Abernathy Signature Dooms His Own Candidacy for Congress

Iain Abernathy apparently signed the paperwork to make himself the Green Party candidate for congress in the 8th congressional district against incumbent Democrat Melissa Bean and Republican challenger Steve Greenberg.

Nothing too strange about that, except state law says the nominating committee shall be made up of elected precinct committeemen.

While the Green Party had elected precinct committeemen in McHenry County, the Greens apparently had none in Lake County.

The State Board of Elections, which is evenly divided between the two power parties, decided that Abernathy could not be on the ballot this fall.

“The nominating committee which selected candidate Iain Abernathy was not properly constituted as the candidate, who was not a lawful member of the 8th District Congressional Committee, participated in and voted at the meeting of said Congressional Committee thereby tainting the decision of the Committee,”

the ruling said.

The board's conclusion:

“As a result of the unlawful composition and conduct of the meeting referred to in paragraph A., the Resolution to Fill the Vacancy in Nomination that was executed at said meeting and filed with the State Board of Elections is not valid."

Abernathy began the election cycle as Bill Scheurer's Moderate Party candidate Abernathy Taints His Own Nomination for Congress for congress in the 8th. Then Scheurer urged Moderate Party members to join the Green Party.

Next, the Greens announced the slating of Abernathy. This candidacy was challenged Gregory Ferritto by Waukegan's Gregory Ferritto.

Abernathy can appeal the election board decision in court.

Abernathy's attorney was Scott Summers, who is the Green Party candidate for congress in the neighboring 16th congressional district. Summers' Green Party slating was not challenged, although a Barrington Hills contributor of Democratic Party candidate and Barrington Hills Village President Robert Abboud did so successfully after Summers filed petition signatures for the Green Party primary election.

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Randi Scheurer Takes on Blackwater, Company That Abandoned Her Son in Iraq and Trains in Mt. Carroll

I know some anonymous poster(s) doesn't think much of my posting press releases from McHenry County area candidates, so I won't this time.

But 8th congressional district Congresswoman Melissa Bean's announced primary opponent Randi Scheurer has brought a fight-for-hire company named Blackwater into her campaign.

And, it's personal.

She says that the company abandoned her son Dan at the side of a road in Iraq, where he was serving in the armed forces.

According to her press release,

"Her son Daniel was hit by a private contractor in Baghdad while walking along the side of the road, thrown into a gully abandoned by these mercenaries. He now goes to the Veterans hospital in North Chicago to deal with the injuries incurred by this lawless, careless, greedy company running Bush's war in it's own dark way."

It continues,

"They have just set up a paramilitary camp in Mt. Carroll, Illinois, where they intend to train a private military to be available to fight all around the globe."

Scheurer's husband Bill Scheurer ran against Bean under the Moderate Party banner and has announced he will do it again next year.

You can read the full release at McHenry County Blog.

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Mellisa Bean's "Kerry-esque" War Votes Draw Primary and General Election Opponents with the Same Last Name - Scheurer

Last night as I was listening to reactions to the Defense appropriations bill votes, I sent 2006 8th congressional district candidate for Congress Bill Scheurer an email asking if he had put out a press release.

Come to find out, he and his wife Randi have, complete with snappy new logo for he "Honk for Peace" web site. It follows:

In a series of Kerry-esque moves, IL-8th Congressional District Democratic Incumbent Melissa Bean has now “voted for” the surge in Iraq, after she “voted against” it.

This week, Bean joined a small minority of Democrats, and all but two Republicans, in voting to give the Bush administration another “blank check” for the war -- which includes, and fully funds, the escalation of hostilities -- having previously joined a solid Democratic majority in a symbolic vote opposing this same surge.

In the words of Sue Udry, Legislative Coordinator for the national coalition United for Peace & Justice,

"People have been dismayed to realize that Democrats and Republicans who have opposed the escalation of the number of troops in Iraq will still fund that escalation. Those who have decried the president's mismanagement of the war, are now willing to fund that mismanagement, with absolutely no accountability."

Bean also voted against another Democratic measure earlier this month that called for a binding timetable to end the war and bring our troops home.

This constant capitulation on the war has led the Scheurer family of Lake County to prepare another electoral challenge to Bean in 2008, only this time with a twist.

In 2006, Bill Scheurer ran as the independent Moderate Party candidate in the general election, getting over 5% of the vote and earning that party a guaranteed ballot slot for 2008. He intends to run again as an independent in the November 2008 election.

However, this time, his wife Randi Scheurer, a strong antiwar activist herself and a key force in her husband’s 2006 campaign, plans to run in the Democratic primary.

“I want to give Democratic voters a chance for something better,” she says. “If they are against the war, now they have a candidate to choose instead of the incumbent.”

The couple will spend Saturday May 26, with their Military Families Speak Out group attending the “Eyes Wide Open” exhibit at Grant Park in Chicago. Their son is an Iraq War veteran, and their daughter was a Captain in the U.S. Army.

This stirring, silent memorial displays a pair of combat boots for every American soldier who died in the war, numbering nearly 3,500 sets of boots by now.

Interested people can reach both campaigns at the www.honk4peace.org website.

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Honk for Peace demonstrators are seen on Route 31 last fall in McHenry. Photograph supplied by the Bill Scheurer campaign.

Told you there would be stuff of interest on McHenry County Blog this weekend. You can even see what Randi Scheurer looks like.

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