A letter to the Northwest Herald from McHenry’s Ned Neumann, printed here with his permission:
Control, Transparency, and Accountability Sought by Consolidation Advacates
The motivation for the referendum in November to consolidate the McHenry Township Road District into the town board jurisdiction is to gain control over the current one-man rule operation of the road district.
It is not being done to save money.
It certainly won’t cost more.
If it needs to save money, how about we’ll get rid of the road district phone line, envelopes and letterheads.
Teens carried a “Vote Yes” banner in front of the Fiesta Days Parade marchers in support of abolishing the McHenry Township Road District as a government virtually separate from McHenry Township
And now, then, let’s get on with the really important things, not the nickel and dime savings, but gaining control of the road district and then determining what is the most cost efficient and sensible way to get our roads built and maintained.
It’s all about finding ways to reduce the size of government without reducing the services.
The continual calls for a cost study are simply a distraction.
We’re looking for some control, transparency, and accountability which we would have if it was under the purview of the town board with scheduled public meetings.
For those who don’t know, there is not a road district board of directors or scheduled road district meetings.
It’s one person running the show with no one standing over their shoulder.
No check and balance except get elected every four years with the help of an army of supporters who, somehow, either they or their families, just happen to get salaries, contracts, or dollars from the township road district in some manner.
It’s like there still being elevator operators in the automatic push button elevators in the City of Chicago building.
The original, elder Mayor Daley truthfully explained the elevator operator’s continued employment by explaining that the push buttons couldn’t vote.
Our township road districts have become an army of patronage workers akin to the Democratic machine in Chicago.
In our road districts, one person is running that machine and has those jobs and contracts.
That Highway Commissioner position will be eliminated with the passage of this referendum to consolidate the road district into the town board operation.
Vote “Yes” in McHenry Township in November to combine the road district into the town board operation.
One man rule but the trustees have approved and denied projects?
How is this so.
They approve or deny new equipment purchases.
Why would that happen if it was one man rule? Just another scam by these so called republicans who appointed their buddy to the township board. While ignoring the Republican Party nominations.
Does patronage sound familiar?
Morons I cannot wait until their term is over ABOLISH BOB!!
Before the voters make a decision, I hope those behind the “consolidation” efforts disclose the “true” cost savings to property owners.
What most people dont know that $ for $ township road commissions do it cheaper than county or state.
So it is unlike the township board will save any real property tax dollars with their assuming control for the road district. The only real tangiable result if the voters say yes is that “ONE” elected position will be eliminated.
With that elimination, most likely a “manager” will have to be hired to oversee the road projects, bids and procurements.
So the real saving even if they promote from within, is what?
The cost of a Big Mac for each McHentry Township property owner?????
Love to hear the arguments for consolidation.
Except 95% of townships in Illinois are run by the GOP (yeah I know non-partisan races for the most part but that is laughable).
Don’t refer to Democrats as patronage when townships are the biggest abusers of nepotism.
Townships are GOP!!!!!
Why isn’t this letter to the editor also on display here?
http://www.nwherald.com/2018/08/31/letter-its-the-politicians-not-the-townships/aef9joz/
With the election of Andrew Gasser, this blog’s hero, isn’t he proof it is just really about who’s elected to run the show?
If this consolidation of the township and road district isn’t about saving any tax $$$$, why does Bob Anderson keep misleading people as he keeps saying it will?
Who wrote the letter?
I would like to give those kids a civics test, I wonder how many can tell us the 3 branches of government or how many Senators come from the State of Kentucky.
@the nob: I beg to differ with the Northworst and, by implication, yourself .
It IS the townships that are the problem, not the politicians.
Politicians will do what they are able to do.
Township government has no checks and balances.
It has come down to us unchanged from the 19th century when corruption ruled government at all levels.
Lincoln spent much of his time as President interviewing office seekers and awarding jobs based quite openly on patronage. The Grant administration that followed was notoriously corrupt.
This was eventually changed with the passage of the civil service laws.
State governments, municipalities, and the county have done similar things.
County government has an Ethics Ordinance and and Ethics Commission and anti patronage provisions.
The patronage jobs occur in directly elected officials such as the Clerk and Sheriff because they are legally immune from the county controls. Otherwise that wouldn’t happen.
Townships meanwhile continue to function unregulated and unbridled.
The Road District is even a step further with no Board to really oversee it.
The annual township meetings are a joke.
We saw AL township’s Road District become a three generation family business as a result.
Bob Anderson is actually doing township government a favor by trying to reform, rather than remove.
The “cost study” is a red herring to avoid a vote.
Let’s let the voters decide.
What’s wrong with that?
Ned Neumann of McHenry is the author of this letter.
Cal, TP Mathews, Wonder Lake
@ KnownExtremist, township gov, all gov are just like a gun or any other tool, the operator is the problem, not the tool.
This type of consolidation I’m for actually, but Bob Anderson wants to eliminate township gov completely with no proof that will save on taxes, sorry that’s not logical.
Supervisors should be the ones eliminated.
Talk about do nothing with full time pay for part time work.
At least in the “big 3” Or drastically lower the pay commensurate with the work involved, no benefits and you will achieve a cost savings without reduction in service.
Without a study or knowledge of the facts, the highway commissioners will become the best patronage job of all time.
It would be nice if, for once in IL, voters made an informed choice instead of following union marching orders, voting for the one with the most signs, etc.
We have a terrible track record as voters
Machone is a township ’employee.’
Do township people do ANY work?
It’s time all voters repulicans democrats independents unite to eliminate township road comissiners
its a patronage posisition when you look at nunda McHenry alquonquin townships all 3 are corrupt with the hiring of each others family members.
they enrich family and friends with jobs patronage to friends business never ends.
Turn the spending back to the taxpayer’s who elect trustees to over see their tax dollars.
Not one person!
Lets stop this in November.
vote yes to eliminate this corrupt elected position.
Mrs.taxpayer is Bob Anderson’s wife!
Machone, does Jimmy Condon give you comptime or do you blog here on the taxpayer’s time as a township parasite?