McHenry County Blog

With Mayor Aaron Shepley

· pulling hard for the Gay Games row boat race long before last night’s meeting and

· the council’s generally lockstep performance on forcing taxes up on homeowners and businesses by creating three new Tax Increment Financing Districts this past year,

the 6-1 approval of the restriction of motorboat owners’ rights last night was not a big surprise.

“This is precisely the type of event that we want to support, so people will get the idea of what Crystal Lake is really like,” Mayor Shepley, a close ally of Park Board member Candy Reedy said. His comments were reported on at least two ten o’clock news shows.

All four candidates up for re-election next April unanimously voted in favor of the Gay Games’ infringement of a minority of residents’ lake use rights in order to promote the political agenda of an even smaller minority.

Out of sight behind the building was the real reason for the decision. With antennae pointing to their public opinion shaping satellite gods in the sky sat five television transmission trucks.

Public officials do seek public approval…even when it is not from their own town’s residents.

How else can one explain the following quotes from Crystal Lake Park Board behind-the-scenes power house Candy Reedy?

“I think this is a nice opportunity to further showcase the lake.” (the night of the 2-2 vote) and

“If you don’t like it, don’t go.” (the night of the 3-2 vote)

Maybe the big story yesterday was the Northwest Herald’s apparent attempt to keep its readers in the dark about last night’s meeting. I’m told there was nothing in the print edition Tuesday.

(Contrast that to the Herald’s front page announcement of the date of the Huntley District 158 Board meeting deliberately set up by fellow board members to cast aspersions on board member Larry Snow’s reputation. This was not on the day of the meeting, but extraordinary, nevertheless.)

The Northwest Herald belatedly posted a story on its web site after

· WBBM radio kept running a story every hour quoting a Crystal Lake woman saying it was time Crystal Lakers moved into “the 21st century,”

· CNN’s ran a story on television,

· competitor (Elgin) Daily Courier-News ran a story on its front page, and

· Associated Press ran a story on its national wire.

Apparently, no effort was made by social conservatives to encourage people to attend the meeting, although the front parking lot was full and, for some reason, guarded by a police car at each end.

A majority of the Crystal Lake City Council is up for election next year:

Mayor Aaron Shepley and

Councilwomen/man

Ellen Brady-Mueller
Howie Christiansen
Kathy Ferguson.

All voted to let the Gay Games begin.

Jeff Thorsen was the only councilman to vote "No," but told the Chicago Tribune,

he had expected another vote on the matter, with the timing of the no-wake restrictions adjusted to better suit residents, and that he planned to vote in favor of the request then.