Prim beats Zinke by 405 votes!

It took up most of the evening, but the results are in for the Sheriff’s race. Bill Prim, newcomer to politics, appears to have beaten Andy Zinke.

First results came in about 8:28PM, and the pace moved along nicely. Then reporting slowed, once 209 of the 212 precincts had reported. Why it took so long to report the final three precincts and hit the 100% mark, who knows?

Zinke's loss in the Primary means he is totally out of the running. Illinois election laws will keep him off the November ballot in the General Election.

Congratulations to Bill Prim. Let’s hope late absentee ballots and provisional ballots don’t change the result. Tomorrow will be a gloomy day at 2200 N. Seminary Ave.

Deputies, hit the road early and stay out of sight.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
Disclaimer: Does not include provisional and late absentee ballots. Does not include write-in candidates.

3/18/14 8:28PM CDT

REP McHENRY SHERIFF
Vote for		1
Precincts Reporting		41/212	19.34%
WILLIAM PRIM	REP	2142	51.90%
ANDREW ZINKE	REP	1985	48.10%

8:42PM

REP McHENRY SHERIFF
Vote for		1
Precincts Reporting		99/212	46.70%
WILLIAM PRIM	REP	5130	51.11%
ANDREW ZINKE	REP	4907	48.89%

8:48PM

REP McHENRY SHERIFF
Vote for		1
Precincts Reporting		115/212	54.25%
WILLIAM PRIM	REP	6258	50.94%
ANDREW ZINKE	REP	6025	49.05%

9:13PM

REP McHENRY SHERIFF
Vote for		1
Precincts Reporting		164/212	77.36%
WILLIAM PRIM	REP	8142	51.05%
ANDREW ZINKE	REP	7805	48.94%

9:33 PM

REP McHENRY SHERIFF
Vote for		1
Precincts Reporting		201/212	94.81%
WILLIAM PRIM	REP	11220	50.90%
ANDREW ZINKE	REP	10824	49.10%

9:59 PM

REP McHENRY SHERIFF
Vote for		1
Precincts Reporting		209/212	98.58%
WILLIAM PRIM	REP	12387	50.82%
ANDREW ZINKE	REP	11988	49.18%

10:48 PM

REP McHENRY SHERIFF
Vote for		1
Precincts Reporting		212/212	100.00%
WILLIAM PRIM	REP	12836	50.80%
ANDREW ZINKE	REP	12431	49.20%

Statement from Jim Harrison, candidate for Sheriff

The polls are still open in McHenry County, and announced Independent candidate for Sheriff, Jim Harrison, has issued the following press release.

Letter to McHenry County Voters from

Independent Sheriff’s Candidate Jim Harrison

Dear McHenry County Voters,

Today is the Primary Election day in Illinois.  The primary election is the time when political party candidates compete for the favor of their political party; a thinning of the herd, so to speak.  The winners of the primary election will go on to run in the General Election on November 4, 2014.  That’s where I come in.

I am running as an Independent candidate for McHenry County Sheriff.  The winner of the primary election will run against me in the General Election in the fall.  I have no primary election because my campaign is unaffiliated with any political party.  My goal is to be the Sheriff for all of the people of McHenry County, regardless of their political affiliation. 

Although McHenry County may be unaccustomed to having an Independent choice for Sheriff, now is the time for McHenry County to have that experience.  It is time to put the interests of the people ahead of political party interests.  It is time to replace cronyism with equal opportunity.  It is time to replace corruption with integrity and ethics.  And it’s time for us to elect a Sheriff who will independently act in the best interests of the people of McHenry County.  And again, that’s where I come in.

“Citizens to Elect Jim Harrison Sheriff of McHenry County” is a group of McHenry County residents who have come together and are actively working to give McHenry County voters an Independent choice for Sheriff, a candidate with only one priority – to act in the best interest of the people of McHenry County.  I am proud to be associated with these volunteer citizens, who, just like you, are concerned for the welfare of our McHenry County community and its future.  

230 days from today, McHenry County will elect its first new Sheriff in a generation.  The job is complex and the responsibility is immense.  Should control of the Sheriff’s Office rest with a political party that represents only a portion of the McHenry County voters, or should the responsibility for the Sheriff’s Office be entrusted to an Independent professional who will act in the best interest of all of the people?  We will all have a chance to decide the answer to that question in the November 4, 2014 Sheriff’s election.  Remember, the opposite of a candidate who is politically “independent,” is a candidate who is politically “dependent.”  Let’s break the dependency together McHenry County and raise the bar in the qualifications and expectations of our next Sheriff.  Join us at www.JimHarrisonForSheriff.com and follow the campaign on my Jim Harrison for Sheriff Facebook page.

SlideFire's I-55 sign

It really means a lot when people say, "Thanks."

Yesterday I received a telephone call from the design director at SlideFire to thank me for my call of support last week. That's a call I'll remember for a long time; it doesn't happen all that often.

SlideFire contracted (rented) a large billboard on I-55. Initially, they received many calls of support.

Then came the calls from Fr. Pfleger's gang and Moms Demand Action. And then came more calls of support.

At the end of the contracted rental period, the sign will be replaced with other revenue-generating signs. Its replacement has nothing to do with efforts by Fr. Pfleger or Moms Demand Action.

What was my "complaint" about SlideFire's sign? It was too small! And there weren't enough other signs like it spread throughout Chicagoloand. But signs are expensive.

Thanks, SlideFire!

Important reflection on the Sheriff's Department

The following statement was received from Cliff and Susan Bloom, whose son, Doran, died on the same evening as Jack and Audrey Feldkamp, of Marengo. Read it carefully, then read it again and read between the lines.

Keith Nygren's name is on the Crime Scene Log for that night of June 7, 2011. I have a copy of the Log. Supposedly, Nygren and Zinke showed up just before midnight and stayed for a grand total of 15 minutes. Before I saw the Log, I had heard that Nygren had flown back to Woodstock on the morning of June 8, and I had wondered whether the taxpayers footed the bill for his flight. Oh,

What got me interested in this case was how quickly Nygren announced "who done it" and, in effect, closed the case. How do you properly investigate three deaths and announce your findings less than 24 hours later?  Oh, wait: June 2011 ... this is during the period Zinke claims to have been running the sheriff's department.

If Sheriff Nygren was not at the Crime Scene, why is his name on the Log? Maybe Zinke knows the answer...

Here is Cliff Bloom's statement and recommendation for Bill Prim as the Republican candidate for Sheriff.

Statement from Cliff Bloom

Do you remember the heinous triple murder that took place in Marengo on June 2011?

Did you know that crime has never been investigated?

The McHenry County Sheriff’s Department has never done an investigation.

Here is a bit of what I’ve learned about the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department and their long sordid history of complicity with criminals and criminals that operate within the department itself.

Sheriff Keith Nygren never visited the crime scene the night of the crime (even though his name is on the manifest).  A deputy told us Nygren would hold a press conference upon returning from his vacation home the next day.

My wife & I were “interviewed” (interrogated) for approximately 3 hours and then were told that our son had been shot to death by Scott Feldcamp in self-defense after our son had stabbed Jack & Audrey Feldcamp to death.  We told MCSD we didn’t believe Doran could have committed such an atrocity and asked them for proof.  We’re still waiting for MCSD.

Under Sheriff Zinke promised us there would be a thorough investigation and that we would be informed of all the factual evidence MCSD uncovered.  Zinke warned us that talking to the press or neighbors would only confuse and impede the investigation.  We’re still waiting, but now we’re talking.

Many of Nygren’s statements were not factual, or maybe in his haste to rush home from his (seventeen years at taxpayer expense) vacation he became confused?

Nygren lied at the press conference that Doran Bloom’s mother said that Doran was diagnosed with schizophrenia and had exhibited “fits of rage.”  Maybe Nygren confused Doran with Scott Feldcamp, who did undergo therapy for the violent behavior for physically beating his parents and sister?

Nygren reported to the press that MCSD had “solved this crime.”  Most people believe the sheriff so why should he put any more effort into it?  He had more important business to take care of:

http://www.mchenrycounty1981.com/archives/2014/01/sheriff-nygren-undersheriff-zinke-intimidating-tampering-federal-witnesses/.

My daughter & her husband (who was a Federal Law Enforcement Officer at the time) got into town 2 days later and went for an interview with my wife to MCSD.  Shortly after beginning the meeting, it was called to a halt by Officer Greg Pyle.  Greg stated that there wasn’t going to be an investigation.  MCSD knew how the crime had been committed and that MCSD wasn’t going to “waste” any time or resources looking any further into the incident.  You can check out Greg’s credentials here:

http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2014/01/03/ex-mchenry-county-sheriffs-deputy-greg-pyle-due-to-plead-guilty-today/.  Why did MCSD keep Mr. Pyle employed and pay his salary after he was indicted?

MCSD has many honest, upstanding officers working there.  It is a difficult environment to work in when their superior officers are engaged in criminal or perhaps “less than ethical” activities.

There are dozens of other cases like this in McHenry County that have been ignored or swept aside by Sheriff Nygren.  Why would Nygren waste time actually trying to solve crimes when he is “on vacation” or doing deals to acquire bankrupt properties?   Read up on Gary Gauger. http://www.mchenrycounty1981.com/archives/2013/07/gary-gauger/.     

I went to the debate between Zinke & Prim at McHenry Count College.  Zinke said he is part of MIAT that is set up to investigate major crimes.  http://www.woodstockil.gov/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7BDB79033D-731A-43B2-BE6F-B96F82631E88%7D  I guess MCSD didn’t consider this a “major crime.”

Zinke stated that MCSD is working with the mental health programs in McHenry County such as the Pioneer Center.  Not one officer from MCSD has ever talked to or interviewed any of the staff or caseworkers in the program our son participated in.

In our interactions with Mr. Zinke, he has always treated us with respect, and we have no reason to believe he is not a sincere and honest man, but we also believe he was and is manipulated by less than honest people.

Taxpayers in McHenry County deserve better.  We deserve better.

We’re endorsing Bill Prim because it’s time to “clean house.”

Clifford & Susan Bloom