Prior to the 1972 elections, the United States Supreme Court ruled that legislative bodies like the McHenry County Board and city councils had to be apportioned on a one-man, one-vote basis.
The top McHenry County Board map resulted from Cal Skinner, Sr.’s suing in Federal court.
The county board divided the county into three districts, Dad’s consisting of Algonquin and Grafton Townships.
Dad didn’t like the way the districts had been apportioned and challenged it acting as his owner lawyer in Federal Court.
Because the district lines Dad came up resulted in more closely matched populations and were at least as compact as the county’s the judge told McHenry County State’s Attorney to discuss a settlement with Dad.
State’s Attorney Bill Cowlin did not do so before the next scheduled court date.
When both showed up before the judge, Dad told the judge that Cowlin hadn’t gotten in touch with him.
The Federal judge then ordered him to do so before returning for the next hearing.
Dad didn’t get exactly what he asked for, but the county board members came up with a much more acceptable map. Algonquin and Grafton Townships were put in District 1, one-third of the county’s population.
Dad and his allies put together a slate, which they called “Responsible Republicans.” They made the ballot order so they could tell people to vote from “Bick to Burns.” (John Bick, an older conservative and 10-acre tree farmer from Barrington Hills; United pilot Brad Burns, my to-be brother-in-law, from Crystal Lake’s Coventry.)
The regular Republicans won all eight seats up in 1972, but my father got more votes than any other county board member running in Districts Two and Three.
The next time Dad ran, he and his ally Lou Anne Majewski won. Lou Anne got more votes, helping validate my theory that women have an automatic advantage when they run for office.
McHenry County Courthouse, build with non-referendum Public Building Commission bonds.
I remember on serious disagreement we had.
When an addition was being built on the new courthouse, he voted to let the Public Building Commission issue bonds without a referendum.
I reminded him that he had campaigned against similar action when the new courthouse had been constructed.
Cowlin was part of the Old Crooked Guard of the late grifter Al Jourdan, the Democrat Boss from the 19th Ward of Chicago who became a RINO when he moved out here to wheel and deal.
The rotten apple now Chief Judge of the fixers in McHenry Co. is his son.
The crookedness of McHenry County’s Jourdanians sometimes resulted in unfortunate and bloody endings!:
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2010/05/27/the-mchenry-county-sheriffs-report-on-phil-paganos-suicide/
Jourdan went to his grave knowing he was the last person to talk to Pagano seconds before he jumped in front of that train.
Pagano also knew the Engineer would see him, probably recognize him too given he was President of the Train company and knew that Engineers have deep PTSD seeing the Life about to be taken by the Train they are operating.
Pagano was a bad man all the way around, including the multiple mistresses he kept along the NW Trainline stops—even through and to the very end.
Jourdan?
I only knew from him hanging around a bar on Saturday mornings for breakfast and a belt, was a nice chap in a bar kind of way, but the stories of his backroom dealings were endless.
RTA pension not really earned and other bad rumbling about a supposed nice chap.
He was never the same after the Pagano call and attempt to get to him.
He died imho by not taking care of a lingering cold that turned into pneumonia but the Pagano death haunted him to the end.
Cowlins?
Meh to the lot of them.
Ah, there goes Dippity Dumb again showcasing his ignorance.
Attacking someone he doesn’t know the first thing about them.
How about some facts Dippity?
You know so much about the family lines in this county,but you actually don’t know a thing.
You’re completely wrong about the current judge Cowlin, just as you’ve been consistently wrong about most everything else you’ve blabbered on about.
I doubt you ever were a deputy since you probably could not find a crook in prison.
Give us a break, are one of royalty we’re paying for at the County Taj Majal?
You should be texting on The taxpayers’ time!
I recall that Al Jourdan once ran the entire state GOP.
Ran it into the ground.
Now the local party features drag queen office holders.
This isn’t right, but shows the decadence.
Can’t wait to retire to a normal place.
Actually Cornhole your also wrong.
I’m just one of the poor schlubs who plays taxes to support the “royalty” and those living off the Democratic dole.