Brand X

Reeling after being branded America's 9th Most Miserable City in a peer-reviewed CDC confidential scientific survey -- and leaked by Forbes magazine -- Lake County is now pushing back with some re-branding of its own. According to the Sun-Times ...

A pair of Lake County towns are following an emerging trend and "branding" themselves as part of their economic recovery strategies. Experts say creating a brand that markets a product's — or now, a town's — positive features is a timeless business philosophy that only recently became a public sector tool. Mundelein and Lake Bluff are the newest Lake County suburbs trying this approach to attract new residents and businesses.
Local towns join 'branding' bandwagon

Your LakeCountyEye has learned that this is just the opening salvo of a long-term coordinated effort to make Lake County inhabitable once again. A high ranking but unnamed elected official recently told your LakeCountyEye: "Right now people call Lake County the Arm-Pit of Illinois. But if everything goes to plan, those same people will soon be calling Lake County the Six-Pack Abs of Illinois!"

The first phase of the plan, he told your LakeCountyEye, will be to re-brand every town and village in Lake County. Villages cannot easily be renamed -- that requires costly pre-approval from the International Star Registry. However they can be given some bitchin new town mottos. Here are ten, freshly vetted by an independent blue-ribbon County one man focus group:

New Municipal Mottos for Ten Lake County Villages

Antioch Rescue Me! Waukegan Come for the Casino Stay for the Snows Gurnee Stop (at the red light cameras) and Shop Buffalo Grove Just a Stone's Throw Away Long Grove Conveniently located under the Route 53 Extension Barrington Hills We Light Up the Night Highland Park A Park District second to none: Priceless For everything else, there's MasterCard Port Barrington Not your father's Fox River Valley Gardens Old Mill Creek A One Horse Town Island Lake A Community of Friendly People

Look for your LakeCountyEye working the lot at a used motto dealer near you.

Rhymes with June or Moon

The big off-year consolidated election primary election is finally over, and if you're like your LakeCountyEye then you've been on the edge of your seat waiting to learn who will replace Jesse Jackson Jr. If that is you, wait no longer -- here is an actual un-retouched screen-cap from the actual un-retouched Daily Herald story:

Anti-gun Democrat ashoo-in to replace Jackson Jr.

Elections of course raise more questions than they answer. The question burning the breast of every LakeCountyEye operative, to a man, is now ...

What is an ashoo-in?

No candidate going by the name "Ashoo-In" appeared on your LakeCountyEye's 2nd Congressional District tip sheet.

And Google is of no help -- the best it could do was a circular reference back to the Herald:

Google

The word ashoo-in plays the pivotal role in the first joke that ever got a laugh for your LakeCountyEye, from a live audience:

• KNOCK KNOCK
• WHO'S THERE?
• ASH
• ASHOO?
• GESUNDHEIT!

Haha, that one still cracks up your LakeCountyEye.

It turned out that Rosebud was Citizen Kane's sled. Your LakeCountyEye would not be surprised if ashoo-in was just another unexpected non-sequitur that no one ever could have guessed anyways.

Google

Spoils System Alert!

Just when you thought it was safe to surf the blogosphere again, Island Lake -- a community of friendly people -- is back in the news. A mayoral election is, technically speaking, scheduled to be held in Island Lake. However given recent ballot objections and legal maneuvering, it is hard to tell what will happen in Island Lake come the election in April.

As readers of this blog are unexcitedly aware ...

Scoop du Jour

it was disclosed that an Island Lake village contractor and political ally to the United for Progress political slate was the signer on a ballot objection filed against the opposing political slate, For the People. Predictably, For the People was not amused, and made sure the print media knew about it.

Well, haha, it now turns out that David McArdle, a Crystal Lake-based attorney for For the People, donated his expenses as an in-kind. Predictably, United for Progress was not amused -- and for the benefit of the Daily Herald:

When asked if the donation was part of an effort to become the village's lawyer, McArdle said the Crystal Lake firm would like to be considered for the job. "If the slate is fortunate enough to win and be placed into office, and if the new mayor solicits new law firms, we will happily apply," he said. "For the People" trustee candidate Mark Beeson denied the donation is part of a political quid pro quo.
Law firm donated $6,000 to Island Lake candidates

Operatives, of course, are well aware that these sort of campaign monkeyshines go on all of the time. The campaign technique is a time-honored tradition that goes back to Andrew Jackson: trade goods and services and donations from your supporters for the promise of government jobs after the election.

So as a service to local candidates, your LakeCountyEye has identified ten sweetheart government positions you can offer your backers & volunteers in exchange for their support. In a non-quid-pro-quo way, of course!

So You Plan to Win? Ten Patronage Jobs for Your Campaign Supporters

Don't tip that parking valet. Promise him the job of Highway Commissioner. Sell your home for a big markup. Appoint your realtor to Property Assessor. Short on cash for a sixpack? Tell that 7-Eleven® clerk you can promote him to County Clerk. A tip from the NRA: your neighbor -- the one who likes to show-off his concealed carry -- would make for a perfect school crossing guard. Is there an unfilled trustee position that no one wants? Appoint your trusty canine companion. BONUS: If your dog is named Rusty he would need to be addressed as Trustee Rusty. Two words: Park District Now you're talking real money! Who doesn't have a lazy offspring that has been unemployed since Circuit City went bankrupt? Make him your Clerk of the Circuit Court. If all that bigmouth in-law of yours wants to talk about is young earth creationism, then get him something to do and appoint him to your school board. Reward that generous contributor. Make his son, the lawyer, the State's Attorney. Finally, don't be surprised if Lake County Board Chair, Aaron Lawlor, shows up to measure the drapes.

Look for your LakeCountyEye, on the government dole, near you.

Closed Primary

A little known fact was recently brought to your LakeCountyEye's attention. Did you know that there is a Primary Election on February 26? That would be like on Tuesday, which is a day or two from now. Your LakeCountyEye did not know that!

Despite the fact that there is a primary this week, there are no actual elections scheduled in Lake County. Except for a couple that no one knows about. And of those, there is only one anyone knows about: the primary election for Waukegan Mayor.

The Mayoral candidates, in alphabetical order, are:

• Sam Cunningham
• Terry Link
• Wayne Motley

Plus some YouTubes, which your LakeCountyEye found by accident while searching for public-domain gangnam footage:

Sam Cunninham - 2013 Mayoral Candiate Interview


Terry Link - 2013 Mayoral Candidate Interview


Around Your Town Wayne Motley Interview for Mayor of Waukegan

By your LakeCountyEye's calculation, 2013 is an off-year. The only time to look for fewer voters at the polls in an off-year election would be at an off-year primary to an off-year election. Factor in that monster lake-effect snow-storm predicted for Tuesday, and your LakeCountyEye expects the voter turnout in Waukegan at somewhere near the low negative single-digits.

All of this means is that the Waukegan Primary election is already over. Whoever had the best early-vote GOTV effort has already won.

Your LakeCountyEye, for one, plans to stay home Tuesday & tighten up the moves.

Forbes Better Or Forbes Worse

The big Lake County story this weekend that everyone is talking about comes from Forbes magazine. The popular business magazine, and monger of attention-grabbing lists, ranks Lake County at #140 among the Best Places for Business and Careers:

Best Places for Business and Careers

Haha, j/k. The big story is that Forbes magazine ranks Lake County at #9 among America's Most Miserable Cities. Like everyone else, your LakeCountyEye's initial reaction was:

What, Only Ninth?

Haha, j/k again. Like everyone else, everyone's reaction was:

Isn't Lake County a -- erm -- County?

Your LakeCountyEye must admit that as governmental bodies in the State of Illinois go, Cities and Counties are totally different things. Totally. But, not being Forbes magazine, what does your LakeCountyEye know?

Forbes gives some boilerplate reasons for including "Chicago suburb" Lake County in their Internet Top Ten List:

#9 Lake County, Ill.
The Chicago suburb is one of the richest counties in the U.S., as measured by per capita income. But home prices are down 29% over the past 5 years. Other drawbacks: long commutes and lousy weather.
America's Most Miserable Cities 2013

True enough. Sometimes it takes your LakeCountEye more than an hour to get through one of Lake County's roundabouts. Also, naming Lake County as one of America's Most Miserable Cities is sure to be a shot in the arm for housing prices here. But as far as the weather goes, remember what everyone always says:

If You Don't Like The Weather in Lake County ... Go To Hell.

Your LakeCountyEye suspects that Forbes lumped the non-municipal Lake County together with the likes of Rockford, Gary, Detroit, Flint, Stockton, Toledo, Camden and other municipal train-wrecks, to sell more of their magazines in one of the richest counties in the United States. If nothing else, this tells your LakeCountyEye that they don't sell any of their Forbes magazines over in McHenry County.

As they say, in politics, if you have a problem hang a lantern on it -- Lake County ought to incorporate and become the Village of Lake County. Your LakeCountyEye likes the idea. Taxpayers would be trading a county tax obligation for a much lower municipal tax obligation. And if nothing else, your LakeCountyEye could hope to stop being called for jury duty.

In related news, Lake County Board Chair, Aaron Lawlor, has announced that he will be a candidate for Mayor of Lake County.

Psych!

Your LakeCountyEye has a winner!

As readers of this blog are remotely aware ...

Q the Eye/11.03.12

this blog has been an accessible & lucrative platform for merchants eager to promote their products through the magic of embedded marketing. At the same time, operatives are under a standing challenge to spot the subliminal product placement when one appears on this website.

Well, operatives were quick to spot the subliminal ad posted earlier this week ...

Q the Eye/02.18.13

This ad in particular was placed to drive traffic to OnlinePsychologyDegree.net which, about as far as your LakeCountyEye can tell, wants you to enroll in a psychology program at an online university like University of Phoenix or Kaplan University.

The operatives who are under the impression that the ad is actually for Scientology are mistaken. Obtaining an online psychology degree is nothing like becoming a Scientologist. The two things are totally different. A degree in online psychology is much more like pursuing psyops where, according to Wikipedia, the objective is to ...

convey selected information and indicators to audiences to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of governments, organizations, groups, and individuals.
Psychological Operations (United States)

Totally different than Scientology. Totally.

If this sounds like the job description of an operative, then that goes a long way toward explaining why LakeCountyEye ops disproportionately have advanced degrees in online psychology programs. Your LakeCountyEye is betraying no secrets to admit that there is a good living to be made for a blogger just by secretly marketing other people's products on some crappy website. In fact your LakeCountyEye just cut a huge deal with a Chicago-based Fortune-500 Company -- huge enough that your LakeCountyEye is thinking about early retirement. If you have a product that needs some exposure, contact your LakeCountyEye immediately and ask for a rate-card. You will not regret it. And just to demonstrate the power of subliminal marketing -- you no-doubt have not noticed but there is a nationally recognizable Fortune-500 Company product surreptitiously embedded in this very post. Operatives are challenged to spot the hidden ad -- a tasty, freshly baked confection is on reserve for some lucky winner!

Oysters Rockefeller

Frequent commenter Louis G. Atsaves is in the news. The Moraine Township GOP Chair is in the news courtesy a press release it looks like he sent to the News-Sun:

Moraine Township Republicans will hold a candidate appreciation night from 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 27 in the Hemmingway Banquet Room at Miramar Bistro & Bar, 301 Waukegan Ave., Highwood. The reception is to honor the candidates who appeared on Moraine Township ballots on behalf of the Republican Party. The annual Moraine Township Republican Spartan Award to a Moraine precinct committeeman or precinct captain will be announced. Tickets are $25 per person, which includes hors d'oeuvres, cash bar and valet parking. For reservations contact Louis Atsaves, Moraine Township GOP chairman, louisgatsaves@gmail.com or atsaves@aol.com by Feb. 24. Make checks payable to North Shore Republicans.
Moraine GOP

Atsaves's fundraiser is beyond the shadow of any doubt for a worthwhile cause and, were it not for a court-ordered confinement to home detention, your LakeCountyEye would be attending.

Happily, your LakeCountyEye does have Internet access, and was able to peruse the menu -- which, along with the valet parking, looks anything but Spartan!

Miramar Bistro

At $25 per head, that is cheap at twice the price!

Your LakeCountyEye had intended to post a link to Atsaves's blog -- Common Sense in Illinois' 10th -- but won't. Despite some heroic Googling, your LakeCountyEye found no mention of the event there, and may just have scooped Atsaves's widely unread blog on his own fundraiser!

All things notwithstanding, save one of those claws for your LakeCountyEye!

Q the Eye/02.18.13

Dear LakeCountyEye,

How can you tell when a Lake County politician is lying?

Straight Man

Dear That's Not Much to Brag About These Days,

When his lips are moving.

Haha, j/k. However, there was one operative who got in the habit of doing a shot of bourbon every time he heard a politician lie. He died a happy man, your LakeCountyEye recalls.

Of course knowing for certain when someone is telling the truth or lying is a valuable life skill that few possess. If you are among the unskilled, fret not. It is a little known but well documented fact that modern science has made great strides in the field of tergiversation and now understands with near 100% accuracy why and how people lie. And so can you. One knowledgeable operative sent a helpful webwidget that your LakeCountyEye is willing to share for your personal edification:

Why People Lie

Now, one doesn't need to be a Biblical scholar to know that the Father of Lies is the Internet. Were it not for a finely honed skill for instantly discerning fact from fiction, your LakeCountyEye would not be your high paid & nationally read political blogger. Operatives can scroll down to the bottom of the widget to learn what the pros use to spot an online liar:

ONLINE LIARS TEND TO ...

• Avoid using the word "I" as much as possible.
• Use negation, i.e., saying "not sad" rather than "happy".
• They try too hard to be honest, prefacing things with phrases like "to be honest".

Erm ...

... heh heh ...

... cute.

For the record & in all honesty, your LakeCountyEye is not amused.

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

The Metamorphosis

Operatives with the staying power to watch last week's State of the Union Address may have noticed 6th District Congressman Peter Roskam sitting up-close and personal with one Congressman Paul Ryan:

Paul Ryan is in the House

Those ops who did were not alone; the two macho-conservative Congressmen were sitting close enough for the Washington Post to take notice:

Peter Roskam, Paul Ryan’s wingman

And your LakeCountyEye certainly took notice of the two good-looking Congressmen, as readers of this blog are handsomely aware:

A Valentine's Day Massacre

A Wisconsin Congressman, Paul Ryan was the GOP's unsuccessful 2012 vice-presidential candidate. Ryan also is an unabashed fan-boy of Ayn Rand. According to Wikipedia ...

At a 2005 Washington, D.C. gathering celebrating the 100th anniversary of Ayn Rand's birth, Ryan credited Rand as inspiring him to get involved in public service. In a speech that same year at the Atlas Society, he said he grew up reading Rand, and that her books taught him about his value system and beliefs. Ryan required staffers and interns in his congressional office to read Rand and gave copies of her novel Atlas Shrugged as gifts to his staff for Christmas. In his Atlas Society speech, he also described Social Security as a "socialist-based system". In 2009, Ryan said "What's unique about what's happening today in government, in the world, in America, is that it's as if we're living in an Ayn Rand novel right now. I think Ayn Rand did the best job of anybody to build a moral case of capitalism, and that morality of capitalism is under assault."
Paul Ryan

Ayn Rand is credited with inventing Libertarianism, the political philosophy that contends that government is evil. Rand disseminated her radical views in some influential anti-government novels like The Trial and The Castle.

Paul Ryan Ayn Rand This may look like a double entendre, but you're actually enjoying another hilarious LakeCountyEye Double Vision™!

How much of Ryan's anti-government Libertarianism will rub off on Lake County Congressman Peter Roskam? While Roskam likes to portray himself as a moderate Republican, your LakeCountyEye suspects he has already completed the metamorphosis.

Waukegan Candidates Debate

A loyal reader sends us a reminder of a debate scheduled this weekend:

What:
Waukegan Candidates Debate

Where:
Park Place
415 S Lewis Ave
Waukegan

When:
Sunday, February 17
1:30pm

Who:
Three candidates for Waukegan Mayor and five candidates for Waukegan City Clerk are expected to be present.

Sponsors:
Waukegan Area Branch of AAUW
League of Women Voters - Lake County

Another friendly reminder, the Illinois Consolidated Primary is Tuesday, February 26. And early voting has already started. You can vote early through Saturday, February 23.

What are you waiting for?!

The ReCycle Spin

Two days ago Mark Curran announced unexpectedly that he will not be a candidate for Illinois Attorney General. Your LakeCountyEye can report that, as of the close of Day Two, Curran has not changed his mind about that, yet. Watch this blog for further bulletins, as events warrant.

Haha, as readers of this blog are redundantly aware ...

Flippertigibbets

The News-Sun reported that Mark Curran kicked off his re-election campaign for Lake County Sheriff with a public announcement:

"During the past couple of months, I have thoroughly explored a possible run for Illinois attorney general, which included talking to many people around the state and prayerful reflection and consultation with family and friends," he said Wednesday. "I have decided to run for re-election for Lake County sheriff."
Sheriff Curran drops attorney general bid

Curran explained his sudden flip-flop, telling the Daily Herald ...

"prayerful reflection," along with consultation with family and friends, led him to change his mind and pursue his third, 4-year term as Lake County sheriff. "I have great clarity," Curran said of his decision. "I have great peace."
Lake County sheriff to seek reelection to another term, not a run for attorney general

If operatives have that eerie feeling of déjà vu all over again, they are not alone; Curran has a history of changing his mind in this fashion. Those operatives eager to know when the next flip-flop will occur may refer to this scientific flowchart:

In the interim, look for your LakeCountyEye at your nearest Lake County roundabout.

Flippertigibbets

Not since the first flying asian carp was reeled in from out of Lake Michigan has Lake County witnessed this much naked flip-flopping. Your LakeCountyEye of course refers to Mark Curran's snap announcement that he will seek re-election again for the office of Lake County Sheriff. As readers of this blog are mistakenly aware ...

Son of Yet Still Even More Curran Events

Curran signalled last December that that he was considering a bid for Illinois Attorney General and would not be seeking re-election as Sheriff.

But that was then. The Daily Herald now reports ...

Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran says he's changed his mind about seeking statewide office and wants to return for a third term in his current job. Curran, a Republican from Libertyville, announced Wednesday he'll seek re-election in 2014 and not run for attorney general. He said "prayerful reflection," along with consultation with family and friends, led him to change his mind and pursue his third, 4-year term as Lake County sheriff. "I have great clarity," Curran said of his decision. "I have great peace."
Lake County sheriff to seek reelection to another term, not a run for attorney general

None of this comes as any surprise to your LakeCountyEye. Curran is storied for his history of flip-flops. He switched parties early in his first term. He recently did a complete one-eighty on his public immigration position.

In December, when it appeared that an unbeatable Lisa Madigan would seek a third term, Curran was looking at a green light to challenger her for the office of Attorney General. That green light however recently changed to red. This is a clear indicator that Madigan will not seek re-election, and instead will run in 2016 for Governor. An open Attorney General seat represents a real pick-up opportunity for the Illinois GOP -- and party bosses don't want to squander this opportunity on an untested sheriff from the far north burbs.

Your LakeCountyEye will you keep you informed of new turns as soon as they occur. If there is anything certain, it is that Curran will change his mind again.

A Valentine's Day Massacre

Here your LakeCountyEye blogs, broken hearted. Readers of this blog are erroneously aware ...

Dunn Deal

that your LakeCountyEye has been and is the numero uno wingman for 6th District Congressman, Peter Roskam. Well, it's been a sham -- your LakeCountyEye has been living a cruel cruel lie.

The truth is too painful to endure: operatives are advised to read the Washington Post tell-all for themselves:

Those wondering what Paul Ryan thought of President Obama's State of the Union would do well to ask the lawmaker who has been serving as the Wisconsin Republican's wingman throught the presidential address — Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.). Roskam, like Ryan, is a young rising star within House GOP ranks. He was seated next to Ryan at the House GOP leadership table on the right-hand side of the chamber, and the former GOP vice-presidential nominee turned to him more than a dozen times through the State of the Union to comment on the president's remarks.
Peter Roskam, Paul Ryan’s wingman

Your LakeCountyEye does not know what is more coldhearted -- to learn the truth from an Internet blog or on Valentine's Day.

And just who is this Paul Ryan person?

Paul Ryan is in the House

Your LakeCountyEye learned that he ran for Vice President once and lost -- like the loser he is.

Your LakeCountyEye has also been told that Paul Ryan is some extremist Libertarian who wants to do what all extremist Libertarians want to do -- get rid of Medicare and Social Security, kill funding for education, schools and women's health programs, and legalize marijuana.

An open letter from your LakeCountyEye, sent direct, from the heart to Peter Roskam: you promised to be the 6th Congressional District ladies man. You're better than that whatsisname.

Paternity Suit

Just when operatives thought they were out ... they pull your LakeCountyEye back in.

Haha, one-term-and-ex-congressman Joe Walsh is in the news again, this time courtesy the Sun-Times:

Walsh, a flame-throwing Tea Party Republican who was trying to land a radio deal and last week announced he was forming a new conservative SuperPAC, filed court papers seeking to end his obligation to pay $2,134 per month in child support. But once again, Walsh insists he's no deadbeat. Both he and his attorney say that since he is no longer employed as a congressman, they want to "modify" the previous agreement so that he pays 20 percent of his current salary. Walsh is not currently employed and has no salary. But that could change, he said. "I'm working on it," he said.
Ex-Tea Party Rep. Joe Walsh insists he’s not trying to stop paying child support

Nobody's milquetoast, Walsh fired back on one of his websites, WalshFreedom.com:

This article by the Sun Times is a deliberate attempt to defame me, and I will sue them immediately.
I Will Sue the Chicago Sun-Times

Note to operatives: never quit your day job. The bill collector isn't going to wait for that radio deal to catch fire or for the PAC to start churning cash. Sooner or later you'll find yourself looking for some deep pockets to sue.

Israel and Palestine: Paths to Peace

The Stevenson Center will host a program on Israel and Palestine: Paths to Peace:

Adlai Stevenson Center on Democracy

Please join Rabbi Herbert Bronstein and Dr. Issam Nassar at the Stevenson Center on Democracy for our discussion, Israel and Palestine: Paths to Peace. Rabbi Herbert Bronstein is a lecturer and writer in the field of comparative religion. He is a member of the religious faculty of Lake Forest College and senior scholar of North Shore Congregation Israel. Palestinian born Dr. Issam Nassar is a professor of History at Illinois State University. A former Senior Fulbright Fellow, he is an authority on the politics of the Middle East.

• Sunday
  March 3, 2013
  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

Scoop du Jour

There's an old saying in the annals of the blogosphere: whether or not you are the scooper or the scoopee depends a lot on which end of the handle you are at. As readers of this blog are handily aware ...

Objectionists

TheBlog1, your LakeCountyEye's bête noire, got the scoop on the story about some prolonged ballot objection drama playing out over in Island Lake -- an objection was filed against a mayoral candidate there, who is challenging an incumbent Mayor.

Well, turnabout is fairplay. The Daily Herald now reports that one of the signed objectors is a political ally of that Mayor, and does business with the Village of Island Lake:

Island Lake records detail activists' financial ties

Your lakeCountyEye is shocked -- shocked -- to learn that business interests and political interests will intersect to help get politicians elected to local offices. Haha, j/k.

They say in the blogosphere: dog bites man is not news, man bites dog is news. The real significance of the Herald story is that -- as of the time of this post -- you are not reading about it on TheBlog1. See for yourself:

TheBlog1

No, you are reading about it here instead, on your LakeCountyEye.

There's an old saying popular around the blogosphere, be nice to bloggers on your way up because you meet them on your way down -- haha, TheBlog1 just got scooped by their bête noire, the LakeCountyEye.

Look for your LakeCountyEye doing the LakeCountyEye victory dance.

Unidentified Disqualifying Objections

Once upon a time in Illinois, if you owed your city or township back taxes all you needed to do was get elected mayor or supervisor and forgive the debt. Those were the days, your LakeCountyEye remembers them well. But then some spoilsport googoo legislators down in Springfield went and ruined all the fun. Nowadays owing money to your town or township is grounds to get you knocked off the ballot. As readers of this blog are dimly aware ...

Objectionists

One candidate for village president in Island Lake is the target of a ballot objection because he hadn't paid his garbage bill. Haha, nice try.

The requirements that need to be met to appear on the Illinois ballot are so arcane and complex that it is a wonder that anyone gets certified to be a candidate. Your LakeCountyEye recalls one prominent candidate who was tossed off a ballot for high office because his birth certificate was issued in Kenya. Your LakeCountyEye does not remember this politician's name, in all likelihood he is presently mouldering on the scrapheap of history. A true story, all the same.

Your LakeCountyEye has read the all the Illinois election laws -- so you don't have to -- and has identified the pitfalls to avoid before submitting your nominating papers. Ten of them, coincidentally:

Ten Common Filing Mistakes that are Sufficient Grounds to Remove a Candidate from the Ballot in Illinois

Petitions Notarized with Chiquita Banana Stickers Candidate's Statement of Economic Interest: 1-800-CASH-4-GOLD Name of Candidate: Princess Nudelman No Currency Stapled to Nominating Papers On Loyalty Oath, Pledges Loyalty to the Orange and Blue Statement of Candidacy was not Phrased in the Form of a Question Insufficient Frequent Flier Miles Someone in the County Clerk's Office Doesn't Like Your Looks Elected Office Sought: Queen of Sheba Petitions Signed by Some Guy Named Barney Baxter

Look for your LakeCountyEye, carrying a blue or black ink pen.

Objectionists

Your LakeCountyEye got scooped -- scooped like a tub of Chunky Monkey^® on the Fourth of July^®. The scooper in this case would be LakeCountyEye bête noire & eponymously named TheBlog1.com.

Petition challenges were filed in the upcoming Island Lake municipal election. The TheBlog1.com has been on it like a $90 suit on a $100 tattoo:

How do you stop this? Write your Illinois state senator and Illinois state representative and tell them you support the elimination of local municipal and township electoral boards. Tell them to move the hearings to the County. This is a prime example, especially where in this case, it took three hearings before any evidence was provided against or for the candidates.
Island Lake Electoral Board a Puppet Show

With the consolidated election scheduled for April, Lake County has seen a bumper crop of petition challenges, as readers of this blog are slightly aware:

Zero Sum Justice

Q the Eye/01.24.13

Petition challenges, in Illinois, are decided by local electoral boards, ad-hoc jurisdictions which lend themselves to obvious conflicts-of-interest. Within the last 30 days, there have been challenges to township slates that were decided by incumbent township board members. Also, an order by fiat issued from the Lake County Building struck one candidate off three ballot slots. And despite an admission of petition fraud, one township candidate will remain on the ballot.

The Daily Herald was not amused and called for the elimination of these local electoral boards:

Island Lake is a political fever swamp. Its residents are in the unfortunate position of watching one slate of candidates fight to get on the ballot while the opposing faction controls the electoral board that is meant to decide — impartially — whether they are eligible.
Editorial: Let's eliminate local electoral boards

Your LakeCountyEye observes that of all the comically biased electoral board decisions that were issued this cycle, the Herald chose as their poster-child example a Community of Friendly People^® -- haha -- Island Lake.

Note to operatives: if it bleeds it leads.

Zero Sum Justice

Not since the US Government dispatched last night's predator drone to terminate with extreme prejudice some hapless schmoe over in the Middle East, has institutional summary justice this callous been observed. Your LakeCountyEye refers, of course, to Willard Helander's successful effort at removing James Creighton Mitchell Jr. from the ballot.

Perennial candidate The hardest working candidate in Lake County, Mitchell had submitted signatures and paperwork to qualify him for four slots on the April election ballot:

• Lake Villa Elementary District 41
• Antioch-Lake Villa Area High School District 117
• College of Lake County
• Lake Villa Library District

Mitchell was on track to score some sort of Lake County ballot hat-trick, that is until Lake County Clerk Willard Helander stopped him with a full-court power play. According to the Daily Herald ...

Knowing Mitchell was pursuing four seats in the April 9 election, Helander sought advice from the Lake County state's attorney's office, which represents her staff. Attorneys advised Helander that simultaneously serving on multiple school boards is a conflict, she said. Helander then reported the potential conflict to the three school agencies, which removed Mitchell from their candidate lists because he hadn't withdrawn from contention by a Jan. 3 deadline.
Lake County candidate knocked off three ballots

Who decides whether or not elected offices are in conflict? Apparently not Mitchell, who did not have an opportunity to contest Helander's ruling. Rough justice? Operatives are asked to decide for themselves.

According to the Illinois Candidate's Guide ...

FILING OBJECTION PETITION:
Nomination papers shall be deemed to be valid unless objections are filed in writing (an original and one copy) within five business days after the last day for filing nomination papers. The objector's petitions are filed with the same office in which the nominating petitions are filed. [10 ILCS 5/7-13, 10-8]
State of Illinois CANDIDATE'S GUIDE 2013

Your LakeCountyEye observes that Mitchell was removed from the ballot without a written objection from anyone.

Also, according to the same guide ...

May a candidate file for more than one office?
Yes, however, he must withdraw from all but one office within five business days following the last day of petition filing, if the offices are incompatible. If he does not withdraw from all but one incompatible office, his name will not be certified for any office.[10 ILCS 5/7-12]
State of Illinois CANDIDATE'S GUIDE 2013

Mitchell was unable to withdraw from any office because he learned the offices were incompatible long after the withdrawal deadline had passed -- and at the time he was removed from all of them.

Note to operatives: serving on these school and library boards is a thankless task. Zero pay gets you an incommensurate amount of responsibility plus facetime with whackadoo single-issue constituents. Does anyone wonder why these positions go unfilled? Your LakeCountyEye thinks Mitchell should have been lauded for taking four one for the team. And not unceremoniously dispatched to the scrapheap of history.

Your LakeCountyEye is not eligible to vote in Lake Villa. But if your LakeCountyEye was -- or if your LakeCountyEye was a wholesale perpetrator of voter fraud -- there would be at least one ballot where every office would have a write-in for James Creighton Mitchell Jr. -- a Lake County hero.

Work Smarter, Not Harder

One of the perks of being elected President of the United States a second time is the privilege of delivering your second inaugural address. Your LakeCountyEye did not attend or even listen to President Obama's final inaugural address -- and will confess being more preoccupied with other business. Three words suffice:

1. Gun
2. Swap
3. Meets

... and ...

1. No
2. Background
3. Checks

Happily, other people did listen to the President's address and they sent letters to their on-line newspaper editors about it. Just so your LakeCountyEye doesn't have to.

One letter writer is Keith Gray. (Gray appears to be a prolific letter writer -- just Google Keith Gray along with the News-Sun or the Daily Herald. Gray also ran for State Senate in District 30 and was defeated. Whether or not correlation implies causation here remains an open question.)

Apparently President Obama mentioned equal pay for equal work in his address, because Gray objected to the concept in the News-Sun:

two people apply for a positions I have open to make widgets. Ninety-five percent of what they'll do is perfunctory, requiring very little training. According to the president, their pay should be equal. However, there may be very important differences in the value of these people within the context of our staff. One is currently employed with glowing references, while the other has unexplained gaps in their resume. One is an excellent listener and communicator, while the other is adequate for the position. One lives close to our office, with the second having to commute from far away. There are countless variables aside from productivity that go into deciding who to hire, and how much to pay, even if it is for equal work. Don't confuse this with equal value.
Equal pay, work

Erm, perhaps your LakeCountyEye is just being a poor reader and communicator -- because your LakeCountyEye would swear that every "difference in value" that Gray cites as an example is a difference that will likely impact present or future productivity. If one hires Goofus & Gallant, isn't Goofus going to be less productive than Gallant? Duh.

The concept of equal pay for equal work is intended to apply to "variables" that do not impact upon productivity -- like differences in things like gender, race, ethnicity, religion.

An example may help to clarify the concept of equal pay for equal work. The Internet, like everything else, is ordered hierarchically like a totem pole. Bloggers sit somewhere near the bottom of that totem pole. In fact your LakeCountyEye can't think of anyone lower on the totem pole than bloggers -- except people who write letters to the editor. But while letter writers sit lower on the totem pole than Internet bloggers, they still can count on equal pay for equal work. Which for both bloggers and letter writers is always zero pay for equal work.

Of course, if you're the boss and you make the widgets, then you have a right to your opinion, regardless of whether or not the opinion holds water. Your LakeCountyEye remains just a simple country blogger.

Bored Chairmen

The tireless tax fighters over at the McHenryCountyBlog must be all tired out from fighting all those taxes; or something. That's because the McHenryCountyBlog just got scooped on a story about their bête noire, Jack Franks. And not only scooped but scooped by their other bête noire, haha, this blog.

The McHenry Country Board recently met with a number of McHenry County legislators, including State Rep Jack Franks, to discuss their legislative wishlist. But don't look to read about the meeting in the McHenryCountyBlog, because it isn't there.

If it was anything like the annual Lake County Legislative Breakfast then the meeting was way too boring for public consumption -- and by design. Here's a taste, courtesy the Northwest Herald of what transpired:

state lawmakers had mixed opinions on a request by the McHenry County and Lake County boards to allow the Fox Waterway Agency to charge a public safety fee of up to $30 a year to defray the cost of policing the Chain O' Lakes and the Fox River in the wake of state funding cuts to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Lake County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor, who attended Thursday’s meeting, said about 40 percent of the river's total recreation comes from outside the two counties whose taxes pay for existing safety.
Officials share expectations of General Assembly

Jack Franks, however, was good for a zing:

Franks chided the County Board on its decision last week not to put a referendum on the April ballot allowing voters to elect the board chairman instead of being chosen by the board's 24 members.
Officials share expectations of General Assembly

Oh snap!

In related news, your LakeCountyEye has been told that Aaron Lawlor was very disappointed to learn that McHenry County voters will not be allowed to elect their board chairman. Lawlor, the Lake County Board Chairman, had been planning to run, in 2014, for McHenry County Board Chairman.

Haha j/k.

Widow Makers

Don't be surprised one of these days if you're approached by some stranger eager to show what is hidden under his raincoat. That's because, haha, Lake County is all excited about their concealed carry. Ever since a Federal Court struck down Illinois's concealed carry laws, Lake County has been itching for the opportunity to possess a loaded firearm on or about their person in a manner wholly or partially covered by clothing or accessories -- in other words, totally gangsta-style.

The day may come soon. According to the Daily Herald, Springfield is up against a six month court-ordered deadline, and ...

Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon is inviting new lawmakers from across Illinois to work with her on a concealed carry law.
Lt. Gov. Forms Group to Discuss Concealed Carry

Sheila Simon (an honorary Lake County Democrat) is tasked with crafting legislation that legalizes concealed carry, but not at the expense of alienating Democratic constituents.

These sorts of thankless tasks are why Illinois has an elected Lieutenant Governor. But while thankless, this particular task is far from hopeless. Your LakeCountyEye suggests the Illinois legislature simply pass a law that allows elderly women and only elderly women to carry concealed weapons. In other words, only women of a certain age or older would get to carry concealed weapons -- and no one else. Written that way, Illinois gets a court-mandated concealed carry law that liberal crybaby Democrats can live with.

NRA card-toting operatives might object that a law that permits only elderly females to possess a concealed firearm unconstitutionally discriminates on a basis of both age and gender. But these sorts of discriminatory laws pass constitutional muster all the time -- a six-year-old, for instance, is not allowed to obtain a drivers license.

It can easily be demonstrated to a court that both males and youths are much more prone to violent behavior than are females and the elderly. And that allowing a male or young person to possess a concealed firearm would be like giving a drivers license to a six-year-old. It's simply a scientific fact!

Take it from your LakeCountyEye, who speaks from experience. Every local political blogger of note -- TeamAmerica10th, McHenryCountyBlog, Commonsense10th -- is either a male or non-elderly or both. And if they are anything like your LakeCountyEye they are walking powderkegs with little tiny heads on top and shorter fuses on the bottom. Are these the sort of people who should be allowed to carry a concealed weapon of deadly force? Your LakeCountyEye thinks not.

The devil of course is in the details. Just how old is an old lady? Advances in medicine and cosmetic surgery, make this difficult to pin down. So your LakeCountyEye recommends that any female who is old enough to receive Medicare gets to carry a concealed weapon. If you're not old enough or the wrong gender, well, it sucks to be you.

And with the threshold set at the age of Medicare eligibility, your LakeCountyEye anticipates that the NRA will be lobbying to get that age reduced down to six-year-olds. That would be a bonus for your LakeCountyEye who would finally be able to afford some decent healthcare! Operatives are urged to contact their legislators immediately with details of your LakeCountyEye's proposed Illinois Little Old Lady Concealed Carry Law.

The shorthand name of the bill is: the Illinois LOL Concealed Carry Law.

Q the Eye/01.24.13

Dear LakeCountyEye,

I have made plans to travel around Illinois for the next several months, holding meetings with voters before announcing my political future. What do you foresee in my political future?

Not Joe Walsh

Dear Of Course You're Not,

Two words: Township Government.

Illinois's township elections will be held in April, and the bar for a township election is set so low that even a one-term ex-congressman could expect to run and win.

Case in point: a petition with valid signatures must be submitted if you want to appear on a ballot. But not necessarily for a township election in Lake County. One township slate recently faced an objection filed against their nominating petition, alleging that signatures were forged. This objection was corroborated with affidavits from victims of the alleged forgeries.

As reported in the the Patch, this township slate's defense was basically: oops, my bad ...

Ela First incumbent Trustee Larry Bowman testified that he gathered signatures at a large party. "There is no evidence that Mr. Bowman, or someone Mr. Bowman knew, signed the other signatures. It may not be the best practice to have petitions signed at a large gathering," said electoral board member Joseph Menges, a North Barrington attorney.
Ela Township Race Still On After Petition Challenge Defeated

So if you're accused of submitting fraudulent signatures to qualify for a township election, just deny that you witnessed anything. According to the Sun-Times ...

although Bowman claimed he gathered signatures at a large gathering, he testified that he did not actually watch them sign their names.
Ela Township electoral board dismisses ballot objection

Now, from a purely legal standpoint, when you submit a petition that you circulated you are attesting that every signature was signed in your presence:

GENERAL PRIMARY PETITION
2013 Candidates Guide - Amended 12/4/2012

But haha apparently legal obligations like these do not apply in township elections.

So to answer your question, you can freely admit to petition fraud (and even see it show up in print) and still get slated on a ballot. Your best bet is pick any Lake County township and run as a write-in. Supervisor positions pay about as well as a congressional salary, but your LakeCountyEye recommends going for Highway Commissioner. Their salaries may be lower but you will be amply compensated by the comically huge & disproportionate budgets that township Highway Commissioners are able to command.

If you know what your LakeCountyEye means.

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

A Reverse Spin of Fortune

Even though the 2014 election will not occur until another year or two from now -- in 2014 -- operatives who are polishing their resumes want to know the names of the early favorites and losers. Your LakeCountyEye always advises to first look for that telltale sign that your candidate is doomed to failure. One clear indicator is the candidate with a campaign strategy that boils down to one word: facebook. A campaign that plans to win by leveraging a presence on social media is both broke and desperate.

So, if there had been any doubt that Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran has ambitions for state-wide office (possibly Attorney General) in 2014, the Daily Herald reported that the Lake County Sheriff's Office now has a facebook page:

The sheriff's office also utilizes Twitter and the government website, which will be revamped within the next few months.
Lake County Sheriff's Office on Facebook

Disclaimer: having been banned for life by facebook and Twitter (on unsubstantiated allegations of mopery with intent to gawk), your LakeCountyEye has not actually had an opportunity to eyeball the Sheriff's new social media pages. Your LakeCountyEye however is still able to look up Curran's D-2 Reports, the latest of which shows a $2500 expenditure to Reverse Spin LLC. Along with a similar expenditure in September, the Friends of Mark Curran have given the Wheaton consultants some $5000:

SBE Expenditure List

Reverse Spin would appear to be a PR firm specializing in damage control:

When your reputation or the reputation of your corporation, organization or political group is threatened by overwhelming force, you need game changers. You need determined experts who specialize in reversing conventional wisdom or unfavorable "spin."
What is Reverse Spin?

It is unclear why Curran would would need $5000 (and counting) worth of damage control services for his next election campaign. It would appear however that Reverse Spin also does social media. The firm ...

■ Integrates social media and video services into any type of public effort.
Versatile performers

Perhaps Curran has hired Reverse Spin just to manage his facebook page and post tweets for him on Twitter?

The Stevenson Center Hosts: America's Misguided Policy Toward Iran

The Stevenson Center will host a program on America's Misguided Policy Toward Iran:

Adlai Stevenson Center on Democracy

John Mearsheimer is the E. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor and Co-Director of the Program on International Security Policy at the University of Chicago. He has written extensively about security issues and international politics, including the books Why Leaders Lie: The Truth about Lying in International Politics, The Tragedy of Great Power Politics, and The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy (with Stephen M. Walt) and numerous articles.

• Sunday
  January 27, 2013
  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

Q the Eye/01.14.13

Dear LakeCountyEye,

Where does someone go to get a date in Lake County?

One Man, One Vote

Dear Single Issue Voter,

The best place to find a date in Lake County is on an Internet Dating Service. Your LakeCountyEye's profile was posted, a while back, on one popular dating website:

Name Barney Baxter Favorite Food Cheetos Favorite Beverage Mountain Dew Best Hangout Basement (finished) of Divorced Parent Occupation Blogger

You would now have to be a Mundelein Free Range Chicken Rancher to have slept with more chicks than your LakeCountyEye!

Haha j/k. The truth is your LakeCountyEye hasn't been on a date since Rumsfeld was a Congressman. (A lousy tipper.) Your best bet is to follow the lead of another Lake County Congressman, Peter Roskam. Given his record of pushing legislation that would criminalize basic reproductive medical decisions, one would think that Roskam would have a big gender problem with his female voters. Not so. In fact, Peter Roskam enjoys a reputation of being Lake County's ladies man in Washington DC.

Roskam's secret? As far as your LakeCountyEye can tell, he knows what the ladies want. And according to the big dating sites, the ladies want someone who will listen:

Like for instance eHarmony.com ...

Women Want You to Listen Up
In general, women complain that men don't listen to them.
What Women Really Want

And at match.com ...

Follow the advice in Proverbs 18:13: 'He who answers before listening; that is his folly and his shame.'
Listen ... and find love

So guess who the Northwest Herald has proclaimed Congress's Listener In Chief:

Roskam's listening skills will make the transition to a redrawn district easier, said Darlene Ruscitti, chairman of the DuPage County Republicans.
Roskam seen as 'listener in chief'

The House Republicans, with Roskam's support, may succeed one day at criminalizing a woman's reproductive options. Your LakeCountyEye knows exactly where Peter Roskam will be on that day. Visiting the prisons and listening to the stories of the criminals they sent there.

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

The Route 53 Extended Warranty

No one loves an Internet widget more than your LakeCountyEye. And the News-Sun delivered today, with this story:

Lake County commuters now have a chance to see how bad traffic is on the tollway before they even leave home. The Illinois Tollway on Tuesday announced expanded public access to traffic images by adding feeds from 15 traffic camera locations to its Website, www.illinoistollway.com
Tollway cams give drivers view of traffic conditions

Your LakeCountyEye can confirm that the Illinois Tollway has a website with some real-time feeds from its roadside spycams. Ops tasked with hustling up some GOTV primary votes can go to the Illinois Tollway's webpage at ...

Illinois Virtual Tollway

First click the Traffic Cameras button. Then click one of the camera icons on the Illinois Tollway Virtual Map to see real-time pictures of the local traffic conditions.

OK, this all sounds pretty much about as complicated as it actually is. What say your LakeCountyEye just embeds the camera feed from the Route 53 Extension? Right here ...

Those ops who need to know what the traffic on the Route 53 Extension looks like can now visit this blog for a quick looksee. If things look real bad, take your LakeCountyEye's advice and stay at home for some call-banking instead!

Straight Ticket Voting

Banty rooster & loose cannon free agent Joe Walsh refuses to let go of the pause button on his 15 minutes of fame. According to NBC Chicago ...

Former Congressman Joe Walsh's (it feels great to type that) campaign for Senate or governor begins next Wednesday at 7 p.m., at Blackie's restaurant, 755 S. Clark St. That's when and where Walsh will address a meeting of the Chicago Tea Party. Nobody expected the right-wing motormouth to shut up after he was defeated by Tammy Duckworth on Nov. 6.
Joe Walsh To Address Chicago Tea Party

Everyone wants to know if and which office Walsh is going to run for in 2014. His decision will significantly impact the plans of other ambitious Republican candidates farther down the political food-chain. Your LakeCountyEye fully expects to see Lake County Board Chair Aaron Lawlor (or his ops) among the attendees at the Walsh soiree. What's it called when you find yourself playing understudy to someone who plays it fast & loose with his allotted 15 minutes of fame? Sloppy seconds. Hee hee.

The public sector pensioners at the McHenryCountyBlog are betting that Walsh decides to run for Governor. They are so sure of it that their blog is already trying to out the one Republican who could beat Walsh in a Gubernatorial primary:

There is one Republican who voted for civil unions while State Senator. Not gay marriage, granted, but close. He's State Treasurer and former State Rep. and Senator Dan Rutherford.
Did Joe Walsh Separate Himself from Dan Rutherford on Gay Rights?

For the record, Dan Rutherford is not gay. That's what he told the Illinois Review ...

I interviewed Rutherford and when I asked him what he referred to as "The Question." He had heard the same rumors over the years and was eager to answer it publicly. Indeed, Rutherford told me directly, "No, I am not gay."
Always Right: Rutherford, Schock and the sexualization of Illinois politics

This may be disappointing news to Lake County Board Chair Aaron Lawlor, who is rumored to be eyeing the governor's seat. Despite everything, Dan Rutherford remains an honorary Lake County Republican.

Cliff Dwellers

That giant metal-on-metal crunch sound that nobody heard was the sound of the ship of state not being driven into the fiscal cliff. Right on the heels of narrowly averting Mayan Armageddon, Lake County's congressmen, to a man, all voted last week to narrowly avert Tax Armageddon. That is if one defines to a man as former congressman Robert Dold. Lake County's remaining congressmen -- Peter Roskam, Randy Hultgren, Joe Walsh -- all voted, to a man, to usher in the Taxageddon.

While your LakeCountyEye suspects the three unruly congressmen believed they were voting to trigger the biblical end-times and their heavenly rapture, the Daily Herald was not amused ...

the vote makes us question the endorsements we recently gave Roskam and Hultgren and reinforces our decision to withhold an endorsement from Walsh.
Editorial: Our congressmen and the fiscal cliff test

Not for nothing Lake County's oldest non-partisan political blog, your LakeCountyEye, advises Mother Herald to take some deep breaths. Dold's was the lone, courageous & sensible vote because Robert Dold was a lame-duck with nothing to lose. Roskam, Hultgren & Walsh, are all incumbents and remain beholden to their prime mover: Grover Norquist promised to bankroll a candidate against anyone who voted for the fiscal cliff compromise. 'Twas the divine fear of a primary challenge that explains the collective, craven & reckless vote of reps Roskam, Hultgren & Walsh. Your LakeCountyEye predicts that within the passage of two years the Herald will once again be enthusiastically endorsing all three Congressmen.

Sharpeyed operatives who observe that Walsh was defeated in 2012 and technically speaking is not an incumbent, would be correct. However, according to Crain's, Joe Walsh is the rumored primary challenge to be thrown against Randy Hultgren:

Probably more credible, though, is persistent buzz that Mr. Walsh will focus on regaining his congressional seat — not against Ms. Duckworth, whose district now is reliably Democratic, but by running in a primary against Republican Randy Hultgren in the adjoining 14th District.
Joe Walsh set to announce comeback plans?

... which makes Walsh, technically speaking, the incumbent-in-waiting.

In related news, it is also rumored that Lake County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor will be challenging Randy Hultgren in 2014.

Where's Walsh? in WASHINGTON

The clock has officially run out on Joe Walsh's 15 minutes of fame. The 113th Congress was sworn in yesterday and the former Eighth District Congressman was nowhere to be seen, swearing. According to the Sun-Times ...

When the new House members take their oath of office, Illinois will have six freshmen, a Republican, Rodney Davis and five Democrats, Tammy Duckworth, Cheri Bustros, Brad Schneider, Bill Foster and William Enyart.
New Congress gets sworn-in today: Six new Illinois lawmakers

Tammy Duckworth may have turned banty rooster Joe Walsh into a lame duck, but your LakeCountyEye has learned he is not out of the hunt yet. It is rumored that Walsh will run for Governor in 2014. Other rumors predict he will run for Lieutenant Governor. Neither rumor is welcome news to Lake County Board Chair, Aaron Lawlor. Lawlor has already announced that he plans to run for Governor -- and also for Lieutenant Governor. Haha, j/k.

Operatives are advised to adopt a wait-and-see attitude. In the meantime, your LakeCountyEye has invented a new contest called ...

Where's Walsh?

Joe Walsh this week was seen in Washington DC. Operatives are challenged to find Walsh hidden somewhere in this Sun-Times photo:

New Congress gets sworn-in today: Six new Illinois lawmakers

Just for the record, your LakeCountyEye loves the new au naturel coif. Lookin good, Joe!