patrickmurfin

 

The Democratic Party of McHenry County will present a special panel to provide useful information for potential local candidates at its meeting 7 PM on Wednesday, June 17 at the McHenry County Farm Bureau Building, 1102 McConnell Road in Woodstock.

“We want to encourage anyone who has considered running for local or county-wide office to attend,” said County Chair Kathleen Bergan Schmidt. “It’s going to be about everything you always wanted to know about being a candidate but were afraid to ask.”

Panelists will include Nancy Shepherdson, 8^th District Committeewoman for the Illinois Democratic Central Committee and Chair of Eighth District Democrats and Independents (EDDI), which actively supports candidates in Lake County and portions of Cook and McHenry Counties. Tom Cynor, currently Treasurer of the County Party and a former candidate for State’s Attorney will speak from the experience of a candidate.  Michael Bissett managed Paula Yensen’s successful campaign for County Board.  Mike Fourcher of Purely Political consulting has worked on victorious campaigns and will address fund raising.

The program is free and open to the public.

For more information contact the party at 815 788-9540 or e-mail info@mchenrydems.org .

McHenry County Democrats will hold their gala annual Thomas Jefferson Dinner on Saturday, April 18 at the Prairie Lodge at Sun City, 12880 Del Webb Boulevard, Huntley.  Cocktails and reception will begin at 6 PM and dinner will follow at 7.

The highlight of the program will be the presentation of the Life Time Achievement Award to Secretary of State Jesse White  and the Robert McGarry Award for Community Service to Wayne Donahue, the former Postmaster of Huntley, community leader, and long time Democrat.  State Representative Jack Franks will present the award to White.

Other honored speakers will include State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and Congresswoman Melissa Bean.  McHenry County Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Bergan Schmidt will host the festivities.

This year the dinner is also supporting the work of Turning Point, McHenry County’s  domestic violence agency and shelter .  Attendees are asked to bring any of the following items needed by the organization’s clients:

• grocery and gas gift cards
• copy paper
• laundry detergent
• dish soap
• bleach
• disposable diapers
• toilet paper
• paper towels
• facial tissues
• coffee cups
• Ziploc bags (gallon size)
• laundry baskets
• twin-sized sheets
• extra-long dorm-sized sheets
• vacuum cleaner
• coffee (regular & decaf)
• non-dairy creamer

Tickets to the dinner are $50 per seat or a table of 10 for $500.  Reserve you tickets on line or e-mail thomasjefferson@mchenrydems.org to confirm your attendance and mail your check payable to the McHenry County Democratic Central Committee to:

Democratic Party of McHenry County

P.O. Box 1126

Crystal Lake, IL 60039

It was a glorious, warm autumn day in McHenry County.  And with just three weeks and two days to the election, it was time to get serious.

Even at morning services at the Congregational Unitarian Church, after Woodstock PFLAG leader Toni Weaver led a commemoration of the tenth anniversary of Mathew Shepherd’s murder, the morning was given over to the election.  Two members of the congregation running for office, Kerry Julian, Democratic candidate for county auditor, and Frank Wedig, a Green Party candidate for County Board in District 6, spoke of what it was like to run for office.  Then the Rev. Dan Larsen gave a modern version of the traditional election sermons that were delivered in our ancestor New England congregations more than two hundred years ago.  The service was not about endorsing candidates or parties, but about fulfilling the commitment to democracy that have common in the founding documents of the United States and in the traditions self governing congregations. 

After church, Kerry Julian and his family gave me a ride to the Marengo Settler’s Day Parade, the last big parade of the season.  Marengo, in the rural western portion of the county has not been traditionally friendly turf for Democrats.  There has been vandalism to Obama signs in and around the town, including at least one incident where a home was broken into and vandalized as well.  But those of us marching with the Democratic Party of McHenry County float got a uniformly warm reception today with cheers and thumbs up all along the route.

Getting ready to march.

Kerry (right) with wife Cindy and Julian offspring.

Bob Gibson, by far the senior Precinct Representative in the county party, walked the route.  An octogenarian, World War II vet, and former Teamsters business agent, Bob knows everyone in Woodstock and works his precinct better than anyone.  I kind of hurt my back passing out candy and by the end of the parade couldn’t lift my leg high enough to climb on to the float for the ride back to the parking area.  Bob did not. (photo by Kathy Bergan Schmidt).

After the parade Kathy and I had to dash back across the county to link up with County Board District 3 Chair Dan Giallombardo then dash down to tony Barrington and the even tonier Makay Country Club for the Eighth District Democrats and Independents (EDDI) annual fundraising dinner.  The Eighth Congressional District encompasses all of Lake County, and parts of northern Cook County and eastern McHenry County.  It’s the district Melissa Bean wrenched away from Phil Crane four years ago and which she is now defending for the second time.  EDDI is naturally a bit Lake County centric, but it has been a force in turning this once reliable Republican turf blue. 

The dinner was tasty and so was the program, which was emceed by Round Lake Mayor Bill Gentes, who is making a strong run for an open seat  in the 26 State Senate District, which includes portions of McHenry County. 

Several folks were honored with awards including Tammy Duckworth, the disabled Iraq War veteran who scared the bejesus out of the Republican party by nearly winning Henry Hyde’s old 6th Congressional District.  Duckworth, who accepted the award despite having competed earlier in the day in the Chicago Marathon in a hand cranked wheel chair, is often mentioned as a possible candidate to fill Backak Obama’s Senate seat.

Also accepting an award was the popular Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who is a likely challenger to Governor Rod Blagojevich in the 2010 Democratic primary in the unlikely event the governor is not indicted on corruption charges first.

After the dinner Madigan took time to chat with and pose with McHenry County Democrats.

 

 

 County Board District 4 Chair Mary Margaret Maule, Patrick Murfin, Lisa Madigan, Dan Giallombardo, Thomas Cynor, and Kathy Bergan Schmidt.

 

At the third annual Thomas Jefferson Dinner of the Democratic Party of McHenry County, more than two hundred folks, almost half of them from organized labor, crowded the ball room of the Prairie Lodge at Sun City in Huntley on Saturday Night.

The room was buzzing with excitement.  And I must admit that I was a little excited myself.  I was on tap to receive the Robert McGarry Award for Community Service.  The Murfin contingent filled up two tables right up front.  Not only was my wife, Kathy Brady-Murfin, in attendance, but my daughters Heather Pearson and Maureen Buchanan were on hand with their families.  So were Evan Buchanan’s parents Laurie and Len, “Grandma” Pat Sorensen, and Libby Pappalardo of the McHenry County Peace Group and her husband Brian.  My former sister in law and dear friend Arlene Brennen was there with her husband Michael. A whole contingent of Wobblies came up from Chicago including Fellow Workers Judy Freeeman, Mike Hargis, Kathy Taylor, and Hannah Frish.  These folks surprised me with another gift I will treasure, an IWW belt buckle.

Here are some photos from the evening.

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White kicked off the evening with remarks.  He made a special effort for all the candidates present to get photos with him to use in their publicity.  His advice to them:  “Use my name any way you like to help you and ask for permission later.”  White had to rush off to another event, but took time for everyone who wanted to shake his hand.

                                                 

McHenry County Democratic Party Chair Kathy Bergan Schmidt, was mistress of ceremonies.
                                

Congresswoman Melissa Bean was on hand telling the audience how frightened suburban Republicans in Congress are as they watch once reliable districts slip into the Democratic column. Bean has also been on the road for Barack Obama’s  Presidential Campaign.

                                                   
Sean McGarry, son of the late, beloved Party Chair Bob McGarry reminisced about his father and paid tribute to his mother Lois as he introduced the presentation of the Robert McGarry Award for Community Service.

                                

It was an overwhelming honor to receive the award.  I managed to get through my acceptance speech.  The prepared remarks, which were more or less what I actually said, are posted at the end of this entry.

Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias is a popular figure in McHenry County.  Last summer he made a point of marching with the Party in several local parades.  Giannoulias is also a high profile supporter of his good friend Senator Obama.

                                                   
 

Paula Yensen, Lake-in-the-Hills Turstee, candidate for District 2 McHenry County Board, and major domo of the Jefferson Dinner introduced the Thomas Jefferson Award for Lifetime Achievement.  Latter in the evening former Party Chair Patrick Quimet surprised her with a dozen roses in recognition her work on the dinner and the audience rose in a standing ovation.

                                                

Former Illinois AFL-CIO President Margaret Blackshere rose to accept the Thomas Jefferson Award.  Her rise from kindergarten teacher to leadership of the state labor  body is legendary.  She recounted ticking items off of her personal “Bucket List” since retiring last year.  She told inspiring stories of defying gun toting guards in Indonesia by singing Solidarity Forever  to young women workers barred from receiving her visit to their company housing  and aiding an injured girl in Cambodia.  But her biggest “bucket list” item this year is “Getting Barack Obama elected President.!”                   

The following is, more or less, what I said in my acceptance remarks.

This is an honor in so many ways.  I am so glad to be part of this celebration honoring a personal hero, Thomas Jefferson whose ringing words have been a major inspiration to me and whose flawed personal life reminds me of how difficult it can be to live up to our loftiest aims.

It is great to be here on a night that is so much a celebration of labor movement and our mutual dedication to the rights and welfare of working people.  I am humbled to be honored the same evening as Margaret Blackshere.  By the way, Margaret, we both are former Union officers.  You led the thousands of members of the ALF-CIO in Illinois.  At the age of 23 I was General Secretary Treasurer of the Industrial Workers of the World and literally sat in Big Bill Heywood’s old chair, the nominal leader of maybe 2000 member world wide.  Some of my oldest friends from my Wobbly days are in attendance.  It may be safe for them to share a few stories.  I believe the statue of limitations has run out.

It is humbling to receive an award in the name of Bob McGarry.  Not only was he a good friend—he was a friend to every one he met—but he was a personal mentor who dared bring me on as his vice chair at a time some in the Party fretted that I was a wild eyed radical.

I am also happy to see folks I have worked with over the years as I have tried to be of service to the causes of peace, justice, and equality in McHenry County.  Any thing that I might have accomplished has only been made possible by the hard work and sacrifice of so many as we worked together at the Congregational Unitarian Church, with the Interfaith Council for Social Justice and Diversity Day, and in the McHenry County Peace Group.

Of course my family has been patient with me.  They were often cheated from my full attention.  They got used to me being gone for meetings or finding me at the computer at 3 AM.  Special thanks to my wife, Kathy Brady Murfin; my daughters Heather Pearson and Maureen Buchanan who are here tonight with their families.

I was a stranger in McHenry County, lonesome and at a loss as to how to renew the activism that had been the center of my adult life when I responded to a little want ad placed by then Democratic Party Chair Richard Short for precinct committeemen.  Since then I have served under chairs Monty Yeats, Frank McClatchy, Bob McGarry, John Bartmann, Pat Ouimett, Tom Cynor, and Kathy Bergan Schmidt.  I even spent a couple of months in the chair myself.  That’s better than 18 years.  I realize I am receiving this award mostly for having hung around so long.

But I appreciate it more than I can say.

 
Illinois Senator Dick Durbin

When the McHenry County Democratic Central Committee meets on Wednesday, March 19 at the McHenry County Farm Bureau Building, 1102 McConnell Road, Woodstock at 7 p.m. the main order of business will be voting to caucus candidates on to the November general election ballot.

The party’s Executive Board interviewed candidates for a number of offices at its March 12 meeting.  The board voted unanimously to make recommendations to the Central Committee for the offices of State’s Attorney and Auditor.  It also unanimously recommended two candidates for County Board to the Precinct Representatives of District 2, who will caucus at the meeting.

The names of candidates will be presented at the meeting and each candidate will have an opportunity to speak.

“We are presenting to the Party highly qualified candidates who will give voters a real alternative on November 4th,” said County Chair Kathleen Bergan Schmidt. “This election is going to be about change, and nothing needs changing more than the culture of insider business as usual offered by the Republicans in McHenry County.”

If the nominations are approved, as expected, on Wednesday, McHenry County voters will be presented with Democratic candidates in the 8th and 16th Congressional Districts; the 26th State Senate District; the 52nd, 63rd, and 64th General Assembly Districts; for State’s Attorney, Auditor, and Coroner; and at least one candidate in each of the six County Board districts.

“The days of voters not having a Democratic Party choice in McHenry County are over,” Bergan Schmidt declared.

McHenry County Democrats met in biennial convention Wednesday night at the Woodstock Opera House.  In the words of outgoing Chair Tom Cynor we were celebrating more than 32,000 votes cast in the February Primary—more than the total Republican vote.  He noted that there were now more registered Democrats in the county than Republicans.  Noting that McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren told the press the next day that the results were “an anomaly,” Cynor said he had his own six dollar word for it—“an epiphany.”  He said that the results were not yet a victory, only a sign post to victory in November, if the party takes advantage of the opportunity handed to them

Then it was time to get down to business.  The elected Precinct Representatives present represented a total of 5,100 votes cast in the Democratic primary.  Each PR casts a weighted vote for officers based on the total Democratic ballots taken in the primary.  In the end a slate of officers was elected by acclimation.  Don Finochio, a candidate for Vice Chair withdrew his name from consideration when it became clears that Sam Melei was winning overwhelmingly and called for Melei’s election by acclimation.

Otherwise, the evening was without drama, except for the palpable excitement of Democrats determined to change the course of McHenry County History.

A selections of photos below capture the evening.

 Stanchions representing the 6 McHenry County Board Districts leaned against a back wall before the evening got under way.
  

Outgoing Chair Tom Cynor kicked off the evening



Brian Meyers was elected presiding officer of the Convention.


Kathy Bergan Schmidt makes her appeal to the Convention.  The former Vice Chair was elected Chair by acclimation.

.Convention Secretary Nancy Sschietzelt, B.J Rendine, and Jim Kennedy count up votes in the contested race for Vice Chair.  Unfortunately my camera’s batteries died and I missed a photo of the victorious Sam Melei.  Cynor was then unanimously elected Treasurer.


Patrick Murfin, the sole candidate for Secretary, has a few words.


Outgoing District 3 Chair Pauline Walker holds the stanchion as District PRs gather round her to elect her replacement.  Dan Giallombardo, to Walker’s left was elected.  Meanwhile other districts were holding their caucuses.  Elected were Brian McTague in District 1, Carolyne Quinn in District 2, Mary Margaret Maule, District 4, Chris Emmerich in District 5, and Robert Ludwig in District 6.


Madam Chair meets the Press after the meeting.


A bevy of former Secretaries congratulate the galoot who got the job—Kathy Bergan Schmidt, Marti Swanson,  Carolyne Quinn, and Dianne Oltman Ayers. 

The Democratic Party of McHenry County will assemble for its biennial Convention at the Woodstock Opera House at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 5.  The main order of business will be the election of officers and County Board District Chairs.

Only elected Precinct Representatives  may vote in the election.  Each P.R. will cast a weighted ballot reflecting the total number Democratic ballots cast in the precinct in the February 5 Primary Election.  County Chair Tom Cynor noted that each P.R. will bring to the election many more votes than ever before, “reflecting the fact that the majority of McHenry County voters cast Democratic ballots in the Primary.”

The offices of Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and General Counsel are up for election.

Cynor has announced that he will not seek re-election and instead seek election as Treasurer.  Cynor, who became a father for the second time on Primary election day, cited family responsibilities for stepping down as chair.  “I have enjoyed the experience and responsibility and am proud of the Party and what it has achieved.  I have confidence that the new chair, whoever it might be, will lead the Party to a historic victory in November and I will be on hand to offer my continued services.”

Current Vice Chair Kathy Bergan Schmidt has circulated nominating petitions for the office of Chair.  Other candidates may also present petitions, which much be signed by at least three elected P.R.s, at the Convention.

After the election of the new county wide officers, County Board District P.R.s will caucus to elect District Chairs.  District Chairs also sit on the County Party’s Executive Committee.

For more information call 815 788-9540, e-mail info@mchenrydems.com, or visit www.mchenrydems.com .

Soothsayers of by-gone days would surely have made something of it.  On a crisp, cold night in the parking lot of the McHenry County Farm Bureau a group of Democrats paused to wonder at the progress of Lunar Eclipse.  I recalled a similar event in my childhood and the astonishing shade of deep, deep orange the Moon presented.  One of the others remarked, “The Sioux called it the Blood Moon.”

What did this Blood Moon portend for McHenry County Democrats?

We had gathered earlier for the regular monthly Party meeting and to hear from our candidates for McHenry County Board.

Party Chair Tom Cynor began the with the announcement that a majority of registered voters in McHenry County are now Democrats—333,421 Democrats to 310,211 Republicans.  He read figures in race after race in the recent Primary Election in which Democrats piled up dramatically more votes than the Republicans they will face in the fall.  Then he introduced the County Board Candidates.

Dr. James McTague, District 1 went first.  McTague is making his second run for the Board.  He cited water conservation, traffic and development as key, interrelated issues in his district, which occupies the Southwest corner of the county.  “The County Board has no plan for water use,” McTague charged and said a new approach to planning that, “puts citizens a head of businesses and developers.”

Kathy Bergan Schmdit, District 3.  (Photo did not come out. This head shot from the McHenry Dems web site.)  A resident of the District for 25 years, she began her involvement as a representative on the Planning and Development Committee of the Fox Valley Freeway Advisory Committee in the early 1990s.  Although the Fox Valley Freeway never got built, the experience gave her a background on transportation issues and an appreciation of the need for planning.  An innocent sounding volunteer commitment to the Wild Flower Committee of the McHenry County Defenders led to greater appreciation of the need to preserve open space and a commitment to groundwater preservation.  The Wild Flower Committee helped create the local Land Conservancy, which has been critical in preserving small and isolated chunks of pristine land.  As Director of Membership for the Nunda Township Friends for Clean Water and Open Space, Kathy was a leading advocate for the Open Space Initiative on the 2004 November ballot.  She has continued her involvement with planning issues as a board member of Visioning McHenry County.  Kathy is also a member of the Latino Coalition, McHenry County Breast Cancer Task Force, The McHenry County Historical Society, and the McHenry County Genealogical Society.  She previously run for Nunda Township Trustee and for the County Board.  She served as a Delegate to the Democratic National Convention and is currently Vice Chair of the County Party.  Pointing to the failure of the County’s 2020 Plan, she says “The issues haven’t changed,” as the county struggles to come up with a 2030 Plan.  She has the experience in the vital issue areas of transportation, water conservation and planning to make a big difference on the Board

McHenry County Democratic Party Chair Tom Cynor invites the public to hear presentations by the party’s County Board Candidates at a “meet and greet” at the McHenry County Farm Bureau Building, 1102 McConnell Road, Woodstock from 6:45 to 7:30 on Wednesday, February 13.

The candidates will make brief introductory remarks and be available for questions from the audience.  They include Dr. James McTague (District 1), Kathleen Bergan Schmidt (District 3), Jeff Thirtyacre (District 4), Paula Yensen (District 5) and Darryl Frank and Robert Ludwig (District 6.) 

Each of these candidates won nomination in the Primary Election.  The party may still caucus in candidates for other open County Board Seats.

The candidate presentations will precede the regular party business meeting at 7:30.  The positive results of the primary election, in which 51% of voters cast Democratic ballots, and the upcoming County Convention are expected to be topics at the meeting.

For more information call 815 788-9540, e-mail info@mchenrydems.com, or visit www.mchenrydems.com .

Thomas J. Cynor takes the reins as McHenry County Democratic Central Commitee Chair

Forty-seven accredited McHenry County Democratic Precinct Representatives gathered at the Farm Bureau Building in Woodstock Wednesday night to elect a new Party Chair.  When they were finished, they selected Woodstock attorney Thomas J. Cynor as their new leader.

            Cynor and Acting Chair Kathy Bergan Schmidt vied for the post left vacant when former County Chair Partick Ouimet resigned for health reasons in January.  Bergan Schmidt, the elected Vice Chair, had led the party in the interim. She will now resume her duties as Vice Chair.

            Lori Keller of Crystal Lake was elected to preside over the election.  Precinct reps cast weighted votes based on the total number of Democratic ballots taken out in the 2006 primary election.

            Cynor garnered 1698 votes to Bergan Schmidt’s 965.

            Accepting with a raspy voice due to a case of strep throat, Cynor congratulated Bergan Schmidt for her service to the party and pledged his full efforts at meeting its goal to “Turn McHenry County Blue.”

            Speakers praised the contributions of both candidates to the party and one characterized the quality of both as “an embarrassment of riches.”

            In the end Cynor’s energetic turn as Membership Development Chair and as organizer in Dorr Township in the November election carried the day over Bergan Schmidt’s long service to the Party as a precinct rep, party secretary, vice-chair, and chair of the Election Services Committee.

            In Dorr Township, Cynor helped make sure that every precinct was covered by a Committee Representative and out spent the Republicans in the area.  As a result, James P. Kennedy was elected the first Democrat to the County Board in more than 20 years and Mellisa Bean carried her Congressional re-election race in the Township.  Cynor pledged to repeat the winning combination of “boots on the ground” and effective fundraising across the County.

            Cynor is a born and bred Democrat, the son of a former DAILY HERALD reporter and a union bricklayer.  He attended the University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign where he completed undergraduate studies in philosophy and political science and went on to win a law degree.

            His law career has spanned work for insurance companies, defense firms, and operating his own practice.  He was recently appointed Legal Council to the Judges of the newly created McHenry County Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit.

            He has supplied professional services to the campaigns of John Kerry for President, Melisa Bean for Congress, and, recently, Mayor Richard M. Daley in Chicago.  He also served as assistant municipal council to the Village of Washington Park.  While living in Arlington Heights he served as Environmental Control Commissioner. 

            Cynor has also been active in civic organizations like the Illinois Pontiac Jaycees (Board of Trustees and Past Vice President), Kiwanis Club (Vice President), the Livingston County Historical Society (Board of Directors), and the Salem Children’s Home in Flanagan (Youth Advocate.)  He is also certified as an English as a Second Language Instructor and is a volunteer ESL teacher in Woodstock.

            He lives with his wife Kathy, a veterinarian, and four year old son Quinn in Woodstock.

                                                                            
                          Patrick Ouimet                                                   Kathleen Bergan Schmidt 

Patrick M. Ouimet, the Chairman of the McHenry County Democratic Central Committee, will resign his position effective on December 31.

Ouimet suffered a heart attack requiring emergency angioplasty surgery on November 12, just days after leading the county party to an historic victory.   A Democrat was elected to the County Board, Congresswoman Melissa Bean and Representative Jack Franks swept to victory, and big county wide margins we racked up for state wide candidates Lisa Madigan and Jessie White.

A stent was placed in Ouimet’s right coronary artery to relieve blockage of that artery. He was released from the hospital less than 48 hours after surgery and his recovery has been remarkable.

In light of this recent medical event, Ouimet felt it appropriate to hand over the leadership reins of the Democratic Party to a new Chair who will take over the day-to-day governance of the Party. He communicated his resignation to the Party’s Executive Board members in writing on December 27.

Under the Party’s Constitution, Vice Chair Kathleen Bergan Schmidt will automatically assume the duties and responsibilities of the Chair until such time as a successor is elected by the members of the Central Committee.

Bergan Schmidt of Crystal Lake, a veteran party leader who ran for the McHenry County Board in the November election said, “We anticipate that we will continue to build the party to the standards set by Pat Ouimet’s leadership.”

Patrick Murfin, a former vice-chair who himself ascended briefly to the Chair, had high praise for both the departing and incoming leaders.  “Pat’s passion and unmatched organizational skill helped transform the McHenry County Democrats into an effective organization.  Kathy has worked hand-in-hand with him and shares his vision of making the Democrats the majority party here.”

Ouimet will continue to serve the Party in his elected position as Precinct Committeeman for Dorr 12.

November 7^th was a great night for  McHenry County Democrats, the State of Illinois, and the United States.  Here is what one victory party looked like in the wilds of McHenry County, at the Old Court House on the Square in Woodstock.

We gathered upstairs in the old Court Room.  Chairman Pat Ouimet checks figures at the front table as a news photographer snaps a picture.  Emilee Bozic, on the ladder kept results posted.  The numbers reflect the number of seats need for Democrats to win the House and the Senate.

The Chairman cut his usual dapper appearance, complete with Democratic blue boutonniere.

Jim Kennedy, who became the first Democrat to win a seat on the McHenry County Board in thirty years chats with the press. 

Mary Margaret Maule made a very strong run in County Board District 4.

 Ron Sloan, shown with Paula Yensen, earned impressive numbers in heavily Republican District 2.  Encouraged, by the end of the evening he was telling supporters to “save my signs” for another run in two years.

A line up of some of our County Board candidates:  Kathy Bergan Schmidt, Jim Kennedy, Dr. James Mctague, Mary Margaret Maule, John Darger,  and Ron Sloan. 

Going Over the numbers and relaxing after victory.

It was a big day in Crystal Lake.  The Gala Festival Parade, the largest in McHenry County, was on under overcast skies and occasional drizzle.  It was humid, but cooler than many years and no one got bone drenching soaked like in 2004.  The streets were lined all the way from Woodstock Street to the Festival Grounds at Lake Side Center. 

My loyalties were divided between the McHenry County Peace Group and the County Democrats.  Both had nifty floats and lots of eager marchers.  But I was promised first to the Dems and walked with them.

The Peace Group entry drew a lot of attention because of a well publicized controversy over the winter.  The Parade Committee public scolded the group and the Libertarian Party for "too controversial” content in last year’s entries and threatened to banish the groups if they dared say anything “political” this year.  They were supposed to march only with signs identifying who they were without advocating for any issue.  The flap drew a lot of negative publicity for the Parade Committee who were reminded in letters to the editor and in newspaper editorials and opinion columns of the irony of censoring political speech in a parade celebrating Independence and the words of the Declaration.

The Libertarians, who last year had performers “arresting” individuals planted along the parade route for violation of the Patriot Act and throwing them in  jail cell on their float, opted not to march this year.  Some of their people passed out fliers to the crowd denouncing the suppression of their rights.

The Peace Group elected to join the parade and say what they were going to say.  They carried the same sort of signs noting the number of dead in the Iraq war and other “controversial” content.  But they also used a Liberty Bell on their float and carried signs outlining the freedoms guaranteed in the Bill of Rights.

And just like last year, they received far more cheers and applause than cat calls.

The large contingent of Democrats marched with a float featuring Jefferson’s words from the Declaration of Independence.  They were led by Dick Auman, candidate for Congress in the _^16th  District.  Following the float several County Board candidates worked the crowd.  They included Dr. James McTague, Dist. 1; Ron Sloan, Dist. 2; and Kathy Bergan Schmidt, John Darger, and John Gravenor, Dist. 3.

After the parade County Party Secretary Carolyn Quinn hosted a crowded “Strawberry Social” at her Van Buren Street home.  County Chair Pat Ouimet stirred up the troops and introduced the candidates.  Those who marched in the parade were joined by Richard Jackson of County Board District 2 who could not march because he had a bicycle accident the night before, and Darryl Franks of Dist. 6.

It was a great day that energized Democrats and peaceniks alike. 

What follows are some photos.  My camera’s battery died so I did not get anything from the parade route or the social.  Thanks to Nelson Borelli of the Peace Group for sharing some his photos.