Nunda Township Supervisor Lee Jennings on the left. Challenger Mike Walkup in the center. Challenger Cate Williams on the right.
If the Tuesday night Nunda Township Republican Central Committee had been a World War II movie, Supervisor candidate Mike Walkup would have been using the flame thrower.
Walkup was third of three candidates to introduce himself.
First was was Katherine Williams who reviewed her background of community service, which includes six years as President of the Crystal Lake Food Pantry, a private not-for-profit organization.
Next up was Supervisor Lee Jennings who told of paying off all the township debts, lowing all tax levies 5% and promoting a referendum to allow the hiring of a single waste hauler for unincorporated residents. That passed, resulting in lower costs and fewer heavy trucks on township roads.
Walkup was next.
“I don’t believe there should be township government.
“Township officials are milking the taxpayers.
“They use higher population figures to raise salaries for 75-100 hours of work a month.”
Walkup promised to reduce the Nunda Township Supervisor’s salary to $21,000, the same as that paid County Board members, who are expected to work about 1,000 hours a year.
The audience was allowed to ask written questions, some of which were not asked, according to a couple of people during the debate for Township Road Commissioner.
Then came questions, the first of which concerned “future goals.”
Jennings said he would continue to cut expenses where appropriate, that he would not [be] “cutting levies to cut levies.”
He pointed out that under this management, the Township now has some reserves.
Walkup characterized the office as “a salary in search of a job..”
He said he would be “a part-time Supervisor with a part-time staff.”
His goal is to “turn it into the part-time office [and] eliminate the township rip-off that the Supervisor’s office has become.”
Williams emphasized the need for a plan, finding out what the taxpayers want.
The next question was on township consolidation.
Walkup argued for getting rid of them all or keeping them all.
“If we consolidate, we perpetuate [the system],” he said.
Williams said that she came from a state without townships. She mentioned that townships provide services some people want, whether it be “square dancing or whatever it is.”
She predicted there won’t be consolidation in Illinois “for a very long time.”
Townships should provide services in “a revenue neutral position” and should not do “redundant things like a notary or voter registration.”
Jennings said there “could be a case for consolidating Dorr and Nunda Townships. We could have made that work.”
The reason?
The levies were close.
He suggested continuing doing what townships already do, collaborate by sharing equipment and personnel.
“I think township government is our best form of local government.”
Question three asked how to improve Nunda Township government.
Walkup charged that there was “nothing but smoke and mirrors.”
He talked of “bloated salaries” for a job that consisted of coming in an watching the paint dry.
Walkup pointed out that the Supervisor doesn’t even write the pay check, that the function is done by a private company.
He conceded that the Supervisor prepares the monthly meeting agendas.
“It’s a fraud. It’s a scam, a rip-off.
He said the Supervisor’s office should not be “sitt[ing] around like Democrats and feed[ing] off the public trough.
Jennings pointed out that prior to his taking office “meetings were people coming in an making complaints.”
He told of a steady stream of phone calls.
The next question was about how to improve relations with taxpayers.
Williams promoted better communications with residents, “something better than the newsletter.”
She suggested live streaming the meetings.
Jennings said that the residents appreciate the township newsletter, that it is the “best form of communication.”
He contended that posting it on the internet would not be as good because “most would not look it up.”
Walkup said,
“The best way to improve relations with the taxpayers is not to rip them off.”
He referred to township government as “an empty shell.”
“We don’t need a food pantry at the township. It could be somewhere else.”
[Nunda Township allows the Methodist Church and the Northern Illinois Food Pantry to distribute food at the Township Hall every Friday morning.]
“In reality, there’s nothing here.
“Don’t charge them for nothing.”
Williams answer concentrated on recognizing outstanding students and celebrat[ing] small business.
“Stop threatening people that you’re going to call the police about them.”
The final question concerned whether this would be the candidate’s only job.
Walkup replied in the negative.
He said he would have about four jobs, a law practice, a small farm, the County Board and the Supervisor’s post.
Referring to the latter, Walkup said, “This is a part-time job. It shouldn’t take more than a half a day a week.
“Right now county government is a mess.”
He predicted that it might be in dire straits before the end of the year.
Williams replied, “This would be my full-time job.”
Jennings said the same.
Playing off Walkup’s doomsday prediction for the county, Jennings got chuckles by saying,
“When the ultimate demise of our county [comes], the residents will need our township more than ever.”
Concluding remarks by Supervisor Jennings focused on his “not doing the least amount of work that can be done.”
He pledged to cut taxes when [merited].
Walkup quoted Thomas Jefferson’s line about the government’s being best that governs least.
He talked of saving tax money.
Walkup invoked venture capital firms run by Mitt Romney and Bruce Rauner, arguing the first thing they would do would be to eliminate township government.
“It’s a travesty you’re being changed what you are for what [is being done].
Williams observed that an election seems like “the world’s longest job interview.”
She pledged to be “open and accessible to all residents and to be cooperative and open to a variety of questions.
“This isn’t a popularity contest.
“Thank you wfor listening with open ears, open hearts and open minds.”
Walkup for President!
Finally a truth-teller!!!!
Cate Williams is a Republican?
Walkup sees a lot of things that the residents have been seeing for years!
ONLY RURAL AREAS BENEFIT FROM having TOWNSHIP GOVT.
The rest of us can our municipal/county govts. and save the money that townships tax us for.
1) Why can’t she provide Transparecy to the Food Pantry NOW? you can’t find where their funds come from at all on line No to her!
Full time Job No way she will try I’m sure to make it that way, no more free cheese for her!
She is out.
Go see Franks I hear he is hiring!, giving jobs away!
2) Jennings why is Nunda screwed with only 5% savings we the Tax Payers Want more, deserve more!
you are bilking this job which does not even need to exist!
3) you as an attorney should do everything to eliminate the waste of this job!
Two most ridiculous comments came from Williams and Jennings. See MY REACTIONS IN CAPS, BECAUSE IM SHOUTING!
Williams – “Townships provide services some people want, whether it be “square dancing or whatever it is. There won’t be consolidation in Illinois for a very long time.”
Ms WILLIAMS, I CAN GO THRU THE PARK DIST or MCC, or CHURCH or The MOOSE / VFW FOR FUNSIE CRAP LIKE THIS!
WE DON’T NEED ANOTHER LEVEL OF GOVT, TAXES, AND BUREAUCRACY SO WE CAN LEARN TO HOW TO DANCE OR YELL “BINGO”!!!
Jennings – “I think township government is our best form of local government. When the ultimate demise of our county [comes], the residents will need our township more than ever.”
OH BOY, JENNINGS, THIS SMACKS OF THE SCARIEST PHRASE EVER UTTERED!
“I’m here from the Govt and I’m here to “Help””
YOU ARE THE PROBLEM!
YOU AND THIS WHOLE LAYER OF TAXATION NEEDS TO BE ELIMINATED!
Agreed with Semper Fi, its disgusting how they have done us! disgusting!
She because of our zip code!
I like when you call up to complain about your tax bill and you get this response not how are you today, but “well you should see my tax bill”!
What kind of an answer is that!!!
so unprofessional and insulting!
that’s what kind and not an answer!
so you have to hire a lawyer may be they won’t get this sort of an answer now will they?!
We don’t want Dorr merged with Nunda!
So far Dorr is a clean controversial free township.
We don’t need to be tainted by mixing mud in our water.
Just a further comment on Supervisor’s Jennings’ last remark, which I couldn’t respond to at the forum as he spoke last.
Townships can only do that which the legislature has empowered them to do.
This is basically assessments, maintenance of township owned roads, distribution of emergency public assistance (Nunda does about 24 per year or two per month), township cemeteries (there is a cemetery board in Nunda)and holding monthly meetings to discuss the above (which rarely last more than one hour).
Should the county go belly up, which is a distinct possibility given the Three Ring Circus it has turned into this year, the townships would not be able to pick up any of the county functions without a change in legislation from Springfield.
Since no one has presented a viable plan to consolidate or eliminate the Assessments or Maintenance of township roads, there is no proof of what Mike says.
I can see that the Supervisors functions could be modified to a big extent, but without a change in state law public assistance would still be required.
Perhaps getting rid of State wide county offices of welfare and any county assistance, then let the local townships distribute the $$$$$ maybe a better concept.
Easier to know who maybe cheating if they come from your own neighborhood.
The average taxpayer is in the dark and rarely knows what Townships even do.
How they cost us.
How they’re not even necessary!
Many Townships in McHenry County should be eliminated.
Townships in areas that have Municipalities / County that can do the same thing, end up costing us plenty $$$, as any Taxing Body Redundancies do! (TBR)
1. Townships should NOT get involved in providing a Food Pantry. Thats what food stamps/SNAP cards are for. Townships Tax us for what multiple churches in every town do already, in addition to the fact that there is no shortage of this type of charity or Govt provided food aid.
2. There is County/State/Federal Assistance. Not needed in Townships! What next? “Neighborhood Governmental agencies???”
3. Townships do not need to provide activities such as crafts, bingo, dance lessons, speed dating, etc, much less the space in which to hold them!! Park Districts, libraries, churches, already do this. Real estate, heating/air, janitorial maintenance, and insurances all cost taxpayers money!
Townships should do nothing more than:
A. House Salt/Sand, and Provide equipment & manpower necessary to take care of rural roads & highways.
B. Provide small Meeting Space and Emergency Shelter during Natural Disaster in Rural Areas ONLY where No Other Public Structures Exist such as School, Library P.O., Police/Fire Station) How many towns don’t have at least one of these?
C. Provide (not build or own) a small office for its Township Assessor. (Clerks can work from home w/phone, file cabinet, internet/fax provided)
IF the above guidelines were formed and enforced these these costly Township elected officials (who would have you believe they’re lowly-paid Public Servants), would never have been able to grow Township Govt. into these out of control, obscene Country-Club-like Dens of Inequity with Good Old Boy Politicians single- handedly growing their own $elf-interests & $ecurity thru Nepotism, Patronage, personal use of township property.
Not all, but more often than not, Townships are obscene personal Empires built with our tax dollars!
Never should have let this happen!
We are now in desperate times and You know what desperate times call for?
If Jack Franks wants to help cut taxes, this is where he should be concentrating his efforts.
The last time this was “looked into”, ditzy blond, baby-talking Schofield was put on the committee and had a Nunda Twnsp Trustee, who didn’t come thru with data to his own admission of ‘over-indulging in alcoholic beverages with friends over the weekend’ prior to his presentation to the board!
Glad that was all caught on tape, because I wouldn’t have believed it!
We all know Jack Franks’ campaign platform of Cutting 10% of our property taxes was a ruse, BUT Consolidation, (and Elimination of some) Townships (as long as you’re NOT hiring more people that would cancel out any savings) is definitely possible and would be very helpful.
Let’s Reverse this Insanity!
I’m a doubter, Jack.
Make me a believer!
The food giveaway on Friday mornings at Nunda Township is run by the First United Methodist Church of Crystal Lake. Food is provided by the Jewels in Crystal Lake and Woodstock, plus the Northern Illinois Food Pantry.
The cost to Nunda Township is providing heat and light.
The volunteers mop the floors after the distribution is completed. They even bought the mops.
C. Mueller would rather have BIG government running their life.
The bleeding is NOT because of local.
The only local bleeding is because we have failed to watch over the clowns that we have elected.
Drain the swamp!
Hold their feet to the fire.
You think you are going to get more done from some far away government that doesn’t have a clue where you live or what your life is really like? This is stupidty on an enormous level.
Just the fact that you excoriate others for not knowing what townhips are about; and then go right on to claim they cost you big bucks for the free food pantry (that is local by good hearted people having nothing to do with government or your money) tells me you are a bllowhard.
Townships blow ….. our money!!!!
Some counties in Illinois wised up and abolished them:
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=illinois+counties+without+townships&view=detailv2&qpvt=illinois+counties+without+townships&id=843BFFC45BC3E8C2A89203B78416C256B3E19329&selectedIndex=0&ccid=2V4FvEG5&simid=608011484620784626&thid=OIP.2V4FvEG5p_TAZDJA7pCoHACoEs&ajaxhist=0
The counties in blue have not necessarily abolished the townships they have used the commission form of government since they were incorporated.
those of us who live in the country don’t want to be part of a municipality and our township does just fine taking care of us.
My guess is that most of the Illinois counties without townships were settled by people who came from south of the Mason-Dixon Line, that is, south of Pennsylvania.
States from Maryland south do not have township governments.
First of all, “Cindy”, I can see why you have a reputation of being a Fanatic on this blog!
. < Do you know what that dot is?
That;s the world's smallest violin!
Local taxing bodies Taking on the responsibility of having Real Estate for the purpose to house/maintain redundant Food Pantries, DOES COST US TAXPAYERS!
Not to mention the other give-aways Townships are providing with taxpayer dollars such as -gasoline paid for, grocery to buy feasts for holidays at local grocery stores, utility bills paid, other bills paid for all with townships' tax dollars.
When we already have Governmental Agencies doing this, it is a REDUNDANCY COSTING TOWNSHIP TAXPAYERS even when the food is donated!
The County, State and Fed Government Agencies that do this already and they're not going anywhere, so defer to them!
Holding a temporary food pantry in a building used for other purposes, is not what I'm talking about!
I'm talking about townships that either set up a regular food pantry, or pay for groceries to people who should get this assistance with agencies already in place.
Wow you’re really stupid, C.
You didn’t read anything that Cal or I wrote (If you did, it didn’t sink in.).
You still want to hold on to your BIG government.
Get rid of them!
Keep the local like Grumpy says.
We don’t need no stinking federales!
Who said I have a reputation?
If you believe that digging for the truth, and standing up for others, and loving your neighbor enough to warn them when they are in harm’s way is a Fanatic…then YES I am definitely a Fanatic!!! [
And I don’t play the violin anymore. I was done with that at age fourteen. Your snarky remark doesn’t make you any smarter than anyone else on this blog. Wake up to the truth and stop leading with your emotions.]
Emotions don’t rule me.
You’re the one hopping around red faced.
Newsflash-the County/State/Federal Govt are not going anywhere just because YOU want them to.
Redundancies cost money.
Get rid of layers of government that are redundant and that you can actually eliminate.
Cate Williams is a Republican.
Her years of involvement with the Progressive Democrat organization “League of Women Voters sends up flares and the saying “Warning, Will Robinson” comes to mind, but I’d still take her over Kelvin Lee Jennings, any day!!!
Apples to oranges.
If you want to Drain the Swamp Vote Walkup!!!
(and donate or volunteer in order to help him win-
He’ll need your help against several of the Swamp Monsters that have reigned in Nunda)
Lets get rid of some of these Township rip-offs if we are to survive our R.E. Taxes in Nunda.
And very important to vote in Conservatives to your School Districts. Kurtz, Vetter, Pletz,
Cindy, Dear, me oh, My!
Are all your over-the-top attacks really necessary?
Looking at C.Mueller’s comments, ‘stupid’ doesn’t come to mind.
Your post seems to be nothing but emotionally charged.
Just because people disagree with you, you think that gives you the right to call them “stupid” and other names and make the accusations you hurl their way?
Quite the contrary, the words one uses, and the way one may over-react, and the way one attacks needlessly or responds emotionally or is over-opinionated or mean spirited can all can contribute to make one look stupid.
(Or In your case perhaps all six).
This person posted their opinion, just as you espouse your opinions all the time on this blog.
I have found quite a few of your posts I agree with, and some I just find cringe-worthy because you are like a bully beating kids up for their lunch money!
That’s what gives you that fanatical reputation.
(not your search for truth, as you put it)
There, I said it.
Cindy, take a pill and quit acting like someone whose husband golfs just to get away from his nasty wife!
Gramps, I can respect that but only if you live in a rural area adjacent to a town that sucks.
Then I would agree.
The rest of us that live in Crystal Lake, Woodstock, McHenry, Cary, Algonquin, Fox Rvr Grv., Huntley and other populated areas who have municipalities that have municipal works that do all of this, it’s just another layer of Government we don’t need to pay for.
Keep it for rural areas.
Even Walkup would agree, I’m sure as he explained why townships were created for those purposes back in the day when we still traveled by horse and buggy.
Ricky, went to your link.
Couldn’t find anything other than an IL township map.
Is that supposed to tell us that most of IL does not have townships?
I think I’m missing something.
Help. I’d like to know what you wanted us to see.
Thx.
Is Mike Walkup actually drawing disability for his “allergy” to ink, or to paper, or whatever it is?
If he loses this election, like he just lost the County Board Chairman race, will he blame his supporters?
And has he switched back to being a Democrat again, like he originally was, or is he still a “Republican?”
So many questions about this…ever-INTERESTING individual…
Mike?
IF the county government goes belly up (as you say) What makes you think that there will even be a Springfield to ask?
Semper?
I don’t live rural.
I am in a city and I hate their control.
I want to go BACK to township governance.
I don’t need the city raping me for tax dollars and decorating their precious business district while they gutted Route 14 with their sales tax scam.
Cecile?
None of my comments are emotional.
It’s a style.
If you don’t get it, move on.
Being judgemental because you don’t understand what I am doing does not give you permission to castigate me.
Your time might be better spent finding out what Jennings is actually trying to clue you in on.
I do live here in the middle of a corn field it’s about eight miles to the nearest town and personally that’s sometimes to close. I provide my own water ,sewer and grow quite a bit of my own food I don’t need a lot of services.
Cindy,
You never provided evidence of the 911 attacker who ran for President.
Who is this person?
Well Grumpy we to do not need all this tax sucking $$ taken from us, we were annexed into CL w/o anyone asking us!
and wish that never happened we like you grow our own food, and are to close to town now since its boom years ago.
We DO NOT NEED TO BE TAXED AT ALL BY NUNDA township !
at all for any of their services!
and yet they keep their hand outs for our$$ I would love to see the whole sha-bang gone!
we all live to close to towns or are in towns now to have this sort of a township service needed!
anymore so I say be-gone!
and leave our $$ alone!
Nunda tax levy partially goes to CL.
State law something to do with annexing compensation to the city for future repair.
Nunda could reduce it levy by almost 50% if that law was done away with.
Of course then CL would need to raise their levy to make up for the lose.
Burton Township is the smallest in area in McHenry County, Illinois.
As of the 2010 census, its population was 5,003 and it contained 1,758 housing units.[1]
Burton Township was first settled by Englishmen in 1836, and the name English Prairie was given it.
Later settlers called the township Benton, but upon it being learned that there was already a post office and township of Benton in Illinois, the name was changed to Burton on December 28, 1850.
The reason Burton Township is so uncommonly small is because its first residents decided to break away from Richmond Township to its west.
The reason for this was a “Hatfields vs. McCoys” type of feud in the 1840s over alleged township mismanagement and higher taxes in Richmond.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burton_Township,_McHenry_County,_Illinois
The Burton settlers opted out and even tried to have adjoining Lake County absorb them into its eastern neighbor, Antioch Township, but Antioch Township had just consolidated Cooper Township into itself, and since Burton Township was situated in another county, a special law needed to be passed in Springfield to affect that change.
[Curiously, Abraham Lincoln successfully represented the disgruntled residents of what would become Niantic Township Niantic_Township,_Macon_County,_Illinois to join downstate Macon County to escape the higher taxation of Shelby and Sangamon Counties in the late 1830s.
[Lincoln’s fee was set at 7 and 1/2 percent of each landholder’s tax saving for the first three years …. a fee gratefully paid by nearly all of the township’s ‘secessionists.’
[This episode was used by various Southern orators and newspapers, and their Northern sympathizers, to show Lincoln’s inconsistency and hypocrisy in demanding that the Southern States could not secede from the Union after Fort Sumter, when he himself had argued that the Niantic settlers could “pick up and leave the rottenness of Shelby and Sangamon Counties as they saw fit, a God-given right of self-determination.”]
The township (non-road portion) amounted to $115 of my $12,500 tax bill.
That’s 0.0092%
I believe this also covers the assessor’s office, which I found this past year to be led by someone who was very polite and accommodating at the worst time (last day of protest filing.)
Jennings advanced the approved referendum to consolidated my trash pickup, saving me $120/year.
I actually voted against the referendum.
Wow, downgrade the supervisor position and I might save a few bucks.
What a waste of energy.
Where’s the same passion around our school budgets?
There is competition this time.
The first four on the District 155 ballot are backed by the teachers union.
The bottom four are taxpayer advocates.
Cal, teachers are taxpayers too!
How about you go after those who don;t pay taxes but demand that we give them our tax dollars?
You know who they are – the corporations!
Most of that money comes from tax dollars meant for education.
Mr. Walkup, if you are elected to this second position will you stop pouting and actually start working for the people who put you in office?
Oh, Audrey.
Teachers may be taxpayers–until their generous pension starts to pay out.
Those of us in the corporate world have a fiduciary (legal) responsibility to our shareholders.
I don’t think there is one corporate strategic priority that states, “Maximize tax payments.”
Corporations work within the laws and rules available to them.
As it is, they are taxed too much here and has led to the flight of many tax-paying corporations from this state–and their employees.