Sophomore State Rep. David McSweeney introduced eleven bills on the first day of the session. To say that it is an ambitious agenda is more than an understatement. You can take a look at them below: House Bill 173 – Repeals … Continue reading
Last Friday, State Rep. David McSweeney introduced a bill to allow people to complain about violations of the Open Meetings Act within sixty days after discovering the fault. Opponents of the power plant proposed in Oakwood Hills filed such a … Continue reading
The Illinois Attorney General notified McHenry County late yesterday afternoon that it is investigating whether the County Board’s Transportation Committee operated within the limitations of the Open Meetings Act at its September 3rd meeting on Randall Road. The question was … Continue reading
Yesterday, I attended the Transportation Committee meeting of the McHenry County Board. That was where the Committee voted 3-2 to approve dropping the Continuous Flow Intersection in favor of a more conventional, yet innovative for Illinois, approach of three left … Continue reading
Perhaps the title should be “MCC Board Holding Secret Retreat” because as I write this McHenry County Board members, President Vicky Smith and Illinois Community College Association facilitator Gary Davis are meeting in the college’s Shah Center in McHenry. The … Continue reading
The Northwest Herald’s Kevin Craver has been a busy guy. He just posted a scathing piece on his blog, “Opening Doors.” The subject is the very “special” meeting of the McHenry County College Board to extend the contract of President … Continue reading
A press release from the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office: STATE’S ATTORNEY’S OFFICE SPONSORS LOCAL GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY AND ETHICS SEMINAR Louis A. Bianchi is pleased to announce that the State’s Attorney’s Office is sponsoring a free seminar on local government … Continue reading
When I spoke during public comment time at the McHenry County Mental Health Board meeting on Monday night, I criticized the Board for not having posted its 5 o’clock Ethics & Compliance Committee meeting. Here’s what was on the Mental … Continue reading
In planning to attend the McHenry County Mental Health Board meeting Monday, I went to the County web site to check out the time. The Mental Health Board is a separate tax district and I’m glad that they are trying … Continue reading
Maybe it’s not tea leaves. Maybe it’s newspaper clippings to which I should allude. In any event, the first two McHenry County Board endorsement editorials got me thinking. McHenry County’s paper of record has suggested dumping Board Chairman Ken Koehler … Continue reading
The rumor has been going around that Shawn Green, a former President of the Huntley School Board, may run in the Republican primary for McHenry County Board. When I saw him at the McHenry Country Club Republican Party Play Day, … Continue reading
It couldn’t be characterized as “transparent,” but the secret meeting the McHenry County Board held on Feb. 14, 2011, to discuss legal bills from Special Prosecutor Henry Tonigan doesn’t qualify as “Illegal.’ Former McHenry County Board member Lou Anne Majewski … Continue reading
Headings on all three pages of what is, I presume, tonight’s swearing in ceremony for the Huntley School Board are labeled “Thursday, May 2, 2011.” Mistakes happen, but I wonder if this one means tonight’s meeting will not meet the … Continue reading
Just as whites were more privileged than blacks on Montgomery Alabama, buses, those trying to video or audio tape and photograph Grafton Township meetings seem to be now less equal than print reporters with pencil and pad. The Public Access … Continue reading
Former McHenry County Board member Lou Anne Majewski filed an Open Meetings complaint against the McHenry County Board for going into closed session to discuss a resolution drafted by a county board committee. Majewski says Chairman Ken Koehler said the … Continue reading
Here’s the April 14, 2011, letter that McHenry County’s Freedom of Information Office John Labaj sent to the Public Access Division of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office. One would presume that the blacked out parts were visible in the original … Continue reading
The Public Access Division of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office is looking into a complaint about a possible violation of the Open Meetings Act on February 15, 2011. “We have determined that further inquiry into this allegation is warranted,” wrote … Continue reading
When the Upper Illinois River Valley Development Authority was meeting somewhere near I-80 was meeting to approve the bonds for the McHenry County SportsPlex in Lakewood, it didn’t seem like it was worth the time to drive down to see … Continue reading
Know a public official who needs some training in the requirements of the Open Meetings Act? Cary Grade School District 26 is hosting the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office on Monday night and you as a citizen and any elected … Continue reading
So how many times did the “Family Feud” Grafton Township Board meet in the first year since Linda Moore replaced John Rossi as Supervisor? Past boards have met once a month, plus the Annual Town Meeting of Electors. The Supervisor … Continue reading
