Seipler Victory Party

Where will Zane Seipler's Victory Party in the Republican primary be held? Zane is out campaigning today. Unless the Sheriff took a vacation day, he ought to be in his office, glorying over the big drug bust reported in this morning's paper. But first, the party...

In a January 26 email the Republican Party of McHenry County announced a pizza party for election night (tonight!) at The Cottage (6 East Crystal Lake Avenue) in Crystal Lake, from 7:30PM until ??? Party chairman Mike Tryon and Sheriff Keith Nygren are to provide the pizza. I wonder what ingredients they'll order when Zane wins...

And then yesterday, February 1, the Party secretary sent out an email to all Republican Committeemen and Elected Officials, informing them that Sheriff Keith Nygren and his wife, marge, invite them to the Woodstock Elks Club, 140 Cass Street, Woodstock to watch the election results. The Sheriff will be providing pizza there (too?), and there will be a cash bar.....

Will the Crystal Lake and the Woodstock Police be keeping an eye out for a speeding white SUV, racing back and forth between The Cottage and the Elks Club?

And will the DUI teams be out, watching for those who are celebrating too hard (or drowning the sorrows)?

Attn. Bull Valley PD. Please watch Country Club Road for those taking the "back way".

Rides offered to voters

If you need a ride to your voting place, The Woodstock Advocate will get you there. Voting in this primary election, especially on a Republican ballot, is very important.

Ride times in Woodstock are as follows. There is no charge for this service. Those needing rides should call 815.338.2666. Please observe the following call-in schedule.

If you are going to vote for Zane Seipler, please call before 6:15PM.

If you are going to vote for Keith Nygren, please call at or after 7:01PM. We'll be right there to drive you straight to your polling place.

Punx. Phil sees shadow!

Thanks for the miracle of technology, the "instant" notification that Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow in Pennsylvania at 7:07AM local time (there), I received the text message almost 2 1/2 hours later.

How silly of me to think that Phil's bunkmate would be poised over a pre-written message, ready to lower his furry little paw to the Send key about a minute later. Or maybe sending out 30,-40,000 text messages takes 2 1/2 hours...

What about Woodstock Willie? Maybe I could have gone six blocks this morning to watch, but I didn't.

Chicago alderman pleads Guilty

This morning's very thin print edition of the Northwest Herald carries an Associated Press article about Chicago alderman Isaac Carothers, who pled guilty yesterday to taking a $40,000 home remodeling job in exchange for a zoning change.

What was hysterical about the article, which should have been back with the comics, was the quote from his attorney, Jeffrey Steinback. Said he, "In his heart, he deeply regrets what he has done here."

Yeah, sure...

Let's see, was he sorry that he accepted a $40,000 home remodeling job for pushing the zoning change?
Sorry he'll have to pay $17,773 in restitution to the IRS?
Sorry he'll have to forfeit $40,000?
Sorry that he accepted $40,000 cash from another developer for a zoning change?
Sorry that he accepted $10,000 from an "unnamed person who wanted to host two carnivals in Carothers' 26th Ward"? Duhhh, who could that "unnamed person" be?
Sorry that he agreed to testify against the guy who gave him the remodeling job?

Or sorry that ten other aldermen have asked a judge not to require them to testify at the developer's fraud and obstruction-of-justice trial that starts March 8th?

Of course, he deeply regrets it. He got caught!

Isn't it nice to live in "clean" McHenry County?

Deputies disrespect family

When a group of deputies shows up at a family home to serve an arrest warrant, what kind of professional behavior should they demonstrate?

Let's say that all they have to do is walk up to the door, knock, inform the person who answers that he is under arrest, and escort him to the squad car. No battering ram, no fisticuffs, no chase, no shoot-out.

And let's say that the family, including children, are at home and watching Daddy be arrested.

Should the deputies then be milling around the front yard and high-fiving each other? And exclaiming about collaring Number on their list?

What level of respect by the prisoner, the family, the neighbors and now you, the readers, does such behavior generate?

Or should I use the word "disgust"?

The bullying behavior is tolerated by the current command staff at the McHenry County Sheriff's Department. It's not new.

If you haven't voted yet, keep this practice in mind, when you step into the privacy of the voting booth and make your choice for Keith Nygren or Zane Seipler. Do you want things the way they've been, or do you want new and different?

This isn't the first time I've written about street policies of the Sheriff's Department. CALEA won't help, because the policies will be written down on papers filed away on shelves in thick, three-ring binders, gathering dust and ignored. The sheriff has been there 12 years. There must already be policies, and look at where we are today. And, if there are no policies, what about common sense?

Deputies can either build respect with the citizens, or they can destroy it. The hard work of many of the deputies is being destroyed by the actions of the bullies.

Well, folks, it's going to stop.

Seipler - enough votes to win?

A recent survey here asked the question, “On Feb. 2 for whom will you vote for Sheriff?”

An even 250 votes were cast, with the following results:

Zane Seipler 87 (35%)
Keith Nygren 163 (65%)

What will happen on February 2, Primary Election Day in McHenry County?

My forecast is that Zane Seipler will pull considerably more than 35%.

Robo-calls - almost over?

Hold your breath. Count to 10. Will the robo-calls continue for 12-18 more hours? Let's hope not!

Mixed in with robo-calls tonight was a live telemarketing call from what sounded like Global United. Whatever that is. The caller was pleasant and polite - and calling in violation of the Do Not Call law.

Do local companies (if it is local) ever check the Do Not Call List? Do they just figure that the persons called will hang up or get mad or write a Letter to the Editor, but not sic the FCC on them?

As soon as I mentioned the Do Not Call List, the caller apologizes and got right off the line. Perhaps she was acquainted with the financial peril to her employer, if she did not.

Now, if we could only get the political robo-calls included in the off-limits calls. Fat chance.