McHenry leaders shut down

The Northwest Herald was a little more polite... Its article led off with "McHenry leaders decline comment on Maxeiner's resignation."

Last week City Administrator Dough Maxeiner walked off the job. He had worked approximately ten years for the City of McHenry, and it appears he just got fed up. I'd rather imagine that it didn't just suddenly happen.

City leaders are tight-lipped. They hid out in executive session and then apparently kept their mouths shut after re-entering open session, and afterwards. I'll bet the City's lawyers are busy working up a politically-correct statement that will eventually find its way to the public.

Will it be bland, bland, bland?

Mayor Sue Low is quoted in the article as saying, "I think the actions of the council tonight speak for themselves." What actions? Not talking about it? Not explaining to the voters and taxpayers of McHenry why its top appointed official walked out?

Shutting down is not an explanation. The actions don't speak for themselves, unless she means that the public should just ignore what happened.

And Alderman Jeffrey Schaufer? "I really don't want to comment." Well, that's truthful enough. Then he added, "I think the actions of all of us here speak for us." Was there an echo in the room? Did they agree in executive session to say the same thing in different words?

I've used the phrase "treating citizens like mushrooms" from time to time. You know, keeping them in the dark and covering them up with (okay, well, "manure").

What would cause a man to just walk away from a $125,000/year salary, $400/month for a car and full health, dental and vision insurance? Well, a good job elsewhere would, but he'd give a month's notice so that his current employer wouldn't be caught short.

One of these days, the truth will come out. And, at the next election, McHenry voters should let the City Council know what they think about getting stiffed on honesty back in July.