Zinke - not 'til 2014?

Cal Skinner was first to publicize Andy Zinke's fundraiser planned for this month. All the noise is for an election that is in November 2014. As Cal wrote on McHenry County Blog today, the McHenry County Republicans won't get their act together to put up a contest for Jack Franks' seat, but they can start on a likely shoo-in for an election 2 1/2 years away.

When was the last time someone for a local office started holding fundraisers 2 1/2 years before an election?

That's because Keith Nygren isn't going to last until November 30, 2014. My guess is that he will bail out on his elected term of office very shortly; in fact, perhaps as soon as the special day in the July 2012 arrives, when the McHenry County Board (that's Ken Koehler and friends) can try to shoe Zinke into Nygren's shoes by appointment. If the office became vacant before the appointment period opened, then the voters would get a chance to elect its sheriff in November 2012.

What McHenry County will get is a smaller version of Keith Nygren. Shorter, that is, and lighter, but with a campaign mailing address that provides a strong clue as to whether Zinke will be his own man. That address? c/o RITA Corporation in Crystal Lake. What's important about that? Nygren's long-time Merit Commission member (and very strong Nygren financial contributor), Brian Goode, is President of RITA.

It seems that within the past year one of the local blogs reported that Goodes have donated somewhere around $50,000 to Nygren over the past ten years. Now, you tell me... why would someone, anyone, donate $50,000 to an incumbent over a ten-year period?

Here's what is needed at the McHenry County Sheriff's Department: a person with the highest integrity and known for honesty and for taking a stand for what is right. A person who is not beholden to anyone. A person with no secrets that are likely to surface and bite him in the butt. A person with no "buddies" at the top of the food pile at the Sheriff's Department. A person who would need to be careful about whom he disciplined, because "they" might rat him out.

Does the sheriff need law enforcement command experience? While it might be nice, it's not a requirement. You can hire that.

What if an outsider came in with a mission to clean up the Department? What if a new sheriff pursued a path of transparency?

What if errant employees realized that they would no longer be protected from public view of discipline records for 30-day suspensions and repeated ones, at that? What if the sheriff's department adopted the same policy as the Woodstock Police Department and made public all employee suspensions over five days?

What if Jail policies and practices were closely scrutinized from a business management perspective and waste in manpower assignments was identified and corrected? What if all employees actually had to work for their pay?

There are many responsible employees (deputies and corrections officers) who work a full day for a full day's pay. They know who they are. They know who the others are - the ones who don't. And they know that they'd better keep their mouths shut, too. And that's what must stop. The fear of speaking out must end.

Whistleblowers must be protected. Fact is, there shouldn't even be a need for a whistleblower. Where's the Management? Whistleblowers need protection, because they can't count on management. And that needs to stop!

So ... Yes, it's time for a new sheriff. A new one - from outside the department!

I almost missed the pay-off for Precinct Committeemen at Zinke's fundraiser. They get a free pass on the $30.00 "Congtribution" requested. Does this constitute vote buying?