Robert Bless
Fox River Grove’s Robert Bless came out of nowhere to win the Republican nomination for McHenry County Board in 2008.
He beat two better known candidates:
- former Fox River Grove village president Bill Yocius, who ran against me in the 1992 primary for state representative, and
- long-time Algonquin Township Trustee Lowell Cutsworth
There was no Democrat on the ballot and Bless was elected to the County Board that fall.
Lit signs like this helped propel Bob Bless to victory in the 2008 Republican Primary Election.
Before he ran for re-election, however, problems surfaced.
You can read the August 30, 2010, complaint from the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Board here. All of the allegations are listed.
In the five-way post reapportionment race for four seats, the problems were severe enough that the Northwest Herald endorsed the three incumbent Republicans, plus newcomer Democrat Nick Chirikos.
The Daily Herald editorial endorsement skipped both Bless and Nowak, commenting, “Bless is passed up because of ‘a pending ethics investigation by the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission.’”
Chirikos spread the word about Bless’ problems as he was going door-to-door and beat him by 714 votes.
The results showed Bless losing to Chirikos by 714 votes:
- Anna May Miller – 11,566
- Robert Nowak – 11,403
- Yvonne Barnes – 10,873
- Nick Chirikos – 10,469
- Robert Bless – 10,159
The Illinois Supreme Court order that prohibits Robert Bless from practicing law.
The legal problems were well laid out by The First Electric Newspaper’s Pete Gonigam.
A far greater percentage of lawyers and doctors get their licenses revoked than teachers or school district administrators.
The bad teachers and administrators just get shuffled around in a district or to another district.
Maybe our public education system would be of better quality, lower cost, or both, if more administrators and teachers had their licenses revoked.
Amen to your comment Mark.
They just keep moving the trash around.
That is such a great point, Mark.
The problem is that public unions protect the teachers and the police.
The good teachers and good cops don’t need their protection so the unions basically protect the losers.
Over the years the public schools and the police forces are populated with more losers than the good ones.
Then, guess who become their leaders.
Will lawyers create their own union soon?
When they do, they too will be covered by the Prevailing wage laws!