McHenry County Blog

In the parts of McHenry County I have been, only one Republican candidate has been invisible.

Long-time county board candidate Virginia Peschke, who can be counted upon to be an independent thinker and actually ran against Ken Koehler for McHenry County Board Chairman, was no where to be seen.

Sure, she ran first four years ago, but Democrat Paula Yensen has been working hard going door-to-door in her end of the district (the more populated Lake in the Hills and Huntley), while there were no reports of Peschke doing anything.

I saw none of Peschke's pamphlets earlier this month at GOP headquarters on literature distribution day.

Meanwhile John Jung seemed to be working hard.

And, well he should be given the history of extremely negative campaigning by Democrats in District 5.

(See

Picking of Perry – Part 1,
Picking on Perry – Part 2,
Picking on Perry – Part 3,
Perry Takes Another Hit, and
Negative Campaigning Apparently Works.)

Frankly, I expected Jung to bear the brunt of similar negative attacks. I figured he was in the Democrats' bull's eye, since women are typically seen more favorably at the polls than guys.

Muddying the waters is the candidacy of Woodstock's Frank Wedig. He is running on the Green Party ticket.

Today driving down Fleming Road I saw a

“Re-Elect Peschke - McHenry County Board”

sign. After that I saw a few others.

I don't know if she is going to make a last week mailing to make up for not having given the precinct committeemen anything to pass out.

She certainly should.

Besides Peschke's signs, I saw one for Yensen, her Lake in the Hills village Trustee opponent. I saw some for Green Party candidate Frank Gedig and yard sign

There were 4X4's for Peschke's running mate John Jung near Ridgefield.

Labels: Frank Wedig, Green Party, John Jung, McHenry County Democrats, McHenry County Republicans, Paul Yensen, Virginia Peschke

Below are two commentaries by 16th district congressional Green Party candidate Scott Summers. The first was written last Wednesday; the second (at the bottom) yesterday.


In meetups and speeches and one-on-ones during my current campaign for Congress, I've been asking a rhetorical question:

"Whatever happened to capitalism in this country?"

When all of the financial dominoes fell, that became far more prescient -- and salient -- then I would have thought mere weeks ago.

We don't do capitalism anymore, friends. We've devolved to a perverse sort of semi-socialism.

We have welfare for the wealthy. And peanuts for the poor.

Privatize reward. Socialize risk.

Think about that. Wealth with no risk for elites. Debt with no chance of reward for everyday Americans.

What kind of deal is that?

Whenever times are good, the fat cats make out. Big time.

Whenever the fat cats become too arrogant and stupid and greedy, they dump their problems on the rest of us.

Today, the treasury secretary is saying cavalierly -- and impatiently -- that Congress needs to get a move on. The mountains of overly ripe kitty litter are starting to reek. Hurry up and send in the taxpayers to start a-cleanin'.

"Clean it up," the secretary seems to say. "Or else the fat cats won't come back!"

Like -- we, the cleaning crew, WANT them back? Oh, please!

Okay. Enough of a rant. Deep breath.

People are asking:

"Scott, what do you think? Scott, what should we do?"

It's a bunch of lousy choices, friends. For now, all we can do is make the least lousy choices.

Not a happy thought. Not a happy prospect.

On balance -- I think we have to go through with it. Bail 'em out.

If we don't, everything else is at increased risk. Our jobs. Our homes. Our retirements.

I'll not rehash all of the common-sense conditions that must attach, other than to mention a few in passing. More regulation. More oversight. More transparency.

Instead, I'll dwell on a few items that no one else is talking about.

Have you noticed that all the so-called regulation and reform is directed toward the big markets? And to the aforementioned fat cats?

As part of the overall package -- how about correcting some of the onerous and oppressive financial abuses under which so many of us labor?

How about workouts and writedowns for individual homeowners in mortgage trouble?

How about credit card reform? Payday loan protections?

Remember the "stick-it-to-'em" changes to bankruptcy laws a couple of years ago? Rescind them.

Another thing. We need to raise some revenue to service the monster debt.

In the best tradition of the old Ronald Reagan sleight-of-hand -- borrow and spend (which George W. has happily, and recklessly, amplified in the extreme) -- all this bailout does is pile on new debt.

No federal spending cuts. No new revenues. Just new debt.

That's irresponsible.

Here's a condition for the bailout that NO ONE is proposing. But politically, I have the freedom -- and courage -- to suggest it.

I propose a temporary income tax surcharge on the wealthiest Americans.

(The well-to-do have the most at risk in this mess, do they not?)

If you're in the top five percent of earners, pay an extra twenty percent for the next five years.

In other words, if your tax bill for year 2008 ends up at $50,000, well, it'll bump to $60,000.

Thank you very much. Have a nice day.

This is not the end of the mess. I regret to forecast that there will be more bailouts.

But let's not stoically absorb them and endure them. Let's seize on them as ways to force changes in public policy.

I was at a candidate forum in Rockford last night, and I was asked what I thought about the prospect of bailouts for the carmakers.

I told the crowd that I'd support them -- if, and only if, the manufacturers agreed to stop their decades of whining and procrastination and delay, and IMMEDIATELY cease making gas guzzlers.

Yes. Make them manufacture all high mileage cars, and move expeditiously to hybrids and electrics.

If they want our help, then they finally, finally, have to do the right thing. On our terms.

And now -- to the extent I can peer through murk -- the future.

Our lives are changing. Our country is changing. Fundamentally. Precipitously. Forever.

Let's start with government.

Our role as a dominant economic power is about to end. No one is going to buy up all our debt anymore -- except at high rates of interest.

You see, it's not just the debt that Washington is piling on. There's way too much debt now. Investors from across the globe are becoming skeptical. So the interest we taxpayers have to pay will go up, too.

The federal spending priorities are being force-fed to us. Defense. And interest on the debt. Figurative pennies for health and education and welfare. No discretion at all. The end.

Increase taxes across the board? There's not a whole lot that average taxpayers can kick in anymore. (Especially in our Congressional district, where unemployment in the Rockford area now is running at a spectacularly-awful nine percent.)

So we have to turn to the spending side. Time for another brave (foolish?) Scott Summers pronouncement.

Cut defense spending. Lots.

You know, our defense colossus isn't fighting a war on terrorism. It's still fighting the Cold War (much to the benefit of a subspecies of fat cats, the defense contractors.)

We don't need all the aircraft carrier battle groups. We don't need all the nuclear submarines prowling the oceans of the world. We don't need all the thousands upon thousands of nuclear-armed missiles.

We don't need idiotic missile defense shields that don't work. We don't need outrageous cost overruns on weapons systems of marginal usefulness (and dubious workability).

But you see, in our new economic order, my tirade on this doesn't matter.

The time has finally come. We simply cannot afford it.

What's about to happen to military expenditures in this country happened to the Roman and Chinese Empires. And to the British Empire. And even to the Soviets twenty years ago.

They all had to mothball their militaries. They ran out of money to support them.

So now will we.

I don't mean to leave you on a down note. Those of you who are coming to know me know that I'm outspoken. But you also know that I'm also optimistic. And hopeful.

In short -- events now are moving so rapidly that the fundamentals HAVE to change.

It's up to us channel that change positively.

This has become a bit long. I'll have to leave it for now.

Thanks.

POSTSCRIPT, September 29:

Today, the House of Representatives voted down the "financial rescue package", a/k/a "buy-in", a/k/a "bailout".

And markets worldwide are down precipitously.

Fasten your seatbelts, friends. And make sure that the figurative airbags are working. This is -- and will continue to be -- nasty. Very nasty.

President Bush, and Treasury Secretary Paulson, and Federal Reserve chair Ben Bernanke -- inadvertently or otherwise -- have us all in panic mode.

Wrong.

You know, I think Congress did the right thing today.

Whether or not the members really thought about it, Congress stood up for itself.

The founders intended for Congress to be a deliberative body. Not a sheep ranch.

America simply will not write a gigantic check unless there are meaningful reforms.

I still think that Congress needs to enact a comprehensive solution.

And Congress needs to move expeditiously.

But this is an opportunity. An opportunity to create smart new public policy.

We, through our Congress, can -- and must -- resolutely work through the wreckage, and seize the opportunity to rework national fiscal policy for the better.

Tonight, I say: let's stay positive, friends.

In the coming few days, Congress will -- indeed, must -- set the stage for thoughtful and far-ranging solutions.

"We the people" have every right to expect that this debacle will not be visited upon us again.

= = = = =
The mustached Scott Summers photo was taken in late April. He's probably shaved by now, but the looks deserves to be memorialized, don't you think?

Labels: Bailout, Green Party, Scott Summers

Iain Abernathy apparently signed the paperwork to make himself the Green Party candidate for congress in the 8th congressional district against incumbent Democrat Melissa Bean and Republican challenger Steve Greenberg.

Nothing too strange about that, except state law says the nominating committee shall be made up of elected precinct committeemen.

While the Green Party had elected precinct committeemen in McHenry County, the Greens apparently had none in Lake County.

The State Board of Elections, which is evenly divided between the two power parties, decided that Abernathy could not be on the ballot this fall.

“The nominating committee which selected candidate Iain Abernathy was not properly constituted as the candidate, who was not a lawful member of the 8th District Congressional Committee, participated in and voted at the meeting of said Congressional Committee thereby tainting the decision of the Committee,”

the ruling said.

The board's conclusion:

“As a result of the unlawful composition and conduct of the meeting referred to in paragraph A., the Resolution to Fill the Vacancy in Nomination that was executed at said meeting and filed with the State Board of Elections is not valid."

Abernathy began the election cycle as Bill Scheurer's Moderate Party candidate Abernathy Taints His Own Nomination for Congress for congress in the 8th. Then Scheurer urged Moderate Party members to join the Green Party.

Next, the Greens announced the slating of Abernathy. This candidacy was challenged Gregory Ferritto by Waukegan's Gregory Ferritto.

Abernathy can appeal the election board decision in court.

Abernathy's attorney was Scott Summers, who is the Green Party candidate for congress in the neighboring 16th congressional district. Summers' Green Party slating was not challenged, although a Barrington Hills contributor of Democratic Party candidate and Barrington Hills Village President Robert Abboud did so successfully after Summers filed petition signatures for the Green Party primary election.

Labels: Ballot Challenge, Bill Scheurer, Green Party, Gregory Ferritto, Iain Abernathy, Melissa Bean, Robert Abboud, Scott Summers, Steve Greenberg

8th congressional district Green Party candidate Iain Abernathy has issued a press release. It concerns efforts by Illinois state legislators to lift a moratorium on expanding nuclear power plants. The press release follows:

Green Candidate Iain Abernathy Opposes Back Door Attempt To Circumvent Illinois Nuclear Power Laws

The Illinois state legislature is attempting to circumvent their own moratorium on new nuclear energy. The moratorium was intended to prevent new nuclear in Illinois until a solution is found for nuclear waste. That solution has clearly not been found, but many in the Illinois General Assembly are trying to gut the law with amendment to HB2971. The original bill was a shell that did nothing except provide a quiet way to add amendments that lawmakers know their constituents do not support.

With an existing energy bill in place from last year why the attempt to change the rules in the middle of the game? Green Party candidate for the United States House of Representatives, Iain Abernathy, states that "This is clearly a give away to the existing energy industry by cutting market share away from renewable energy."

Abernathy suggests regional cooperation and a federal mandate to go carbon free and nuclear free by 2050. "New nuclear plants," says Abernathy "will take twenty years and millions of dollars before they power a single light bulb. That time and money can be used to research and implement a variety of renewable energy plans, many of which can be put into place within a year or less."

Illinois and its Midwestern neighbors are in an excellent position to lead this energy revolution. Our legislators should be ashamed of their cowardly attempt to move us backward.

Labels: 8th Congressional District, Green Party, Iain Abernathy

With the merger of Bill and Randi Scheurer's Moderate Party with the Green Party in the 8th congressional district,the Greens have slated former Moderate Party congressional candidate Iain Abernathy as its congressional candidate.

He will run against incumbent Democratic Party Congresswoman Melissa Bean and Republican Party candidate Steve Greenberg.

Labels: 8th Congressional District, Green Party, Iain Abernathy, Melissa Bean, Moderate Party, Steve Greenberg

There was “Sturm und Drang” in GOP circles when the primary election results showed that Democrats were getting more votes than Republicans.

This showed that the early voting results had predictive value.

Democrat Robert Kaempfe, a veteran and retired postal union official topped Crystal Lake's Republican State Rep. Mike Tryon.

The only Democratic Party candidate for countywide office, Dave Bachmann, received more votes than incumbent Republican Coroner Marlene Lantz.

The Democratic Party tide was not uniform in McHenry County.

In fact, in the only district that attracted enough Democrats to make a primary election necessary to select county board challengers, more Republican than Democrat votes were cast.

Taking a look at the county by county results in the 16th congressional district cannot have been the best news for Democratic Party challenger Robert Abboud. Abboud is the village president of high income Barrington Hills.

When he spoke to the McHenry County Democratic Central Committee about three weeks before the February 5th primary election, he had high hopes of unseating Don Manzullo, the seven-term incumbent.

But look at the results below:

Winnebago County even went for Manzullo.

There, you have to add the results for Rockford with those for the county, but, when you do, Manzullo got 24,6298, besting Abboud's 23,343. Manzullo received 53.6%.

I guess having had a family restaurant with you last name made a lasting impression.

And, I guess Abboud won't be able to use the primary returns to fortify his fund raising efforts as much as if he had beaten the incumbent.

Although he undoubtedly did better in McHenry County than any previous Manzullo challenger.

The same goes for total for the entire 16th district.

Districtwide, the unknown 2004 Democrat got 34,141 to Manzullo's 59,507 in the primary elections. Manzullo got 63.5%.

In 2006, the totals were 27,749 to 60,440. Manzullo got 68.5%.

Note that Manzullo got 5,364 more votes than he did two years ago. Democrat Abboud, got 22,810 more votes than the highest number the previous two primary elections.

And, now the two power party candidates have a third party challenger from the Green Party, McHenry County College Trustee Scott Summers.

Labels: 16th Congressional District, Dave Bachmann, Don Manzullo, Green Party, Marlene Lantz, McHenry County Coroner, Robert Abboud, Scott Summers

I had been wondering what Plan B was after Randi Scheurer lost to Melissa Bean in the Democratic Party primary on February 5th.

Now comes a press release from her husband and third party candidate against Bean in 2006 saying that he is joining the Green Party and urging fellow party members to do the same.

He notes that the Greens can slate a “peace-centered” candidate in the 8th congressional district against Bean. Previously, Scheurer had announced that he would not be that candidate.

In the statement, released by Green Party Government and Elections Committee Chair Phil Huckelberry, the man announced to run as the Moderate Party candidate, Iain Abernathy, is now being touted as the Green Party candidate.

It appears that the Green Party will have McHenry County covered with McHenry County College Trustee Scott Summers running in the 16th district against incumbent Don Manzullo and the Democratic Party candidate who got Summers kicked off the primary ballot, Barrington Hills Village President Robert Abboud.

I'm still waiting to see a significant recruitment effort among McHenry County Defenders by the Green Party. 2006 gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney was featured in the January 2007 newsletter, but it didn't seem to attract anyone to run for precinct committeeman on the Green Party ticket in 2008.

The press release follows:

MODERATE PARTY CHAIR TO
JOIN ILLINOIS GREEN PARTY

Bill Scheurer, 2006 candidate for Congress in Illinois' 8th District and Chair of the now legally established Moderate Party, has announced that he plans to join the Illinois Green Party. Scheurer has also asked all Moderate Party members to join the Illinois Green Party.

"Because of the enormous obstacles the two incumbent parties always put in the way of independent third parties, it only makes sense for us to combine our efforts to support peace candidates with those of the Green Party, the Party of Peace," said Scheurer.

Scheurer explained that joining the Illinois Green Party will allow members to be appointed as candidates and precinct committeemen, helping to build support and visibility for peace candidates such as David Kalbfleisch in the 10th Congressional District.

Also announced was the Green Party candidacy of Iain Abernathy in the 8th Congressional District, who comes with a strong preexisting Moderate Party caucus supporting his peace-centered campaign.

"Our driving purpose remains – to support peace candidates for federal office, and to raise the issue of peaceful security in federal campaigns," concluded Scheurer.

MORE INFORMATION:

Illinois Green Party
http://www.ilgp.org/

Bill Scheurer / Moderate Party
http://www.winwithbill.com/

David Kalbfleisch for Congress (10th District)
http://www.electdave.org/

Iain Abernathy for Congress (8th District)
http://iainforcongress.blogspot.com/

And, some people are watching college basketball this time of year.

= = = = =
Randi Scheurer is to the upper left. Her husband Bill Scheurer is see upper right.
Next, from left to right, the men who will face off in the 16th congressional district contest this fall: incumbent Republican Don Manzullo, Scott Summers of the Green Party and Democratic Party candidate Robert Abboud. At the bottom, 2006 Green Party candidate for governor, Rich Whitney, is seen by himself.

Labels: Bill Scheurer, Don Manzullo, Green Party, Iain Abernathy, Moderate Party, Randi Scheurer, Rich Whitney, Robert Abboud, Scott Summers

Scott Summers, you may remember, filed to run on the Green Party primary ballot for the 16th United States congressional race, but was knocked off by a challenge of one of Democratic Party Robert Abboud's Barrington Hills neighbors.

Besides District 5 McHenry County Board candidate Frank Wedig and Summers, at least two other Greens ran for and were elected precinct committeeman in Don Manzullo's district.

The Green Party 16th congressional district nominating committee would consist of a representative from McHenry County, one from Boone County and another from Winnebago County. (Had other counties had Green Party precinct committeemen elected, the committee would consist of one from each county.)

The local Greens could nominate a candidate to challenge either Democrat State Rep. Jack Franks or Republican State Senator Pam Althoff.

Since neither have ballot opponents, any challenger (even from a new party) would be assured of getting 5% of the vote, giving the Green Party “established” party status, as their gubernatorial candidate, Rich Whitney, did by obtaining 10% of the vote in the 2006 contest with Rod Blagojevich and Judy Baar Topinka.

Summers is of the opinion that the Greens have that established party status through the 2010 election, because of Whitney's showing. (I'm writing this on the weekend, so can't check with the Illinois Board of Elections.)

If so, getting 5% of the vote in local legislative races would not be necessary to obtain the privilege of getting fewer signatures to get on the ballot in local partisan races.

At the Green Party organizing convention last Wednesday, McHenry County College Trustee Summers announced his intention to run for Congress:

“It is my intention to ask the various chairs of the (congressional) district to be appointed to that vacancy in nomination.”

The 16th congressional district nominating committee will consist of a representative from McHenry County, one from Boone County and another from Winnebago County. (Had other counties had Green Party precinct committeemen elected, the committee would consist of one from each county.)

And, based on what Summers said at the McHenry County Green Party convention, he will be on the ballot running against Republican Manzullo and Democrat Abboud.

Labels: 16th Congressional District, Don Manzullo, Green Party, MCC, McHenry County College, Robert Abboud, Scott Summers

I thought I could hit two of the party conventions on Wednesday night and it did.

You can read about the Republican Party convention at which conservatives won a big battle.

The best article I saw about the McHenry County Democratic Party convention (Oops. Since this paper is a weekly, I should have known it would have gone to press before the convention stated. Commenter Truth Seeker points out this meeting was held on Feb. 20th.) was by Pete Gonigan of the Algonquin and Cary-Grove Countrysides.

There are even pictures of Lake in the Hills' village Trustee and Democratic Party county board candidate Paula Yensen and James McTague of Cary in the printed edition, but they are omitted from the internet version.

You can see the Green Party convention below.

As you can seen there is a lot of room for growth.

Woodstock's Frank Wedig, in the foreground, was elected Chairman and Treasurer.

He is the Green Party candidate for county board in District 5. District 5 includes parts of Woodstock, Huntley and Lake in the Hills. It is the one where Jim Kennedy defeated Perry Moy for county board in 2006.

Incumbents Virginia Peschke and John Jung are being challenged by Wedig and Lake in the Hills Democrat and village Trustee Paula Yensen.

Scott Summers, the man in the middle of the picture, was elected Vice Chairman and Secretary.

The third person in attendance is Wedig's wife Jeanne.

So, how green are these Greens?

Summers, a McHenry County College trustee was dropped off by his wife. I took him to the train station for the rest of his trip home to Harvard.

The Wedigs walked to the Woodstock Library for the meeting.

The convention discussed the formation of congressional, state senate and state representative districts.

Such district committees can slate a candidate for state representative, state senator or congress.

More on that tomorrow.

Labels: Frank Wedig, Green Party, Jim Kennedy, John Jung, Paula Yensen, Perry Moy, Scott Summers, Virginia Peschke

The McHenry County Green Party has scheduled a convention at 6:30 PM March 5th at the Woodstock Library.

Whether they are ready to play with the two power parties remains to be seen.

If anyone has the urge to run for office in McHenry County, the Greens can slate them. The deadline for such slating is April 7th, so folks have time to think it over.

McHenry County Board Trustee Scott Summers, you may remember was kicked off the 16th congressional primary ballot by a campaign supporter of Democratic Party candidate Bob Abboud.

Anyone want to bet against his being slated for the contest?

Here is the press release on Wednesday's meeting:

McHENRY COUNTY GREEN PARTY GETTING READY FOR NOVEMBER

The primaries are over, but the campaigning is not.

Local officials already are planning for the November 4th general election.

Their work formally resumes on March 5th, when all established political parties -- Democratic, Green, Moderate, and Republican -- meet throughout Illinois in countywide conventions.

Led by recently elected committeemen Frank Wedig and Scott Summers, the McHenry Greens will organize for the very first time as the McHenry County Green Party Central Committee. The meeting will begin at 6:30 PM at the Woodstock Public Library, 414 West Judd Street.

In accordance with the election code, Wedig and Summers first will appoint other individuals to join them as Green Party committeewomen and committeemen. The expanded group will elect officers and adopt by-laws.

The committee then will turn its attention to statutorily-prescribed mechanisms for filling vacancies in nomination for McHenry County offices, including state's attorney, auditor, clerk of court, coroner, and recorder of deeds.

The group also is empowered to appoint Greens in races for McHenry County Board, state representative, and state senator.

If appointed by the committee, Green Party candidates will appear on the general election ballot in November.

"We're looking for fresh faces with common sense ideas," says Wedig, who won the Green Party nomination for McHenry County Board District 5.

"In particular, we're seeking people committed to the four pillars of Green political philosophy: ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy, and nonviolence."

"We've not yet decided about slating candidates for the McHenry County vacancies," notes Summers, who is eyeing a run for U.S. Congress in the 16th district.

"We seek quality individuals committed to making a difference," he continues. "If we find the right people, we'll slate them."

The Greens -- and the other established parties -- have until April 7th to fill vacancies in nomination.

"Let's be clear," cautions Wedig. "We're a new political party with very few resources. We'll provide advice. But for all practical purposes, candidates will be entirely on their own for organizing, campaigning, and fundraising."

Individuals interested in running in McHenry County as Greens may contact Summers by phone (815-245-7473) or mail (P.O. Box 430, Harvard). A brief statement of interest, a resume, and references are requested. Following a telephone interview, prospective candidates will meet with committee members. Slating decisions will follow shortly thereafter.

For more on the Green Party of the United States or the Illinois Green Party, visit www.gp.org or www.ilgp.org.

• Information on the Wedig and Summers campaigns is at wedigforboard5@sbcglobal.net and


• www.SummersForCongress.com, respectively.
  

Sign up for email notices about meetings and other activities of the McHenry Greens through Wedig's email (above).

= = = = =

Scott Summers can be seen on top. A picture of Frank Wedig, the Green Party candidate for county board in District 5, can be seen in the body of the text of the press release.

Labels: Frank Wedig, Green Party, Scott Summers

Kevin M. Colosia, 19 Country Oaks Drive, Barrington Hills, filed an objection to Green Party congressional candidate Scott Summers’ petitions on November 13th.

On September 18th McHenry County Blog predicted that a Summers’ candidacy would drain votes from Democratic Party candidate Robert Abboud and help re-elect Don Manzullo to his 16th district seat.

Now, we find that someone from Barrington Hills is challenging Summer’s petitions.

Would anyone like to bet that Kevin Colosia is not an ally of Barrington Hills Village President Robert Abboud?

Labels: 16th Congressional District, Barrington Hills, Don Manzullo, Green Party, Kevin Colosia, Robert Abboud, Scott Summers

When I got the spreadsheets showing who had filed for office from McHenry County Clerk’s Office’s Judy Corson, there was one that was more than a little unusual.

It was for the Green Party.

I didn’t do a story before.

Just slipped my mind.

But, the idea of a story re-cycled and here’s what I found.

Scott Summers, the Green Party candidate for congress in the 16th congressional district against Don Manzullo and Robert Abboud, filed for precinct committeeman in Dunham Township.

Summers, you may remember is also a member of the McHenry County College Board. He gained a fair amount of name identification by changing--no speaking--his mind on the advisability of building a baseball stadium on Crystal Lake’s watershed and announcing that at the Crystal Lake city council meeting.

His asking a lot of questions about the project enraged the MCC board majority (George Lowe, Donna Larson, Barbara Walters and Mary Miller) to the extent that they brought in someone to counsel Summers and fellow mind-changing board member Donna Kurtz on (I suppose, because I didn’t make the meeting that John Coonen called “The Meltdown" Meeting) how to keep quiet, even if you think you have made a BIG mistake. (So much for the First Amendment. I guess the board majority believes that Constitutional amendment has a comma, followed by "unless you are on the McHenry County College Board.")

Four of the seven citizen-elected board members subsequently voted to censure Summers and Kurtz and called for them to resign as board president and finance chair, respectively.

Summers did so graciously ("Let the healing begin") immediately after resigning from the board presidency, emphasizing he was not resigning as a college trustee.

But, back to his precinct committeeman quest.

Dunham Township is a sparsely populated township with only one precinct. He doesn’t have an opponent—just as most of the power party candidates don’t—so, he’s as good as elected if he votes for himself.

But, that’s not all.

Frank Wedig, who lives at 722 Dean Street in Woodstock, pretty close to where I used to live on Madison in another life, is running in Dorr 7. He is running unopposed for precinct committeeman, but he has four opponents in District 5 for the seat he seeks on the McHenry County Board.

And, as Warner Bros. characters say at the end of his cartoons, “That’s all Folks!” (You can have the freeze frame for $1,425.)

I always thought that McHenry County was ripe for the Green Party.

After all, the largest politically-oriented organization in the county is the McHenry County Defenders. It has 500 or so family members, meaning there are really more.

Perhaps the new McHenry County Green Party Central Committee of two can recruit some new members from the Defenders. They will have the power to appoint people in the other 212 precincts.

If I were trying to create a Green Party infrastructure in McHenry County and were a candidate like Summers and Wedig, I would use my campaign literature to recruits not only volunteers, but when I found volunteers, I would try to turn them into precinct committeemen.

That’s really all, Folks.

= = = = =
Scott Summers is seen in the top two photographs. In the second, he is explaining his resignation as McHenry County College Board President after being censured by four of his voter-elected colleagues for questioning the wisdom of putting county taxpayers on the hook for a baseball stadium in which the Limited Liability Corporation promoter made no guarantees.

Frank Wedig is seen speaking at the Illinois Green Party convention at McHenry County College.

Labels: Frank Wedig, Green Party, McHenry County College, McHenry County Board, McHenry County Green Party. MCC, Scott Summers

When I wrote the article on the contest for McHenry County Board in District, I got the power party candidates, but I missed the wild card.

To refresh your memory, the 5th District covers the Dorr Township part of Woodstock, plus lots of Huntley and western Lake in the Hills, plus a couple of precincts in southwestern Crystal Lake. It's so convoluted, I'll put up a map.

The Green Party is running Frank Wedig.

Like the two Republicans up, John Jung and Virginia Peschke, he is from Woodstock. He moved there in 1990.

The Democrats are running Lake in the Hills village trustee Paula Yensen. With village trustee Jim Kennedy’s having upset Perry Moy last year, perhaps the Democrats are thinking two is the charm.

Wedig was kind enough to send me the following biographical information and platform, plus his picture while speaking to the Green Party’s state convention at McHenry County College in October:

Frank Wedig and his wife Jeanne have been residents of Woodstock since 1990. He received an MBA from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL. and an undergraduate degree from Illinois Benedictine College in Lisle, IL. He has been a Flight Attendant for American Airlines since 1987. He is a member of the McHenry County Defenders.

Green Party Candidate
For McHenry County Board
5th District

I believe that the number one issue for McHenry County is uncontrolled growth.

Our county is currently an attractive place to live, work and raise families, and to keep it that way growth must be coordinated - within the county and with surrounding counties and munici- palities.

In order to control the expansion of suburban sprawl, new development should pay for itself without taxpayer subsidies.

The Illinois Green Party stands for, in part, grassroots democracy.

I believe in openness and accessibility in government. Public participation should be made easier and county government made more transparent.

I advocate having public comment before, not after, the County Board votes on any issue. It is also important that the public has adequate advance notice of County Board meeting agendas and their pertinent details.

I am a fiscal conservative, and am anxious to bring a progressive voice and innovative ideas to county government.

In office, I will work to:

• Spend your tax dollars responsibly


• Limit the use of financial incentives for development, and use them as a last, not a first resort


• Ensure zoning changes fit into a larger sustainable economic and environmental model


• Encourage conservation design techniques in county projects

Labels: Frank Wedig, Green Party, John Jung, McHenry County Board, Paula Yensen, Virginia Peschke

At McHenry County College, of all places.

You know, the place where trustees want to build more parking lots and a baseball stadium on Crystal Lake’s watershed.

And continue to allow a farmer to use phosphorus on row crops on the watershed.

And continue to use salt on roads and parking lots in the watershed.

In any event, MCC Board President Scott Summers, 16th district Congressman Don Manzullo’s Green Party opponent has arranged for his party to hold a statewide meeting at the college’s campus.

This is probably a first for McHenry County.

Have you ever heard of any state party holding a meeting in McHenry County?

And, wonder of wonders, I notice there is going to be a Green Party candidate for the McHenry County Board in district 3.

That's Nunda Township, plus southeastern McHenry Township.

His name is James Geocaris.

Presidential candidate Jared Ball will be available for interviews.

Besides the press conference, there will be a campaign school and a fund raising dinner.

Here’s the press advisory:

Green Party candidates to hold press conference tomorrow at state party meeting in Crystal Lake
CONTACT:

Tom Abram, Volunteer Coordinator, 847-814-6947, tom.abram@ilgp.org
Patrick Kelly, Media Coordinator, 773-203-9631, media@ilgp.org

WHAT:

Press conference featuring Illinois Green Party candidates.

WHEN:

Saturday, October 13, 2007, 1-2 p.m.

WHERE:

McHenry County College, 8900 US Hwy 14, Crystal Lake, at the Illinois Green Party state membership meeting

ABOUT THE MEETING:

The Illinois Green Party will hold its fall membership meeting in Crystal Lake, Illinois on October 13th and 14th at the McHenry County College.

The meeting will include a regional campaign school featuring Brent McMillan, Political Director for the Green Party of the United States, and a series of non-electoral workshops.

Candidates seeking the Green Party presidential nomination are expected to attend and present their candidacy to the membership, along with Green candidates from across the state. A press conference will be held at 1pm featuring these candidates.

A fundraising dinner will also be held Saturday evening at the college.

CANDIDATES IN ATTENDANCE:

Kent Mesplay (Presidential)
Jerome Pohlen (U.S. Congress, 3rd District)
Moe Shanfield (U.S. Congress, 9th District)
Dave Kalbfleisch (U.S. Congress, 10th District)
Rodger Jennings ( U.S. Congress, 12th District)
Steve Alesch (U.S. Congress, 13th District)
Tony Cox (State Representative, 9th District)
Kevin O'Connor (State Representative, 41st District)
Sandy Lezon (State Representative, 50th District)
Charlie Howe (State Representative, 115th District)
James Geocaris (McHenry County Board, 3rd District)

AVAILABLE BY APPOINTMENT:

Jared Ball (Presidential)
Scott Summers (U.S. Congress, 16th District)
Jason Wallace (U.S. Congress, 11th District)

Labels: 16th Congressional District, Green Party, James Geocaris, MCC, McHenry County College, Scott Summers

Here is what Harvard’s Scott Summers said when he officially announced Saturday that he was running for congress against 16th congressional district Republican Don Manzullo and Democrat Robert Abboud.

Summers announcement was made on Saturday at Keeling-Puri Peace Plaza in Rockford. As you can see from his words below, he is certainly trying to be the "peace candidate" in the contest.

Peace. Peace among the nations. Peace in our communities. Peace in our homes. Peace in our hearts. Peace among us all. It's my fervent quest for peace that leads me to this place and to this moment.

I announce today my candidacy for the United States Congress as a member of the Green Party.

"America – your America, my America – is not at peace. It is instead mired in a contemptible war that is causing unspeakable agony for millions. We spill the blood of our sons and daughters. We squander our treasure.

"It's time to end our occupation of Iraq and bring our troops home.

"It's time for contrition. And it's time for healing.

"But it's not just Iraq. Earnestly, bravely, my heart brimming with hope, I say unto you: we must end all wars.

"Peace begins with us. You and me. Each of us. All of us. Here at this very place.

"I'm not a man of faith in any traditional religious sense. But I know wisdom when I see it.

"Over one hundred generations ago, the Old Testament foretold a glorious time: 'And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; neither shall they learn war any more. Nation shall not lift sword against nation.'

"I'm fifty-eight years old now. Sadly I say that for me, the hope of seeing that time has almost completely slipped away.

"But I have two sons. And I desperately want this world to be a better place for them.

"So I begin, with with the fervent hope that my sons -- they and all the children of the world -- will take up our task, and finish it. 'Neither shall they learn war anymore.'

"The toil before us is enormous. But my spirit is calm. My resolve is unwavering. The children will yet be at peace. It is our duty – our duty -- to start them on their way.

"Peace begets justice. Peace begets dignity. Peace will set us free. And from peace will flow prosperity – good jobs, good schools, good health care. Without a predicate of peace, none of these are possible.

"I close with the words of Lincoln: 'With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.'"

You can hear his delivery of the speech on his YouTube posting.

I was the 17th person to watch the video.

Labels: 16th Congressional District, Anti-War Candidate, Green Party, Peace Candidate, Scott Summers

In keeping with McHenry County Blogs attempt to let readers know what politicians are doing, here is Harvard's Scott Summers' press release announcing his 2008 challenge to U.S. Representative Don Manzullo in the 16th congressional district.

GREENS FIELD A “FRESH START” CANDIDATE FOR CONGRESS

McHenry County, IL – Green Party candidate Scott Summers will announce his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives at a 1:30 p.m. press conference on Saturday, September 22, 2007. The event will take place at the Keeling-Puri Peace Plaza in northeastern Rockford. (The Plaza is just southeast of the intersection of Perryville Road and Riverside Boulevard.)

Summers, an attorney and community college trustee from rural Harvard, will face Republican incumbent Donald Manzullo and the eventual winner of the Democratic primary for the 16th Congressional seat. The district covers greater Rockford and far northwestern Illinois.

“The nation demands bold thinking and smart solutions,” Summers says. “It's time for a fresh start.”

Summers' platform includes an expedited military withdrawal from Iraq, coupled with a massive aid program for displaced civilians and refugees and redoubled efforts to provide health care and employment opportunities for war veterans and their families.

Scott promotes common-sense fiscal and trade policies and reconfigured health care and education systems. “We need to put people first,” he says. “The key to economic prosperity is a skilled and healthy workforce.”

His “microcapitalism” project will help start and grow local businesses. “Home-grown jobs won't be outsourced,” Summers asserts.

Scott advocates for personal responsibility. “The turn-around work I do in Washington will merely set the tone,” he says. “Sustained societal change means that every American gets involved in little ways every day.”

Summers also has staked out views on foreign policy, civil liberties, energy, and the environment. The campaign website, www.SummersForCongress.com, contains more information.

Labels: 16th Congressional District, Don Manzullo, Green Party, Scott Summers

Going to the Rockford YMCA for a swim meet, I saw this bumper sticker heading into town.

Actually, there were two, but I only got a picture of this one:Sorry it’s fuzzy. I didn’t get a second chance.

I’m pretty sure the other one was for Rich Whitney for Governor.

Labels: Bumper Sticker, Green Party, Rich Whitney

2008 Green Party gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney held a press conference in Springfield last week to chastise the power (my word, not his) parties’ inability to pass a budget.

Springfield Journal-Register political reporter Doug Finke didn't write a story about the press conference, but did mention the Greens' political appearance in his Sunday column, the Statehouse Inisder:

Former Green Party candidate for governor, RICH WHITNEY, weighed in last week on the state's budget imbroglio. He called a news conference to opine on how Republicans and Democrats have made a mess of things and how the Green Party would do it better.

I could find only one article in the whole state about the press conference, in the Bloomington Pantagraph (by Mike Riopell).

And you wonder why third parties don't get anywhere in Illinois.

(There was an editorial in Kankakee, but one has to be a subscriber to read it.)

Whitney spoke to the McHenry County Defenders.

Whitney got 10% of the ballots for governor. I got 2% in 2002.

Labels: Green Party, McHenry County Defenders, Rich Whitney

9/17/6 - See also Cat Tax – First, My Motivation for Looking at the Issue
and Cat Tax – Second, Speculations on Why It Has Been Proposed

I’ll grant there may be some cat owners who are can’t wait to write another check to county government.

Don’t include me.

It probably won’t be enough to get me to run for county board, but you never can tell what will get someone else to the tipping point between fuming at home and running for office.

Next time around, candidates won’t even have to run in a Republican primary.

In the 8th congressional district, it is almost a certainty that Moderate Party congressional candidate Bill Scheurer will be get 5% of the vote.

That means there could be a whole new party on the ballot in the fall of 2008.

“Moderate Party.” That has a nice neutral sound to it, doesn’t it?

In fact, there might be two new parties challengers could chose from.

The Green Party candidate for governor polled 6% this past week.

If enough people are fed up with both Rod Blagojevich and Judy Topinka (look for my ”Judy, Judy, Judy” piece, inspired by her television ad with the running dogs), Rich Whitney might get 5%, allowing people to run on the Green ticket for partisan offices anywhere in the state.

The McHenry County Defenders had a membership in the range of 500 the last time I looked. In some Republican primaries, its members have been quite active and successful in electing favorites.

And, there might be some bird lovers who don’t want wild cats out there stalking song birds.

The GOP, it should be noted, can’t even fill 200 precinct committeemen slots.

That’s not to underestimate the brand loyalty of to the Republican Party name, just something to chew on. It’s not exactly the sign of a vibrant party infrastructure.

And, I haven’t even mentioned how any opponent could get the names and addresses of those forced to register their cats and use them for a campaign mailing piece.

I can just envision the "Cat Tax" piece.

It could be added to the list of other taxes that incumbent county board members have voted for. Or supported publicly before taking office.

Not to mention the huge salary hike vote.

Yes, one could put together quite a mailing.

And not including farmers' cats among those who must get rabies shots makes little common sense. Aren’t outdoor cats the ones most likely to catch rabies?

I see no reason for a responsible cat owner (with an electronically tagged cat) to have to pay to create a larger bureaucracy in Woodstock...oops, Crystal Lake.

And, lest I forget. The dominant media in McHenry County also opposes the idea.

Neither is needed. Both are government intrusions.

Has a Libertarian taken control of a Northwest Herald editorial writer's mind?

Or does he/she own a cat?

And the NW Herald editorial answers the question about rabies:

Is rabies among cats a problem in Illinois? No. The last reported case was 10 years ago

The editorial’s final sentence:

Government should butt out.

For more McHenry County Blog, click here.

Labels: Green Party, McHenry County Board, McHenry County Republican Cat Tax, Moderate Party