Richard Naponelli of 5612 Meadowbrook Lane in unincorporated Crystal Lake has written a check to the Crystal Lake Library YES Committee for $8,000.
That’s enough for a mass mailing to Crystal Lake voters.
The Committee is seeking favorable votes on the following question, which will be asked of Crystal Lake residents this November:
The question about a $30 million new library Crystal Lake voters will face on the ballot this fall. The average taxpayer would pay $132 per year for twenty years.
The money may even be enough to replace the taxpayer-financed signs saying people are friends of the Crystal Lake Library.
Across from the old Immanuel Lutheran Church were three Crystal Lake Library signs on McHenry Avenue when I took this photograph.
There’s an old saying in politics:
“Signs don’t vote.”
But people supporting this referendum won’t be voting to raise taxes.
After all, it is an advisory referendum.
They will be
- gauging public opinion regarding a tax hike in a high turnout election
- trying to convince Crystal Lake City Council members that there is no need for a binding referendum, that there is enough public support that they can vote to borrow $30.1 million without asking voter opinion without fear of a voter backlash in April’s municipal election for raising taxes by $132 per year for 20 years.
Ironically, the Naponelli home is outside the Crystal Lake City limits, so the donor will not be able to vote for the referendum.
See there ya go, $8,000 being used
For a mailer.
That’s a fair amount of money that
Will ONLY be used to get money &
NOTHING actually USEFUL.
Those signs should read: “Library Chumpion”
That’s odd.
That address is not even within the library district.
He certainly won’t be saddled with any tax increase or ongoing debt incurred by the library if they are successful.
The library is not technically a “district.”
It is a city library, so its boundaries are the same as the City of Crystal Lake’s.
Huh… that address is actually in the Cary Library taxing district.
Richard D Naponelli Sr was the CFO at Sage Products.
He was on the Crystal Lake Library Foundation Board.
Not sure if he’s currently on the Board or not.
Cal, I have seen your charge that CL Library is using taxpayer money to pay for political signage.
I have seen this particular sign in your photos around CL for several years.
If i remember correctly, it was first introduced as a way to support summer reading for children.
Give me your evidence for your accusations, please.
If the signs pop up during election season when the taxing district (in this case the library is part of the municipality) has a referendum question on the ballot it’s reasonable to conclude the signs are being used for political purposes.
Have no idea what the Illinois State Board of Elections (SBE) says about the matter.
And not sure who funded the signs, the library (taxpayers), or the Foundation (presumably there’s no taxpayer money used to fund the Foundation).
Surely just a lucky coincidence that the signs appeared about the time talk of issuing bonds to expand or replace the library was starting.
Agree with Cal observations.
These people just don’t get it, enough of using tax payers funding, enough no means no!
Where are they going to borrow any $$ from ?
I would like to know so if I have an account in that facility I can close it!
when they get stuck making bad decisions at this lending institutions guess who picks up the tab in one form or another !
Yep us the tax payers!
not going to do it anymore.
Again NO Vote!
use the internet.
Remember that this isn’t about the building.
It’s about the staff.
If you sink $30 million into a building, it’s hard to lay people off because you need people to operate that building.