While all four Republican candidates for Governor were expected to make appearances at the McHenry Country Club Wednesday, only three turned up. Missing was Bruce Rauner.
Bill Brady made a late morning appearance well before the four o’clock cocktail hour and five o’clock dinner.
Only the golfers were present.
State Treasurer Dan Rutherford, a candidate for Governor, chatted with Bob Miller, Bill Prim and Andrew Gasser.
Dan Rutherford attended the cocktail hour, making brief comments after working the crowd.
Dan Rutherford spoke to the gathered McHenry County Republicans.
The short comments were appreciated by the crowd.
Kirk Dillard arrived as I was parking…at about 4:20.
DuPage County candidates for Governor and State Treasurer, Kirk Dillard and Bob Grogan, respectively, posed outside the McHenry Country Club.
He and McHenry County Auditor Pam Palmer greeted DuPage County Auditor Bob Grogan, who is running for State Treasurer, the office that Rutherford is vacating. He is a CPA and is a Certified Fraud Examiner.
Bob Grogan, seeking the GOP nomination for State Treasurer, chatted with McHenry County Board Chairwoman Tina Hill on the way to get yard signs for me.
Grogan is not one of the DuPage County Republicans that urged tripling of the RTA Sales Tax. He told me that his opponent Bob Schillerstrom used the money to balance the County budget when he was DuPage County Board Chairman. (Other years he raided pension funds and the County Water Authority.)
State Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka announced she is running for re-election and made fun of Governor Pat Quinn. Republican Party Chairman and State Rep. Mike Tryon smiles in appreciation of Topinka’s ridicule of Democrats.
Judy Baar Topinka was in rare form when she spoke to the cocktail hour crowd.
Judy Baar Topinka
Commenting on Governor Pat Quinn, she said,
“The poor thing just doesn’t know what he is doing.
“He has no management skills.
“We looked at out little Democrat friends and they’re all in trouble.
“I’m running again for Comptroller because I’m crazy enough to want to be a fiscal officer for a bankrupt state.”
Kirk Dillard
At dinner, Dillard gave a brief talk.
“We must return pride to the prairie.
“We need to nominate someone who can win in the General Election.”We made Mike Madigan the Minority Leader during our term,”
Dillard said, referring to when he was Governor Jim Edgar’s Chief of Staff. Edgar has endorsed Dillard’s candidacy.
McHenry County is represented by three Republican State Senators and three Republican State Representatives.
State Senator Pam Althoff has an animated conversation with an attendee.
Both State Senator Pam Althoff and Karen McConnaughay were in attendance.
State Senator Karen McConnaughay talked with State Senator and gubernatorial candidate Kirk Dillard.
State Representatives Mike Tryon, who is Chairman of the McHenry County Republican Central Committee made the rounds and emceed the event.
State Rep. David McSweeney talked with Friends of NRA leader Rich Young.
David McSweeney came as well.
He spoke briefly to the dinner crowd, giving a shout-out to Metra Board member, former State Senator and Republican Party Central Committee Chairman Jack Schaffer for blowing the whistle on the patronage seekers on the Metra Board.
After calling for a standing ovation, State Rep. Dave McSweeney went over to shake Metra Board member Jack Schaffer’s hand.
At his suggestion, Schaffer received a standing ovation.
There were lots of McHenry County officials present.
Former Coroner Marlene Lantz and Auditor Pam Palmer chatted before coming in from the heat.
I’ve mentioned County Auditor Pam Palmer.
McHenry County Board member John Hammerand talked with State Senator and gubernatorial candidate Kirk Dillard.
In addition, McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi, McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren, Regional Superintendent of Education Leslie Schermerhorn, Circuit Clerk Kathy Keefe and Coroner Anne Majewski were sighted.
In this shot, State Senator Karen McConnaughay and County Board member Nick Provenzano can be seen.
I’ll probably leave out some County Board members, but besides Chairwoman Hill, I saw Joe Gottemoller, Mike Skala, Anna May Miller, Diane Evertsen, Ersel Schuster, Ken Koehler, Nick Provenzano and John Hammerand.
Donors names were listed on a sheet of paper at each dinner table.
Retired Coroner Marlene Lantz was also in attendance.
Here’s another part of the cocktail lounge.
I complimented her, observing not many retired officials bother to show up for GOP fund raising events.
There were some township officials at Play Day.
Greenwood Township Supervisor Barb Klasen and County Board member Diane Evertsen talk with Deb and Steven Reick. Reick has recently been named a Precinct Committeeman in Greenwood 4.
Greenwood Township Supervisor Barbara Klasen, Alden Supervisor Preston Rea,Grafton Township Road Commissioner Tom Poznanski and Algonquin Township Road Commissioner Bob Miller. There may have been others.
Woodstock Mayor Brian Sager and State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi seemed to be having a serious discussion.
The only municipal official I saw was Woodstock Mayor Brian Sager.
The RINO’s meet and greet. Nauseating.
Yeah!😁