McHenry County Blog

That was Thursday's Chicago Tribune's headline for an article on the Motorola complex in Harvard.

Then, later yesterday, the Northwest Herald announced that the campus had been sold.

No buyer was named at first.

But, later, Miami-based Optma International was identified by reporter Kelly Mahoney as the purchaser.

The story quotes the Cleveland Plain Dealer about Optima:

“Optima International is the U.S. branch of a private, global company heavily invested in oil, gas, telecommunications and manufacturing in Eastern Europe.”

John Blanchard's NASA Education tried to line up financing to buy the building. He envisioned making it a place homeless veterans could live, maybe enough to justify a Veterans Department medical clinic. But apparently he could not line up sufficient financing.

That use could have brought big income bucks from state government to the city's coffers.

Now, I guess they will have to be satisfied with real estate taxes. Hard to imagine its being turned into a big shopping mall that would generate sales taxes.

Current owners American Assets paid Motorola $14 million for the property in 2005, the NW Herald reports.

State government kicked in $35 million, if memory serves me correctly. Daily Herald reporter Lenore Adkins writes the building originally cost $100 million to build in 1997.

The Northwest Herald reported on its web site Friday that the building sold for $16.7 million.

Labels: American Assets, Harvard, John Blanchard, Motorola, NASA Education, Optima International, White Elephant

Harvard’s Ev Evertsen has this lead in before his wife Diane’s Field Report for Sunday:

“As Diane states below, the best was saved for last. The D-50 Superintendent stated that no registration of voters was being conducted at the school - we have taped evidence to the contrary.

“The Mexican Consulate was issuing documents to illegal aliens on American soil - last time I checked, this is serious violation of federal law - we have credible taped testimony to confirm that.

“After you have read Diane's report remember one thing, our borders and ports of entry are NO more secure now then they were before 09/11.

“We could deport every illegal alien in our country and they could be back in very short order because your elected officials have let you down.

“Find candidates for office who will deploy our military on OUR borders and we ask you get to work to have them elected. People in Illinois need to get up from behind their keyboard and start pounding on doors to educate the public about what happened in this small town of 9,000.

“Representatives from a third world country were able to break federal law on U.S. taxpayer property!

“We informed the appropriate authorities but nothing was done to stop it!!!!!

“Why? We need to work harder to elect HONEST people who will defend our country before they approve spending your tax dollars in foreign countries. Just how much money did our Congress just approve to be GIVEN to Mexico?

“In additon to what Diane reports below, more will come out after we complete our dialogue with people in D.C.

“In the meantime we do know that the Illinois Center for Immigrant Refugee Rights and LULAC and Pedro Enriquez of the Illinois Migrant Council (a listed affiliate of the National Council of the Race), D-50 representatives, and pastor Dan Larsen of the Woodstock were all present while laws of the United States were violated.”

Here is the field report on last Sunday, written by Diane Evertsen:

Field Report: July 20, 2008;
Mexican Consulate, Harvard, IL

“The fourth and final day for the Mexican Consulate to use public property in their efforts to provide ‘passports and government identification’ to Mexican Nationals in the United States. And a beautiful day it was.

“The usual parade of SUVs drive in past the large banner at the road which announces that the Mexican Consulate is here.

“Again, papers and hands go up to hide their faces from our ever-vigilant camera and many of the foreign nationals entering onto our public property seem less than thrilled to find they are the focus of our attention.

“We have noted a particular fondness for tinted windows on vehicles which arrive; these are the folks who roll their windows up quickly as they approach our cameras. One man in a green van with Wisconsin license plates wanted to know if we were going to burn his house down. The absurdity of the question indicates the stupidity of the questioner.

“The four-day visit by a foreign government was, in fact, very insightful.. It brought home the reason dessert is the last course of a meal: you always want to save the best for last.

“And did we ever!

“APPLE PIE:

“Our very convivial group of Patriots enjoy each others’ company; while sitting under sun umbrellas with coffee and doughnuts the conversation is lively and lighthearted.

"How delightful that a young girl stops by for conversation. Her opener is:

“‘Why are you guys doing this?’ Our response is that we want the laws of the United States enforced, and anyone here illegally should be deported. Her response to that was, ‘So you guys think Mexicans are lazy?’ (From what planet did that come?!)

“I must give great credit to this girl, though; she decided to come up to us and speak. She was very civil, very polite; she told us her name, she’s 14 years old and lives in Marengo and that she‘s 100% Mexican.

“She has at least one brother (18) and her parents have been here illegally for at least 18 years. She tells us that her father was in the school to ‘get his papers to be legal.’

“We respond that he couldn’t get ‘legal’ in the school because there was no one from the US Government in there to give him documents.

“She mentioned that the father had gone to court before to ‘get legal’ and tried to make a point that they (the parents) are just here to work.

“We responded that we feel they must leave because they have broken the law, impressing upon her that it is not her fault that her parents have engaged in illegal activity. As she said goodbye and walked away a short time later, it saddened me to think that her parents had so used and exploited their own child and continue to lie to her (and probably her brother as well). She now has an inkling of the truth and it’s a lot for a 14-year-old to think about.

“ALA MODE:

“Later on in the afternoon, a chubby-faced male with an ICIRR vest on stopped by on his way out the driveway, and asked if we were all registered to vote.

“If any of us were not registered to vote, he would be happy to register us, because that’s what he was doing - he’s a voter registrar. I think we were all so stunned by this fabulous act of kindness that it rendered us speechless.

“We decided we’d check back with him when he returned, just to see how much longer he’d be there registering ‘voters.’ Fortunately for the Mexican nationals who were there to get ‘passports and government identification offered by the Mexican Consulate of Chicago’ we found he’d be there until they closed up for the day at 3:00 pm. (Just in time to make sure everyone could get to church.) More fortunate for us, it’s all on tape.

“Summing up, let’s look at the numbers:

“Approximately 100 cars per day (to be confirmed after we decipher the pictures and hours of tape)

“Approximately 200 Mexican Nationals ‘served’ each day

“4 days = 800+ total

“License plate numbers are being uploaded.

“I don’t know about all of you, but I can hardly wait to thank the school board at their meeting Wednesday evening at 7:00 pm in the Board Room at the High School (1101 North Jefferson Street). Hopefully they haven’t rented that building out to the Chinese Consulate of Chicago to perpetrate more fraud - and maybe American CITIZENS will actually be able to use the bathrooms if they choose to do so. Hey, it could happen!!

“Also, not to be forgotten, the fine folks at Castle Bank who sponsored this event should receive your appropriate thanks. They’re good enough to provide an 800 number - feel free to call them: Head office: 800-990-5713; Harvard office: 800-952-6441. Let us know if they say, ‘Your call is important to us . . .’

“Again, a HUGE thank you to all who took part, encouraged us on, made calls and asked questions. This is not the finish; the ball has just begun to roll here, and we’ll continue to push it. So, stay tuned, boys and girls; same bat time, same bat channel!”

Labels: Diane Evertsen, Ev Evertsen, Harvard, illegal aliens, Illegal Immigrants

Here's a report by Harvard's Diane Evertsen of what happened Saturday in Harvard when illegal immigration protesters set u shop on Route 14 south of town.

A cover email:

points out NO MEDIA covering this tells more than you know.

There is a BLACKOUT on any news that paints the ILLEGALS or the MEXICAN government - or this bunch sitting in the White House and Congress - in an honest light.

Only those items that are sob story or please have sympathy for the poor ILLEGALS who are only here to do the jobs Americans won't get published.

There was a real kleenex report on CBS nightly news last night about the bunch in Postville, IA. at the kosher packing plant. All those poor women and kids (ILLEGALS) who are having to depend upon then local Catholic Church for food, etc. as they are awaiting their trials. One of the ILLEGALS (female) said she plans to take her kids back to Guatemala and then return to the US as soon as she can, any way she can.

Is that a poor hard working person or someone DEFIANT and INTENT upon violating American law? Save your tears for the American lives ruined by the presence of ILLEGALS and those who so heartily support them.

Be sure to note the two people (male and female Mexicans) in the car in the first picture (actually, I've placed it second) giving the MEXICAN SALUTE TO AMERICANS. It is their *culture*.

Friday, they were in front of Harvard Junior High School.

FIELD REPORT: Harvard, Illinois
July 19, 2008

The day certainly started off on a gloomy note weather-wise as the allotted “appointment” holders rolled (or in some cases, walked) into our public junior high school to obtain their “documents” from the Mexican government, via the Mexican Mobil Consulate.

This being the third day of their 4-day surge, our concern over the health and safety of those foreign nationals in our building is continuing to mount.

Considering the number of “appointments” being held per day (we understand they can “serve” 200 Mexican citizens daily), we’re concerned about the electrical draw on the power supply for all of the computers and data bases.

There must be a lot of computers in there to “serve” 200 Mexican Nationals every day for four consecutive days, considering the need to access data bases in Mexico to confirm that these foreign nationals are who they claim to be.

Whooops!! Just remembered! Mexico HAS NO DATA BASE TO CONFIRM IDENTIFICATION OF THEIR OWN CITIZENS. That in itself must make the job of bestowing IDENTITY DOCUMENTS very difficult, indeed.

We, as American citizens, don’t know for sure how many computers they have because we are not allowed in OUR building.

In any case, we had a great day!

The turnout of Patriots was a thing of beauty; we had people at the Junior High to photo each “entrant”, and a crowd along busy State Highway 14, directly across the street from the new Castle Bank which is currently under construction.

We really can’t figure out how many new ‘customers’ a bank would have to attract in order to pay for such a building; if you have any idea, let us know or, you may want to call the bank & ask them.

We understand through the response to our FOIA to the School District that Castle Bank’s own Rosalinda Carreno made the request to use the school “building and/or property”.

You may want to call the bank to thank Rosalinda and/or let her superiors (if she has any) know how much you appreciate her efforts on behalf of Mexican Nationals.

201 W. Diggins St. 1265 South Division
Harvard, IL 60033 Harvard, IL 60033
Phone: 815-943-6441 Phone:815-943-8561
Toll Free:800-952-6441 Toll Free: 800-952-6441
Fax: 815-943-6440 Fax:815-943-8560

Overall, the thumbs-up signs and horn honking of passing motorists was quite inspiring.

We did, of course, have the usual products of public education pass by with their stunted language arts knowledge. Apparently the most easily pronounced four letter Mexican word begins with an “F” and ends with a “K”.

Oddly, our response of “God bless you, too” failed to pacify.

It would appear the formerly sleepy little town of Harvard, Illinois is aware there is an illegal alien problem and were glad to have Minutemen to draw attention to it. Have any of you had the opportunity to have people drive by slowly and yell,

“Thank God
you’re finally here!”?

We had people park their cars and walk over to shake our hands and thank us for our efforts! We are enthused!

Halfway through the day our contingent at the Junior High had a car pull up, a male exited the vehicle and asked our photo taker why he was taking photos, and then demanded that he be given the digital camera.

Our no-nonsense Vietnam vet signaled the police (who were stationed within 100 feet) who immediately started walking over, at which time our camera-shy friend re-entered his vehicle & drove up to the school.

It strikes me as odd that they drive in eagerly to get a picture on a Matricula that costs about $28 (and I’m assuming the Mexican officials will take that in US dollars), but get unglued about an American citizen taking their picture for free. All was well, however, and the day continued on.

Over on the South end of town, the smiles, friendly waves & thumbs up continued with the steady stream of traffic on Route 14.

Periodically, an individual with no concern for the rule of law would pass and show us his/her best driving finger.

Between noon- and one-o’clock, a nice black Cadillac (note the Field Report from 7/18/08) drove by with its passenger hanging out the window screaming obscenities about “white people”.

This could have been mildly amusing since there are those among us who are noticeably brown and black, but what made it work was that as the fool is hanging out the window his trusty gang-banger hat flew off & hit the pavement.

Our concern for his welfare, and the loss of his personal property, mounted and one of our members retrieved the article of clothing from the highway.

Shortly thereafter didn’t little Einstein return with his female driver and whip through the strip mall where we all stood making intelligent decisions about an appropriate lunch spot.

This time he displayed all of his language arts skills in perfect elocution and maximum volume, ending with a threat of bodily harm.

Police officers, again roughly 100 feet away, were notified.

Einstein, however, was not about to stick around and attempted to leave the scene quickly.

Unfortunately, trying to exit a strip mall onto a State highway on a Saturday afternoon takes a little doing.

IQ really does count!

We were able to get some very complimentary photos and film of him and also the lovely grinning female driver.

The police chief will be given the photos in the morning; he believes this future Darwin-Award winner is already well known to his police department...

It would appear the Mexican Consulate has been successful in “serving” approximately 800 people over a 4-day period. We, however, have been successful in waking up approximately 9,000 Americans and letting them know there are others who are willing to do something to regain the rule of law.

Here is contact information for the Midwest Minutemen:

815-334-7740

Midwest Minutemen

= = = = =
Click to enlarge the photos. The Sunday "Field Report" will appear tomorrow.

Labels: Castle Bank, Darwin Award, Harvard, illegal aliens, Illegal Immigrants, Mexican Consulate, Rosalinda Carreno

Although this photograph of Harvard symbol, Harmilda, the cow, is almost two years old, it will have to do.

The annual Milk Day Parade is today at 1 PM.

Harmilda stands at the head of Ayer Street, which is whitewashed each year to make it the “Milky Way.”

When I was a Young Republican in the late 1960's, we were loaned a baby elephant named Tuffy. It was owned by Tuff-Coat, a Woodstock paint company and kept between two buildings in town.

The role I chose was walking behind the elephant with a snow shovel.

You can image why. We had a wagon for interim deposition.

I got the idea from something that happened at Oberlin College.

In my senior year, I was chairman of the Republican Mock Convention.

A circus came to Cleveland, which was about 30 miles away from the campus. It decided some publicity might result by bringing an elephant to Oberlin.

The elephant and media were standing out in front of the little house where the convention was headquartered.

The elephant took a dump.

Right on the sidewalk.

I rushed up to the porch, got the show shovel and cleared the way.

Labels: Harmilda, Harvard, Harvard Milk Day

The Chicago Tribune ran an article on Thursday about Waukegan's city council having “authorized staff to explore” a “proposal to build a minor-league baseball stadium downtown.”

At first I thought it might be Libertyville's Pete Heitman search east, as well as west in McHenry County.

I was told that Heitman was one of the losing baseball promoters for the Heartland Community College supplied site in Normal, Illinois, so he obviously is not wedded to McHenry County.

But, the article by Ralph Zahorik says,

“...the company would pay for the ballpark's construction, the mayor said.”

Somehow that does not sound like Heitman.

He told the Northwest Herald:

“The team would seek some financial help from its home community and county,”

reporter Tom Musik quoted Heitman indirectly.

And in a direct quote,

“... we’ve just got to find somebody who’s going to help out. We need a little bit of help, obviously, because we can’t do it all ourselves.”

Heitman wanted McHenry County College taxpayers to take all the risk on his MCC proposal.

But, McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler promised no tax dollars would be spent on a baseball stadium or convention center at the McHenry County Council of Governments meeting.

Ballball Digest ran an article on Waukegan, too.

I found this sentence of interest:

“We know groups regularly pop up to bring baseball to the greater Chicago area, but let's be honest: none of the Chicago-area minor-league teams, either independent or affiliated, are setting the world on fine; Kane County does well, but the Northern League and Frontier League teams in the area only do OK and have faced some serious issues in recent years.“

Don't you wonder whether the McHenry County Community Foundation board has signed an agreement with Heitman similar to the one that McHenry County College President Walt Packard signed with Heitman buddy Mark Houser in September of 2006?

I still think the people wanting a baseball stadium should seek competitive proposals.

I offered some other advice in this article, which I hope will be read by anyone trying to build a baseball stadium in McHenry County:


And, such folks should not forget that private money has already stepped forward to build a baseball stadium in Harvard. (You can see what it would like like above.) One of the promoters even graduated from Crystal Lake Central High School.

Labels: Baseball Stadium, Harvard, Mark Houser, McHenry County Community Foundation, Pete Heitman

No, I didn’t drive up to the Harvard area to take a picture of damage done by the tornado that forced Crystal Lake South School students into the basement from 3:30 to 4 yesterday afternoon.

You’ll have to settle for this blown over plastic globe sitting in front of a home in Lake in the Hills.

It was New Year’s Day when I took one of my son’s home and got this picture.

That’s when it was still winter, not in the sixties.

Labels: Harvard, Lake In the Hills, Message of the Day, South School, Wind

I usually wait until after 3:30 to go pick up my son. That way I can find a parking space.

Not so today.

Although I arrived about 3:38, there wasn’t a space to be found.

After driving around the block about five times without finding anyone leaving and no kid in sight, I asked a parent standing by her car what was up.

She told me there was a tornado warning and the children had been taken downstairs, that I could get my son, if I could find him, and sign him out.

I parked the car a block away—in a legal space, yet—and went inside.

I found the principal and she said that there had been a warning from what used to be called the Weather Bureau and that they had sent out a tornado warning.

District 47’s central office confirmed to South School administrators that the children should not be sent home.

A parent told me that there had been a tornado in Harvard.

Perhaps to a national agency, if a tornado is 20 miles away, but in the same county, that qualifies for a tornado warning.

But, there certainly was no warning siren in Crystal Lake. The crossing guard, who had been there since three, verified that.

Anyway, the principal told me that she was going to dismiss everyone at 4.

I found my son in a basement 5th grade class room and signed him out.

We walked out the front door about two after the four and beat the rush.

Got home at 4:10 and looked at the Tribune web site weather map. I have captured what McHenry County looked like about 3:55.

Doesn’t look like there was a reason to delay dismissal to me.

How about you?

Oh, yes.

Here's the email that arrived at 4:43-

Alert Name: Tornado Warning

Alert Type: High Importance

Complete Message: We were notified at 3:30 pm that the area is under a tornado warning until 4:00 pm on 1/7/2008. Students are being held at school until 4:00 pm and buses are being instructed to return to school. Once the warning is lifted students will be transported home or released from school.

School Name: Crystal Lake Community School District 47

Sent By: RONALD MILLER

Labels: District 47, Harvard, South School, Tornado

McHenry’s Steve Stanek shared two email attempts to persuade the Northwest Herald to provide balanced coverage on McHenry County College’s attempt to put a baseball stadium in Crystal Lake.

In the first, sent on November 21st, Stanek finds an issue paper written by MCC consultant Economics Research Associates. At the last board meeting, ERA tried to expand its role from 3rd party reviewer to baseball stadium promoter. The email is to Group Editor Chris Krug.

Mr. Krug:

This is from the March 19, 2006 Boston Globe article on the foolishness of sports facilities subsidies to which I sent you a link last week:

ACCORDING TO [Vanderbilt University economist John] Siegfried, there's a remarkable agreement on these points. In economics, he says, ''with most empirical issues there's lots of debate. Does the minimum wage cause unemployment? There's lots of debate about that issue. Here there's no debate." Even the consulting firm ERA put out an issue paper, back in 1995, cautioning against ''over- blown claims of the economic value of major league sports teams" and concluding that, ''Compared with more traditional public investments of scarce economic development dollars. . .sports facilities are a rather poor investment."

First note that we have a Vanderbilt University economist saying "there's no debate" on the public funding of sports facilities. The overwhelming consensus of liberal, conservative and libertarian economists and public policy researchers is that public funding of sports facilities is terrible economic and public policy.

Second, note that we have Economics Research Associates (MCC's consultant) acknowledg- ing sports facilities are a poor investment of public funds. Yet according to your own newspaper, the ERA rep a few days ago apparently tried to suggest to the MCC board ways to save the sports stadium (no doubt in hopes of collecting a fee). ERA is engaging in "rent seeking," as is Mark Houser and his baseball stadium associates.

Rent seeking is the term economists use to describe businesses, groups and individuals who use government to give themselves certain advantages. (Here is a good definition for you from Auburn University.) This can happen through government contracts, direct subsidies, regulations that hinder competitors or hurt consumers, etc.

They often cast their rent seeking in t erms of "public-private partnership" or some such thing, but the main aim is to get government to give them advantages and assume risks.

Public benefit is often the excuse that is used to justify rent seeking, even in the face of clear evidence that the rent seekers' private gain will come at the public's expense (through higher taxes, higher prices for goods and services, slower economic growth in other areas, etc.).

Businesspeople who engage in rent seeking, and government officials who aid them, often call it "economic development." They do this even though economists overwhelmingly conclude there likely will be no net economic gain, as in the case of subsidized sports facilities.

Motorola in the mid-1990s engaged in rent seeking, receiving taxpayer "incentives" worth well over $50 million (in inflation-adjusted dollars) for the cell phone plant in Harvard. (This does not include several million dollars of road work done at Motorola's request after the plant opened.) Have those incentives created the promised number of jobs? Generated the promised tax revenues? Sparked the promised ancillary development? No, no, and no.

Given this sorry record and the cheerleading the Northwest Herald did for the Motorola plant subsidies, I would expect the newspaper to be more circumspect about this whole stadium/entertainment issue.

Maybe it would help to bar executives at your newspaper from serving on the board of the county's economic development corporation. This way perhaps the newspaper would take a more clear-eyed and balanced look at such issues.

Regards,

Steve Stanek

= = = = =

Northwest Herald Group Editor Chris Krug is seen top left.

Economics Research Associates spokesman Richard Starr is seen trying to tie a baseball stadium into McHenry County College's mission statement, which is etched in the glass panel. Earlier his firm submitted a devastating 3rd party review of the Equity One feasibility study.

At the bottom are two views of the now underutilized Motorola campus in Harvard. In the bottom photo, note that the driveway was blocked by gates when I took this photograph in early October of 2006.

Labels: Baseball Stadium, Chris Krug, Economics Research Associates, Harvard, MCC, McHenry County College, Motorola, Richard Starr, Steve Stanek

Don't miss last night's article about the long-in-the-works, privately financed minor league baseball stadium in Harvard, which would most likely die if McHenry County College approves its tax-subsidized baseball stadium at the MCC Board meeting tonight at 7.

Labels: Baseball Stadium, Frontier Baseball League, Harvard, MCC, McHenry County College, Minor League Baseball

I thought there was something very wrong when I first found this clause in a $70,000 McHenry County College contract:

"At the completion of the feasibility study and independent review, if the College elects to proceed with the project, the College will contract with EquityOne or it’s (sic) assigns to develop the project on the College’s behalf."

The contract was signed September 27, 2006, by McHenry County College President Walt Packard and Mark Houser, President of Equity One.

It was for a “feasibility study for the development of baseball stadium -- indoor sports center complex on the McHenry County College campus.”

The clause, in boldface above, seems to preclude competition.

And college officials repeatedly have refused to share details.

MCC hasn't even released the report that was considered in open session on Monday night. That Board meeting was not even announced on the MCC web site until after I called the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office Tuesday.

Wednesday, I discovered that there is baseball stadium competition.

It’s led by Bill Larsen, originally from Chicago, and Chris Diserio, who grew up in Crystal Lake. His group is called “McHenry County Community Baseball and Family Entertainment.”

They want to build a privately financed baseball stadium in Harvard and have been working on it since 2003.

Larsen is a long-time minor league baseball executive with over 20 years of experience successfully operating minor league baseball teams around the country, including the Kane County Cougars. His formula consists of aggressive community-based marketing efforts leading to fan bases stretching as far as 75 miles from the stadium itself. This concept will lend itself well to the easy-access location of the complex.

Chris Diserio, the second in the group, is a 1986 graduate of Crystal Lake Central High School whose first job in baseball was in 1998. The stadium complex and the rookie league team will be owner-operated with the primary investors running the day-to-day operations of both the team and the facility.

Because of the lickty split rush to judgment by the McHenry County College Board--scheduled for 7 PM Thursday night--the investor group and the City of Harvard have gone public.

Harvard even issued a press release, which starts,

The City of Harvard announced today that it is negotiating with a group of McHenry County-based investors whose mission is to privately finance and construct a baseball complex in Harvard, Illinois.

The complex will include a baseball stadium with approximately 2,000 seats with lawn seating for approximately 2,000 additional fans. The stadium will be home to a rookie league baseball team that will play approximately 40 home games every summer with play beginning in 2009. The baseball stadium will also play host to high school and amateur games as well.

Property for the complex has been identified and negotiations are ongoing to acquire the land. The group initially contacted the City of Harvard in 2003.

The press release ends,

"at no cost to taxpayers,"

a phrase that brought a big smile to my face.

It wouldn’t have as large a seating capacity as the stadium proposed for MCC, but it would have a “Miracle League Field.”

“The outfield fence goes 105 to 110 feet from home plate," Diserio explained. "That’s really a big part of this whole thing.”

This part of the complex would have a rubberized surface where wheel chair bound children and others with handicaps could play with less danger of injury than elsewhere.

Sounds perfect for NISRA (Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association) clients.

And, this development team approached McHenry County College, even speaking to President Packard.

Both the Music Men, who have had the red carpet rolled out for them by the McHenry County College Board, and the group interested in Harvard want to make money.

But the Music Men want the taxpayers to be on the hook, rather than themselves.

As a veteran in the business told me Wednesday, minor league baseball teams pretty much all make money the first couple of years.

It’s because of the novelty.

After those first few years, promoters like Music Man Pete Heitman, sell their rights to the team and move on.

Then, the team might not do as well, as I’ve been told is the case with the Schaumburg Flyers.

I wonder if the MCC Board has done due diligence on this deal.

It certainly has not allowed any meaningful public debate.

= = = = =
Top right is how the MCC baseball stadium is laid out. The two head shots are of Mark Houser of Equity One on the left and MCC President Walt Packard on the right. The picture of the child in the walker is taken from the Miracle Field web site. The three men being escorted from President Packard's office to the MCC Board room are left to right Mark Houser, Pete Heitman and Frontier League President Bill Lee.

Labels: Baseball Stadium, Bill Larsen, Bill Lee, Chris Diserio, Equity One, EquityOne, Harvard, Mark Houser, MCC, McHenry County College, Minor League Baseball, Music Man, NISRA, Pete Heitman, Walt Packard

The Chicago Sun-Times’ man on the advertising beat, Lewis Lazare, reported Tuesday that Oberweis Dairy is about to start another round of television ads.

This one features a cow being interviewed by former U.S. Senate and gubernatorial candidate Jim Oberweis.

The nameplate of the person sitting next to him behind a desk in the photo the Sun-Times reads is Joe Oberweis.

So, where did the cow come from?

As luck would have it, McHenry County Blog has tracked down a herd of Holsteins where it might have originated.

It was not Harmilda, the plastic cow in Harvard, which bills itself as the Milk Capital of the World. . (The name Harmilda comes from Harvard Milk Days, I learned on the event’s web page.)

And its picture is probably not on the painting on the side of the building behind Hermelda at the corner of Ayer Street--which becomes the “Milky Way” early each June.

When I took office as McHenry County Treasurer in 1966, Shoppers Service was sending its shopper from Harvard every week. And every week at least one dairy farmer was holding an auction because he was going out of business.

So, the odds of the cow being from McHenry County are not high, although dairy farms do still exist.

I followed this cheese truck north to Wisconsin.

Actually, I was on another errand to Williams Bay and got lost trying to follow a detour in Walworth to Lake Geneva.

But guess what I found?

Part of a herd of cows that supply Oberweis Dairy hormone-free milk.

They were resting or peacefully grazing about as far from the highway as seemed possible.

And, believe it or not, the farmer was a Republican.

Just look at the yard signs out in front of his home.

I know the farmer's candidate for governor, Mark Green, fared no better than the man who buys his cow's milk.

Paul Ryan, candidate for Congress, got 63% of the votes cast.

His candidate for state senate, Neal Kedzie, won 2-1.

The Republican candidate for the state assembly. Thomas Lothian, had a closer call, getting under 54% of the vote.

Labels: Cow, Dairy Farm, Harmilda, Harvard, Jim Oberweis, Oberweis Dairy, Political Sign, Shopper Service, Television Ad