The Thomas Jefferson Dinner
1913-2013
Celebrating 100 years of women's suffrage in Illinois
The eighth annual Thomas Jefferson Dinner celebrates the 100th anniversary of an important milestone in the struggle for justice and equality in America. It was just a century ago that Illinois became the very first state east of the Mississippi to pass legislation allowing women to vote for President of the United States.
Predating the final ratification of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution by seven years, the Illinois Municipal Voting Act of 1913 was but one of many steps on the road to full suffrage for women in Illinois and nationally. On June 10, 1919, Illinois became the first state in the nation to ratify the 19th Amendment.
Illinois' leadership in advancing equal rights for women is of special interest to those of us who have dedicated our political passions to the creation of a more just society. We are right to be proud of the progress made by and for the women of Illinois and our nation. Join us this evening in celebrating how far we've come, and in rededicating ourselves to the progress yet to be made.
We're also honoring two women who've been extremely important to the successes of the Democratic Party of McHenry County: Kathy Bergan Schmidt and Paula Yensen. Their contributions to our Party and to our community are exceptional. We hope you will join us in recognizing their importance to our growth as an organization that matters in McHenry County.
Evening program
- 6:00 p.m. — Registration and cocktail hour
- 7:00 p.m. — Dinner is served
- 7:45 p.m. — Speakers and award presentations
- 9:00 p.m. — Adjourn
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has confirmed his attendance at this year's dinner.
WHENMay 18, 2013 at 6pm$80.00 USDWHEREPrairie Lodge at Sun City
12880 Del Webb Blvd
Huntley, IL 60142
United States
Google map and directions
County Board Committees
The vast majority of substantive work done by the County Board happens in committee. These committees usually meet several times a month, and each committee has at least one member from each of the six County Board districts. Since there are currently only two Democrats (Paula Yensen and Nick Chirikos) serving on the County Board, some of these committees have no Democratic representation. (We've indicated the committees on which Paula or Nick serve.)
If you have a interest in the work any of these committees does, we hope you will consider attending their meetings. We are especially interested in having your attendance (and feedback) at any of the committees where there are no Democratic members.
Finance & Audit
2nd & 4th Tuesday at 9:30am
Passes all matters involving money up to the board (most have gone through other committees already) MCEDC & McHenry County Convention & Visitors Bureau final stop for budget formation before it goes to county board
Democratic representation: none
Planning & Development
1st & 3rd Thursday at 8:30am
P & D Department, Zoning Board of Appeals, Historic Preservation, Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), developing UDO (Unified Development Ordinance)
Democratic representation: Nick Chirikos
Transportation
1st & 3rd Wednesday at 8:15am
McDOT, township road districts, CMAP, IDOT, RTA, METRA, PACE
Democratic representation: Paula Yensen, vice-chair, & Nick Chirikos
Management Services
1st & 3rd Monday at 8:30am
Overall management of county facilities and property, purchasing, Information Technology, revision of County Board Rules
Democratic representation: Paula Yensen, chair
Public Health & Human Services
2nd & 4th Wednesday at 8:30am
Matters pertaining to Health Department, Regional Superintendent of Schools, Valley Hi, Veterans Assistance, Senior Services Grant Commission, 708 Mental Health Board, Workforce Network and Workforce Investment Board
Democratic representation: Paula Yensen
Law & Justice
1st Monday at 8:15am
Sheriff, Courts, State’s Attorney, Emergency Management Agency, Coroner, Fox Waterway Agency recommend appointments for some Fire Districts
Democratic representation: none
Liquor & License Committee
1st Monday at 10am
Manage Liquor Control Ordinance, coin-operated machines (gaming part of this), raffles
Democratic representation: none
Legislative & Intergovernmental Affairs
2nd Thursday at 8:30am
Develop and monitor state and federal legislative program, foster intergovernmental cooperation, with Management Services oversee communication program with residents
Democratic representation: Nick Chirikos
Human Resources
2nd Tuesday at 8:15am
Human resources = all people employed by the county Collective bargaining Compensation is biggest part of county budget, hence this is a very important committee
Democratic representation: Paula Yensen
Natural & Environmental Resources
3rd Monday at 8:30am
Recommends appointments to MCCD, involved in Water Resources and Stormwater Management, ACE (Agricultural Conservation Easement), “stewardship for matters pertaining to environmental issues/concerns” which is an ever-transforming subject for the county
Democratic representation: none
Stormwater Commission
4th Wednesday of every other month at 7:30am
This commission is comprised of both county board members and representatives from municipal governments in McHenry County.
Democratic representation: Paula Yensen, chair
Building Projects & Pollution Control Facility Committees
Ready to spring into action when needed – but haven’t been needed in the last few years
This is meant to be a descriptive, not definitive, comment on county board committees. More information can be found in the County Board rules at: www.co.mchenry.il.us/departments/countyboard/Documents/County%20Board%20Rules-Full%20Version%205-1711-FINAL.pdf
Michael Bissett
published Nate Silver says Romney V.P. pick risky in Chairman's blog
2012-08-11 15:56:00 -0500
Nate Silver says Romney V.P. pick risky
The best analyst of political polling data says Romney's V.P. pick means he knows he's losing.
Everyone knows political opinion polls tend to fluctuate weekly or daily. I try not not to put too much weight on any one poll result. If I want to get the best analysis of where the race for President stands, I've come to depend on Nate Silver's extremely accurate and focused poll analysis. My first reaction to Mitt Romney's pick to be his Vice Presidential runing mate was "he's desperate!" But my second reaction was to check out Nate's analysis to see if he agreed. He does:
"When a prudent candidate like Mitt Romney picks someone like Representative Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin as his running mate, it suggests that he felt he held a losing position against President Obama. The theme that Mr. Romney’s campaign has emphasized for months and months — that the president has failed as an economic leader — may have persuaded 47 or 48 or 49 percent of voters to vote for him, he seems to have concluded. But not 50.1 percent of them, and not enough for Mr. Romney to secure 270 electoral votes."
To read the rest of the analysis, check out his blog, 538.
Democracy is not a spectator sport
Our democracy works best when its citizens are fully engaged in the process. Our democracy fails when too many sit back and wait for "the other guy" to get involved.
Let's look at some vital statistics for McHenry County, Illinois
- Population: 308,000
- Citizens of legal voting age: 225,000
- Registered voters: 197,000
- 2008 election turnout: 124,000
- 2010 election turnout: 84,000
Local party leadership
Chairman: Mike Bissett
Vice-Chair: Sam Melei
Treasurer: Eric Silber
Secretary: Judy Vandenboom
General Counsel: Phil Robertson
Fundraising Chair: Paula Yensen
Membership Recruitment Chair: Kathleen Bergan Schmidt
Technology Chair: Bob Ludwig
District 1 Chair: Debbie Chirikos
District 2 Chair: Lori Keller
District 3 Chair: Rob Routzahn
District 4 Chair: Mike Mayo
District 5 Chair: Dan Giallombardo
District 6 Chair: Brian Meyers
Become a member today!
Thank you for choosing to support the Democratic Party of McHenry County with a recurring membership. We depend entirely on your generosity and commitment to be an effective force for change. We receive no monetary support from the national or state Democratic Party, and every penny we raise stays right here in McHenry County to help elect candidates for local, county and state offices. If you would prefer to make a one-time donation, you can go directly to our donation page.
Membership has its privileges
Members who maintain their pledge for at least a year will receive:
Friend: Purchase for $10.00 every 3 months
- Friend: thank-you gift from the Democratic Party.
- Supporter: one complimentary ticket to the Thomas Jefferson Dinner and a thank-you gift.
- Leader: two complimentary tickets to the Thomas Jefferson Dinner and a thank-you gift.
- Hero: four complimentary tickets to the Thomas Jefferson Dinner and a thank-you gift.
Supporter: Purchase for $25.00 every 3 months
Leader: Purchase for $50.00 every 3 months
Hero: Purchase for $100.00 every 3 months
All politics is local
Are you tired of "insider politics", Washington gridlock and the polarized posturing of the Tea Party?
Want to make a difference? There's no better place to start than right here in McHenry County. Everyone is welcome — progressives, moderates and conservatives — and we are constantly looking for ways to improve our effectiveness as a force for change. We are your local Democratic Party.
Our main purpose is to serve the citizens of McHenry County by electing Democrats to local, county and state government. We also coordinate our efforts with the campaigns of Federal candidates.
We believe that government exists to serve its citizens, and to ensure justice and equal rights for all.
The power of the Internet: one man's story
We've been using NationBuilder for our local party website for nearly two years now. We threw away our perfectly good website built with Joomla in order to take advantage of NationBuilder's ability to extend our reach through social media and a very strong set of community building tools. We're still working out some of the kinks, but NationBuilder gives us many of the same tools that are used by Obama for America (OFA) and other well-funded political campaigns and organizations.
NationBuilder was largely the brainchild of Internet guru and political activist Jim Gilliam, who previously worked at Brave New Films with Robert Greenwald. Gilliam's life story is full of personal challenges, including several brushes with death, yet it's an amazing story of spiritual growth and ultimate triumph. We invite you to view this short presentation by Gilliam at 2011's Personal Democracy Forum to learn how one man's story helped change forever how grassroots democracy can build communities.
You generosity is appreciated
Thank you!
The Democratic Party of McHenry County is sincerely appreciative of your generous financial support. Every penny we raise is used to support local candidates right here in McHenry County. We receive no money from the state or national Democratic organizations, which means support from our local members is crucial to our ability to help elect Democrats to public office.
Democratic Party Events
The Democratic Party of McHenry County is growing in strength every day thanks to people just like you. If you're tired of shouting at your TV and want to actually do something to make a difference, please join us at our monthly meeting and find out how you can help.
