The Power of Facebook

I’ve had a few blogs that I’ve been meaning to post but after Saturday night I definitely needed to post this one and that’s about the power of the coolest social networking app to hit the web called Facebook. Think of Facebook as MySpace for adults or for people who get majorly irritated with hideous HTML embedded on MySpace pages that take forever and a day to load no matter how fast your connection is.

It started out as a social networking app for college students and you had to actually be one to get a Facebook page before they opened it up to everyone. It has a slick AJAX interface that makes things just click and go so that even the most novice web user can quickly get a profile up and going that looks decent. It has “apps” which are various little games and diversions that keep people interested or embarrass the heck out of you.

However, where Facebook really shines is in the power of its feeds. A feed is where you see what your friends are up to be it posting their own items or commenting on someone else’s stuff they put on their own page. At a glance you can see what all your friends are up to and it encourages communication since it only takes a second to comment on the item or post one of your own. I witnessed the raw power of Facebook this past Saturday night when a group of RLHS alumni got together — for no reason really but just to get together.

We started an RLHS Alumni Nights group, basically after homecoming this year, we put together a place where RLHS alumni who are still in the area or might be coming back to visit can get together and hang out with old friends. For someone like me who can be a bit distant, getting to know people is tough. What easier way to hang out and have fun for someone like me than with people I grew up with, spent years with, shared embarrassing moments with? Heck, they already know my history. That’s my reason for starting the group and getting into it but the group has nearly a hundred members now and they each bring different reasons for why they are there.

So this past Saturday we had a get-together at The Vine in Grayslake. I had one of my online gigs but as soon as it was over I got dudded up and headed on over a bit later than most everyone else. When the girl who greeted me pointed out the corner where the group was I couldn’t believe my eyes as RLHS alumni had packed a whole section of the pub. The graduation years really ran the gamut but it was mostly late-80s to mid-90s graduates all getting together and having a good time. It wasn’t like your typical reunion though where you spent all your time about where you’ve been, what you’ve been up to and how your life has been for the past ten years.

Instead of reunited it was old friends reignited again just having a good time. The various classes bled so that you had groups of people who weren’t from the same class or weren’t even in RLHS at the same time grouping together. It didn’t matter, our experiences and our common background at RLHS were all the things we needed to share some drink and some good times. Looking at that corner of people, several had come from many miles away and just happened to be in town, it really struck me at how amazing Facebook and my friends from RLHS are. Sure, there’s other social networking sites that do similar things but at my 10-year reunion I would have never anticipated anything like this now.

At the end of the night, walking back to my car after parting with the last of the group it really struck me why I do what I do on school board as well. We weren’t just taught about learning at RLHS, we were taught about life. Many of my classmates are immensely successful and they’re strewn all over the United States and even overseas now. We all came from the same place though and had our lives forged in the same crucible together because, let’s face it, we fought a less than desirable reputation then just as we do now.

So I try to do my part to give the kids the best environment and learning experiences I can give them because in my own way I’m trying to do my small part to help them become who they’re going to be. People talk about the passion I can bring to the board table sometimes and I won’t deny it. I will fight for these kids, come hell or high water, there is no reason they can’t succeed and we can’t do more to help them get there. I will not settle for excuses for why Round Lake kids can’t achieve and thrive and not just merely survive. That will never change and spending time with my friends from RLHS just reinforces that for me all the more.

Round Lake students to perform music at prestigious event

Lake County Journals - Round Lake students to perform music at prestigious event

By STEPHANIE N. LEHMAN - slehman@nwnewsgroup.com

ROUND LAKE - Karina DeAnda has been playing the flute since she was in fourth grade. She practices an hour in school every day and three hours a week outside of her normal lessons.

The hours have paid off. The Round Lake High School junior was accepted into the Illinois Music Educators Association District 7 All-District Band out of 800 high school musicians that auditioned for a place in the prestigious ensemble. More than 100 students auditioned on flute; DeAnda was one of 18 selected.

“It is quite the achievement,” RLHS band director Krista Millard said. “When you have a student who’s responsible to say, I’m going to invest myself in this situation and do the best I can … you hope it was good enough, and when you find out, you find that commitment did pay off.”

DeAnda’s audition in mid-October consisted of playing scales, two prepared pieces and sight-reading a piece - performing music she had never had time to practice before.

She will perform Thursday, Nov. 13, at the IMEA District 7 Senior Festival at Evanston Township High School. She and the other band students will have approximately four hours to rehearse as a group before they perform before a crowd that could easily exceed 1,500, Millard said.

Though being selected into IMEA is one of the highest sanctions a high school musician can meet, Millard said being selected into IMEA is about more than music. It reflects individual character. And DeAnda has felt the difference.

“I’m not as shy any more,” DeAnda said. “I’ve been more responsible getting my work done, and I put a lot of me into my work.”

Three more

DeAnda isn’t the only RLHS student to shine in the spotlight. Three male members of the school’s top choir - the Panther Voices - were selected to the IMEA District 7 Festival Chorus, and two of them have been invited to re-audition for All-State choir.

Juniors James Neigel and Lindon Warren and senior Jon Stiverson all will perform at the Saturday, Nov. 15, IMEA District 7 Festival in Evanston.

Neigel and Stiverson will be pulled aside from rehearsal that day to audition for two of the top spots in the state in choir. It’s the first time in many years that RLHS has had anyone qualify for All-State, choir director Kristin Moroni said.

Neigel, who sings bass, comes from a family of musicians. His older brother was in Panther Voices for four years; his mother made All-State choir in Massachusetts when she was in high school. The bar has been set high for the junior.

But he knows what it takes to meet those high expectations. This is already his second year to make IMEA.

“Last year, I kind of slid into making IMEA. I was content to getting there,” he said. “This year, I really prepared for the auditions. And I felt confident when I left [the audition room].”

For All-State, Neigel will be asked to sing two excerpts from All-State pieces, sing scales and triads in a tonal room, and sight-read two pieces - perhaps the biggest point factor in the audition.

It’s something he’s wanted for a long time.

“It would be a very proud moment,” he said of the All-State opportunity. “And then I could learn from better singers around me. I’m really striving for it.”

Neigel’s best friend and fellow choir member, Stiverson, is also back for a second year in IMEA. Accepted as a sophomore year, the tenor missed acceptance last year, but worked his way back up to getting a shot at All-State.

The process hasn’t been easy, he said.

“You walk in that room; the room is silent,” he said. “It’s so quiet you can hear a pin drop. Your mind just empties out; you concentrate on one thing and it feels like it’s 10 seconds long.”

But Stiverson knows that as a senior, this is one of his last chances to make a name for himself before he’s shipped off to duty. He will graduate in May and join the U.S. Navy in early summer.

So, he practices. Five days a week. Before he goes to work at K-mart, after school in the car; Stiverson is always singing.

He’s been rewarded in the past. He and Neigel were two points away from a perfect score at Richmond-Burton High School in March for a duet contest.

But a possible trip to Peoria in January to perform with the All-State choir is the ultimate prize, he said.

Using the experience

Warren made IMEA by the skin of his teeth this year, being selected only after a tenor two dropped out of the performance.

But it’s an experience Warren plans to use to his advantage. His goal, after all, is to follow Neigel and Stiverson and make All-State.

“I’ve never done anything like this before,” he said. “[I'm looking forward to] having a good experience with the whole combination of choirs.”

He’s already noticed what two years in Panther Voices has provided, including the ability to perform in different languages.

“I sound better in French than I do in English,” he said, laughing. “I’ve come a very long way.”

Tune in

The IMEA District 7 Senior Festival concert will take place at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, at Evanston Township High School in Evanston.

Can’t make the concert? Tune in for a delayed broadcast of the concert at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, to WFMT 98.7 - Chicago’s classical music radio station.

Duffy Landslide!

I knew it was going to be a good night for Dan Duffy when I got the results for the Grant Township precincts I was assigned to collect. One of those precincts was that of Dan’s opponent (although I may have that wrong, one of my posters said he’s in Grant 137 that Dan won) and they were the first results I got — Dan lost by less than 20 votes. After I saw that I knew it was going to be a good night for Dan and it was.

Dan took the other two Grant Township precincts I was a pollwatcher at and with my results phoned in I drove down to the party at 111 Grille (formerly Chessies) in Barrington. The place was totally packed when I arrived — full of enthusiastic Duffy supporters looking forward to a great evening and for our guy and Representative Ed Sullivan, Jr. who was also there, it certainly was.

Outgoing Senator Bill Peterson arrived not too long after I did and I was amazed he remembered me as I hadn’t seen him in probably 6 or 7 years since our troubles in Round Lake Area Schools were coming to a head. We had a good talk about the future of RLAS and how things were turning around and he had a big smile because he knew all the difficulty we had and what a mess it was. Not long after that Dan’s lovely wife Kris arrived with all five of their kids and was just aglow at the turnout and was just so thankful to everyone who was there.

A bit after that Dan arrived, I was just coming back to the front table with some refreshment for the lovely Mel who was one of Dan’s hard working staffers. I had seen Lake County was 65-35 in his favor on my iPhone and I was one of the first to offer my congratulations. About an hour after that Dan was giving his victory speech to the enthusiastic crowd.

It was truly a wonderful night full of folks telling their stories about Dan and how hard he worked on this campaign and what a truly genuine human being he is. If you’ve met Dan, you know what I mean. If you haven’t met Dan, you’re missing out on a special guy who is all about family and community service. We truly are lucky to have someone like Dan to represent us in the quagmire of corruption and bureaucracy that is Springfield. Dan told everyone there that this is just the beginning of the journey now and how he knows he will face many challenges down in Springfield but “I’m ready to take on Blagojevich” he said to huge cheers from the crowd.

The crowd started to dissipate after that of course and mainly family and campaign workers were left. I had many great conversations with folks about Round Lake and how things were going for us and that I was there, despite where Dan’s opponent came from, because I believed in Dan from the moment I sat down with him at Bill’s Pub back in March and I asked him to tell me whey he deserved my support. I was as impressed then as I am now.

I was also impressed and grateful to the voters who looked beyond party in voting for Dan. Dan won a lot of precincts that Obama won so clearly the voters are intelligent, follow what’s going on, and didn’t buy into just voting down party lines because overall, it was an abysmal night for Republicans. Not for those of us who worked for Dan though, it was an incredible night, a hopeful night of greater things to come.

Congratulations Dan Duffy, Tina, and all the hard working staffers. You guys did it and rose above it all to deliver a big win. It was a hard fought campaign and only after you work and fight that hard can you truly comprehend the great victory.

11th Hour Dirty Tricks

It should come as no surprise to anyone that Bill Gentes and his supporters really don’t want to give up on this race even after his admitted lies and the endorsements of Dan Duffy by every newspaper. No, now they have trumped up a completely bogus website (note - now unreachable) to go after Dan Duffy and his credentials. I won’t post the link here because people don’t need to see this garbage, they only want to spread it around in their desperate attempt to drag Dan down to the level of their candidate.

First they post a view of his house from space, what this has to do with the important issues facing this election, I have no idea. Maybe his unemployed opponent thinks that it’s a vice to have a solid business and steady income to afford a nice home for his large family. Most of us would call that the American Dream.

Next the anonymous website creators, since they don’t have the courage to register the site in their own name and instead use a proxy service, tear into Duffy’s abortion position. To all my pro-life friends out there I can assure you of at least one thing — Bill Gentes is adamantly pro-abortion, has taken funds from the pro-abortion group Personal PAC and done nothing to stop their bogus mailings about Dan’s position. Dan acknowledges Roe v Wade as the law of the land but is against state support of abortions and feels that no one should be compelled to be pro-abortion if their beliefs dictate otherwise (i.e. pharmacists).

So on one hand you have Gentes supporters Personal PAC saying that he’s going to throw women in jail for having an abortion and then other supporters throw up a site saying he’s pro-choice. Which is it going to be? They can’t seem to make up their mind on this issue because, ladies and gentlemen, Gentes and his campaign have proven they are very adept at circulating the lies.

So, who are you going to believe? Dan Duffy, endorsed by every newspaper and strong in his positions as indicated in his website from day one? Or are you going to believe the supporters of someone who would say anything, including outright lie, to get elected?

The choice is yours on Tuesday.

Broken Bush Promises

No, not that Bush, Melinda Bush in this case or, as she likes to differentiate herself Melinda (Willen) Bush in her campaign literature. Why the sudden use of the parenthetical maiden name? Apparently to distance herself from Bush as far as possible but where she matches up with our current president is promising things she can’t deliver.

In her latest campaign mailer she is making a grand number of promises especially on property tax increases. Her plan calls for forcing the County Assessor to reassess all homes to account for the current values versus the “inflated” values of the past. First of all, they weren’t inflated, they were a product of the booming housing market. Second, the County Board can’t force the County Assessor to do any such thing. Assessments are done by township assessors and the County Board can’t force the township assessors to do that any more than the Federal Government can force Illinois to change its sales tax rate. It’s not within their power.

Next she wants to integrate “state, county and local traffic planning”. Sounds like a wonderful idea but that already is done on a routine basis. The problem is, the state doesn’t have any money and the growing list of projects the state intended to do but wasn’t allowed to do by our current governor and legislature (both controlled by Bush’s Democratic Party I might add) is about ten times as long as the list of projects actually being done. The state is broke, this is not news to anyone, Bush as your county board member isn’t going to fix the state.

The most egregious of these claims though is her statement that Larry Leafblad “sat on the sidelines and did nothing while our property taxes soared 30-50%” as well as “He could have voted to cap assessments at 7% but he refused and the people lost.” This is an utterly and completely bogus claim.

First, Lake County is subject to the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law or “Tax Cap” which means, for most funds in most taxing bodies assessments can go up no higher than 5% or the cost of living (COLA), whichever is less. Up until last year that has been nowhere near 5% and way short of 7%. How Bush claims they went up 30-50% I have no clue, she doesn’t cite a source. What she is referring to in her mailer is the 7% cap that is part of the Alternative General Homestead Exemption, it only applies in Cook County. Why only Cook County? Only Cook County has adopted the alternative exemption, and the bill that Bush cites in her mailing, PA 93-0715, is being phased out by PA 95-0644! Under the only “7% cap” residents of Cook County had to apply to get the exemption and even then it was in lieu of the $5000 exemption the rest of us get, not in addition to it. While it could be some additional savings it’s being phased out in favor of a long term resident exemption that allows for a similar cap but only if you’ve been in your home more than ten years and only if you meet certain income requirements.

What does this all equate to? A whole lot of FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) about property taxes that the county board and any individual county board member has no control over. Unless Bush is somehow going to get Rod Blagojevich, Michael Madigan and Emil Jones to decide to lower our property taxes (good luck with those three!) it isn’t going to happen.

Finally, Bush claims to be “a leader with fiscal discipline”. Other than four years as a village trustee in Grayslake she hasn’t demonstrated much leadership outside of the Illinois Federation of Teachers. And oh, by the way, the union she’s a leader of just authorized a strike against Grayslake District 46. Call me silly but someone like Bush being an advocate for rising property taxes is a little like the fox being an advocate for the henhouse — it doesn’t pass the smell test. Good thing if she actually does win she’ll have almost nothing to do with property taxes in Lake County but the fact she claims that she can change it should be seen through by the voters.

Duffy Hits Endorsement Grand Slam

Not just a majority of the newspapers in the Illinois 26th Senate District endorsed Dan Duffy, all of them did. While his opponent continues to try to spin away admitted lies and allows a PAC to send blatant lies on his behalf, Dan and his message to the voters resonated with all the papers that endorsed him. Here’s a few excerpts:

Dan Duffy Endorsed by The Chicago Tribune
- October 23, 2008

26th District (north, northwest suburbs): Round Lake Mayor Bill Gentes, a Democrat, and Republican Dan Duffy of Lake Barrington, a computer consultant, are competing for retiring GOP Sen. Bill Peterson’s seat. Duffy is a smart, solid guy who has excellent real-world experience. He is troubled by the state’s anti-business climate and wants to hold the line on taxes. Gentes has …given voters a reason not to trust him. He said he was on a leave of absence from his job—but later admitted he had been fired. Duffy is endorsed.

Daily Herald Endorses Dan Duffy for State Senate District 26
- October 21, 2008

Dan Duffy earns our support for his advocacy of Illinois businesses and for his grasp of issues facing our state. His ideas for handling finances - a Web site where you could view every check written by state government - add a refreshing voice to widespread calls for reform.

Northwest Herald

- October 24, 2008

We are endorsing Duffy. A 42-year-old Lake Barrington resident, Duffy states that his goal if elected is to reduce spending and taxes. Duffy said another of his top priorities if elected will be to change the anti-business climate in Illinois. Duffy also favors ethics reform and more transparency in government. Duffy is knowledgeable about statewide issues and would be a fine state senator for the 26th District.

DAN DUFFY FOR 26TH DIST. STATE SENATE
- Oct. 9, 2008

As a small business owner, Dan Duffy found out how hard it was to struggle with the costs of taxes and health
care. One of the biggest issues Duffy wants to take on is corruption throughout the state government. Duffy has been successful throughout his business career. He has taken on more responsibility and leadership roles with groups like the Illinois Leadership Council for the National Federation of Independent Business and the Lake and Cook County Area Action Council for Independent Businesses. He continues to fight to resolve the issues facing small businesses and citizens throughout the area. This style would serve the residents of the 26th District well. We endorse Dan Duffy for the 26th District of the Illinois Senate.

Trib: Gentes Regrets Lying - But Stops There

State Senate candidate says he regrets lying about his professional background — chicagotribune.com

Gentes still refuses to discuss leaving his previous employer further:

“I did not disclose this fact because I was embarrassed,” Gentes said. “That’s my statement on it.”

Apparently Gentes doesn’t feel the voters are entitled to any more information on this matter. Again, I think he should come clean with what happened and release his former employer from confidentiality in discussing it. This is not the simple matter of a “tough economy” when his former employer has endorsed Dan Duffy and their PAC has donated to the Duffy campaign. Makes you wonder why they would do that if Gentes left on good terms or was laid off, doesn’t it?

Daily Herald Endorses Duffy For Senate

Photo by Team America.

Today the Daily Herald made it official by endorsing Dan Duffy for State Senate. While his opponent’s lie to their editorial board about his employment status has been much covered here and elsewhere, they instead focused on Dan’s great qualities that he brings to the table and why I endorsed him as well.

Dan’s a successful businessman and is the youngest of eleven children, that’s right, eleven. I don’t know what better way to prepare you for the dog-eat-dog nature of Springfield than growing up with 10 brothers and sisters, especially when you’re the youngest! Seriously though, Dan has survived the tough world of building your own small business and would bring that perspective to Springfield with him.

When I met with him I was instantly at ease with his genuineness, his sincerity and his down to earth nature. Here I was, a school board member and he made time to meet me for lunch for some one-on-one discussion of the issues facing our state. It didn’t take me long to figure out Dan was the man for the job.

The Daily Herald agreed joining the News Sun and the Pioneer press along with myself and a host of others in endorsing Dan. I encourage you to get to know Dan some more if you have not yet decided and I think you’ll find he’s the clear pick to represent you in Springfield.

Gentes Short Of Full Disclosure

Photo by Cal Skinner.

Bill Gentes wrote of contrition in his letter to the editor in the October 17 Daily Herald, however he states the reason why he was not truthful about his employment was that he was embarrassed to be unemployed. Gentes made it a point to tell the Daily Herald editorial board and others during his campaign that he took a leave of absence from his job, yet only after the Daily Herald looked into this claim was it determined he was, in fact, terminated.

The larger issue is that, by his own admission, he was fired, not just out of work. Now we the voters are supposed to assume that it was through no fault of his own that he was terminated and give him a promotion when his previous employer fired him? It’s pretty tough for an average person to get another job after they have been terminated but any good employer will look into it and get both sides. The people are not getting both sides though since Gentes’ former employer is bound by confidentiality.

In the interest of full disclosure not only should Gentes explain why he was fired, he should release his employer from confidentiality in talking about it. Let his employer give their reasons, if they care to, why he was terminated. Mr. Gentes can make his case and then let the voters decide. Normally this would be beyond the scope of what voters are entitled to know, but Gentes opened the door when he lied to the Daily Herald and lied to the people.

Daily Herald | Round Lake school hoping to reclaim control

Daily Herald | Round Lake school hoping to reclaim control

As indicated in the article last night the Board of Education and the SFA met to discuss transition plans. No school district in Illinois has emerged from an SFA, they either dissolved or continue to be governed by an SFA (East Saint Louis, Chicago, Hazelcrest).

This shows the enormous progress the district has made in just 7 short years since the Financial Oversight Panel (the predecessor to the SFA) was put into place. Short term debt has been eliminated, long term debt is well under control, fund balances are up across the board and the district has more cash on hand than many districts would ever dream of having.

There are many folks responsible for this: first the taxpayers who absorbed a tax increase when the tax cap was reset three years ago, the FOP members who first helped to start getting us on track, Walter Korpan our former business manager and CFO, Dennis Stonewall who helped right the ship in a number of areas and worked building bridges with the community, the current SFA members who have gradually allowed the Board to take back most control as we have continued our recovery. Finally Dr. Ben Martindale deserves a large amount of credit for coming in with a plan to get our district back to local control. After almost a year and a half we are well on our way.

I’ll be running for re-election in April and I hope to be fortunate enough to be returned to office and help with our transition back to local control. I’ve had many proud moments in the past few years on the board but of that accomplishment I would be the most proud.

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