Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Chairman’s Choice – Republican Committeeman Appointees
In December, I reported on the relative state of the two power parties in McHenry County: Republican and Democrat.
Both had immense numbers of vacant precincts.
What’s a vacant precinct?
It’s one where no one had cared enough about being precinct committeeman to get the signatures of 10 neighbors to get on the ballot.
In some cases it was just laziness. In others it was a deliberate decision.
After all, not many non-elected officials need to curry favor with party leaders to keep their government jobs anymore. There are some, but they are few and far between.
In any event, the lack of citizens filing for precinct committeeman not only reflects the decline of party politics, but also concentrates power in the county chairman. That’s because the two county power party chairman have the power to appoint people who do not even live in the precinct to serve as precinct committeeman until the next primary election.
Some are sincerely interested in getting party candidates elected; others are “space filler” who will do nothing except take up a line in the McHenry County Yearbook.
Last week, Republican Party chairman Bill LeFew appointed 37 people, by my count, for seven townships:
Some of the appointees are/were elected officials. I see
Neighbors Suzanne Koch, 65 Hilltop in Lake in the Hills, has been appointed to Algonquin 28, where she was elected two years ago, and
Anna Saikel of 77 Hilltop, LITH, was appointed in Algonquin 39, where she served as an appointed committeeman last term.
Also appointed to serve in the same precinct, as last time was Cary’s Rebecca Lee—Algonquin 31. Lee is Bob and Anna Miller’s daughter. She is a lawyer who works for the State’s Attorney’s Office.
Lake in the Hills’ Greg Cook will be responsible for Algonquin 61, the same precinct as last time.
Educator Andress Conneen will staff Algonquin 60, rather than Algonquin 58, as he did during the last election.
Jeff Altman has been tagged for Algonquin 58, as he was during the last 2-year cycle.
Algonquin 49 has appointed committeeman Robin Mohr for the term. Mohr was the elected committeeman in Algonquin 8 until he moved out of the precinct.
Former Cary village trustee and one of my former (and only conservative) Democratic Party candidates for state representative Joe Powalowski will serve in Algonquin 48, where he was last time.
Keith Petropoulos of Algonquin will be in Algonquin 32. Petropoulos filed to run against me in the 2000 primary, but withdrew in mid-January, presumably to give Rosemary Kurtz a better chance of winning, which she did.
George Boddy is a long-time elected precinct committeeman in Algonquin 29, where he was just appointed.
Mark Zulke of Fox River Grove will jump the river to represent Trout Valley’s Algonquin 23, one of the most Republican precincts around.
Charles McKenney of Turnberry in Grafton Township will work Algonquin 13, my old precinct in Coventry. McKenney is the attorney son of former Lakewood village trustee Hal McKenney, an active Republican in his later life. (Hal was Democratic Party chairman when I ran for County Treasurer in 1966 and recruited my opponent, Doris Fortier.)
Clare Johnson has been appointed in Algonquin 66.
The second largest township, McHenry, with 34 precincts, only filled 9. That means ever precinct has a name attached to it as Republican precinct committeeman.
Township Supervisor Donna Schaefer will fill a previously vacant one—McHenry 25—while she was in McHenry 29 last term.
Jake Justen will serve in McHenry 4, Angelo Nardi in McHenry 7 (McHenry 30 before), Township Trustee Jerry Courdrey in McHenry 13 (the same as last time), George Dienhart in McHenry 15, Township Clerk Bruce Novak again in McHenry 17, Wally Fox in McHenry 22 (where he was the elected committeeman last time), Judge Mike Chmiel former law partner Lewis Matuszewich in McHenry 24, and John Landon (the husband of Central Committee Executive Geri Davis) in McHenry 28, instead of McHenry 32.
Chemung Township got two appointements:
Marengo Township also received two appointed committeemen:
One vacancy was filled in Burton, Dorr and Greenwood Townships:
Of course, the real question remains:
Both had immense numbers of vacant precincts.
What’s a vacant precinct?
It’s one where no one had cared enough about being precinct committeeman to get the signatures of 10 neighbors to get on the ballot.
In some cases it was just laziness. In others it was a deliberate decision.
After all, not many non-elected officials need to curry favor with party leaders to keep their government jobs anymore. There are some, but they are few and far between.
In any event, the lack of citizens filing for precinct committeeman not only reflects the decline of party politics, but also concentrates power in the county chairman. That’s because the two county power party chairman have the power to appoint people who do not even live in the precinct to serve as precinct committeeman until the next primary election.
Some are sincerely interested in getting party candidates elected; others are “space filler” who will do nothing except take up a line in the McHenry County Yearbook.
Last week, Republican Party chairman Bill LeFew appointed 37 people, by my count, for seven townships:21 - Algonquin TownshipAlgonquin has 66 precincts, so nearly in one-third no one cared enough to file. And, we had a hot Republican gubernatorial primary election, right?
9 – McHenry Township
2 – Chemung Township
2 – Marengo Township
1 – Burton Township
1 – Dorr Township
1 – Greenwood Township
Some of the appointees are/were elected officials. I see
· county board member Don Brewer (who lost re-nomination) for Algonquin 1, where Constance Donner has long served,Dean Whitfield and his wife Sue will take on Algonquin precincts 37 and 42, respectively. Both previously served as appointed committeemen in those precincts.
· county board member Anna May Miller (Algonquin 26 in Crystal Lake’s Coventry subdivision),· her husband, Algonquin Township Road Commissioner Bob Miller adjacent to his home precinct of Algonquin 17, where Jack Schaffer served for 40 or so years as committeeman,
· District 300 School Board President Mary Fioretti in Algonquin 63, (Fioretti voted Republican in 2004, but Democrat in 2002) and
· former McHenry County College Board member Nick Kachiroubas will serve GOP committeeman in my Crystal Lake/Lakewood precinct, Algonquin 7.
Neighbors Suzanne Koch, 65 Hilltop in Lake in the Hills, has been appointed to Algonquin 28, where she was elected two years ago, and
Anna Saikel of 77 Hilltop, LITH, was appointed in Algonquin 39, where she served as an appointed committeeman last term.
Also appointed to serve in the same precinct, as last time was Cary’s Rebecca Lee—Algonquin 31. Lee is Bob and Anna Miller’s daughter. She is a lawyer who works for the State’s Attorney’s Office.
Lake in the Hills’ Greg Cook will be responsible for Algonquin 61, the same precinct as last time.
Educator Andress Conneen will staff Algonquin 60, rather than Algonquin 58, as he did during the last election.
Jeff Altman has been tagged for Algonquin 58, as he was during the last 2-year cycle.
Algonquin 49 has appointed committeeman Robin Mohr for the term. Mohr was the elected committeeman in Algonquin 8 until he moved out of the precinct.
Former Cary village trustee and one of my former (and only conservative) Democratic Party candidates for state representative Joe Powalowski will serve in Algonquin 48, where he was last time.
Keith Petropoulos of Algonquin will be in Algonquin 32. Petropoulos filed to run against me in the 2000 primary, but withdrew in mid-January, presumably to give Rosemary Kurtz a better chance of winning, which she did.
George Boddy is a long-time elected precinct committeeman in Algonquin 29, where he was just appointed.
Mark Zulke of Fox River Grove will jump the river to represent Trout Valley’s Algonquin 23, one of the most Republican precincts around.
Charles McKenney of Turnberry in Grafton Township will work Algonquin 13, my old precinct in Coventry. McKenney is the attorney son of former Lakewood village trustee Hal McKenney, an active Republican in his later life. (Hal was Democratic Party chairman when I ran for County Treasurer in 1966 and recruited my opponent, Doris Fortier.)
Clare Johnson has been appointed in Algonquin 66.
The second largest township, McHenry, with 34 precincts, only filled 9. That means ever precinct has a name attached to it as Republican precinct committeeman.
Township Supervisor Donna Schaefer will fill a previously vacant one—McHenry 25—while she was in McHenry 29 last term.Jake Justen will serve in McHenry 4, Angelo Nardi in McHenry 7 (McHenry 30 before), Township Trustee Jerry Courdrey in McHenry 13 (the same as last time), George Dienhart in McHenry 15, Township Clerk Bruce Novak again in McHenry 17, Wally Fox in McHenry 22 (where he was the elected committeeman last time), Judge Mike Chmiel former law partner Lewis Matuszewich in McHenry 24, and John Landon (the husband of Central Committee Executive Geri Davis) in McHenry 28, instead of McHenry 32.
Chemung Township got two appointements:
Glenda Miller, LeFew’s chief deputy treasurer, Chumung 2 andChemung now has committeemen in all precincts.
Harold Cross in Chumung 4.
Marengo Township also received two appointed committeemen:Brian Kruase in Marengo 1 andMarengo now has all precincts filled.
Sheriff Keith Nyfren in Marengo 4.
One vacancy was filled in Burton, Dorr and Greenwood Townships:
Tim McKeever in Spring Grove’s Burton 3,Greenwood and Burton are now fully occupied. Dorr still has five empty precincts.
County Board member Virginia Peschke in Dorr 14, the precinct from which she had been previously elected, and
Carl Scarim in Wonder Lake’s Greenwood 1.
Of course, the real question remains:
Will the precinct committeemen, whether elected or appointed--work their precincts?
Labels: Andress Conneen, Anna Miller, Anna Saikel, Bill LeFew, Bob Miller, Greg Cook, Jeff Altman, Keith Petropoulos, Mark Zulke, Mary Fioretti, Nick Kachiroubas, Rebecca Lee, Robin Mohr, Suzanne Koch
