McHenry County Blog

In the “Here we go again” category, we have the St. Louis firm UNICOM-ARC being hired tonight for $215,000 to prepare the way for a tax increase or passage of a bond referendum.

These folks have not only run the campaign for District 300 in Carpentersville, but the one in Woodstock for District 200.

You deserved to read the whole memo from MCC President Walt Packard:

Request to Purchase
Community Engagement Services

Information:

McHenry County College has an opportunity to receive community input and feedback through a formalized community engagement program. The goals for this effort include providing more detailed information about MCC to the community at large, and collaborating with community members to gather input that will help inform the College as it revises its strategic plan and sets a strategic vision for the future.

The engagement program will have an initial proposed timeframe of 14 months.

Expected components of the engagement program include

• organizing a community-led facilitating committee,


• conducting opinion research,


• hosting information sessions for the community, and


• leading workshops to gather community input.

Proposals were received from the following agencies for community engagement services:

• UNICOM-ARC – $168,750.00 - $215,000.00


• Fleishman Hillard – $238,000.000 - $280,000.00


• Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin & Associates – Did not respond with proposal by deadline

The estimated fee from UNICOM-ARC includes the following:

• Planning and development fees - $8,000.00 per month ($112,000.00 total)


• Travel expenses - $1,000.00 per month ($14,000.00 total)


• Initial 500-sample opinion survey - $22,750.00


• Promotional video production - $20,000.00


• Collateral development and printing – not to exceed $46,250.00

This expense is budgeted in the Institutional Account in the Education Fund.

Wouldn't be great if a local educational tax district planning a tax hike or a bond referendum would be forthright and say,

“We can't do this ourselves without violating the election interference law and we're too lazy to convince someone else to pay for the ground work, e.g.,

• survey research


• campaign video that doesn't explicitly say, “Vote Yes!”


• campaign pieces that don't explicitly say, “Vote Yes!”

that needs to be done to pass a referendum?”

In the next millennium maybe.

And, fourteen months from now.

That's right before the 2010 primary election, isn't it?

Labels: MCC, McHenry County College, Tax Hike, Unicom, Unicom ARC, Walt Packard

The Woodstock District 200 School District tax hike committee, officially called Citizens for District 200, has reported how it spent its money to pass the over $200 million bond issue that will raise real estate taxes next year.

It spent $66,227.04, of which 68%--$45,127.35, to be exact--went to St. Louis campaign consulting firm Unicom ARC.

The out-of-state hired guns were given something of a down payment ($6,670) on January 27th, four days before a statement of organization was filed with the State Board of Elections.

District 200 vendors primed the pump with $15,000

· $10,000 from life safety vendor IHC Construction Companies LLC of Elgin and

· $5,000 from insurance and benefits consultant Fringe Funding Inc. of Rolling Meadows.

Since the check was not reported having been received until Jan. 30th, Unicom must not have cashed the check immediately.

The next payment was not made until March 6th, two weeks before the election. It was for $16,464.76.

On election day—March 21st—a check for $6,660 changed hands. (Nothing Biblical there, right?)

Finally, after the victory, on April 12th, Unicom got 15,332.59. That included a “meal expense” of $192.69 that Unicom paid and was, apparently, reimbursed for.

McHenry County Blog has already reported who financed the campaign. Two words explain most of the contributions:

developers (see also here and here and here)

and

school district vendors (see here and here).

The committee was what I call a “pop-up” committee, undoubtedly a strategy to forestall opposition by pretending nothing is happening until the last minute.

(This pop-up committee at least reported prior to the referendum date, something the Pecatonica tax hike folks, led by German-American Bank vice president Jeff Sterling, did not.)

I was astounded to see that the tax hike committee actually rented space from School District 200. It was only charged $320 for “Canvassing Expense Building Rental.”

Local radio station advertising cost $2,410, while the Northwest Herald pulled in a similar amount--$2,394.01.

The Woodstock Independent charged $3,820 for ads, but rebated $770 on May 30th. (Maybe there was a double billing or the committee paid the same bill twice.)

Besides these three local media, other local business people getting a significant part of the action include

· Indepth Graphics and Printing of Woodstock - $3,658.02 for signs, probably the yard signs and
· Vision Mailing Services Inc. of Huntley - $3,940.97.

Oak Park’s Purple Monkey Studios Inc. was paid $1,680 for “Professional Services Computer – Access.”

The election night victory party at Pirro’s cost $800.

Three names of apparent committee members appear as having been reimbursed for expenses:

· DeMartinis, Anthony & Cathleen, for $188.19 for the election reception and
· Larson, Maureen, for $194.72 for canvassing expenses.

The tax hike committee has $7,368.40 left for future tax hike efforts.

Want to learn more about Unicom ARC?

Go here to Kevin Killion's Illinois Loop.

= = = = =
The top illustration is from a tax hike committee mailing. Next is the front page of the Unicom ARC's web page.

The map is for Kirk Homes big new subdivision south of Woodstock. Kirk gave $15,000 to the tax hike committee--more than any other contributor. That amount is less than it profit on one home, however. Kirk scored a new school campus in Apple Creek Estates after the referendum's passage. The "boom town" logo is also from Kirk Homes. Get ready to have your wallet blown out of your pocket.

Labels: Citizens for District 200, Fringe Funding, IHC Construction, Maureen Larson, Pop-Up Committee, Tax Hike, Unicom, Unicom ARC, Vision Mailing Services, Woodstock Unit School District 200

When politicians are caught in the act, so to speak, I have often heard the line,

“That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”

This is particularly true late in a campaign.

So, we really should not be surprised when the District 300 School Board (whose members are probably being advised by tax hike referendum campaign consultants Unicom, Arc, out of St. Louis) refuses to admit that it has pretty substantially underestimated projected revenues.

The Daily Herald’s Jeffrey Gaunt put this delightful quote in his story headlined Dist. “300 denies budget cuts tactic to obtain tax increases” today:

"The board is not bluffing," school board President John Court said Monday night. "We've taken this process very seriously."

Usually school districts do not have competent observers willing to point out discrepancies in financial projections. This time District 300 has two of them who have gone public—District 158 school board member Larry Snow and CPA Tony Quagliano, who has a West Dundee office --plus others who would prefer not to share the abuse heaped on those two.

District 300 misstated its deficit, ignoring millions sitting in its Working Cash Fund.

Its revenue projections grossly underestimated state aid to education. The Board didn’t fess up until Larry Snow blew the whistle at an Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Rotary Club meeting. (There was more found than the threatened elimination of sports and extracurricular activities would cost to re-instate.)

The 5-year projections had not one dime of income for the already approved charter school. They probably still don’t. A district spokesman blew that mistake off when the charter school’s opening was delayed by a year. The media did not point out that the state subsidies would still arrive during the five-year period. (Nor did the media point out lower expenses from not having to educate the children attending the charter school was not subtracted from the spending side of the budget.)

And, what about the lag or transition fees for Gilberts? Gilbert’s projected growth is part of the reason for the bond referendum. So why do the 5-year projections I obtained have not one dime of lag fees for Gilberts?

Or, maybe the spreadsheet has been changed in secret, just as an additional $60 million in expected assessed valuation was stuck in after Larry Snow pointed out that it was illogical to predict 7,200 new students and ignore the assessed valuation of the newly built homes where they would live. The increase in assessed value shows up every year after construction, so it’s not a one-time short in the arm.

And, oh, yes. By the way, at no time when the outside observers find extra money does the amount of new money needed decrease. There is always an extra expense that pops up.

Or, is the school district thinking of, but not wanting to mention rewarding the teachers who are walking precincts to pass the referendum? Their contract is up June 30th.

Pardon me, but I've tried to frame campaign issues as far back as 1968. Then, it was to defeat the McHenry County College bond referendum that would have put MCC on Houghton muck (a soil type suitable only for sod farming) next to Boone Creek in McHenry, where there was a faltering subdivision. I know a campaign theme when I see one. (Ours was, "The Ladd Site Is a Bad Site, Vote No December XX.")

And, I also know, when opponents of a referendum poke holes in “the script,” the best response is to deny that the opponents know what they are talking about. Can’t change the spin at the end of a campaign.

So, that explains the “same ol’, same ol’” from the District 300 folks. That’s their story and they’re sticking to it…whether or not it is true.

Labels: District 300, Ladd, Larry Snow, McHenry County College, Spin, Tony Quagliano, Unicom, Unicom ARC

Unicom, Arc has advised numerous referendums in Illinois since 2001.

And, it has been paid well.

About $463,000, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections web site. (And I found another $40,000 from a private foundation in Springfield.)

There’s really no way to tell whom the referendum consulting firm is working for this spring. Only campaign contributions have to be revealed before the election. Expenditures don’t become public until the July semi-annual reports are filed. Unsatisfactory, but, “It is what it is,” as my wife would say.

But here’s what the firm says it can do. (You tell me if it sounds like what is happening in District 300.)

Comprehensive referendum consulting services include:

· Theme and message development
· Writing/production of all campaign materials, including:
· Campaign plans
· Signage & Canvass materials
· Campaign mailers
· Print & television/radio advertising
· Editorials and other communications vehicles
· Direct voter contact – planning and training
· Database management, including voter analysis and targeting
· Addressing opposition
· Speaker training
· Get-out-the-vote programs

In addition to complete campaign consulting, we also offer training, seminars and workshops to help build effective campaigns.

We do know what school district tax hike committees Unicom Arc has worked for in the past, however, from campaign disclosure reports.

And, District 300 is one of the “success stories” featured on its web site.

Here’s the text of the enticement for other school tax hikers to call for advice:
Client:

Community Unit School District 300

Challenge: Like many of the districts in the Fox River Valley, District 300 was facing rapidly growing enrollment that is likely to continue well into the future. As the largest geographic district in Illinois, there is still plenty of room for new home construction. District 300 had lost three elections in a row, and was home to Illinois’ leading anti-tax proponent.

Solution: UNICOM•ARC helped District 300 create FACE, the Facility Advisory Committee for Education. FACE, which involved the participation of thousands of district residents including many who had opposed previous referenda, developed a comprehensive building improvement program. UNICOM•ARC worked with SchoolsNow for District 300 in developing a very innovative campaign that included pioneering web site use, video, door-to-door campaigning, and direct mail. UNICOM•ARC also worked with the committee in successfully responding to the aggressive anti-tax…[end of what can be seen]

And what did the District 300 tax hikers pay Unicom, Arc?

The differently identified District 300 tax hike committee--now morphed into “Advance 300”--paid $9,125 to Unicom Arc April 11, 2005, for “Survey, Schools Now For District # 300 Committee.” Under a previous name, the District 300 tax hike committee paid Unicom Arc was paid $1,000 for “consulting fees” on June 2, 2003, and $7,500 in on June 5, 2002. On April 23rd and 24th of the same year, Unicom received checks for $1,572.64 and $825.56, respectively. $5,000 more was paid on March 19,2002. The firm got another $15,000 on March 4, 2002. September through the end of 2001 saw the tax hike committee pay $12,255.13 in bills to Unicom ($4,000 on 9/10, $8,000 on 10/28 and $ 255.13 on 12/5). And, there’s another $4,000 on September 10, 2001.

Here is Illinois Loop’s Kevin Killion’s take on Unicom Arc.

What follows are payments starting with the present and working backwards as long as the St. Louis has been helping raise taxes in Illinois.

For the 14 other Illinois clients, click here.

Labels: Advance 300, District 300, FACE, Facility Advisory Committee for Education, SchoolsNow for District 300, Unicom, Unicom ARC

Two of three regional daily newspapers took shots at District 300 tax hike efforts today.

When I saw the front pages, I concluded that the tax hike leaders would probably have a bad day. It’s ten days from election day.

- - - - - -

When I was in grad school at the University of Michigan, I did a paper on referendums. (I probably called them “referenda” then.)

I was trying to figure out what made referendums pass or fail.

I found that people in wealthy precincts combined forces with those in poor precincts to pass referendums. (I’m not saying they interacted; just that their voting patterns were positive.) Those voting “No” were in the middle of the income mix.

After looking at everything I could find, I concluded that the only common feature in successful referendums was a lack of an active opposition.

Presumably, District 300’s paid professionals—local resident Cheryl Meyer and the tax hike committee’s long-time St. Louis-based consultant Unicom, Arc—know this as well. (Actually, we do not know if Unicom is involved this year. State campaign disclosure laws do not require expenditures to be reported until July.)

That would explain why the tax hike committee thinks it needs $153,000--or, maybe, upwards of $200,000--to convince the voters to act in what the tax hikers consider “their own best interest.”

If one goes back to the $9,125 baseline poll that Unicom, Arc took last April, the tax hike committee already has over $150,000 to spend on this effort. (My previous estimate of total resources available--$143,000 in the bank as of July 1, 2005, plus contribution since--did not include the poll’s cost. I figure the tax hikers already have over $152,000 to spend to convince District 300 voters to cast a “Yes” vote.

Yet tax hike leader Nancy Zeller told Northwest Herald reporter Allison Smith that she’s $40,000 short of here fundraising goal this spring.

That would mean the proponents want to put on almost a $200,000 campaign.

Labels: Bond Referendum, Cheryl Meyer, District 300, Nancy Zeller, School Referendum, Tax Hike, Unicom, Unicom ARC

This past week Northwest Herald reporter Allison Smith had an excellent story concerning who has promised to contribute to the political action committee trying to raise taxes in District 300.

Area home builders, the District 300 architect and real estate agents, the article says, will raise $153,000, presumably the amount that St. Louis tax hike consultant Unicom.ARC has said is needed to have a chance of passing the tax hike referendums.

The pubic usually never learns who has so much to gain from the passage of a school referendum until right before the election or even afterward when it is too late to see the selfish motives involved.

Not this time, though, thanks to Allison Smith. Somehow she got to attend the solicitation meeting of Advance 300-the newly re-named tax hike political action committee. Formerly known as Schools Now for District 300 Committee, it had $33,687 in the bank at the end of last June. Expect the report for the last half of 2005 to be filed before the Jan. 31st deadline.

Labels: Advance 300, Campaign Contributions, District 300, Ken Arndt, Nancy Zettler, School Vendors, Unicom