Nygren & Seipler - nose-to-nose on Jan. 27

Friday, January 27th. This is the next date for Zane Seipler's civil rights lawsuit against McHenry County's ought-to-be top cop Keith Nygren. I say, "ought-to-be" because Nygren is hardly ever seen in McHenry County. When does the man earn his $145,000/year? Or does he think he earns it by enjoying a wood-burning fires in Minocqua?

Nygren has only been sheriff since 1997, but he seems to believe he can take vacation time as if he worked for McHenry County for 40 years. It's 14 years, Keith, not 40!

Wouldn't it be nice to see a true schedule of the actual hours in his office at 2200 N. Seminary Ave.?

The Motions are flying back and forth, and Judge Kapala or Judge Mahoney ought to have a great time on Friday the 27th. Somehow, I think those judges in Rockford are not likely to horse around. When I watched Judge Mahoney "close up and personal" on April 6, 2011, he knew Zane's case cold. He knew that the lawyer from Jim Sotos' law office, counsel for the sheriff, was on a fishing expedition, and that was exactly what he called it. He didn't mince any words. He knew that Sotos' law firm was asking for documents that didn't even apply to the case before him, and he said so in exactly those words. He didn't have to look up anything; he didn't delay or hesitate. He knew that case cold!

See the good article today in First Electric Newspaper about the Federal case. Keep in mind that article is about Zane's Federal case, not about the case that was scheduled in McHenry County Circuit Court yesterday on Zane's request for a Special Prosecutor. Circuit Court records have not yet been updated in that case (10MR000011) to reflect the next court date.

I'm wondering ... how did Zane and Blake Horwitz, Zane's lawyer, appear in two courts at the same time? Or was the Federal case scheduled in the afternoon?

And don't forget Zane's third case. That's the one where Sheriff' Nygren refuses to accept the decisions of the arbitrator, the Circuit Court judge, or the Appellate Court. Nygren is wasting even more taxpayer dollars by stalling and appealing to the Illinois Supreme Court.

If you remember, the arbitrator decided that Zane should have just gotten three days' off without pay. Zane should not have been fired. So what Nygren is doing is arguing ad nauseum at the taxpayers' expense about taking Zane back (and paying him three years' back pay!). When he loses at the Illinois Supreme Court level, he ought to have to reimburse the County for all the legal fees he has wasted, plus the unnecessary run-up in back pay for Zane.

Let's hope that the Illinois Supreme Court will waste no more time before issuing a statement that it will not accept that case. Does it have a deadline?