McHenry County Blog

An unposted Friday column by the Northwest Herald says the Jennifer Martikean apparently doesn’t like the fact that short telephone calls were made informing the paper’s subscribers and non-subscribers alike of this politically explosive fact:

The Huntley School District 158 Board hired fellow board member Glen Stewart for a $101,000.

That, plus a suggestion that people might call Snow at 847-515-2427 to show their support has set off a firestorm among the Huntley tax hike committee called B.E.S.T., which elected Stewart just last year.

Martikean is apparently responsive to folks like Cheryl Meyer, the tax hike committee’s head and School District 300 tax hike committee’s hired gun.

Martikean concludes that, since Snow did not initiate the calls, but cooperated with the caller, Jack Martin, owner of the Saddle Shop in Libertyville and well known in Lake County for using his automated phone system to counter teacher union and tax hike committee efforts to raise taxes, Snow was responsible for them.

She says the series of events Snow described doesn’t “pass the sniff test.”

(You know, I’d think Martikean might be at least as interested in the odor emanating from tax hike committee B.E.S.T.’s iron-clad, albeit financially inept, control of District 158.)

She says that Snow ran on a platform of “transparency,” “so voters should expect no less from him when it comes to his campaign.” And, because the calls said, “Support Larry Snow…”, he should have to report what they cost on campaign disclosure forms next month.

On behalf of what political campaign were the calls made?

The columnist does not say, although she points out that Snow has started a political action committee called “Solutions NOW” (big “S” followed by “NOW” spells “SNOW") for which he has been soliciting funds.

(Contributions may be sent here:

Solutions Now
in care of Larry Snow
3380 Banford Circle
Lake in the Hills IL 60156)

If Snow were a candidate for some office, I would agree with Martikean.

However, criticizing the actions of public officials over the phone when no one is running for office brings no reporting requirement, unless Martikean knows something I don’t.

Snow’s not on the November ballot and is not up for re-election.

Maybe Snow will decide he loves being the punching bag of the Huntley School Board’s “Majority 6” and columnists friendly to tax hike committees, 3 years from now. (He was elected at the same time now presumably resigned District 158 board member and new $101,000 hire Glen Stewart was.) And, when and if he does, he'll qualify as a candidate.

Martikean thinks the cost of the calls should be reported as a political expenditure.

That might make sense if the blatant attack on Larry Snow by area newspapers in the 6-member board majority’s manufactured student newspaper censorship “crisis” had to be reported as an in-kind political expenditure by each of the other school board members and B.E.S.T.

But, state law does not require the reporting of the tremendous value of front, op-ed or editorial page support on campaign disclosure reports.

Something about the First Amendment, I think, but maybe it was just the power of the newspaper association lobbyist.

Part 2 of this piece will run July 5th.