any other candidate on a proposed slate, and personal decisions do not reflect on Fender’s leader Need I remind people that Gerry McMahon and Linda Moore ran on the same slate? Now that are the most bitter rivals!

    3. Fender wasn’t hired to replace Moore. Fender’s activities in the Township were in addition to Moore. Perhaps Moore’s feelings of being replaced simply reflect on her own issues of inadequacy?

  8. Moore’s lemmings are marching in force today! I expected her camp to make this a personal, mud-slinging contest, but I did not expect this so early.

    The reason I expected the mud-slinging is because their have ZERO positive things to tout about their own candidate, making a change in the office inevitable.

    Moore’s reckless list of activity during her term in office (punctuated by last week’s resignation of an auditor from completed work) clearly takes all the legs out from under her campaign.

    Expect nothing but mud-slinging as that’s what brings all the candidates down to her level.

    Here’s hoping Fender and Waitzman recognize the venom for what it is.

  9. The trustees are a joke and so is Pam. The fact that LuvLuvLinda refuses to admit a judge struck down every single thing the trustees did speaks volumes.

    What you really have here in Fender is a democrat running as a republican.

    And the trustees mascaraing as republicans speaks volumes as to the strength of the republican party in Grafton.

    You would have thought the chairman of the party for the township would have been kicking in doors to find some fiscally responsible, limited government type of candidates to run for office.

    Well, this is the reason that the off year election after the presidential race is called the IPA – the Incumbent Protection Act.

  10. The incumbent won’t pay township bills on time, incurring late fees and losing vendors.

    Run the numbers on late fees and lost grants.

    Linda’s amount is staggering.

  11. Just make sure you know who everyones friends are when you vote for other positions as well.

    I have heard people are making deals in case people lose certain elections.

  12. I’ve been hearing the similar rumors, Seriously. I just resue to turn a deaf ear or blind eye.

  13. Simply not true Bo.

    When the Highway Commissioner gives Linda the bill the day it is due or the day after it is due, it is impossible to pay the bill on time.

    That is the truth – when you have people who are trying to set her up for failure because she ALONE stopped construction on the new Taj Mahal, this is what they do.

  14. The trustees refuse to approve paying 30% of the bills.

    Without this approval the supervisor cannot legally pay the bills.

  15. Looking at Moore’s track record for spending taxpayer money on legal fees, one must really wonder if she’s the liberal hiding in conservative’s clothing.

    She set up her own failure and even pounded the nails in the coffin herself.

    Only a select few deny that fact, and they are they one’s who keep using the words “Taj Mahal”.

    Go figure.

  16. Ancel-Glink represents Trustees Zirk et al and John Nelson represents Supervisor Moore.

    A snapshot comparison of Trustee Zirk’s bills compared with the Supervisor ‘s bills with dates of Service

    — from 3/4/2011 to 7/14/2011 the legal bills total
    — $13,540.62 for Attorney Nelson and $57,502.93 for Ancel-Glink.

    The facts show that Trustee Zirk spends 81 % of the total legal bills.

    The detailed spreadsheet is available at http://www.graftontownshipsupervisor.us.

  17. Trustee Zirk et al adopted a budget line item of $200,000 for legal bills when they had the power to adopt a much smaller line item for legal and completely limit the dollars spent for lawyers.

  18. I’ll base my vote on hard facts.

    Someone please share Mrs. Moore’s accomplishments SINCE she took office.

  19. @Jack, you don’t know Jack!

    “The decision to run for a public office is a personal decision. One candidate has no control over any other candidate on a proposed slate, and personal decisions do not reflect on Fender’s leader” — Jack

    The fact that 3 of 4 of Supervisor candidate Pam Fender’s running mates have bailed on her DOES reflect on Fender as a leader.

    Yes, it’s a personal decision to run for any elective office, let alone, for a government entity with the issues Grafton Township has.

    The logic Jack states may be credible if say, 1 of Fender’s trustee running mates backed out at the last minute.

    But all 3 newcomers?

    Fender does need to explain this, and she has chosen not to at this point.

    And while Fender has no control over other trustee candidates, it was Fender’s campaign which published the names of the 3 newcomers back in the late summer on her website.

    Someone made the decision to make those names public, and if the decision maker was not Fender herself, then someone in her campaign made the decision to go public with 3 trustee candidates who backed out of the Republican primary.

    At the very least, Fender was not paying attention to details of her own campaign and her running mates willingness to go all in.

    Yes, it’s a minor issue in the whole picture of the problems of Grafton Township.

    But as a first impression of Fender’s campaign, it’s a big deal.

    Throw in the fact how Fender introduced her campaign with such fanfare with the launch of her website and “letter” to voters, complete with the use of the hippie peace symbol, the fact she’s a self-described “paperhanger”, and the doubts in the Republican primary electorate that Fender is even a true Republican and the discerning voter can easily draw a conclusion that Fender may not be ready for the supervisor’s job, and may even prove worse then the incumbent.

    We have a long way to go until February 26th, and I truly believe Fender’s best hope is to withdraw from the Republican primary and then file for supervisor as an independent.

    It’s her call, of course, but at the very least for Fender, it would be more “truth in advertising”, given the growing credibility gap Fender has among Republican voters.

  20. BB, your “hard facts” leave me to wonder what you think qualifies as a hard fact.

    You don’t dispute the facts correcting your misinformation, so you must think they are correct.

    The truth is … you have people who are trying to set her up for failure because she ALONE stopped construction on the new Taj Mahal.

    It seems to me staying in office when she has a target on her back is one heck of an accompishment!!

  21. Don’t forget Fender’s Publicity Event in the Township Assessor’s Office announcing her candidacy for supervisor.

    She obviously feels the town hall is a place to conduct political events.

    Is this how she would use tax payer’s money?

  22. How about Poznaski parking his car in front of the township with “Elect me” bumper stickers pasted all over his car?

    Does he think the town hall is the place for political activity?

  23. So, You are saying Linda should be re-elected for accomplishing NOTHING during her term?

    Interesting concept.

    I’d like a list of her successes and accomplishments SINCE taking office please.

    If she has none, why elect her again?

  24. Taxpayer – Can you explain why Linda’s former supporters have bailed on her re-election campaign?

    That one guy with the deep pockets avoids her like she has the plague.

    Bohart – Don’t hold your breath waiting for a list of Moore’s accomplishments.

    The fact that nobody will post that list speaks volumes.

  25. “She alone?”

    Didn’t Moore remove herself from “the building” lawsuit?

    Didn’t Tom, Dan, Lueth, and some residents of Coyne Station continued with the lawsuit.

    “She alone” huh?

    Check your facts.

    Still no list?

  26. I love the spin doctoring of the legal fees, “taxpayer”.

    You must have one of Linda’s video recordings nearby, because that’s the exact same drivel she spews, hoping it sticks to some wall.

    I’m not quite sure how Zirk manages to rack up that kind of coin as she is one of three trustees and she never initiated any lawsuits!

    You must be using one of those new “Moore Financial Calculators” that just plucks numbers out of thin air and deposits the figure in a mystery line item.

    ROTFL #1!

    Not to mention, why is it you have to go back almost four years ago to find Linda’s first (as you call it) accomplishment – that even predates her taking office?!?!?

    ROTFL #2!!

    And as far as “limiting money spent on lawyers”, Moore obliterated all those limits in each year she’s been in office by showing her continued callous disregard for any financial constraints set for by the trustees.

    ROTFL #3!!!

    Same garbage from the same source, just a new name.

    Please stop with the nonsensical jibberish – my sides hurt like heck!!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhETObVI10w

  27. AC
    You respond to specific facts with general inuendo and emotional adjectives.

    Zirk has been behind every lawsuit.

    Zirk is a known advocate for spending $5 million on a Taj Mahal.

  28. Enough with the Taj Mahal…

    It’s been over for years, and drumming it up now, will not get anyone re-elected.
    I am so sick of reading about the new building, when it has not been an issue for 4 years now.

    Let’s try getting the audits done, and let’s try following the board of trustees decisions on things like “returning the sound system”

    Like it or not, they are the board of trustees, and votes are votes when they make a decision. Not following the board decisions makes the supervisor look shady, regardless of the decisions that they make. The decisions should be followed as they are the people we elected to represent us.

    Get the audits done, so we can finally say one way or the other if someone is mismanaging money, or doing anything under handed. The proof of guilt and where to lay the blame should come from a forensic audit of the financials.

    Do it already and let’s move on!

  29. Taxpayer (or Linda) – “Zirk has been behind every lawsuit.”

    Do read what you write? For you statement to be a half-truth, Zirk would have to be suing herself.

    Linda Moore has no problem spending taxpayers money on high priced attorneys, sound systems, etc.

    Moore’s Rockford attorney, J. Nelson bills at $250 per hour.

    She still won’t post a list of what she has done in the three and a half years she has been Grafton’s Supervisor.

  30. Linda, I see on your website the spreadsheet that you call Ancel Glink Bills.

    Where is the spreadsheet that shows the total for your attorneys bills?

  31. How about listing all of the late fees Linda passed on to Grafton taxpayers because she refuses to pay the bills.

    How about publishing Linda’s life list of all of the lawsuits she is involved in.

  32. Ut oh – the trustees and their ilk are getting worried. People must be finding out the trustees are full of it.

    The trustees have lost every legal challenge to Linda Moore.

    The trustees want to spend money, not save it.

    The trustees are incompetent and do not understand their responsibilities.

    Linda does.

    The truth is that the trustees have lost this and the only option for them is to sling mud and lies about Linda instead of actually doing what they were supposed to do.

    All the Linda Bashers here refuse to admit they lose in a court of law every time they go. Instead of bickering they should just do their jobs.

  33. The next time Linda does her job, add it to her list of accomplishments.

    That list has to start somewhere and a first bullet item after three and a half years of nothing is still an accomplishment of sorts.

    Nice to see that Moore’s version of Chicago-style Machine Politics is alive and well – NOT! Grafton residents moved here to get away from that kind of riff-raff.

  34. FACTS showing that LuvLuvPam is WRONG! Linda has NOT won every legal challenge. If LuvLuvPam is wrong about these things, how many other of their “facts” are wrong as well?

    Posted in the Daily Herald on 4/20/2012:

    “A judge has sided with Grafton Township trustees and ordered Township Supervisor Linda Moore to pay an outstanding bill.”

    Posted in the Daily Herald on 9/25/2011:

    “Earlier this year, Moore named Rockford-based attorney John Nelson as township attorney…
    But in an opinion filed last month, the Second District Appellate Court ruled that the Circuit Court of McHenry County could not order township trustees to hire Nelson.”

  35. LuvLuvPam claims that the trustees are incompetent, but I have a couple of things I’d like to point out:

    1. Who forgot to put a phone number on the “For Sale” sign that they ordered for the townhall property? Linda.

    2. Who deleted the senior bus schedule, leaving seniors out in the cold waiting for a bus that wouldn’t come? Linda.

    3. Who deleted the financial records off the township computer, so that the only copy existed on a thumb drive? Linda.

    4. Who brought a laptop to a meeting to review the financials with the trustees, but couldn’t remember the password? Linda.

    5. Who broke confidentiality, and printed a General Assistance recipient’s name in the meeting agenda? Linda.

    6. Who violated copyright laws by using the TOI website template for her own website? Linda.

    This is the only list of accomplishments I’ve seen that can be attributed to Linda in her tenure as Grafton Township Supervisor.

  36. Who has worked to find fault with the supervisor ever since they did not get their shiny new town hall?

    Rob, Betty, Barb, and Gerry

    Who got fired by the supervisor and the courts?

    Pam

    What has Barb, Gerry, Betty and Rob done for the taxpayers?

    Spent over a million dolars trying to build a Taj Mahal and get Linda removed from office.

  37. Congratulations “taxpayer”!!

    You’ve done a wonderful job of finding fault with others that you still haven’t been able to produce one of Linda’s accomplishments!!

    In doing so, you’ve proven the point that she has absolutely nothing to show for her time in office except successfully channeling taxpayer money into the pockets of her lawyer buddies.

    I hope they lavish her with some expensive fruit baskets in the coming weeks.

  38. Taxpayer – You are all “lip service!” If Linda is doing a great job, SHOW EVERYONE. Start a list of Linda’s POSITIVES since taking office.

    I’ll add on to Jack’s list –

    Because Linda will not pay authorized bills on time, we taxpayers are paying approx. $5,000 in “late fees.

  39. Disclosure: I am not a Grafton resident.

    You guys ripping Moore should read the article below this, the one where the auditor quit because of intimidation by the trustees, especially LaPorta.

    Oh wait, you probably did, as facts make no difference to you.

    Has Linda made mistakes?

    Looks like it. Does she have a record to run on?

    Maybe, she’ll have to make that case.

    I don’t think she can run any longer on defeating the Taj Mazirk.

    Or Taj McMahon.

    Or Taj MaLaPorta.

    Whatever.

    If her campaign is fighting the trustees, that’s not good enough.

    Should she be re-elected?

    The more candidates, the more likely she will hold serve.

    But for those of you with your blind hatred towards her, it takes two (or six counting all trustees) to dance.

    If you anti-Moore folks want to make hay, I suggest you find positives.

    State what you are going to change.

    Or at least eliminate the venom.

    Given some of the messages I get from you guys, I doubt that’s possible.

  40. I git the feeling the real candidates will step forward next month, when independent filing for township offices takes place.

    Linda Moore will be toast on April 9th.

    I think if Pam Fender really wants to win, she’ll pull out of the primary and run as an independent for supervisor.

  41. Those of you who believe that it was the trustees fault about the auditor are sadly mistaken.

    There were errors found and they wanted them addressed.

    Incorrect figures were given and used.

    Maybe one of the trustees could point them out again at the next meeting.

    Moore continually stopped the auditors from speaking with any of the trustees when they had questions.

    The fact that they quit tells me there is something wrong.

    Let’s get the forensic audit done so we really know.

    As far as who votes for who.

    What business is it of anyone’s.

    I for one have never voted a straight ticket.

    There are good and bad on all sides.

    As far as the trustees not doing their jobs.

    That is a bunch of BS.

    I have seen what they go through when they ask questions about bills and the half-assed answers or lack there of they get.

    One more thing-Betty Zirk never started a law suit.

    This was all started by Moore.

  42. The auditor quit because of intimidation by the trustees, especially LaPorta.

    Trustee Zirk borrowed $3.5 million dollars to build the Taj Mahal without putting it on the annual meeting agenda properly, causing the residents to go to court to stop her from bankrupting the township with a building that would have bankrpted the township.

    Trustee Zirk broke into the supervisors office after hours late at night and illegally changed the locks, this was the cause of the second suit.

    What has she done to benefit the township?

  43. Who told you that Zirk broke into the supervisors office after hours to change the locks? That is one mighty strong accusation. What planet are you from? OMG!!! The building again. You now if you really new anything about it you would know that there was the money and that the previous board had it worked out. They were in no way going to bankrupt the township. So many great things for people would have been accomplished with that building. so many more services could have been done. So you can bring up the building again and again and it still does not compare to what Moore has done to this township. Even her original backers are walking away from her. That should tell you something.

    BTW, the supervisor is the one who wanted a completely private office and she was given it. BTW, the supervisor had the erasure program installed on the township computers and then tried to blame the trustees for erasing records. The trustees have never had access. BTW, the supervisor was the one who took the records out of the township and held them and when the topic came up she sat there and never said a word so Forensicon was hired. Oh and the judge ordered her to pay that bill and it was not illegal for the trustees to enter into the contract.

    Intimidated by the trustees? Why because they wanted answers to the questions and Moore and the auditors refused. I have never had an auditing firm ever refuse to answer questions.

  44. taxpayer (Linda) – Instead of attacking everyone and everything that is not Linda Moore, please post what Linda has accomplished since she began her term. Thanks in advance.

  45. Linda why would you deliberately harm area seniors by erasing the senior bus pick-up schedule?

  46. Why?

    Why would Linda blow a $40k grant earmarked for Grafton’s Senior Bus Program?

  47. Pam Fender was running the office when this occured.

    The trustees refused to pass a motion to apply for this grant, thereby making the township disqualified for the grant funds.

  48. The senior bus schedule vanished during the same time the township financial records vanished. You admitted under oath that you removed the financial records. Forensicon’s investigation revealed that programs were erased. Coincidence?

  49. Linda – Is there a list of accomplishments that you would like to produce to silence the crowd???

    Please share your reasons and tell us why you should be re-elected.

  50. Three years ago I kept hearing the name Linda Moore come up in conversation…about how awful she is. At the time I thought they were being ‘mean girls’ and I didn’t think too much of it because I often disagree with my friends political views….but I kept my ears open. It was my understanding, at the time, that Linda was a Christian woman, like myself, and a Republican, like me….not that I ever voted straight Republican but on a local level I thought we had some things in common. I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. No one in our community could be so nasty, could they?

    After reading about some of the things she’s done, ie. deleting township records, kicking out the food pantry, leaving seniors out in the snowy cold waiting for a bus that would never come, lying about knowing where the township financial records were, allowing Forensicon to do their investigation and then admitting having the records all along but only when under oath in court….etc, etc. I had to start going to meetings.

    I’ve been to countless township meetings now and this is what I see. Linda not prepared. Trustees given inadequate information – information that can only come from Linda. Trustees ask Linda about missing information. Linda gives excuses as to why information is missing. Board approves proper bills. Trustees ask why previous board approved bills have not been paid. Linda gives more excuses, or does not answer at all, or claims that’s its under litigation. I have witnessed time and again how the trustees will try to work with Linda only to be met with more road blocks and double speak. Every time something does not go Linda’s way another law suit is threatened. During public comments Linda refuses to answer any questions. I have heard complaints that Linda interfered with the clerks job to prepare and run the annual meeting….the list goes on and on. I would say go look at the video footage located at the GT website but that has since been removed….by Linda.

    At the annual meeting it is clear to all who are present that the township is running out of money fast and we have not had any completed audits since Linda took office. I have no doubt that a forensic audit is needed at this point.

    I began FOIA-ing documents to get a sample of where the money was going. The FOIA process was difficult at best. Often late. Often with missing documents. If my wording was not precise, the request was denied. There were times when I had to write an appeal to the state attorney to receive my FOIA request.

    On a personal level there are many, many cases where she is either being sued or is suing someone…including family members. Her own parents had to file an order of protection against her. This is all available online if you care to take a look. This activity has apparently transferred over to her position as Supervisor. Countless lawsuits totaling more that $600k all paid for by the taxpayers of Grafton Township.

    This is just a bit of what I have witnessed personally. I don’t understand why someone would continue to support her. After witnessing what I have over the past few years it’s clear to me that she has no interest in helping Grafton Township other than to see it go away. That’s just my opinion.

    Some say that townships serve no purpose and it’s a waste of tax dollars. That may be true…for some townships. Others work very well and provide a service for their residents. If you wanted to consolidate or eliminate townships, isn’t there a better way to get it done other than to create turmoil? But then how is eliminating townships fair to the ones that run smoothly and do so much good for their community?

    I will not be voting for Linda Moore, nor anyone she supports, nor anyone who supports her.
    Obviously I can’t fit 3.5 years worth of information in one post so if you don’t believe me, please look it up for yourself.

    I apologize for any misspellings and grammatical errors. I’m not a writer. Just a concerned resident of Grafton Township.

  51. “Your innocent attacks on Ms. Moore are beyond any rationale.

    It is the mentoring of Ms. Schuster that helped bring to light many of the illegal deeds perpetrated on the taxpayers of Grafton Township by your trustees and their minions.

    If you spent as much time helping clean up the trustees’ mess as you do flapping your “fingers” causing as much trouble as you can… your taxpayers would not need to be subjected to all the outrageous legal bills and embarrassment your trustees are giving them.

    Grow up.

    Thank goodness there are strong, knowledgeable people like Mrs. Schuster who have the courage to stand up to those who think that holding elected office is some sort of a personal game….be it township or county.”

Leave a Reply

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