Schools Allowing Opt-Out on Obama's Speech

by Cal Skinner

As I was looking at how various area school districts are coping with President Barack Obama's request to penetrate every school room in America, I was pointed to Carpentersville Unit District 300's message to the public:

"Message from the Superintendent:

"Some D300 teachers and principals are allowing their students to watch President Obama's national address to American school chilren at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8.

"The topic is the importance of education and setting/meeting goals.

"Parents who do not want their children to watch this Presidential address can contact their teacher so the teacher may make other arrangements for their children."

It appears that District 300 is allowing parents to opt out of the "opportunity," just as Crystal Lake Grade School District 47 is.

Huntley School District 300, on the other hand, is foregoing the opportunity. Here's what Crystal Lake High School District 155 is doing.

Posted first on McHenry County Blog.

Read more...

The TEA Party in Cary

When my son and I got to Cary we discovered people who had been at the Crystal Lake demonstration, 550 strong according to Libertarian Party Chair Dave Brady of Wonder Lake.

This was the third McHenry County TEA Party I visited April 15th. The second was on Route 62 in Algonquin.

We parked at Kelli's Cuckoo's Nest across from the Metra station. She offered free pizza to protesters. (All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.)

When I recognized some protest signs and asked what had happened in Crystal Lake, I was told that the Crystal Lake Police closed down the demonstration at one.

Apparently, Crystal Lake requires a permit and an insurance policy if more than 50 people are going to demonstrate and organizer Jim Thompson said his demonstration would be from noon to one.

So, a number of people just drove down the road to Cary.

There Cary Coffee Shop proprietor John Bobrytzke didn't contact city government.

His location, across Main Street from the train station, didn't attract many demonstrators. That was because people figured out that more motorists could see their signs from Route 14.

But Bobrytzke is the reason the demonstrators were there.

He stepped out in front and the rest of us followed him to bring the message to homebound commuters in Cary.

And, it's a superb location for a protest, because not only motorists, but those taking the train could see their signs.

I'm sure the Metra engineers were not blowing their horns because of the signs, but, then again, I don't ever remember hearing a train horn blast in Cary before.

Again, big trucks blowing their air horns brought a thrill to my body. Above you see a Crystal Lake-based W. Smith Cartage gasoline truck “blowing”around the corner past the old village hall.

Sometimes when the trucks and cars were not blowing their horns enough for one sign carrier, she pulled out a tiny air horn to make some noise.

Not that it was silent for long stretches.

This man was the chief horn honking cheer leader. He was so persistent.

And, when the folks on the street couldn't get a honk, there were people like this lady with open windows giving the sign holders a “thumbs up.”

How far did people come?

This man, a sign shop owner from West Frankfort, IL, came up to Palatine to help out a buddy and they both came up to Cary for the demonstration.

I found an anti-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin sign in Cary.

Every once in a while another horn-blaring semi would breeze through town. Here's one from Custom Companies.

As in Crystal Lake, a police presence was evident. In Cary, they weren't in cars. They were standing in full view of the demonstrators. Pretty easy duty.

“Term Limits” were the answer to one man.

Another man had the simple message of

NO
MORE
TAXES

A bit longer, but quite understandable message was

ENOUGH IS
ENOUGH
DAMN IT

Her friend's says

CONGRE$$
YOU'RE
FIRED!!!

One of the woman who drove down from the Crystal Lake event was pro-life leader Irene Napier. Her sign said,

To Steal From One
Person Is Theft
To Steal From Many
Is Taxation

Next to her on the Southeast corner of the intersection I saw the above.

There was one of the few non-homemade signs nearby.

A family of four was on the north side of the street. Two flag wavers and two sign carriers.

They could see this scene across the street if they looked. I like the sign held by the little girl saying,

I'm a kid.
Don't Spend
My Money
Before I Earn
It!

A longer view of that side of the street showed this.

It was crowded in front of the little park with a pond next to the old Cary Village Hall.

There were two misplaced Obama supporters standing on the traffic island next to the railroad crossing. They were electricians whom I suppose were not working on tax payment day.

Posted first at McHenry County Blog.

Read more...

Tax Hikers Have Hard Time

by Cal Skinner
"Ax your tax" seems to have been the sentiment of most tax hike referendum voters in McHenry County this election.

Voters in this recession were not kind to tax district officials' requests for referendums to raise taxes on April 7th.

The Nunda Township Open Space referendum went down to defeat. See

59% Say “No” to Nunda Township Open Space Referendum

While incomplete results of the $178 million bond referendum placed on the ballot by Elgin Community College was ahead last night when I wrote this story

Elgin Community College Bond Referendum Narrowly Passing

the missing precincts in Cook County must have been pretty negative. Elgin's Courier-News is reporting a victory margin of just 29 votes. You have to see what the Elgin paper did for the referendum's passage on Sunday. Click on the link.

This is an excellent example of how limiting campaign contributions of non-newspaper owners will have a negative effect.

How could a private individual get as much impact opposing a referendum as the Elgin Courier did in its front page support of it.

McHenry County voters in the ECC district, coterminous with District 300, voted against it 1,162 to 798.

Cary Grade School District's $17 million Working Cash Fund bond issue went down the tubes by a vote of 1,754 to 922. Almost two-thirds voted “No.”

The Marengo-Union Grade School District 165 tax rate hike tanked 62% to 38%.

The only referendum which the McHenry County Clerk's web site shows passing is that of the Spring Grove Fire Protection District. It has a 10 vote lead. The tally, without including absentee and early votes, is 769-759.

Read more...

How Crystal Lake Got More Sales Tax Receipts This Year

I decided to see the damage that Mayor Aaron Shepley and his compliant city council caused local taxpayers with their 75% Crystal Lake city sales tax increase that went into effect July 1st.

The city fathers and mothers forced local shoppers to pull $408,353 more out of their wallets than they they would have had the tax hikers not gotten their way.

But, interesting to me is the fact that collections for the one percentage point upon which Crystal Lake officials piled on their extra 0.75 percentage point for their Home Rule sales tax went down.

Look at Crystal Lake collections for the two years:

7-2007 – $936,674
7-2008 – $896,405

So, regular city sales tax collections took a hit of $40,269 of 4.3%.

The question that came to my mind was, “Is that better or worse that the neighboring town of McHenry?”
Here are City of McHenry figures:

7-2007 – $551,520
7-2008 – $499,352

McHenry was also down. The $52,168 was a larger percentage loss than was seen by Crystal Lake—9.4%.

For a broader gauge, I looked at McHenry County. The figures you see below represent one-quarter of one percent of all McHenry County retail sales:

7-2007 – $642,399
7-2008 – $601,941

McHenry County saw collections decrease by $40,458 or 6.2% since last year.

So, what should we make of that?

If Crystal Lake can see less of a drop in sales tax receipts after it raises its sales tax rate by 75% than a city which kept sales tax rates constant, the law of supply and demand seems to have been repealed.

Higher costs should lead to lower sales.

And, discriminating shoppers like me and a local school janitor were shopping at the Super Walmart in Woodstock, rather than in Crystal Lake.

But I'll bet a lot of folks heading up Route 31 to McHenry and places north stopped at the new Super Walmart in Crystal Lake.

Besides the new Super Walmart, shoppers may have continued to shop in Crystal Lake because there was so little knowledge of the 75% hike in city sales tax as of July 1st.

The Northwest Herald ran no story. The Daily Herald rarely covers things dealing with Crystal Lake.

The city did not even bother to notify the local tax collectors, that is, local stores. Barnes and Noble had to eat the first few days of sales tax, as did at least one store in Downtown Crystal Lake.

Or, it may be that those shopping in Crystal Lake had less of an income drop than those in McHenry.

Or, maybe the

“I Shop Crystal Lake”

campaign worked.

Of a combination of the factors I have mentioned, plus others I missed.

Since Algonquin has the same .075% Home Rule sales tax as Crystal Lake, I took a look there, too.

The figures for Algonquin's Home Rule portion went down $2,514 or under 9/10 of one percent.

7-2007 – $291,831
7-2008 – $289,317

For its regular 1% tax on retail sales, the figures were up $21,980 or up 3.5%:

7-2007 – $536,740
7-2008 – $558,720

Why would the regular sales tax increase, while the Home Rule tax take decreased?


Probably because the Home Rule tax does not apply to food or drugs, while the regular city sales tax does. People stop buying food long after they stop buying non-necessities.

And, new stores are still opening in Algonquin, as you can see at the southwest corner of Randall and County Line Roads.

It also seems to me that as Crystal Lake's shopping opportunity's have deteriorated that shoppers may have driven south.

= = = = =
Notice was apparently not given to all merchants about the tearing up of the Downtown Crystal Lake sidewalks on November 13 that you see at the top of the article. I have also found merchants who were not notified by city officials of the 75% city sales tax hike was effective July 1st.

Published first on McHenry County Blog.

Read more...

McHenry County Democrats Out Polling Republicans in Presidential Ballots

With 86% of precincts counted in McHenry County, Democrats have 51.2% of the ballots cast for president.

This tracks nicely with the early voting totals, in which voters were taking 51% of the ballots cast when I wrote my story.

So, is this a result of Obama fever?

Barack Obama did beat Hillary Clinton by almost 2-1 (almost 63% to almost 36%).

Was the more fervent support of the Democratic presidential candidates the reason for more people taking Democratic Party ballots in this supposed Republican County?

If you were the Democrats, wo?

Or would you stick to just one—the county coroner’s office, with Republican turned Democrat Dave Bachmann, who started Bachmann funeral home, being the candidate?

Published first at McHenry County Blog, where there is lots more on what happened in McHenry County this strange election night.

Read more...

Emtpy Offices - Troutman and Ogilvie

Is anyone surprised that indicted ex-Chicago Alderman Arenda Troutman didn’t leave anything in her office for her 20th Ward successor Willie Cochran?

After all, this is the woman that had this fun-loving photograph on her web page.

The only thing like that was what I saw when I walked into the Governor’s office across the hall on from the State Treasurer’s second floor banking office after being sworn in as state representative in January 1972.

Governor Richard Ogilvie had been defeated by Dan Walker.

The place was vacant and empty.

I mean e-m-p-t-y.

Nothing on the bookshelves, except for one report.

It was the report attorney Richard J. Kissel had written on the McHenry County ‘s assessment mess. It was issued right at the end of Ogilvie’s term after earlier hearings in at least Woodstock and Cary. I’m sure no one else would have had any interest in it.

Kissel came to my attention because Ogilvie had him write a report on the Cook County assessment mess under Cook County Assessor Parky Cullerton.

I badgered the Ogilvie folks to even out their examination of assessment problems by looking at Republican McHenry County.

I still remember what the Greenwood Township Assessor said when I revealed at the Woodstock hearing how Greenwood Township’s assessment level was one of the, probably the highest level in McHenry County.

Of course, all were and are supposed to be the same.

“They did that to me?!” the conscientious assessor exclaimed in disbelief.

Ogilvie’s people were probably as angry at Walker as Clinton’s were at George W. Bush when they took all the “w’s” off the key boards.

This is only one of the articles on McHenry County Blog this weekend.

Read more...

Doubling the RTA Sales Tax

Will any McHenry County legislators vote to double the Regional Transportation Authority tax burden on local residents?

That’s the question I’m asking after reading the latest Daily Herald article by Eric Kroh.

Those voting for it will gain instant “tax hiker” status.

Here is a full-sized bus that pulls out of a subdivision between Crystal Springs Road and Mason Hill Road, takes the McHenry Blacktop to Bull Valley Road, turns right, and goes to Route 31 where it turns right again. This is right before 8 AM.

I have yet to see it stop for a passenger.

That's just the kind of efficiency I want to subsidize more of.

Posted first at McHenry County Blog, where political news continues over the weekend, including the dissent on the $21,000 Oberweis fine, which McHenry County Blog reported six months ago.

Read more...

Manzullo Has Well-Heeled McHerny County Demo Challenge

The Rockford Register-Star's Political Reporter Chuck Sweeney Something called had an interesting rumor about a potential Democratic Party candidate against Republican Congressman Don Manzullo in his Sunday column.

Instead of having an under-financed 2008 general election opponent, Manzullo will face Robert Abboud, village president of Barrington Hills, Sweeney reports.

While Abboud runs his own company--RGA Labs--now, if memory serves me correctly, the nuclear engineer used to work for Commonwealth Edison.

Abboud is probably best known for being his father’s son. The elder A. Robert Abboud was President of the First National Bank of Chicago and, later, the Occidental Petroleum Corporation.

You can read Abboud's political views in the Rockford Sunday column. I’d suggest reading the comments, too, some of which Abboud replies to.

What Sweeney did not mention is that Retired General John Borling may run for Congress as an independent this time, instead of as a write-in candidate as he did in 2006. (Borling did next to nothing in McHenry County and garnered 76 write-in votes. Manzullo got 66% of the votes cast in McHenry County.)

Whether that would cut into Manzullo’s base or the Democratic Party’s base will take some pretty sophisticated polling to figure out.

Someone named Sean on The Swing State Project laid out this strategy for an Abboud victory:

What a Democrat must do to win the district is not that hard. They must run at least even in the small counties along the Wisconsin border like Boone, Stephenson, and hold Manzullo to about 53% in Jo Daviess, 55% in Carroll, and to 58% in Ogle. As for the big population centers, they have to win big in Winnebago county(about 57%), and hold Manzullo to 56% in the district's portion of McHenry county.

While Abboud now lives in Barrington Hills, he grew up in Fox River Grove, where his father was quite active in reform politics.

Abboud and his wife Patricia gave $2,520 to Democratic Party State Representative Jack Franks in 2006, a year when Franks had no opponent.

Posted first at McHenry County Blog.

Read more...

Latest Township Scandal

A major township scandal seems to be coming to a boil in Burton Township.

These happen periodically throughout Illinois. The biggest I remember was in Elgin Township, where the supervisor made off with hundreds of thousands. There was also something about illegality with a past Dundee Township road commissioner.

Now, big trouble for McHenry County’s tiniest township.

$159,000 is missing.

Burton Township is located in far northeastern McHenry County. For those in the eastern part of McHenry County, think of turning the area east of the Fox River into a separate township. That will give you an idea of the size of Burton Township.

A friend of the blog was at the meeting Thursday night. I wish the friend had sent me photos, but she did have some flavor to add to Northwest Herald reporter Jullian Compton’s quite competent story.

“People were lining up to get a glimpse of the names on the checks written by (former township supervisor) Suzanne Regnier. (The NW Herald) story says that some were written to herself and her children. $75,937.53 to herself and $83,135.81 to ‘third parties’ for a total of $159,073.34.”

There is an auditor’s report covering multiple years

Supervisor Regnier was the wife of recently-retired Spring Grove Police Chief Don Regnier. The Northwest Herald said she committed suicide.

Boy, what a position the ex-chief would have been in if he discovered what his wife supposedly did.

Regnier is the chief whose job former Spring Grove Village President Tom Sanders recently assumed.

More this weekend on McHenry County Blog, including legislators having fun on Sunday.

Read more...

Rockford Amtrak Progressing

The Union Pacific freight train that was roaring through Marengo with horns blasting a little after noon Saturday was not a precursor of Amtrak service to McHenry County.

That was made abundantly clear at a Rockford College presentation Saturday morning.

The once-a-day round trip Amtrak engines and coaches are on the track from Chicago to Rockford and Dubuque though.

They’re picking up speed, but not through McHenry County.

There was a clue late last week when U.S. Senator Dick Durbin’s press release announcing Saturday’s meeting did not even mention McHenry County.

McHenry County officials from Huntley and Marengo attended anyway.

Under the aegis of Durbin and Congressman Don Manzullo, Amtrak officials presented the results of a study stimulated by a meeting last July.

There were three alternative routes, but the old Blackhawk route to Dubuque is the one that is so, so most likely to be selected.

Its major problem is “some congestion issues around Chicago,” where there is a need for “additional capacity.” The cost would be about $23 million for what the Amtrak chart calls the “direct route” with estimated annual ridership of 113,300 passengers.

The “Belvidere” route, which would go through Huntley and Marengo, has “no connection between Metra and Union Pacific in Elgin” and would need “a connector in Rockford.” The cost would be $32 million and the number of passengers 62,200.

Part of the route through the Rockford Airport is so bad that it would require “a complete rebuilding” and the “East is quite poor,” Franke said. The cost would be $55-62 million with 51,200.

The old Blackhawk route is the cheapest and Durbin, Manzullo and Acting Illinois Department of Transportation Director Milt Sees want action now. A cursory glance shows construction cost of $200 per annual passenger, while the Belvidere route is in the neighborhood of $513 and the airport route $1,100-1,200.

On capital cost, then, there is no question that the “direct route” is cheapest.

It wins on annual operating cost, too. The Belvidere route is 1.2 times as expensive, while the airport route is 1.24 times higher.

In absolute dollars of annual subsidy, however, the difference between the three is only $600,000.

The congress folks and IDOT want action so “now” that the public hearing will be on Monday, April 16th!

That’s two weeks from now.

And, disagreement is likely to kill the possibilities.

As Sees put it,

I, too, have been in this racket for a long time. The only way for people to get their projects is to agree.

Anytime you get into a protracted debate, you lose time and time increases money.

The window of opportunity can close on you very rapidly.

You have to help them help you,

Sees said, indicating the two congressmen.

Rockford Mayor Larry Morrisey, whose city wins regardless of which route is selected, said, “We don’t want to be fighting against ourselves. We look forward to rail coming to our communities.”

After Amtrak’s Mike Franke indicated service could be started as soon as two years from now, assuming negotiations with the railroad go well, Drubin said, “I’d sure hate to waste this construction season.”

Durbin called for “a spirit of cooperation,” for "not letting the best become the enemy of the good."

Other problems include the need for train stations.

“It’s going to be up to the locals to build the stations,” Franke said. “Five or six stations make sense.”

“Don’t come to us for earmarks for stations,” Manzullo warned.

There would be “no food service” and “the supply of Amtrak rolling stock is extremely tight.”

If Amtrak is to supply them, they will “have to be taken out of storage and rehabbed.”

Only one ordinary citizen was allowed to speak.

Janet Fisher, describing herself as “The Crazy Train Lady,” said, “I’m just thrilled with all of this. If we get something in place, it will blossom and grow.”

Manzullo wanted to know if the train could be used for commuting from Rockford to Chicago. He was told that the trip would take an hour and 45 minutes, leaving Rockford early enough for commuters and leaving Chicago at 6:15 in the evening for the return trip.

Manzullo made a point of stating,

There is not one passenger train that operates (without a subsidy).

Two of the people allowed to speak were state representatives.

Republican State Representative Dave Winters asked whether this effort could be part of the effort to extend Amtrak service to Minneapolis.

He got a “No” for an answer.

At one point, when Durbin was pointing out that it would take state legislation to change the "footprint" of Metra, Winters indicated that "very informal" talks were taking place that would apparently give the Rockford Airport Authority the power to deal with trains.

It is my impression that the Rockford Airport Authority has significant non-referendum bonding authority. Maybe local influentials intend to use that power to get money to pay for local Amtrak track repairs.

Rockford Democratic Party State Rep. Chuck Jefferson was the final speaker. He was effusive in his praise of Durbin.

Also introduced was Boone County’s Republican State Rep. Ron Wait.

Attending from McHenry County were Huntley Village President Chuck Sass and Village Manager Carl Tomaso, plus Marengo Mayor Don Lockhart and City Administrator Scott Hartman.

None got an opportunity to speak at the forum.

= = = = =
The Union Pacific train was on the track speeding through Marengo right after noon.

Next can be seen the three routes being considered and the table showing the cost figures for each route.

Acting IDOT Secretary Milt Sees is below on the right.

Rockford Mayor Larry Morrisey is down to the left with Senator Dick Durbin's picture to his right.

Underneath is a photography of Congressman Don Manzullo.

Below her is "Crazy Train Lady" Janet Fisher.

The three state legislators attending come next. On top, at the left, is Dave Winters. Below him is Chuck Jefferson. To Jefferson's right is Ron Wait.

Beneath the photo credit line are pictures of Huntley Village President Chuck Sass and his Village Manager Carl Tomaso leaving the meeting.

Next is a "before meeting" shot of Belvidere Mayor Fred Brereton and Marengo Mayor Don Lockhart. Brereton got to speak, as did Boone County Board Vice Chairman David Taylor and Winnebago County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen. Christiansen is seen to the left.

There is, of course, much more on McHenry County Blog this weekend.

Read more...

Arrested for Stealing Signs

It took me long enough to find this photograph I took last October 6th, a month before the fall election.

All politicians have complaints about their opponents stealing signs.

Sometimes you see people stealing them, as I did on Route 14 between Barrington and Inverness one very rainy weekend night right before the election. A young man was taking down a 4X8 foot Mike Salvi for State Representative sign.

Salvi’s opponent Verna Clayton, who sat near me on the House floor, was getting significant help from the House Republican Campaign Committee at the time, so you can imagine my thoughts. (No, I don’t think she had anything to do with the vandalism.)

In another race, I'm told a truck full of signs was followed back to a union headquarters.

This time, it was an individual who apparently just thought political signs were ugly.

As you can see from this picture, there was certainly overkill at the property which used to be and, maybe, still is part of Flowerwood.

When I drove to Wisconsin on October 6, using the back road past the Woodstock Hospital to get to Route 14, I saw only one sign on the way to Williams Bay. It was for Congressman Don Manzullo and was legally posted behind a person’s sidewalk on Route 14 on the north side of Harvard.

On the way home, when I saw the plethora of signs where Ridgefield Road intersects Route 14 near that wonderful Chinese restaurant, The Breakers, I stopped to take some pictures.

According to Chuck Keeshan, reporter for the Daily Herald, James C. Conley (according to the Circuit Clerk’s office, the man’s middle initial is “C,” rather than the “A” reported in the Daily Herald), a guy my age who likes to ride his bicycle, was arrested after complaints during a stakeout the day before I took my pictures. He was charged with taking down signs for Judy Baar Topinka, judicial candidate Charles Weech and Dan Rutherford, the GOP candidate for Secretary of State.

I can certainly empathize with Crystal Lake's Conley about the proliferation of political signs posted on highway rights-of-way.

Before 1992 this did not happen much.

Local politicians got permission from property owners and did not illegally post political signs.

It was the insurgent and successful congressional campaign of Don Manzullo which was the first I noticed putting up yard signs where they did not belong.

His primary victory against State Senator Jack Schaffer undoubtedly emboldened other candidates to follow suit. My guess is that Manzullo did not have the depth of organization to recruit enough homeowners and businesses to get rid of all his signs, so up they went along the roads.

Unfortunately, what works in politics, whether it be negative campaigning or illegal sign posting, is copied by future politicians.

And, no one in county or state government seems to want to enforce the law against illegal posting of signs—whether they be put there by developers or political workers--in road rights-of-way.

Without local enforcement—which only the Kane County Transportation Department is pursuing—expect to see the obnoxious and illegally place signs from developers and politicians for a long time to come.

But, if you are tempted to take down some of those signs, remember the people who bought the signs may have enough influence to get you arrested.

And, the rule of thumb is that only ones on the road side of the utility poles are posted illegally.

As usual, if you click on the photos, you can get a bigger version. You can even identify most of the candidates advertised on the signs.

Always more on the weekends at McHenry County Blog.

Read more...