I haven’t seen anything like this since the McHenry County Board felt threatened enough to require passing through a metal detector to attend a County Board meeting.
Outside the Main Beach House was this warning sign:
To enter the meeting room, one had to walk through metal detectors:
The reason did not come until almost the end of the meeting somewhere after 9 PM.
Board President Fred Tiesenger told the audience that he had been attacked on social media as a Nazi, a Fascist…”right out of the Democrats’ playbook.”
At that many in the audience shouted negative comments.
This was a meeting in which Cathy Cagle, leader of the three-member opposition bloc who lost control at the spring election, and Keith Nisenson, a member of the four-member new ruling majority, both urged more civility.
Past meetings have seen shouting so loud I could not hear what was going on.
It was more like a sporting event than a government meeting.
“We’re going to have a civil meeting,” the Board President said as a woman stood up and shouted an insult following his playbook comment.
Tiesenger asked that she be removed by one of the Park District Policemen, but she said she was leaving anyway.
“If everyone wants to settle down,” he said, then referred to Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
That brought a loud negative reaction.
Cagle asked why the security, which she said cost $3,800, had been activated with Board approval.
Executive Director Jason Herbster replied, “If people don’t feel safe, we take [precautionary measures].”
That brought another round of jeers from many in the audience.
