Friday, February 08, 2008

Beacon News: Shake-up in Kendall GOP

I don't have any special insights on this one. Someone wants to share how this squares with Kay Hatcher's win, I'm open to some enlightenment. Is it displeasure with Hastert and throw the rascals out?

Three-decade GOP leaders Dallas Ingemunson and Terry Peshia lost their seats on the Kendall County Republican Central Committee Tuesday to first-time candidates with apparent ties to an upstart political group.

Residents linked to the year-old Kendall County Republican Candidate Support Committee captured 18 of the 75 precinct committeeman positions that make up the GOP rank and file. At least one KCRCSC boss is eyeing a leadership bid when the Central Committee elects new party bosses next month.

"They're going to find that (party work) is not as easy a job as they think," said Ingemunson, who no longer belongs to the Central Committee he led for three decades, helping to launch the careers of former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Illinois House Minority Leader Tom Cross.

24 comments:

Anonymous,  5:37 PM  

This has been a long time coming....

Not surprised, pay attention to the elected(s) who are part of this. Kay Hatcher has been a long-time County Board member, not one of the favorites of the "newbies" (the KCRCSC).

The Dallas/Denny/Terry group is a bunch of the Old Guard who haven't been paying attention to what's happening in Kendall County. They already got theirs, not that concerned about everybody else.

The upstarts have more of a base in the townships, some of the municipalities, and elected officials. And they feel (probably with fair justification) that the County Republican establishment and the County Board have been doing a great job of not listening, so it's time to do a complete tear-down and rebuild.

Ask yourself about all the long-time establishment Republican pols in Kendall County who have bailed from their elected positions within the last year. That has more to do with Kay Hatcher's move.

The trigger for all of this started 2 years ago with Dallas's attempt to get his kid in as Kendall County State's Attorney. Too many of the locals saw this as "Lipinski Part II" and they said "No Way" and went with Eric Weiss. But when they made that choice, they were also smart enough to know that they were going to have to take Dallas out of the leadership game. Done & done.

The biggest effect isn't going to be on Kay Hatcher. It's going to be on Obie. The upstarts are not in the hard-core right-wing conservative court, they'll be quite comfortable, if not enthusiastic with the likes of John McCain, and that includes the immigration issue. Obie will be a one termer if he doesn't play ball with the locals (KCRCSC).

Go out to their website - take a look at the pictures of the food bank. Can tell you, that's not for political show & tell. They care, and the recognize the problems that exist, even in Kendall County.

Anonymous,  5:39 PM  

It's a circular firing squad among old Republican friends who are now enemies, easing the way for a Democratic resurgence in Kendall County. 10 years ago, the Democratic Party dissolved for lack of interest, now they actually have a chance to win a race or 2 in the county.

Kay is more popular with the people than she is with the conservative elements in the party. She can do one thing some of them can't - win elections.

Anonymous,  7:31 PM  

Anonymous has it somewhat right. The "new group" is actually more conservative than the "old guard" - I don't know if they're trying to clean house as much as they are trying to get rid of many people they see as being not as socially conservative as they "should be."
And Anonymous also had a good point - the backbiting and infighting in the GOP down in Kendall County will give the local Dems there a great opening to win some elections.

Anonymous,  11:10 AM  

Every one knows that Jim Wilson had no more desire to be a precint committeman than me. This was strictly a personal vendeta he has with Dallas. It really played out during the States Attorney race when Wilson was the motivating force in Eric Wise defeating Dallas's sone.

The sad part is that many of his puppets only got there start because of Dallas.

Anonymous,  2:18 PM  

Same goes in Kane County. The old guard now seems to be under the impression that they can continue to keep their connected friends happy and still win elections.

If the protest vote even remains half there the Democrats should take seats this fall just as they did the last election cycle.

If someone has the means to be able to get a message out to voters without the need for the media (which ignores the reality of pay to play out there) the GOP will be on the ropes.

Anonymous,  2:32 PM  

For an example of the KCRCSC mindset, go to their shadow website:

www.mykendallcounty.com

And read Jim Wilson's columns.

Does this sound like a reformer who is going to lead the Kendall GOP through the next century and help build their ranks? Or a guy with an axe to grind and a major chip on his shoulder who will trash anyone who disagrees with him?

These people do not sound "McCain friendly" to me. If they were, they wouldn't have gone 4 to 1 in favor of Lauzen in the election and generally against the Kay Hatcher brand of moderation...or for the Terry Hunt brand of far right social conservatism.

Even so, this group didn't seem to deliver very well for their favored candidates.

The primary purpose of a political party is to gain power so that they can advance their issues. Change is inevitable and the emergence of the KCRCSC is evidence of that. However, the "change" that is going on in the GOP at the local level in Kendall County can only be heartening to the local Democratic Party, which only a few years ago was a small, lonely, and dispirited group.

Anonymous,  5:21 PM  

first of all, all these people "in the know" about Kendall County should know how to spell the name of the States Attorney.. Weis..

This is all about a personal vendetta from former Judge Jim Wilson, who didn't like Dallas and the county board not bowing to his every whim. Wilson, who played a huge part in the election of Weis, (even though Judges are not supposed to campaign and run campagins) doesnt give a hoot about uniting the party, he just wants to settle a score with Dallas. A former judge...

Anonymous,  6:53 PM  

Wilson is a former judge who also once worked in Ingemunson's law office in Yorkville. I was told Ingemunson helped Mr. Wilson get his judgeship. They are also neighbors. It is obviously a former friendship gone extremely bitter.

That being said, there are not too many political "movements" that could be sustained based on one man's personal feelings. If the KCRCSC is truly the brainchild of Mr. Wilson and his friends, they have found several followers and had a succesful and popular election effort with Eric Weis. But Ingemunson and his crew were close to retirement anyway, and it is easy to see how an "anti-dynasty" vote against Ingemunson's kid could be sustained even with people who had no interest in the Ingemunson-Wilson family feud.

Suffice to say, this KCRCSC group has its work cut out, with the changing demographics of the county and the apparent factionalization of its GOP.

Anonymous,  7:17 PM  

this new gang won a couple of committeeman races they campaigned for. They went door to door to beat Ingemunson and the current Chairman Peshia. Their candidate for State Rep got trounced, their candidate for Clerk got beat by 10 points. It was widely expected Lauzen would win Kendall County and he got beat badly. they took some low hanging fruit. Let's see how they fare in the coming general when the race for the 14th will be tight. And don't kid yourself, the group is controlled by retired Judge Jim Wilson

Anonymous,  8:41 PM  

The kcrcsc is nothing but a renegade group of right wing republicans fueled by Chris Lauzen and Jim Wilson. They have been rallying people for their cause for years by spreading lies and taking pot shots at the likes of Ingemunson, Hastert and Cross. The groups stated goal is to support ALL republican candidates and publicly that is how they gain credibility with the general public, but privately they want to destroy anyone who stands in their way of taking control of the party. Unfortunately, for Kendall County all of the good people involved in the party are going to pack it in if this group takes control. The days of Kendall County being a breeding ground for some of the most respected GOP leaders in the country are over.

Anonymous,  12:41 AM  

Why did a guy with this much energy retire from being a judge? Was there information that was soon to be made public that would have tarnished his reputation?
Anybody know about Wilson's pension? Truth is, he makes just as much retired as he did working as a judge. Who's paying for that? The Taxpayer...

Meanwhile he slanders good public servants like Denny Hastert and Tom Cross.

A leader for the Republican Party? Hardly..

Anonymous,  9:35 AM  

seems like wilson plays both sides big fat state pension doesnt a judge get about 165000.oo dollars so he must make close to that..and then he claims to be an outsider ..seems like someone living off the state..and did i read dallas got him the judgeship wow what a hypocrit

Anonymous,  2:17 PM  
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous,  12:14 AM  

After taking a tour of the kcrcsc web page, I found more pictures of Tom Cross, Denny Hastert and Boyd Ingemunsen at their site than there are at the kendallgop web page. They didn't appear to be kicking and screaming. I think there's a lot of exaggerating going on here.

Anonymous,  10:52 AM  

The claim that Hastert and Cross are "good public servants" is debatable. So often, supporters are loyal to personal relationships or likeable personalities. For many in Kendall, it's a bit of a status symbol that THEIR representative or congressman are THE SPEAKER or THE MINORITY LEADER.

Yet, the facts are that Hastert was railroaded into his Congressman spot by insider politics and he is more beholden to Ingemunson and Co. than he is to the taxpayers in the 14th. Hastert, Ingemunson, and KOMPAC gave Tom Cross a lot of campaign money when he was running for the leadership spot, which Cross funneled to a number state reps who were unopposed. Afterward, they all voted to make Cross their minority leader. Obviously, that position was bought.

Also, to truly determine how good they were as public servants, we need to look at how the party and the districts fared under their leadership. In either case, not good.

Anonymous,  11:00 AM  

Wow, looks like some of these comments are from folks that seem to have inside information or otherwise have it all figured out.

If there are new people eager to promote the Republican Party, what's the problem. If some are Jim Wilson followers, others Lauzen followers, others Ingemunson haters, who cares.

It's kind of funny to see the 'side taking' going on in this blog. If you care about Republican Politics why not call a precinct committeeman, call Jim Wilson, or attend a meeting.

I'll express only one opinion here, IMO very little is going to be accomplished on a web log. So my challenge to one and all is to get involved.

Whoever said, hate won't take you far is right, so if you get involved based on hate, you won't last long, and you'll be revealed. If you come with an honest passion for Republican ideals, you may be surprised to find friends who will encourage your participation.

I haven't said where to get involved, because people have differenct desires and intersts. It may be a campaign, a local Precinct, the Central Committee or an organization like KCSCS,I don't care. Be a part of a the solution.

The other fact that I agree with is that the Democrats have gained an advantage in Kendall County. That has been happening for years while the "Repbican Party" has been asleep at the switch

Anonymous,  12:13 PM  

"If some are Jim Wilson followers, others Lauzen followers, others Ingemunson haters, who cares."

In other words, if you are not a Jim Wilson follower, Lauzen follower, or Ingemunson hater, you need not apply to our new little club.

Anonymous,  4:28 PM  

Dallas and all,

The winds are changing. If you don't get your landfill you will have to go over to another county to make $$$.

Sorry.

Anonymous,  4:37 PM  

Speaking of landfills-

Isn't kcrcsc operative Jim Wilson connected to Don Hamman, who is also trying to develop a landfill near Yorkville?

The winds are changing alright. Best not be downwind.

Anonymous,  5:23 PM  

I curiously took a look at this supposed website controlled by the KCRCSC mykendallcounty.com and found the usage agreement very interesting. The agreement states "You acknowledge, agree, and understand that Member Submittals may or may not be edited, modified, deleted, removed, moved, and/or amended, etc., at the sole discretion of Our Kendall County.com." It seems to me that this gives whomever controls the site ultimate authority to spread self-serving propaganda under the guise of an objective news source/blog. If the KCRCSC is behind this site that is not a good thing for the free flow of ideas and information in which all republicans should partake in. Does anyone know who runs their site?

Anonymous,  6:21 PM  

I was told Keith Wheeler the Chairman of the KCRCSC runs the site. I also heard Wheeler is looking to run for the Chairman's position replacing Peshia. That website might prove to be a problem when the county convention arrives.

Anonymous,  10:55 PM  

KCRCSC is a great group of grassroots conservatives that want to see reform and accountability in government. They won many more races than they lost. The smaller the race, the more impact they had, since variables were fewer.
You will see a positive change coming on March 5th at the County convention

Anonymous,  12:58 PM  

Jim Oberweis walked Keith Wheeler's precinct last week with him. The new group seems to be just a bunch of motivated people who want to beat democrats and were frustrated with the direction of the party. Jim Wilson's opinions are just that, he found some folks to link up with but its not his group.

Anonymous,  9:40 PM  

congressional campaign not a good nite for lauzen and kendall republicans whom is chairman peshia ??his fault since he is chairman unless he lost?????????lauzen also wears collar for not backing obie

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