Monday, October 31, 2011

Quitsville!

Quitters Never WinNot since Sarah Palin abruptly quit being a Governor, not even since Edward VIII abruptly quit being a King, has Lake County been this surprised over a resignation statement. Your LakeCountyEye of course refers to Island Lake Trustee Laurie Rabattini's sudden announcement that she will no longer chair her village finance committee.

The resignation was delivered via a long and whinesome statement, reproduced on Rabattini's blog. The nut graf:
So with that ... I resign my chair of Finance and Administration. I do not ... let me make this clear ... I do not resign my Trustee seat.
Trustee Rabattini Resigns Chair
Rabattini, best-known for having coined the neologism ...
Rebuttles
has been a vociferous & partisan critic of Island Lake government before and during her tenure as a trustee. Her resignation is widely regarded as an attempt to make a virtue of political necessity. As even the most glassy-eyed operative knows, it's easier to be a political bomb thrower from the safety of the back bench, than it is from the front line. Take it from your LakeCountyEye -- nuff said!

In related news, the Daily Herald and other MSM outlets have reported that Suzi Schmidt will not try to keep her Senate seat in District 31:
Facing domestic problems, Suzi Schmidt won't run in 2012
Boom goes the dynamite.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

The 411 on 911

Who hasn't dialed 911 to order a pizza or get directions to Binny's? Like every Lake County community, Lake Villa counts on their 911 service for legitimate emergencies. So your LakeCountyEye took note when the News-Sun reported that ...
Emergency dispatch services for the Lake Villa Police Department will switch from Antioch's dispatch center to FoxComm 9-1-1 center at the Fox Lake Public Safety Building beginning Nov. 1.
Cost savings prompts Lake Villa 9-1-1 move to Fox Lake
Your LakeCountyEye recalls a recent spike in volume of 911 calls reported in that city, and wishes the village of Lake Villa the best of luck in the transition. Be sure to double-shift your night dispatchers!

In other, unrelated 911 news, the News-Sun updated their story about former Lake County Board member Larry Leafblad. Leafblad hopes to challenge State Senator Suzi Schmidt in the March primary. Your LakeCountyEye hears that other high-profile candidates may show up on the ballot for Senate 31, as well.

The reason Schmidt, an incumbent 20-year politican, is being challenged is well-known. According to the News-Sun, Leafblad thinks that Schmidt "mortally wounded herself" ...
"At the same time, I can see if she wins the primary, which I hope she doesn't, the fall is going to be the Democrats playing 9-1-1 call after 9-1-1 call after 9-1-1 call for 10 weeks up to the general election," Leafblad said. "It's going to be brutal, and I don’t think she can win."
Leafblad: Schmidt 'vulnerable next fall'
In a close primary it's a good idea to remind the voters about your opponent's flaws, in this case some embarassing 911 calls. However it is ill-advised to directly attack your opponent. But reminding the voters that the Democrats will be attacking your opponent about some embarassing 911 calls gets the job done. Well played, Larry Leafblad.

With a likely crowded field on the Republican side in Senate 31, look for at least one debate scheduled before the primary. Probably at Lakes Community High School or a similar venue. Your LakeCountyEye expects that every statement uttered at that debate will contain a noun and a verb and 911.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Tribune Creepy Cartoonist™
Shamelessly Milks Myth
About African-American Males

What is the connection supposed to be with black men and BlackBerrys®? Wasn't that stereotype debunked like back in the 1800s? Apparently the Chicago Tribune's Creepy Cartoonist™ never received the memo:

Bang Bang Barack
Operatives are asked to supply their own Hot Dog joke here. Your LakeCountyEye will not be touching that with a 3 point poll.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Refugees in the Middle East

The Stevenson Center will host a program on the refugee situation in the Middle East:

Adlai Stevenson Center on Democracy
Refugees in the Middle East

Karen AbuZayd will speak about the plight and promise of refugees caught in the Arab Spring. Ms. AbuZayd is the recently retired Commissioner General of UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency), winner of a 2010 Spanish/Catalonia Peace Prize and a 2011 Golden Award with Star for Service to the Austrian Federal Republic. In her distinguished UN career, she oversaw education, health, social services and micro finance operations for UNRWA and emergency and repatriation operations for UNHCR in Namibia, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Somalia and South Africa. She also served as the UNHCR Chief of Mission in Sarajevo during the Bosnian war.
  • Sunday
    November 13, 2011
    2 PM
  • The Stevenson Center on Democracy
    25200 N St Mary's Rd
    Mettawa (Libertyville), IL 60048
    847-816-7433
  • $15
  • Coffee and conversation following

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Horse Manure

The Business EndThe high rollers are all loading their dice in anticipation of a new casino rumored to be built in Old Mill Creek. Ha ha, as readers of this blog are improbably aware ...
A Trojan Horse?
your LakeCountyEye has been speculating that the village of Old Mill Creek's high-stakes, organized effort to fastrack the Route 45 Bypass is a strong indication that the new Lake County casino will be built there. The evidence for this inescapable conclusion is admittedly scant, but it does make for a convenient lead-in to another LakeCountyEye comedy bit.

Whenever seeking confirmation of an unconfirmed rumor, your LakeCountyEye relies on the tried and true method of conducting a push-poll. Ten Lake County odds-makers were asked at random what chance they give that Lake County sees a casino in Old Mill Creek. Here are the scientific results:

Ten Reasons to Build the Lake County Casino in Old Mill Creek
  1. Two words: Roundabout Roulette!
  2. OTB betting in all the stables.
  3. Who isn't in for a round of Horse Poker?
  4. Why drive to Hammond when there's a Horseshoe Casino in Old Mill Creek? Best odds. Highest limits. Biggest jackpots.
  5. One quarter horse equals a seat at 25 penny slots.
  6. Not everyone thinks of road apples when they hear the word craps.
  7. Origin of CROUPIER: French, literally, rider on the croup of a horse
    Merriam-Webster
  8. Definition of CROUP: the rump of a quadruped
    Merriam-Webster
  9. An Old Mill Creek stable will be getting a cool new name: The Five Card Stud Farm
  10. They're betting on the quinella. Nuff said.

Look for your LakeCountyEye on the horse your LakeCountyEye rode in on.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

A Trojan Horse?

A recent letter in the Daily Herald from a stable owner:
If the eastern bypass group get their way, Lake County Division of Transportation will not fund the bypass and will wait for the state to do it, some 20 years. Let us not stop the project and get traffic going, improve the traffic at 45-Grasslake-Millburn roads.
Don’t delay action on bypass
Which one is Karl?So many horse owners have posted letters-to-the-editor about the Route 45 Bypass, that it would seem the Pony Express has returned to Lake County.

Ha ha. As readers of this blog are ruminatively aware ...
Cadge & Release™
Circle the Wagons
a war of words is being is being fought between Lindenhurst and Old Mill Creek over the future of the Route 45 Bypass. Still in planning stages, the Bypass may be delayed further by new hearings proposed by the County Board. Read about it the News-Sun:
County Board member Newton wants full bypass airing
The position of the pro-Bypass side of the conflict has not changed: Living conditions in their area are so unbearable that work needs to begin on the Bypass -- it doesn't matter where it is built -- but immediately, if not sooner.

Of course, the last thing the typical bedroom community would want to see is a new state artery constructed in their backyards. The whole point of a being a bedroom community is to not see a semi-tractor doing 45mph past one's bedroom. But perhaps Old Mill Creek is not the typical bedroom community and your LakeCountyEye salutes their civic-minded altruism.

Ha ha, j/k. So what gives? The other big development up in the upper-right quadrant of Lake County has been the on-again-off-again Waukegan/Park City/TBD casino. The News-Sun observed ...
Gov. Pat Quinn won't sign a massive gambling expansion bill and, in its place, proposed a scaled-back alternative Monday that would still give Lake County a casino, but not in Park City.
Quinn backs county casino — not Park City
Well one doesn't need to be a Karl-Rove-political-genius to figure out what's going on. That Route 45 Bypass is being fast-tracked in anticipation of the Lake County casino that will be built up there.

Where? Not in Waukegan. Not in Park City. Yep, in Old Mill Creek.

Take it from your LakeCountyEye, it's in the bag. Or feed-bag as the case may be.

Horse feathers? Perhaps.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Splitsville

The Catbird SeatAs raps go, everyone is watching to see if Michael Jackson's doctor will beat it. And now with Abbott Labs in the news, is it any wonder that Lake County is in the grips of prescription drug fever? As reported in the News-Sun ...
Abbott Laboratories, Lake County's largest private employer, announced Wednesday it plans to separate into two publicly traded companies, one in diversified medical products, the other in research-based pharmaceuticals.
The big split: Abbott to spin off into two public companies
The restructuring, your LakeCountyEye has learned, was motivated by a desire to erect a legal firewall between Abbott's research and business operations. Or maybe it was to realize substantial savings in taxes. Or maybe some other corporate related junk, but what's important is the spin-offs are a convenient premise for another LakeCountyEye bit.

Your LakeCountyEye has learned that Abbott is not an isolated case -- Lake County will experience ten other spin-offs in the near future. No two ways about it, here are ten of them:

Ten More Divisions to Watch for in Lake County
  1. The Millburn Strangler will be separated into the Millburn Headlock and the Millburn Chokehold.
  2. Libertyville will be partitioned into Equalityville and Fraternityville.
  3. The Route 53 Extension will be divided into Route 53. And the Extension.
  4. High School biology classes will now divide their time between teaching intelligent design and young earth creationism.
  5. Abbott is also splitting up with Costello.
  6. Every game at Fielder Stadium is now a double header.
  7. The Daily Herald vows not to endorse political candidates who double-dip.
  8. The Park City Casino will be splitting all pots.
  9. Joe Walsh will be dividing his time between seeking re-election and seeking re-election.
  10. The Zion Nuclear Plant will be splitting more atoms. Ha Ha Psych!

Enough of this. Your LakeCountyEye has a splitting headache.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Occupations

Inspired by the hippie 60s weathermen radicals of Occupy Wall Street, your LakeCountyEye held a demonstration this weekend. The protest rally was held at the LakeCountyEye compound. Which may explain the sparse attendance:
Occupational Hazards
No doubt rather than whine about the no jobs, operatives were all out looking for the no jobs. Or something. So it's unsurprising that Joe Walsh, who knows a thing or two about how to get a job with the Federal Government, sponsored a jobs fair this weekend. Details are in the Northwest Herald:
Walsh to host jobs fair in Woodstock
You read correctly, a jobs fair was sposored by Eighth District Congressman Joe Walsh. Operatives are requested to supply their own joke here.

Your LakeCountyEye did manage to sneak away from the Occupy-the-LakeCountyEye-Compound sit-in to attend Walsh's job fair. While things still look unpromising, your LakeCountyEye can report there are some job openings available for the energetic go-getter. Ten to be exact:

Ten Most Popular Jobs at the Joe Walsh Job Fair
  1. US Senator or Congressman
  2. Venture Capitalist
  3. Cable News Blowhard
  4. Administrator of an Education Trust Fund
  5. Actor
  6. Financial Consultant
  7. Political Science Instructor at Oakton Community College
  8. Stay-at-Home Dad or Mom
  9. Process Server
  10. Hobo

Your LakeCountyEye pulled some strings and snagged a plum position: Understudy to Bowzer. Look for your LakeCountyEye at the next revival of Sha Na Na near you:
Sha na na. Sha na na na na.
Sha na na. Sha na na na na.
Sha na na. Sha na na na na.
Sha na na. Sha na na na na.
Yip yip yip yip yip yip yip yip.
Mum mum mum mum mum mum.
Get a job.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Bates and Switch

The DIY Cartoonist at the Lake County Journal this week published an homage to Oscar winning actress Kathy Bates:
The remake of the Elephant Men
Lake County Journal Editorial Cartoon
The spot-on likeness depicts Kathy Bates in her sleeper hit, About Schmidt. Bates, in that movie, is famous for doing a nude scene up against one lucky dog of an actor, Jack Nicholson:
Hot Tub
Bates is probably most recognized from her breakout role in the movie Misery. Here is Bates in that scene with her big gavel:
Drop the Hammer
Kathy Bates currently stars as criminal attorney Harriet Korn in the hit NBC series Harry's Law:
... or are you just glad to see me?
A tip of the LakeCountyEye eyeshade goes out to the Lake County Journal's DIY Cartoonist. In an age when youth and sex-appeal is worshipped, the DIY Cartoonist has impeccable taste in Hollywood actresses.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Cadge & Release™
Circle the Wagons

The reason they are building all those traffic roundabouts on and nearby Hunt Club Road is now clear. They are circling the wagons in Old Mill Creek.

Ha ha, as readers of this blog are redundantly aware ...
The Roundabout Runaround
the Villages of Lindenhurst and Old Mill Creek are engaged in a non-shooting war over the proposed trajectory of the Route 45 bypass. The citizens of Lindenhurst would prefer to see the bypass routed through the valuable undeveloped real-estate in Old Mill Creek. While the citizens of Old Mill Creek would prefer to see the bypass routed through the valuable sub-developments in Lindenhurst.

The theater of battle, so far, has been the op-ed pages, lately inundated with salvos of angry letters to the editors. The balance of power in this war of words would seem to favor the more numerous troops of Lindenhurst, however the opposing forces of Old Mill Creek (pop 178) have not been silent.

All of which is the premise for this week's Cadge & Release™:

The Cadge:

Daily Herald
Support Route 45 bypass plan
The traffic congestion that will be alleviated by the U.S. Route 45 bypass will benefit thousands of people in the region daily - not just the residents of the Heritage Trails and Forest Trails subdivisions. U.S. Highway 45 is a major arterial used by thousands of motorists daily. The current traffic jams impact people from the entire region.

I trust the expertise of the Lake County Division of Transportation and the professional engineers hired to work on the project, and their ability to consider the factors as they relate to the transportation needs of the entire region, not just the immediate area. There are many more reasons to support funding the proposed bypass than to oppose it.

The proposed bypass is a better alternative for the region than no bypass at all.
I hope that our Lake County Board members will support the recommendations made by the Lake County DOT regarding the transportation project that will benefit thousands of motorists who suffer through the Millburn Strangler day after day - and vote to fund the U.S. Route 45 bypass.

Jennifer D Andrew
Lindenhurst

Support Route 45 bypass plan
The Release:

News-Sun
Growth of sprawl
I am one of many area residents who has contributed to the suburban sprawl in northeastern Lake County. When I moved to Gurnee in 1987, there was no traffic. Grand Avenue was a country road with a stop sign at Hunt Club Road.

It took me 15 minutes to get to work in Libertyville. There was no rush hour. That was then. I built a house in Heritage Trails in Lindenhurst in 1996. It then took me 20 minutes to get to work.

It now takes longer and longer to get to and from work — anywhere from 40 to 75 minutes each way depending on the day and the weather. I adore my job, but I detest the commute. A significant portion of my commute is often spent just trying to get out of my neighborhood, Heritage Trails, and through the "Millburn Strangler."

I first learned of the proposed Route 45 bypass 15 years ago in the sales office of the Heritage Trails subdivision before purchasing my home. Yes, everyone who bought in Heritage Trails knew that a future bypass was planned, and that it was supposed to be located adjacent to our subdivision.

People who chose to build in the Forest Trails subdivision were also well aware that a future bypass would bisect their subdivision. People chose to build homes there anyway.

I was elated when Lake County decided to proceed with the Millburn Bypass, even though it is not a county highway. I participated on the Route 45 Bypass Citizen's Advisory Committee as the representative for the Historic Millburn Community Association, Inc. CAG members were told at the first meeting that we would be asked to provide input, but that we would not be voting to determine the location of the bypass.

Some members of CAG believe that the chosen bypass alternative will best resolve the traffic congestion and improve the traffic flow in the area. Other members were upset with the selected route. Emotions are escalating.

The sentiment expressed by those opposing the western bypass route appears to be that they would rather have no bypass at all if they can't have the location they desire. There are many more reasons to support the proposed bypass than to oppose it.

The proposed bypass is a better alternative for the region than no bypass at all.


Jennifer Durot Andrew
Lindenhurst

Growth of sprawl

Operatives will recognize the tried & true technique of the letter-blitz: send the same letter to multiple newspapers. Editors, happy to publish free content, typically play along. And if they like your letter, send it out again in a week or two, signed by someone else.

Operatives however may not recognize the identity of the author of the above letters, who is also an employee of the village of Old Mill Creek ...
Government Employees
Village of Old Mill Creek
By your LakeCouyntyEye's rough estimate, Old Mill Creek is trailing Lindenhurst in published missives by a factor of five to one. Government operatives in Old Mill Creek are encouraged to quickly convene a letter writing committee if they hold any hope of closing their missive gap.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Q the Eye/10.12.11

Dear LakeCountyEye,

As a holder of high office I would prefer it not be known that I am seeking your advice. Accordingly I will be obscuring my predicament.

In a nutshell my ex/separated/ball-and-chain spouse is suing me for divorce/child support/battery. As you can imagine, the news has not helped my political career. Any advice for a go-getting meteoric up-and-comer like myself would be appreciated.

Seeking help, mate, from a helpmate!

Dear Bitter Half,

HorusYou've come to the right place. Your LakeCountyEye has more exes than an Internet porno domain.

The solution to your predicament is simple: just declare total, thermo-nuclear legal war on that recalcitrant spousal-unit of yours. And be sure to do it in public. Send a press release, for instance, to the Sun-Times ...
U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) says he hasn't paid his court-ordered child support because he and his ex-wife reached a "verbal agreement" three years ago that he could stop paying her child support.
Rep. Joe Walsh: I had ‘verbal’ deal not to pay child support
Also be sure to pull no punches in that press release:
  • Yesterday as he has promised to do from the start, Congressman Walsh continued to fight, through the legal system, the untrue allegations by his ex-wife Laura Walsh.
  • By blatantly and knowingly submitting false information in her pleading Laura Walsh and her attorney's not only broke Illinois state law, but it is clear that the only point in submitting these allegations was an attempt to tarnish the Congressman's reputation.
  • In fact for almost a full year while Laura Walsh was making $140,000 a year and living in another state, Mr. Walsh provided full time residential custodial care for his youngest son, despite making significantly less money than Laura Walsh.
And make sure the media knows that you refuse to engage your ex in a high-profile media war:
  • "I do know that I won't engage this case in the media, I won't do that to my children and I won't do that to the mother of my children."
Ha ha, j/k, your LakeCountyEye obviously made all of this stuff up. Operatives of every stripe (even those from McHenry County) know that no elected official of any stripe would be crazy enough to fight their domestic battles in public like that -- via legal proceedings and press releases. Unless they were bent on committing political harakiri or something.

The sane thing to do, of course, is cut a deal with all the exes and get them to endorse your candidacy. It goes without saying the goose won't be laying many more golden eggs if the goose is not re-elected. You can even post a video on YouTube ...
Scott Lee Cohen's ex-wife
The voters eat up these heartfelt kumbaya moments.

If you are an elected official, or a previously elected official, or just a private citizen under indictment, send your political questions to Q the Eye c/o ... LakeCountyEye@gMail.com

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Mass Depreciation

Voter AngerNot since JFK carried Cook County by a landslide will Illinois see this many precincts being this brazenly stolen in broad daylight. As readers of this blog are blissfully unaware, the Lake County Board is in a downsizing frenzy, and next on the chopping block are the County's voting precincts. According to the Daily Herald ...
Lake County voters will have fewer places to cast ballots on Election Day starting next year under a plan being considered by the county board. The proposal would reduce the number of voting precincts to 415, from 481.
Lake County may lose precincts
With fewer places to cast ballots, operatives should expect their election-day voters to find themselves at the wrong polling place or even at a mothballed poll. Voters who do get lucky will discover longer lines at their poll, than in the past. Fewer polls are farther polls, and more difficult to reach for anyone without transportation or a suspended drivers license. (Joe Walsh made a smart choice when he moved to McHenry County.)

A cost-cutting measure of this nature strikes your LakeCountyEye as a backdoor means to reduce voter turnout. The obvious beneficiary would be the Lake County Clerk's office. Reduce voter turnout to sufficiently low numbers, and the County Clerk's office would be able to declare election day an informal holiday, just like everyone else does. The Lake County Board can be counted on to take care of their County Clerk!

Operatives with long memories will recall this same Lake County Board reduced the number of Board Districts from 23 to 21. Your LakeCountyEye has learned that the axe is being sharpened and the clock is ticking for ten more Lake County governmental entities.

Ten Lake County Institutions Soon to be Downsized

  1. The Fort Sheridan Golf Course will be downsized to the Fort Sheridan Miniature Golf Course
  2. The Village of Long Grove will be downsized to the Village of Longish Grove
  3. The Congressman in the 10th District will be downsized to the Congressman in the 9th District
  4. The Park City Casino will be downsized to the Park City Bingo Parlor
  5. The Route 53 Extension will be downsized to the Route 53 Detention
  6. Avon Township will be downsized to Mary Kay Township
  7. Half-Day Rd will be downsized to 2-Hours-and-45-Minutes Rd
  8. The Lake County State's Attorney will be downsized to the Lake County Paralegal
  9. The decommissioned Zion Nuclear-Power Plant will be downsized to the decommissioned Zion Rubber-Band-Power Plant
  10. The Millburn Strangler will be downsized to the Millburn Wedgie

Now look for your LakeCountyEye being downsized on TinyURL!
http://tinyurl.com/3jkohco

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Negative Feedback

What is a Nabob anyways?Autumn in Lake County means one of two things: Leaf-peepers are out looking for some primary colors. Or operatives are out looking for some leaf-peepers to sign their primary petitions. As readers of this blog are redoundingly aware ...
The Re-doozi
embattled State Senator Suzi Schmidt announced she will seek re-election, which means she must -- like every candidate -- collect the required number of petition signatures before the December 5 deadline.

Schmidt already has at least one announced Primary challenger. According to the News-Sun former County Board member Larry Leafblad ...
informed Schmidt that he intends to run against her because her "negatives" are insurmountable after the release last week of four embarrassing 9-1-1 recordings by the Lake County Sheriff's Office. "I told her, 'Imagine what would happen if the Democratic spin doctors run those 9-1-1 tapes in the commercials next fall. They're going to crucify you, Suzi, and I can't stand that happening to you,'" Leafblad said.
Sen. Schmidt to run for re-election
Apparently Leafblad wants to defeat Schmidt in the Primary to save her from being embarrassed in the General election. Ha ha. Anyhow, Leafblad is right about one thing, Schmidt's political negatives are at the moment skyhigh, erm, rockbottom.

Negative perceptions, it goes without saying, are kryptonite for a candidate. As you read this, the political campaigns in Senate District 31 have already mapped out Schmidt's negatives with an eye to exploiting or defusing them, as the case may be.

Those wishing to be a fly on the wall need look no farther than this blog. Operatives have informed your LakeCountyEye that while Schmidt's negatives are formidable they are still manageable in number. That manageable number happens to be ten; they are reproduced here:

Embattled State Senator Suzi Schmidt's
10 Highest Political Negatives

  1. No Political Punch
  2. Lacks the Acumen of a Career Politician
  3. Makes Phone Calls When Behind the Wheel
  4. No Street Cred
  5. Too Many Connections for a Short Fuse
  6. All Bark
  7. No Bite
  8. Did Not Demand the Death Penalty for the Millburn Strangler
  9. Makes Joe Walsh Look Like Honest Abe
  10. No One Takes Her Calls

For operatives scoring at home, your LakeCountyEye's negatives are all to be found at the FotoMat.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

The Re-doozi

The long protracted moratorium on Suzi Schmidt jokes is officially over. As readers of this blog are presciently aware ...
A Difference of Opinion
your LakeCountyEye has been dropping hints broad enough to stop traffic in a roundabout that embattled State Senator Suzi Schmidt will decide to run for re-election. Well today Schmidt made it official. According to the paper on top of the story, the Daily Herald ...
Some Republicans have pressured her to resign. Pat Brady, chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, said he was disappointed with Schmidt's decision to stay in office.
Suzi Schmidt staying in Senate despite 911 call controversy
The story even made the 6 o'clock news. NBC Chicago has an inexplicably huge full-portrait photo of Schmidt on their website, to prove it:
Huuuuge
Ill. Sen. Suzi Schmidt Defies Critics, Will Seek Re-Election
Anyhow, let the Suzi Schmidt jokes begin:

Q: What's the difference between Webster's Unabridged Dictionary and Suzi Schmidt?

A: There's no QUIT in Suzi Schmidt!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

A Difference of Opinion

D'Oh!It divided communities. Turned friends and neighbors into foes. Tore families asunder, pitted cousin against cousin, brother against brother, father against son. Operatives and Civil War buffs alike all know your LakeCountyEye refers to the one question that burns the bosom of every heart in Lake County: Suzi Schmidt, will she or won't she?

As readers of this blog are heartburnedly aware ...
The Spin Cycle
Suzi Schmidt, the Lake Villa State Senator, has been generating some earned media lately, but not exactly the good kind. Earned media of a kind that has the knowledgeable sources wondering out-loud whether and if Schmidt should resign ... or should not.

The first skirmish, in what no-doubt will be a long war of attrition, has broken out between Lake County's newspapers of record, the Daily Herald vs the News-Sun.

The News-Sun says it's time for Schmidt to make like the Michelin Man and retire ...
Lake County residents who have found themselves handcuffed and locked up in similar situations are watching this soap opera with awe and wondering with keen interest if this is once again a case of two sets of laws in Lake County: One for politicians, one for everybody else. Until the senator and her husband decide to seek marital counseling or choose family law attorneys, it will be impossible for her to carry on her duties to the voters who last November overwhelmingly sent her to Springfield from the 31st Senate District. She needs to resign.
Our View: Sen. Schmidt needs to resign
While the Daily Herald is all like, whoa not so fast there, Sparky ...
As a former Lake County Board chairwoman and current state senator, she should have known that emergency dispatchers could never ignore any call for help. And she certainly should have known better than to throw her political resume into the midst of an already complicated personal crisis. She owes her constituents a sincere and unequivocal apology. But should she forfeit her job? On that question, she and everyone else should slow down a bit and think.
Moving on from a public mistake
Your LakeCountyEye has a hunch what Schmidt will decide to do. One thing is certain, there is a paper-boy somewhere in Lake Villa with one less newspaper to deliver.