McHenry County Blog

I hope you have noticed that McHenry County Blog is the place where you can get the most details on what happened in the county board race in the district that runs from McHenry north to the state line and west to Wonder Lake.

Today, McHenry County Blog adds a new element of the nitty gritty—the endorsement letter of Mary Margaret Maule from fellow Democrat and former employer State Rep. Jack Franks.

Maule lost the 3-way race District 4 race by 631 votes, being bested by Republican incumbents Pete Merkel and Sandra Salgado.

Had she won, it would have buoyed Franks’ political reputation by showing that he had long enough coat tails to elect someone other than himself. That would have gained him the type of statewide respect that might propel him to a spot on the state Democratic Party ticket in 2008, say, for attorney general when Lisa Madigan runs for governor.

Not that losing by 631 votes is a bad showing for a McHenry County Democrat.

In any event, Franks’ “Dear Neighbor” letter, dated October 30th and delivered to a friend of the blog Nov. 2nd, reads like this

I am proud to endorse Mary Margaret Maule’s Candidacy for County Board and am writing to encourage you to vote for her on November 7th. I know Mary Margaret and her family well because Mary Margaret worked as my legislative liaison. She knows how government can and should work. She is efficient, hardworking and is dedicated to do what is best for McHenry County. She is a person that I admire for her high integrity. She resigned from her position with the state of Illinois to run for county board; that way there is no conflict of interest, no confusion as to which payroll she is on, and who she would answer to. She didn’t want to be a “double dipper” taking two taxpayer checks and creating a conflict of interest.

Mary Margaret has been walking door to door since the early summer to hear what is important to the citizens of McHenry County. She believes in representative government for everyone, not just the influential few. She will focus on finding solutions to our concerns of taxes, gridlock transportation, unbridled growth and unchecked spending.

On November 7th, we will have an opportunity to elect a knowledgeable, committed and dedicated public servant to represent us on the County Board. Please join me in supporting Mary Margaret who will be a strong voice for us all. Please vote for Mary Margaret Maule for County Board on November 7th. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Very truly yours,

Jack D. Franks
State Representative

Maule has appropriately pointed out that my previous story on her postcard, which contained a photograph of her and Franks, was not Franks' endorsement piece. This letter is.