Besides the 6 PM meeting at McHenry County College at which the lame duck Board seems destined to renew President Vicky Smith’s contract, there are other meetings people might find of interest.

Each of McHenry County’s 17 Townships will hold annual meetings. They start at 7.

I’ve attended the Grafton Township Annual Town Meeting for the past four times, all of which were action-packed…often with Huntley Police presence.

It probably will be an interesting meeting, but the McHenry County Board might be more interesting.

It also starts at 7 PM.

The bar owners have retained attorney Tom Zanck to lobby County Board members to vote to reverse their prohibition of the video poker/slot machines from bars and restaurants regulated by the County.

My sources tell me that the proponents have about ten votes.

If all 24 members attend the meeting, thirteen votes will be needed to pass the measure.

The vote was 13-10-1 against legislation in late 2009.

That’s if no one abstains or, as they say in the Illinois General Assembly, someone “takes a walk.”

In any event, the last time around the vote was quite close.

Voting in favor of a ban of the video gambling machines in unincorporated areas in 2009 were the following, who are grouped by county board district (those up for election in 2010 are show in bold face type):

District 1

• Yvonne Barnes

District 2

• Jim Heisler

District 3

• Ed Dvorak (retiring)
• Kathy Bergan Schmidt
• Barbara Wheeler

District 4

• Sue Draffkorn
• John Hammerand
• Sandy Salgado

District 5

• Paula Yensen
• Jim Kennedy
• Virginia Peschke

District 6

• Mary McCann
• Ersel Schuster

Voting against the ban, thus in favor of expanding gambling were the following:

District 1

• Anna May Miller
• Bob Bless
• Marc Munaretto

District 2

• Scott Breeden
• Ken Koehler
• Lyn Orphal

District 3

• Mary Donner

District 4

• Pete Merkel

District 5

• Tina Hill

District 6

• Dan Ryan

I’ve been told that the proponents of repeal have only locked up ten votes and the lobbyist of those seeking to reverse the video gaming prohibition, Tom Zanck, is asking if those inclined to vote “Yes” could abstain to lower the number of affirmative votes needed to win the day.

Those wishing to let their Board members know where they stand can call them at the numbers below:

District 1

• Robert “Bob” Nowak – Home: 847-977-5516, email – rcnowak@co.mchenry.il.us
• Anna May Miller – Home: 847-639-5112, Work: 847-639-2700, email – ammiller@co.mchenry.il.us
• Yvonne Barnes – Home: 847-516-2719, email – ymbarnes@co.mchenry.il.us
• Nick Chirikos – Home: 847-658-3434, email -nachirikos@co.mchenry.il.us

District 2

• Carolyn Schofield – Home: 815-455-9550, Work: 815-341-2440, email – cdschofield@co.mchenry.il.us
• James L. Heisler – Home: 815-459-1971, Work: 815-459-0171, email – jlheisler@co.mchenry.il.us
• Kenneth D. Koehler – Home: 815-459-7841, email – kdkoehler@co.mchenry.il.us
• Donna Kurtz – Home: 815-788-0632, Work: 815-353-5972, email – dmkurtz@co.mchenry.il.us

District 3

• Nick Provenzano – Cell: 815-355-8540, email – nxprovenzano@co.mchenry.il.us
• Mary E. McClellan – Home: 815-482-5693, email – memcclellan@co.mchenry.il.us
• Michael J. Walkup – Home: 815-477-8978, Work: 815-459-7090, email – mjwalkup@co.mchenry.il.us
• Joseph Gottemoller – Home: 815-382-9940 (Cell), Work: 815-459-5152, email – jxgottemoller@co.mchenry.il.us

District 4

• Sue Draffkorn – Home: 815-653-6057, email -sxdraffkorn@co.mchenry.il.us
• John D. Hammerand – Home: 815-728-0700, email – jdhammerand@co.mchenry.il.us
• Bob Martens – Home: 815-675-6353, Cell: 815-354-9300, email – rmmartens@co.mchenry.il.us
• Sandra Fay Salgado – Home: 815-276-2317, email – sfsalgado@co.mchenry.il.us

District 5

• Tina Hill – Cell: 815-347-4222, email – trhill@co.mchenry.il.us
• Paula Yensen – Home: 815-404-3918, email – peyensen@co.mchenry.il.us
• John Jung, Jr. – Home: 815-338-6201, email – jpjung@co.mchenry.il.us
• Michael Skala – Home: 847-669-3804, Work: 815-337-5550, email – mjskala@co.mchenry.il.us

District 6

• Michele Aavang – Home: 815-648-4210, email – mraavang@co.mchenry.il.
• Mary T. McCann – Home: 815-568-1061, email – mtmccann@co.mchenry.il.us
• Diane Evertsen – Home: 815-943-3298, Work: 815-943-3298, email – dxevertsen@co.mchenry.il.us
• Ersel Schuster – Home: 815-338-2207, email – ersel@sbcglobal.net

Several new members have said they will vote as their perceived their constituents feel.