Jack Franks Tries to Usurp Power Not Granted by Statute or County Board Rules

An email sent to all incoming County Board members in which incoming County Board Chairman Jack Franks tries to impose his will without benefit of legal authority:

Jack Franks

Jack Franks

November 29, 2016

Dear Current and Incoming County Board Members:

I’ve had the pleasure of reaching out to every member of the County Board and speaking to almost everyone regarding our shared goals of good government, efficiency, transparency, accountability and lowering our property tax burden.

Your guidance, input and suggestions have been invaluable.

The consensus is that the Board will function more efficiently, and the members will be more informed and empowered, with some structural changes.

I took your advice and came up with the following improvements.

Our committees will meet as much as possible in the County Board Chamber in order to be audio taped and streamed live for full transparency of all Board business.

We will move to electronic voting for efficiency purposes so that all votes will be available on the internet in real time.

We will add flexibility to the committee process so that any member may sit on any committee in order to ensure a quorum, to do the people’s business and to provide cross-training to all members so they will be more fully versed on all aspects of County business.

Before our monthly Board meeting we will have a Committee of the Whole two days prior in order for every Board member to be fully informed on all issues facing the County.

Silos will be torn down.

Each of you will be fully informed of all committee actions, and will have the information you need prior to the Board meeting to make informed decisions.

We will be the most efficient, transparent and effective County in the Nation.

We are fortunate to have dedicated and hardworking people at all levels of our County government.

We will continue to seek ways to improve and to be responsive to our constituents.  We will continue to earn the people’s trust each and every day.

I spoke with you about the seven committees that we will create, and we will accommodate to the best of our ability your committee requests.

I would appreciate receiving as soon as possible your top three selections for the committees you would like to serve on.

With this structure each committee will have seven members and each Board member will serve on two committees with one member serving on three.

The committees are:

______           Finance and Audit / Human Resources

______           Law and Justice / Legislative

______           Liquor and Licensing

______           Management Services / Facilities Management

______           Planning and Development / NERC

______           Public Health and Human Services

______           Transportation

Please list your preferences from 1 to 7 on the lines above, with 1 being the committee you would like to serve on the most and 7 the least, and return to Peter by close of business Thursday, December 1, 2016.

Again, thank you for your tremendous input on restructuring our County government to be the most efficient, responsive and transparent in the Nation.

I look forward to working with each of you to accomplish our shared goals.

Should you have any questions or wish to discuss any matter, please give me a call.

= = = = =
See Ersel Schuster’s commentary on County Board rules here.


Comments

Jack Franks Tries to Usurp Power Not Granted by Statute or County Board Rules — 12 Comments

  1. …and so it begins.

    Mark today, the 30th of November, 2016 as the day that Springfield-style gridlock came to McHenry County.

  2. “We are fortunate to have dedicated and hardworking people at all levels of our County government.”

    Does that include your colleagues on the county board who are so dedicated that you created the IMRF debacle, Jack?

  3. Heil, mein Führer!” (Hail, my leader!), or “Sieg Heil!”

    The little liar is not even sworn in!

    I have heard he has 13 board members supporting him.

    And they are?

  4. This is starting to sound sort of like the Council Wars era in Chicago.

    This could be very entertaining.

    Jack Franks might become the Harold Washington of McHenry County.

    Who will step up and take on the role of Fast Eddie Vrdolyak?

  5. “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity,”

    Robert J. Hanlon

  6. sounds like the beginning of Stalen days…

    gone by….

    this is what is good for you! now drink that cool aide!

    go to sleep..

    follow my lead / votes…

  7. Stalen days?

    Lol

    Can’t even gas light with proper spelling!!!

    Bhahahah

  8. There are currently 12 committees:

    – Facilities Management

    – Finance & Audit

    – Human Resources

    – Law & Justice

    – Legislative & Intergovernmental Affairs

    – Liquor & License

    – Management Services

    – Natural & Environmental Resources

    – Planning & Development

    – Pollution Control Facility

    – Public Health & Human Services

    – Transportation

    http://www.co.mchenry.il.us/county-government/departments-a-i/county-board/county-board-committees

    ++++++++++++

    Apparently the “proposal” (it is presented as a foregone conclusion) is to eliminate the Pollution Control Facility Committee, and combine 4 other committees, to reduce 12 committees to 7 committees.

Leave a Reply

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