Harrison fundraiser this Saturday

Jim Harrison has announced a fundraiser for this Saturday, April 5, in Crystal Lake. Here are the details. (His flier looks much nicer than what I've been able to re-produce here.)

Citizens to Elect Jim Harrison

Sheriff of McHenry County

Cordially Invite You to a Special Event to Support

JIM HARRISON

Independent Candidate for McHenry County Sheriff

Saturday, April 5, 2014 • D’Andrea Banquet Center

4419 U.S. Route 14 • Crystal Lake • IL • 60014

Tickets $100* • Cocktails 6:00 p.m. • Dinner 7:00 p.m.

Awesome Live Music

    DAVE AND DONNA DUO     

And Special Musical Guest Appearance By

MR. JOHN FORBISH

Music • Dinner • Cash Bar • Contests • Auctions • Fun

…………………………………………………………………………………….......................

Reserve your ticket by April 2, 2014: CarolynHarrisonsDesk@gmail.com or 

Call 815-575-4111

*Precinct Committeemen: Buy one, get one free.

     Yes,                  will attend the April 5, 2014 Citizens to Elect Jim Harrison Sheriff Fundraising Dinner.              Enclosed is a check for $                   payable to “Citizens to Elect Jim Harrison Sheriff.”

Credit/Debit accepted by phone or online at www.JimHarrisonForSheriff.com 

(Tickets $100.00*)

 

            I’m unable to attend, however, I wish to contribute $                         to support the campaign.

Citizens to Elect Jim Harrison Sheriff • Post Office Box 10 • Ringwood • IL • 60072

Name/Organization:                                                                                               

Address:                               ________________________________________

City-State-Zip:                                                                                                       

Phone:                                                            

Email:                                              

Paid For By Citizens to Elect James T. (Jim) Harrison Sheriff of McHenry County.  A copy of our report filed with the State Board of Elections is (or will be) available on the Board’s official website  (www.elections.il.gov) or for purchase from the State Board of Elections, Springfield, Illinois.

Beth Bentley - gone 201 weeks now

Well?

Who wants to be the first to spill the beans about what really happened in (or near) Mt. Vernon, Ill. after Jen Wyatt and Beth Bentley arrived there early Friday morning, May 21, and before the time when Jen says Beth got out of the car in Centralia on Sunday afternoon near the Amtrak Station?

Beth was reported missing late Monday night, May 24. The Woodstock (Ill.) Police took the report. Woodstock is more than 300 miles from Mt. Vernon.

At least three people know.

Woodstock Property Tax comparison

McHenry County Blog carries an article this morning that shows this graph, comparing municipality property taxes.

As a 2011 graph, it is out-of-date. You have to wonder how Woodstock compares with other communities in McHenry County for 2012 and 2013. You can bet this graph won't appear in any Woodstock community publications.

The McHenry County Blog article carries a letter this morning from the Village of Lakewood president. In the letter, she mentions the retirement of Lakewood Police Chief Larry Howell. Howell, a Woodstock resident, is one of two members of the Woodstock Board of Fire and Police Commissioners. The Board in Woodstock has been short one of its three members since September 2013. The letter also has a graph comparing 2011 property taxes for McHenry County's municipalities.

Why would little ol' Woodstock's property taxes be 129% higher than those in Crystal Lake? Not just 100% higher, but 129% higher.

Perhaps residents should turn up at the April 1st (no foolin') Woodstock City Council meeting and ask:

1. Why were 2011 property taxes 129% higher than Crystal Lake's?
2. Why hasn't the City Council appointed the third member to the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners?

Illinois law (65 ILCS 5/10-2.1-1 reads, in part, "This board shall consist of 3 members".

Not may, might, could, should. "This board shall consist of 3 members."

"Shall" is a powerful, commanding word in state statutes. It's an order, a direction, a requirement.

Has not the City Attorney explained this to the Mayor, City Council and City Manager? What's the reason that the City of Woodstock has failed to appoint a third member?

Woodstock: Why no 3rd BOFPC member?

Another Woodstock City Council meeting will occur when they do not appoint a third member to the Woodstock Board of Fire and Police Commissioners.

What's the delay???

The Board is supposed to have three members. Will it be necessary to file a lawsuit against the City of Woodstock to force them to appoint a third member?

The Board is the citizens' committee of residents to control the police department. There is one long-time member who is the chairman, and a second member, while a city resident, is the police chief of Lakewood, Illinois.

Would a fully-independent third member last October have raised the battle cry, when the Police Department and the City hushed up the disciplinary matter involving Sgt. Amati? A Chicago Tribune reporter caught wind of the trouble in mid-October and talked to Chief Lowen. The Board met on October 28 and doled out a 30-day suspension.

As a public body, the Board made its decision in the public portion of the meeting; yet the Board, the Police Department and the City all failed to release any information about the matter. Finally, on the day before Thanksgiving, the Chicago Tribune broke the story.

Of course, there won't be a "fully-independent" resident ever appointed to this Board. Such a person would be a high risk for the City Council and Mayor. They'll appoint a follower - someone who will know from where his marching orders come.

And that's wrong.

Diabetic Alert Dogs - for real?

Several years ago I began driving to Columbia, South Carolina, from Woodstock. When I got to Indianapolis, I began thinking constantly of a family in Richmond, Va., where I had lived from 1993-1996 - so much so that I called them. I reached the mom, and she sounded stressed to the max. When I asked what was going on, she told me that her husband and she had been virtually living at the hospital for a week, while their 9-year-old daughter was receiving intensive treatment for Type 1 Diabetes.

They had three other children at home, and I asked if I could help. My offer was taken up quickly, and I went east from Indianapolis, instead of southeast to Columbia. For a few days, I was the house-helper and watched the other children continue with their own home-schooling and household chores.

On the day before the mom, dad and young daughter returned home from the hospital, I offered to take their laundry to the laundromat because, as chance would have it, the washer had quit and was awaiting the husband's expertise to repair it. My VW bug was so full of laundry that there was barely room for me.

The family has had a diabetic alert dog now for several years. No, the dog doesn't have diabetes! Its keen sense of smell can detect rises and falls in the daughter's blood-sugar levels, and the dog "alerts" the child and the parents, so that immediate attention can be given. The dog goes everywhere with the child. I mean, everywhere.

When they visited me in Woodstock, we went to the Frank Lloyd Wright House in Oak Park, the Art Institute, and Lou Malnati's in Lakewood. When the dog is wearing his service vest, he is allowed everywhere - by law.

A new book about diabetic service dogs was published in February. The title is Lifesaving Labradors: Stories from Families with Diabetic Alert Dogs. To read about the book on Amazon.com, just click on the link, or go directly to Amazon. The book is available in paperback and Kindle versions. Net proceeds of the book, after the publisher is paid, will go toward training more diabetic alert dogs.

If you have diabetes, you'll want to read this book. If you know someone with diabetes, consider giving them a copy of the book.

Harrison at the Crystal Lake Expo

Jim Harrison isn't wasting any time, collecting signatures on petitions to file as an Independent candidate for McHenry County Sheriff in the November 4th General Election.

I'm not sure exactly how many valid signatures he needs. Somewhere north of 6,000. Any registered voter (Republican, Democrat, Green, Libertarian or any other party or undeclared) can sign a petition.

The Expo will be held at Crystal Lake South High School, 1200 South McHenry Avenue, Crystal Lake, Ill. It's always a great event, with many displays and happy, friendly people.

Meet Jim Harrison at the Crystal Lake Expo

The Jim Harrison for Sheriff Campaign is inviting McHenry County residents and registered voters to meet Independent Sheriff’s candidate Jim Harrison, while visiting the Crystal Lake Expo this weekend.  Jim will be at the Expo from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 29^th, and from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Sunday March 30^th.  McHenry County residents will have a chance to talk with Jim, and registered voters will have the opportunity to sign Jim’s petition.  Come learn why Jim is running his campaign independent of party politics, and discover Jim’s plans for the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office.

Visit www.JimHarrisonForSheriff.com for more information.

Harrison re-affirms intentions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:             March 26, 2014

Citizens to Elect Jim Harrison Sheriff of McHenry County

Contact:  Carolyn Harrison

EMAIL:  carolynharrisonsdesk@gmail.com 

Post Office Box 10

Ringwood, IL 60072

Harrison is in it to win it!

Because of misinformation being circulated about whether Woodstock attorney Jim Harrison will run for McHenry County Sheriff, today, Harrison laid all speculation to rest.

“There is absolutely no doubt that I am seeking to be elected Sheriff of McHenry County,” Jim Harrison said.  Harrison announced his intention to run for Sheriff in July of 2012. “The only thing that has changed since then, is that now I only have to look over one shoulder;” Harrison mused.”  

 

The primary election is used by political parties to select the political party’s candidate to run for office in the General Election.  Harrison is running his campaign independent of party politics, so instead of a primary election, Harrison must collect 6,728 signatures from registered McHenry County voters to be on the ballot in November.  The political party candidates were only required to obtain 517 signatures from registered Republican voters.

However, because Harrison is running as an independent candidate, any registered voter in McHenry County can sign Harrison’s petitions; regardless of their political party affiliation, (if any); regardless of whether they previously signed a petition for Republican primary candidates Zinke or Prim, and regardless of whether or how they voted in the recent primary election.  

“There are nearly 200,000 registered voters in McHenry County; more than enough for us to meet the signature requirement,” Harrison said, “and everyone involved in the campaign is dedicated to the success of the petition signature drive.”  “We always welcome more help,” Harrison added. 

For independent candidates, the signature collection period runs from March 25^th to June 23^rd, the last day for Harrison to turn in petitions.  Political party candidates collected their petition signatures in the fall, ahead of the primary election on March 18^th.  “I had people calling me before the primary asking me why I didn’t have signs up, and I had to remind them that I have no primary election” Harrison said. “Others speculated whether I was running for Sheriff because I haven’t turned my candidacy documents in to the Clerk’s Office,” Harrison continued, “as an independent, my candidacy documents get turned in with my petitions in June.”

“Clearly, McHenry County voters are unaccustomed to having an independent choice for Sheriff on the ballot in the General Election,” Harrison said; “I’m here to give McHenry County voters that choice.”  “In this election, McHenry County will have the opportunity to entrust the responsibility for the Sheriff’s Office to a politically-independent, experienced business professional, who will act in the best interests of the people of McHenry County, and without preference or priority for the interests of any political party.”  “It’s time to ‘raise the bar’ in the qualifications we demand in our Sheriff, and I am confident that my law enforcement background, my professional experience, and my record will meet the highest expectations of the voters,” Harrison stated. 

“And all of McHenry County is welcome to join us,” Harrison invited; “we have supporters from one end of the county to another; we have Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, Tea Party members, and a whole bunch of independent voters whose tireless efforts are giving legs to this campaign – and we are off and running.”  

“Make no mistake,” Harrison said, “I’m in this race to win, but know also my motives are politically neutral.”  “My interest is in the job and the work that goes with being Sheriff, not the title,” Harrison said. 

Visit www.JimHarrisonForSheriff.com for more information.

Atmosphere at MCSD?

What's the atmosphere like at the McHenry County Sheriff's Department these days?

Anyone care to comment? If you want to comment "quietly", send me an email. Your name will not be mentioned. Better send it from a blind email account, just in case Nygren/Zinke/Sotos get all excited again and think they are going to get access to my computer. They aren't, even at the risk of threat of jailing me. I do not talk about who tells me what.

A week has passed since last Tuesday's Republican Primary Election. Unless something radical happens (like a count of all the dead voters and those who, not understanding what planet they are on, might have been "guided" to cast their votes in a certain way), Bill Prim will hold onto his victory and be on the ballot on November 4th as the Republican candidate for Sheriff.

When I served as an election judge and helped residents at Crossroads in Woodstock vote early, the other judge and I would not explain ballot questions or provide any information about candidates. Many residents had passed their mental ability to select their choice, and we could not, and did not, "assist" them in choosing.

What does losing the primary mean for Zinke and his insiders at 2200 North Seminary in Woodstock?

It could mean an icy condition for any who openly supported Prim. Their "disloyalty" may be met with rants and even discipline, even a change in assignment. In Denver we used to refer to getting transferred to the stockyards' district for Sunday night patrol.

Can Zinke man up and treat all employees with respect? Will he? He says he has been running the Department for three years. Why have we been paying $150,000/year for an elected Sheriff, if the Undersheriff is running the show? If he is really tough, then he'll put on a smile and do a quality job for the next eight months.

After that? Will he stay around, or will he go?

Except maybe he hasn't been running the show, since MIAT was not called out on June 7, 2011 to investigate the triple homicide that occurred that night. That may come back to haunt him.

And certainly the RITA Corporation fiasco will hurt him. As will the refusal to release the so-called "clean" report about his involvement in spoiling a confidential DEA investigation.

Some are wondering even now whether Nygren was really at the Feldkamp residence crime scene late on June 7. Or did he fly back to Woodstock on the morning of June 8? His name is on the crime scene log, but is it his signature? And why would Nygren and Zinke only be there for 15 minutes???

Beth Bentley - Missing 200 weeks now

Beth Bentley has been missing 200 weeks now.

What will it take to discover what happened to her?

Will one of her "friends" have to get pinched for something really serious to cause him or her to cough up information about her disappearance?

Harrison candidacy for sheriff

Jim Harrison, expected Independent candidate for McHenry County Sheriff in the November General Election, offers this information regarding his candidacy. Jim will be opening a campaign office and holding a fundraiser shortly.

Elect Jim HARRISON

INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE FOR

MCHENRY COUNTY SHERIFF

Vote November 4, 2014

Harrison Knows the Law from the Street to the Courtroom

Deputy Sheriff • McHenry County Sheriff’s Police • 8 Years

Corrections • Patrol • Narcotics Investigations • S.W.A.T.

                                                               

Special Assistant State’s Attorney • McHenry County S.A.O. • 12 Yrs.

Employment, Labor and Civil Rights Lawyer • Harrison Law Offices • 22 Yrs.

Adjunct Professor of Law • John Marshall Law School • Chicago • 13 Yrs.

Harrison Will  •  Save Tax Dollars

·       Eliminate Unnecessary Administrative Positions and Political Jobs

·       End Costly Outsourcing of Employment and Labor Issues to Lawyers

·       Stop the Flood of Lawsuits Needlessly Draining County Resources

  ·       Implement Office-Wide Training Initiatives to Prevent Future Lawsuits

·       Make Official Decisions that are Supported by the Law – Every Time

Harrison Will  •  Restore Public Confidence

·       Fulfill the Duties of Sheriff in an Honest, Impartial, and Lawful Manner

·       Bring Professional Legal Ethics to the Office of McHenry County Sheriff

·       Establish an Administration of Transparency and Fiscal Accountability

·       Remove Cronyism and Corruptive Influences from the Sheriff’s Office

·       Protect the Constitutional & Legal Rights of McHenry County Residents

Harrison Will  •  Provide Fair Treatment and Equal Opportunity

·       Run the Sheriff’s Office Independent of Political and Special Interests

·       Restore Discipline & Order • Improve Morale • Return Honor & Integrity

·       Design a Fair, Effective, and Responsible Internal Investigation System

·       Reward Knowledge, Skill, Ability, Experience, Conduct, and Judgment

·       Provide Equal Opportunity to Applicants, Employees, and Contractors

Harrison Will  •  Make Public Service the Top Priority

·       Top Priority • Serve and Protect All of the People in McHenry County

·       Top Priority • Enforce the Safety of County Highways and Waterways

·       Top Priority • Maintain the Security of the Adult Corrections Facility

·       Top Priority • Protect the Judiciary • Serve & Enforce Judicial Orders

·       Top Priority • Maintain the Security of the County Government Center

·       Top Priority • Safeguard our Children and Teachers in our Schools

JIM HARRISON

Lifetime Resident • 120 Year Family History in McHenry County

20 Years of Public Service • 22 Years of Private Business

                                                                                                                                                           

JOIN US – BECOME PART OF THE SOLUTION

Volunteer • Donate • Display a Sign • Vote

www.JimHarrisonForSheriff.com

Send Your Donation To

Post Office Box 10 • Ringwood • IL • 60072

Paid For By “Citizens to Elect James T. (Jim) Harrison Sheriff of McHenry County”