My School Board Resignation

One of my favorite movies ever is “For Love of the Game” starring Kevin Costner as an aging pitcher with the Detroit Tigers who is having the best day and the worst day of his life. So as not to bore you with an entire synopsis of the film and where I’m going with this Costner’s character Billy Chapel starts his day with a knock on his hotel door from the owner. The club has been sold, they don’t want Chapel any more and they want to get rid of him. The owner, played brilliantly as always by the superb Brian Cox, offers some words of advice:

You’re like the old boys, they were golden. They had that special pride. When they were done, they were done, no one had to show them the door.

I may not be “golden” but no one has to show me the door either.  So today I filed my resignation at the district office and said that I was done.

This film speaks to me on many levels at this time in my life. After Chapel gets those words of advice his on-and-off-again girlfriend tells him she’s going to London. He has to pitch so he heads to the stadium, arm full of pain from throwing for nineteen years and he reflects on his life throughout the game. Sometimes in life you get so focused on something that you never picture your life without it.  It becomes a hunger that needs to be fed.  Everything you do you feed to it.  You shut people out, you refuse to let others in and you skip out on obligations because you have the hunger that needs to be fed. I have done the same thing with my school board work and just like Chapel I have worn myself down body and mind serving it. I can’t even remember the times my son has been turned away by me and he says “you’re always working or going to a meeting dad.” The first twenty or so times it hurts, when you get up to where I’m at now it weighs on you greatly.

Despite the sacrifices you make to the hunger you certainly have times you look back upon fondly. You remember some of the achievements you were a part of and I have certainly had my share. Going back to 2001 our district was in utter and complete chaos, the state had come in, it was about to take full control and I had six people who didn’t care too much for the fact that the good people of Round Lake elected me to serve with them and they let me know about it.

Even in my more recent stint I came to a board that had appointed me as its 3rd appointed member in a year. The board had virtually no say in how the district was run, it couldn’t even set the agenda for its meetings. When I would ask why we couldn’t do anything I was told “because of the SFA, they won’t let us.” I made it my mission to change that and since I’ve been president the board has run the district and the board has set the agenda. That was because of the efforts of many good people but I’d like to think I had a hand in that. We built what is essentially a beautiful new school that the district could be proud of and I am certainly proud of from my early days on the board of constantly questioning, “what are we going to do about Magee?” I leave her in good hands.

I remember my first graduation as President of the board and I probably went a bit overboard in my speech to the graduates about what going to RLHS meant. I took a lot of criticism from some people over my remarks despite reviewing them with the principal, Dr. Jeff Brierton (also fondly missed) before I made them. It was worth the shots I took later though when a staff member came to me afterwards telling me how much it meant to her.  I’d do it again.

Also during the film Chapel reflects on his former teammates, some with him still and some not. I have reflected on mine as well. I don’t want to get in trouble and leave someone out but I need to recognize some special people I have served with in the district. Walter Korpan retired a couple of years ago having straightened out the financial mess and I have written previously of my love and admiration for Walter.

Jerri Ryan has served ably for well over a decade now and has steered the district on a path to harmonious relations with the union when they were anything but when she arrived. I particularly remember when Jerri made her transition from in-house counsel to her current position and the tears that were cried over the mere changing of a title.  That’s one of those fights I was glad to have won albeit it only partially. I’m fond of the Reagan desk proverb of “There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn’t mind who gets the credit.” While others at various times have taken the credit for our improved labor relations Jerri never did though it was sorely deserved.  I will miss my times playing attorney with her.

Heather Bennett has been secretary to the CEO for several years now through the different CEOs and she has been a bastion of consistency and organization in the district office. A fellow graduate of Round Lake she works tirelessly for the CEO, the board and the district. I will miss her great smile and an attitude that never was down. Your words meant a lot to me today Heather, thank you.

I’ll miss Kim Kearby pacing around at the back of a room be it a board room or the RLHS library when we’re taking up a contentious matter. Those times have waned in recent years and I think Kim, who I can’t ever stop reminding people was my tee ball coach, has had less reasons to pace in front of the board.  I’m disappointed I won’t be there to present you with your retirement award Kim, I had an iPod with “Kiss Him Goodbye” all ready to go for the occasion!

Most of all I will certainly miss someone who I certainly consider my friend now and that is Dr. Ben Martindale. Ben came and started working for us despite not even being done with his previous job yet. He and I went over our relationship and how we would work together to achieve the goal I so desperately wanted to achieve. I made some mistakes along the way and he would be there to either nudge me or bark at me if the moment required it. We both share a fondness for the more, shall we say “creative” words of the English language that he has a jar in tribute to on his desk.  We also share many common loves be it sports, the Indy 500 or kids with special needs. I’ve never met a more tireless and passionate servant for children and I don’t think I ever will. Knowing you I know what you must be thinking about all this and I can assure you, it’s the players that play the game, not the coach. I will never forget you and what you have taught this student, my friend.

So I’m sorry to say that this old arm doesn’t have a perfect game with me but I feel like I’ve already made my mark. The picture for this article is one of those proud moments I had. In September 2008 we were visited by 90-year-old Frank Dvorscak who was on the board that would become our board and built RLHS. He was a delightful gentlemen and when he came up to accept our recognition award he whispered “you run a good meeting” and that meant all the world to me. I glanced over at my place at the table where a gavel that had been my father’s rested and thought he might be proud.

In the picture we look pretty funny because I think neither of us wanted to stop chatting for photos. When we were done he went down to the plaque in the old original hallway that bears his name on it. His family sent me a photo with him holding the award I had given him standing with the plaque. That’s legacy stuff and something he was obviously proud of, I hope that will be me some day.

At the end of the film, before he goes to throw the last inning, Chapel writes on a baseball and has it run up to the owner.  As Chapel goes to take the mound one final time the owner looks down at the ball and it says “Tell them I’m through, for love of the game.” It’s the final words of love from someone who doesn’t want to give up what he has built a significant part of his life around. But he realizes he can no longer serve his love the way he should and moves on to other things.

I’m through, for love of the kids.

Guy’s Republican Primary Endorsements

You might not care what I think but hey, you’re reading my blog aren’t you?  Here are my endorsements in the Republican Primary tomorrow.

US Senate: John Arrington

Forget this nonsense about only Kirk can win, John Arrington is the real deal.  Mark Kirk has let us down as Republicans, he quite simply doesn’t support what the party should stand for.  The most glaring example was voting for the ridiculous Cap & Trade Bill.  Under no circumstances should such behavior be rewarded!   Enough about Kirk though — John Arrington is a Harvard graduate, former alderman and public servant.  He has strong conviction to his ideals and if you haven’t seen him speak you can see him now:

Governor: Adam Andrzejewski

There’s a lot not to like in this contest and one candidate rises to the top and that is Adam Andrzejewski (And-G-F-Ski).  Virtually every other candidate for the Republicans has some baggage he’s carrying with him, I won’t go into it all.  Adam is a self-made man, speaks from the heart and holds to the ideals of liberty.  Everyone he is running against can’t hold a candle to his qualifications.

Lieutenant Governor: Jason Plummer

Another great candidate with the ideals of liberty and who comes from the private sector.  Jason has sworn off drawing salary should he be elected Lieutenant Governor.  How’s THAT for putting your money where your mouth is?  Jason wants to transform this useless office into one that will cut through the Springfield red tape as an advocate for liberty.

Comptroller: Jim Dodge

As much as I admire much about Judy Baar Topinka the last thing we need is someone who has spent most of their life down there.  Jim Dodge has a solid background in holding local public office and is a great choice for Comptroller.

Illinois 8th Congressional District Representative: Maria Rodriguez

If there’s anyone who can beat Melissa Bean it’s Maria Rodriguez.  With solid credentials in local government Maria is another candidate on my liberty parade — committed to limited government and free markets.  She’s a fantastic candidate and our best chance yet of having a candidate who represents our ideals and won’t go lock step with a party line that doesn’t hold them.  I strongly endorse Maria Rodriguez for the 8th District.

Election Rebuilding

The results are in from yesterday’s election, many races went the way I had hoped, many did not, so let’s rundown the two main area races for my take on them.

Round Lake Area Schools – Board of Education

First off I want to thank everyone who supported Dan, Tonesha and me in the election.  Thank you for returning me to the board I’m very grateful to have your support and will continue working hard to make a difference in CUSD 116.

Obviously this race was closest to me since I was in it.  Despite all the congratulations I have gotten I was very disappointed in the results.  First, to see Tonesha Baker lose, hurt me very much.  Tonesha was the first Master Board Member ever in Round Lake.  Tonesha went out and aggressively got the training when it wasn’t easily being provided and before anyone else.  Most of all Tonesha was always up front and honest with me, never afraid to tell me how she really felt and never told me one thing and did another.  She’s an honest and thoughtful person and an excellent board member, she will be missed.

Secondly, Dan Hartlieb finished a few votes behind me and I was disappointed we couldn’t get the needed votes to take at least two spots.  Dan is someone who’s lived here all his life and is deeply invested in the schools.  I think he would have been an excellent board member.

Tonesha and Dan have both told me they plan to stay involved with the schools and I hope they do so.

If anything the mistakes in this campaign were mine.  First, for not putting the required time into them.  I was too busy with work, board, family, etc to sacrifice the weekends and evenings to be hitting the campaign trail. Our opponents didn’t and were working right through to the final hour, they worked harder.  Second, after a review of the outcomes in many of the races and the techniques used it’s clear running a positive campaign focused on the facts and your accomplishments doesn’t always work.  I thought people would clearly see who was more qualified, who was more invested in the district, who knew what our issues were and who knew what our boardroom looked like more than three months ago.  I was wrong, I won’t make that mistake again.

The campaign is over now and we’ll have a new board member and thus a slightly different board.  The new board will need to rebuild itself, continue to improve and prove that we are ready to take on the reins of leadership ourselves.  We have objectives to meet if the School Finance Authority is going to leave at the end of next school year as anticipated.  We’re going to jump right into working on those objectives right away.

Village of Round Lake

Yesterday the voters sent a clear message they wanted a new direction in leadership for the village, you can’t slice a 2 to 1 victory across the board any other way.  Congratulations to Jim, Joyce, Don, Sonia and Susan for a hard fought victory, you guys deserved it.

I was highly invested in this campaign going months back in fact going back to immediately after the November election.  First I was surveying the field hoping that someone would emerge to challenge Bill Gentes.  When that person was Dan MacGillis I began working with him and Don Newby on their slate.

Contrary to the accusations the two slates decided for their own benefit and for the best chance to defeat Gentes the slates needed to merge.  So then I started working with Jim Dietz and the folks with what became RL United For Change.  I was the webmaster for their site, attended most of their functions and did my best to support this slate because we were in desperate need of change in Round Lake.

I am very pleased that not only did United For Change win, they won in overwhelming fashion signaling a clear message from the Village that things needed to change.  However, that is not to say there weren’t some good and well qualified folks on the opposing slate.  To that I would say each of them made a decision to run with Gentes and thus tied their collective fates to him – that was a mistake.  As I said though there are good folks there and while their decision kept my votes from them I am hopeful we can all move on from this election and work together.

Rebuilding Together

Thus we get to my final topic and that would be moving on from elections together.  Unfortunately local politics is particularly nasty because it’s neighbor versus neighbor in many cases.  The candidates in all the races made their case, some races were won, some were lost.  Now it’s time for us to move on together as the folks have voted.

To that end I am putting this election behind me and will affirm my position to work with anyone who will work with me.  Anyone who is up front and honest with me is someone I can support and work with.  I don’t have to agree with you all the time, there will be times we won’t (and I am certain to let you know about it) but it is rarely if ever personal from me.  I try not to make decisions from a personal viewpoint but at the end of the day I’m only human like anyone else and might be prone to emotion sometimes.   At the end of the day though I would hope that people, whether they agree with me or not, would know that I’m honest and a straight shooter.  I hope we all can work together for our community to make it better for everyone here.

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.

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