Cheese Spreader

Stricken by the after-effects of their super-spreader fundraiser in Lake Forest, the Lake County Republicans held their next one in Wisconsin. Lake County GOP favorite son Mark Curran was observed in Janesville not wearing a mask, disregarding social distancing norms and in close proximity to P∅TUS -- the Patient Zero of the United States:

When asked what Curran -- an Illinois candidate for US Senate -- was doing north of the border so close to the election, a spokesman said: "There is scarcely a soul anywhere who did not vote early already. Our candidate had to go up to Wisconsin to find voters who haven't cast a ballot in Illinois."

Your LakeCountyEye will keep you apprised when further developments warrant.

Passing in the Wind

It has come to your LakeCountyEye's attention that there will be a primary election on March 17. And in Illinois. Who knew? Not your LakeCountyEye.

Ex-Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran will be on the ballot, this time wrestling for US Senator. According to the Daily Herald:

The Republican candidates in the March 17 primary are retired information technology professional Casey Chlebek of Glenview; former Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran of Libertyville; former police officer Peggy Hubbard of Belleville; Dr. Robert Marshall, a physician from Burr Ridge; and Dr. Tom Tarter, a urological oncologist from Springfield.
Republican Senate candidates haven't done much fundraising

Your LakeCountyEye recognizes the aforementioned Mark Curran. While perennial candidate Robert Marshall wants to break up the State of Illinois into a southern slave state and a northern free state.  But who are the other jackdaws? Nobody knows.

What kind of Senator would Curran be? He would probably be a reliable vote to acquit at the next impeachment trial of Donald John Trump. And he would have all the MAGA voters in the tank.

The datapoints all point in one direction and that direction is straight out and beyond: Lake County favorite son Mark Curran will be the next Illinois US Senatorial candidate.

Take that to the bank!

Alternating Curran

This is not the waiting room at the urologist:

The animated GIF shows Ex-Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran talking to a Grayslake police detective.

And they are not talking about where to be on the lookout for speed traps. No, radio personality William J Kelly filed criminal assault charges against Curran.

One high ranking Republican official, who spoke under conditions of anonymity, said the charges were "a witch hunt" and "a sham" and "a hoax" and that "nothing was done wrong, zero was done wrong.”

In related news, Mark Curran is on the ballot for US Senator.

Manspreading

Does anyone wonder what former Lake County Sheriff and current candidate for US Senate Mark Curran has been doing lately? Your LakeCountyEye does.

The last time Lake County favorite son Mark Curran was seen, he was in Grayslake, talking to a police detective:

Watch Illinois U.S. Senate Candidate Mark Curran Lie During Jailhouse Interview

As readers of this blog are aware ...

Push Pol

last year, a rival US Senate candidate, William Kelly, filed criminal battery charges against Curran.

Legal scholars observe that if Curran wins his election, he will be sworn in as a member of the US Senate. Where, by law, the trials are rigged in favor of Republican defendants.

Your LakeCountyEye will keep you apprised when further developments warrant.

The Fightin' Irish

You don't need to be from Lake County to know that politics is a contact sport. But it doesn't hurt:

A criminal complaint for battery has been filed against former Lake County Sheriff and current Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mark Curran following an incident caught on video Saturday at the Lake County Republican office in Grayslake, involving Curran's U.S. Senate opponent, William Kelly.
William Kelly Files Battery Complaint Against Mark Curran: Video

Likely, the complaint will go to the Lake County State's Attorney Office for review. Where the State's Attorney Office is expected to file murder charges against William Kelly.

One ersatz spokesman said, "Illinois law allows the State's Attorney to file these charges. Anyone can be charged and convicted of first-degree murder even if he never pulled a trigger."

Your LakeCountyEye will keep you apprised when further developments warrant.

Push Pol

Now that Daylight Savings Time is a thing of the past, this would be a good time to charge your batteries.

2020 Primary Checklist Does Your Battery Generate ...

Alternating Current?

Direct Current?

Mark Curran?

Haha, former Lake County Sheriff and current candidate for US Senate, Mark Curran, has been accused of battery. A fellow US Senate candidate, William Kelly, has filed criminal battery charges against Curran:

A criminal complaint for battery has been filed against former Lake County Sheriff and current Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mark Curran following an incident caught on video Saturday at the Lake County Republican office in Grayslake, involving Curran's U.S. Senate opponent, William Kelly.
William Kelly Files Battery Complaint Against Mark Curran: Video


The news release adds that an "unhinged Curran then grabs Kelly roughly by both shoulders and shoves him across the room to the door."
William Kelly Files Battery Complaint Against Mark Curran: Video

Note to Ops: Politics ain't beanbag.

The Flipping Senate

Note to David McSweeney: Ex-Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran is seeking the Republican nomination for US Senate:

"The consensus is I would be a Tier One candidate," he said, noting his suburban background could help Republicans in a region that is shifting Democratic.
Days after giving up on a recount for reelection, former Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran to seek GOP nomination for U.S. Senate

Additionally, the consensus is Curran will be elected the next GOP Senator from Illinois. And he will switch to the Democratic Party after two years.

Your LakeCountyEye will keep you apprised when further developments warrant.

The Skinny on Mark Curran

An actual unretouched headline from the News-Sun:

Lake County Sheriff Curran under fire for comments to radio host Amy Jacobson: She has 'awesome skin'

The News-Sun is reporting that Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran is being criticized ...

for sexually charged remarks he made on a radio show earlier this year.
Lake County Sheriff Curran under fire for comments to radio host Amy Jacobson: She has 'awesome skin'

Who knew?

Well, readers of this blog knew:

Sheriff Mark Curran:
Awesome to have y'all here. Um, Amy, um, I, um, not really met. She's six feet tall, got awesome skin, she's really nice looking lady. That's not bad waking up to, Dan?
Prisoner of Love?

Your LakeCountyEye: Predicting the future since May 29!

Whistle Stopped?

Lake County celebrity whistle blower Denise Rotheimer did not blow the whistle today.

Rotheimer is witness to allegations of harassment aired publicly against some high profile elected officials.  She has also been a guest on Morning Answer with Dan Proft & Amy Jacobson. This is the same Morning Answer radio talk-show where Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran said:

Um, Amy, um, I, um, not really met. She's six feet tall, got awesome skin, she's really nice looking lady. That's not bad waking up to, Dan?
Lake Co Sheriff Mark Curran joins Dan Proft & Amy Jacobson to talk community safety & life at the jail

For the record, your LakeCountyEye does not know what it is like waking up to Amy Jacobson. But your LakeCountyEye digresses.

To date, Denise Rotheimer -- who knows Amy Jacobson -- has not accused Sheriff Curran of harassment. If and when and why not remain a mystery.

Your LakeCountyEye will keep you apprised when further developments warrant.

Well Accuse Me

Lake County whistle blower Denise Rotheimer blew another whistle this week:

Big news! The allegation that is coming out on Thursday is a game changer. When his name is mentioned ... time is up. I am so grateful for the courage that she has to go public.
Ives to attend tomorrow’s press conference about “leading lawmaker” who is “longtime abuser”

The allegation was harassment.  Rotheimer did not name names, but her finger-pointer subsequently ...

appeared on conservative activist Dan Proft's Chicago radio show the Thursday morning before her press conference.
Miller: Are Loncar claims a lot of smoke?

At the press conference, the finger-pointer said the finger-pointee ...

put his hand on her lower back and asked her if she knew "how lucky" her husband was to have a wife like her.
She says Lang ‘harassed’ her — he dismisses her as disgruntled pot profiteer

It has come to your LakeCountyEye's attention however that the person accused of harassment was not Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran ... even though Curran had said this on Dan Proft's Chicago radio show:

Um, Amy, um, I, um, not really met. She's six feet tall, got awesome skin, she's really nice looking lady. That's not bad waking up to, Dan?
Lake Co Sheriff Mark Curran joins Dan Proft & Amy Jacobson to talk community safety & life at the jail

Your LakeCountyEye regrets the error.

Prisoner of Love?

In case you missed it, Chicago's Morning Answer broadcast live from the Lake County jail:

Lake Co Sheriff Mark Curran joins Dan & Amy
to talk community safety & life at the jail

Dan Proft:	Good morning we're Dan & Amy coming to you live from Lake County jail this morning. So in addition to my normal security detail, we have law enforcement from Lake County around.
Amy Jacobson:	Yeah I'm feeling very safe this morning. It's great.
Dan Proft:	And we're pleased to be joined now by our friend Mark Curran who is the Lake County Sheriff. Mark thanks for joining us and hosting us.
Sheriff Mark Curran:	Awesome to have y'all here. Um, Amy, um, I, um, not really met. She's six feet tall, got awesome skin, she's really nice looking lady. That's not bad waking up to, Dan?
Dan Proft:	Now, uh ... now you have to compliment me.
Amy Jacobson:	Yeah what are some of his ...
Sheriff Mark Curran:	Dan is one of the brightest individuals in this industry if not right at the very tops.

Note to Law Enforcement from Lake County Ops: Could someone please ask the Sheriff to get a room?

And thank you for playing Get a Room! Your LakeCountyEye Get a Room!™ competition is open to anyone 18 or older, of minimal self awareness, and just a hunka hunka burnin love. Decision of the judges are final.

There's No Business Like Tow Business

How many times has this happened to you? You want to make a generous campaign contribution to a law enforcement official, but you can't. All because that law enforcement official prefers to do business with your towing company.  And not with other towing companies.

If this is you, the Daily Herald is getting wise: In Island Lake, the Police Chief,

village board members only recently learned, has been dipping into the patronage playbook to quietly reward a former campaign contributor with an exclusive towing contract without giving the village board an opportunity to vote on it.
Editorial: Bad government again on display in Island Lake

The good news is that you can still make that fat campaign contribution to that law enforcement official, without any sourpuss watchdogs making a big stink:


Friends of Mark Curran • A-1 • 4/30/2018


Friends of Mark Curran • D-2 • 7/17/2017


Friends of Mark Curran • D-2 • 7/17/2017


Friends of Mark Curran • D-2 • 7/17/2017


Friends of Mark Curran • D-2 • 7/17/2017

Note to Ops: Given all of these big donations from tow companies, one might conclude that Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran is a terrible driver.

But that would be wrong.

The Long Arms of the Law

Are you good at word problems? This week's pop quiz will test your math skills:

Story:

You are invited to the Lake County Republican 2nd Amendment Dinner & Gun Raffle. At a minimum, 24 guns are raffled off:

Twenty-four firearms were raffled off at the $75-per-person fundraising dinner, including at least two safes filled with guns.
Lake County GOP gun raffle draws about 100 protesters

It costs $1000 to sponsor a table at the gun raffle:

Lake County Republican Central Committee A-1 List

Question:

How many new firearms does your $1000 contribution put into general circulation?

Answer:

"We are living in very dangerous times, there's no question about it," Curran said Tuesday during a presentation hosted by the Womens Network Group of the GLMV Chamber of Commerce. "There will be another school shooting and it won't be far down the road. It's inevitable," he added.
Keeping safe in troubled times requires a plan, Lake County authorities say

Note to Ops: You can't sell them a cure if they don't have the disease.

Mortality Tables: Buy a Round

Perhaps operating on the theory that guns reduce crime, Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran attended the Lake County Republican 2nd Amendment Dinner & Gun Raffle:

2nd Amendment Dinner
October 13, 2017

Curran not only attended the GOP Gun Raffle last week, but he bought a $1000 table:


Lake County Republican Central Committee A-1 List


Part of that $1000 no doubt helped pay for the (minimum) 24 guns that were raffled off:

Twenty-four firearms were raffled off at the $75-per-person fundraising dinner, including at least two safes filled with guns.
Lake County GOP gun raffle draws about 100 protesters

Curran is Sheriff of the third largest County in Illinois. There are now at least 24 new guns in circulation -- made possible, in part, by Sheriff Mark Curran's contribution.

The End.

A Legal Vacuum?

Fresh on the heels of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker dropping out of the race for Lake County State's Attorney, Mark Curran announced he would do the same. The Daily Herald said ...

Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran has ended his run for state's attorney, just weeks after announcing plans to challenge incumbent Mike Nerheim in the 2016 Republican primary.
Curran drops out of state's attorney race

Curran's announcement, for one, came as a surprise. As readers of this blog are aware, Sheriff Curran launched his hail-mary-pass campaign for State's Attorney only six weeks ago, declaring in a press release that ...

Mike Nerheim has done nothing to raise the caliber of the office. Today I made an opening statement, but I will be presenting evidence throughout the campaign that change is needed.
Throwing Good Money After Bad?

Those readers overcome by a sense of deja-vu may recall that Curran performed a similar flip-flop in 2013, on a decision to run for Illinois Attorney General:

Flippertigibbets

With Mark Curran now the last man out, there is no one left running for Lake County State's Attorney. One keen observer noted this could benefit the County in the long run: "If we quitclaim the State's Attorney office, Lake County will see considerably fewer wrongful conviction suits in the future."

Your LakeCountyEye will keep you apprised when further developments warrant.

Throwing Good Money After Bad?

A new bumpersticker observed today in Lake County:

HONK IF YOU ARE A CANDIDATE FOR STATE'S ATTORNEY

Haha, as readers of this blog already know ...

Wall of Silence

Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran surprised some people and said he will run against Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim for the office of Lake County State's Attorney.

This surprised your LakeCountyEye -- who noted that Curran's political PAC ...

Friends of Mark Curran

has benefited from more than $1000 in donations from Michael Nerheim (or a family member):

Contributions List: Nerheim

In related news, Peoria Congressman Aaron Schock, who resigned in March, is being sued by a campaign donor:

A Chicago lawyer filed a federal racketeering lawsuit against former Illinois Rep. Aaron Schock on Wednesday, saying he was tricked into believing the young congressman was "a breath of fresh air" in a corruption-prone state but who instead intended to collect campaign money for personal use.
Donor sues ex-U.S. congressman Aaron Schock seeking reimbursement

It is unknown whether Nerheim plans to follow, erm, suit, and sue Curran to get his money back. If not, your LakeCountyEye does not think it would be from lack of legal resources.

Sources say the Curran election campaign remains unapologetic. "Sure they can get some guilty verdicts," one source told your LakeCountyEye. "But we'll get the money back when we file a counter-suit for wrongful conviction. Bring it on."

Your LakeCountyEye will keep you apprised when further developments warrant.

Wall of Silence

Note to Ops: If you need to dig up some dirt, the place to go these days is Waukegan. An underground tunnel is being dug in Waukegan, and will connect the County Jail with the County Courthouse. And as readers of this blog should know, construction mishaps have already resulted in the Long Grove sinkhole ...

Notes from the Underground

... as well as a ruptured sewage pipe & flooded county building basements:

Sticky Notes from the Underground

Well, OK, the second story is true.

Perhaps flush with success, your LakeCountyEye has learned that the excavators have now accidentally punctured the wall of silence -- the same wall of silence that isolates Lake County's divisions of government.

The first person observed taking advantage of the breach in the wall was Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran -- who announced today that he will challenge Michael Nerheim in 2016 for Lake County State's Attorney. According to the Daily Herald, Curran said ...

"Mike Nerheim has done nothing to raise the caliber of the office," Curran said in a news release. "Today I made an opening statement, but I will be presenting evidence throughout the campaign that change is needed." Curran said the Lake County state's attorney's office has been responsible for six wrongful convictions since 2010. Those cases include overturned convictions involving Juan Rivera, Jerry Hobbs, James Edwards and Benny Starks, Curran said, and noted the Rivera case resulted in the single largest wrongful conviction settlement in U.S. history at $20 million.
Curran says he'll run for Lake County state's attorney

Informed sources say the State's Attorney office has no plans to press charges against the construction workers who ruptured the wall. Or against Mark Curran. "Sure we can get some guilty verdicts," one source told your LakeCountyEye. "But this is Lake County. In the long run they will be suing us for wrongful conviction. Why bother?"

Your LakeCountyEye will keep you apprised when further developments warrant.

The Evil One?

A few weeks prior to Memorial Day, Lake County honors those law enforcement officers that have fallen in the line of duty. The 2014 Lake County Police Memorial was held this year on May 9 in Waukegan.

The News-Sun covered the ceremony.

Police honor those who made 'ultimate sacrifice'

The News-Sun reported who spoke at the ceremony and provided some breakout quotes.

• Lindenhurst Police Chief Kevin Klahs
• Waukegan Police Chief Wayne Wallace
• Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim
• Lake County Undersheriff Raymond Rose

Strangely, the News-Sun did not mention that Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran spoke at the ceremony. He was the last speaker and can be seen on the Lake County video of the event.

2014 Police Memorial

I don't know if the omission was accidental or deliberate or if the News-Sun simply ran out of room to publish any of Curran's remarks.

To make up for the omission, I've provided some breakout quotes, taken from Curran's address on that day.

• "We must know the Evil One does not want us to succeed."
  
  
• "The Devil has no interest in seeing you being able to do your jobs well."
  
  
• "We have to be engaged in prayer."
  
  
• "We have to be joyful no matter how tough it is out there. And that's something that is only going to come from the grace above and our prayer life."
  
  
• "Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness sake. We don't need chameleons. We don't need that little reptile that tries to blend in the environment so he's not noticed."

Odd thoughts for a public ceremony to honor fallen police officers?

Curran's speech begins at about the 29:45 mark.

I Photoshopped the Sheriff

Overheard at a Lake County 'L' Stop:

Commuter #1: Do you have any derogatory photos of Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran?
Commuter #2: Certainly not!
Commuter #1: Do you want to buy some?

Haha, operatives seeking more jokes at the expense of the Lake County Sheriff's Department need look no further than the Lake County Sheriff's Department. Or, for that matter, the Chicago Tribune:

A hearing to determine whether a Lake County sheriff's lieutenant will keep his job has provided an unfiltered glimpse into the police agency, which some employees described as a hostile workplace sullied by political infighting, preferential treatment and a crude frat-boy culture.
Lewd jokes part of job, Lake County deputy says

A recent Lake County Sheriff's Department internal investigation -- one that uncovered doctored images of Sheriff Mark Curran -- spilled over into the public airwaves with predictable results. The Chicago Tribune broke the front-page story Monday morning, with the News-Sun & the Daily Herald scrambling to catch up. By Monday afternoon the News-Sun had published its version:

A Lake County Merit Commission hearing concerning the Lake County Sheriff's Office attempt to fire a lieutenant revealed that lewd pictures and jokes were passed around through emails along with derogatory names for supervisors, but the lieutenant maintained it was common practice for years.
Deputy says crude comments were a 'stress reliever'

Your LakeCountyEye is still waiting for the Daily Herald to weigh in. It is unknown if any of the Lake County political blogs will take notice. Your LakeCountyEye will keep you apprised as the situation warrants.

Awesome Is As Awesome Does

Rumor has it that Peter Roskam's campaign staffers never have to wait for the Chinese take-out delivery guy. That's because lobbyists pay for staffers' carfare to the restaurant. Haha, as readers of this blog are wantonly aware ...

A Chinese Junket

Peter Roskam, a Congressman who represents Lake County, got himself into a chinese cucumber pickle by having taken $25,000 from a questionable source for an opportunity to visit Taiwan. Lake County's newspaper of record, the Daily Herald, was not amused -- and, in an editorial, demanded that Roskam ...

Please explain to us and to your suburban constituents why, legal or not, you should accept a free junket apparently engineered by a foreign government that is interested in influencing your exercise of power? In fact, why should you accept a free junket sponsored by anyone seeking to influence you? Please explain to us why, legal or not, you should accept a free trip for your wife, paid for by a private grant that apparently had been engineered by that same foreign government?
Editorial: Roskam, ethics and an oddly funded trip to Taiwan

Smart politicians who are the target of undesirable media quickly pivot to damage control mode. When bad press appears on the Internet, operatives and staff are directed to post rebuttals at the offending websites.

Roskam was the beneficiary of one high-profile proponent -- Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran -- who took the Daily Herald to task on their own turf. Parachuting into the Daily Herald website, Curran dropped an A-Bomb in the comment section of the offending editorial ...

Editorial: Roskam, ethics and an oddly funded trip to Taiwan

... and like a special op, Curran was out as swiftly as he got in.

Operatives faint of heart are advised to avert their eyes. The Daily Herald is punk'd -- Mark Curran lays the smackdown!