Mark Randall's blog

Here is the invitation to one and all to join us for the 2007 Champaign County Republican Fall Festival this weekend. This family-friendly event will be held at Frasca Air Field (US 45   and Airport Rd.) on Sunday, Sept. 9, from Noon to 2:00 pm. The event promises something for everyone:

• Bounce house, slide, face painting and crafts for the kids 
• Live music by the Tons Of Fun Band
• Free kettle korn and ice cream
• Dunk tank featuring Mark Shelden, Jason Barickman and other famous officials
• Chicken/BBQ lunch catered by Town & Country Catering
• Celebrity emcee: Erika Harold, Miss America 2003
• State and local elected officials

Tickets are CHEAP:  $5/adults, $2/kids over 4 and $20/family max.

The weather looks great and we expect 400-500 people!  Come out and join the fun with the Champaign County Republican Party!

The GOP Legislative Breakfast Series will host Dr. Steve Sauerberg - candidate for US Senate - on Wednesday, July 25, Jim Gould's restaurant in Champaign. Dr. Sauerberg is one of four Republican candidates who have declared they are running for Sen. Dick Durbin's seat next year. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about Dr. Sauerberg's ideas and ask questions about his campaign.

Shameless Plug:  The Legislative Breakfast Series meets monthly and features a variety of local and state-wide persons involved in civic and legislative affairs. Previous guests this year have included Prof. Fred Giertz, Mark Dixon, John Foreman, and Mayor Schweighart. The August program will feature Paul Richardson (UI grad school intern for Rich Miller/CapitolFax); the September program will feature Tracy Parsons of the Urban League.

All are welcome to attend. The meeting runs from 7:00-8:00 am and breakfast may be ordered from the menu.

A special meeting of the County Board was called this evening for two purposes:

1.) To discuss the problems with the new County Nursing Home
2.) To discuss the job performance of County Co-Administrator Denny Inman (in closed session)

Several persons showed up at 7:00 pm, sitting in the gallery. Curiously, the agenda included no provision for "Public Participation." (Someone mentioned that it is a requirement of any open public CB meeting, but I'm not sure of that.)

The meeting was called to order and role taken. Three persons were absent: Steve Beckett (Facilities Chair), Carl Weibel (Facilties Vice-Chair) and Denny Inman. This is not good. Within seconds, Johnathan Schroeder moved to adjourn. This was immediately challenged by Trish Avery, stating that a meeting had been called, members attended, and why waste the CB stipend to just go home? There was a fair amount of confusion over Parliamentary procedure from Tom Betz who was the subsitute Parliamentarian in Beckett's absence. Avery ended up withdrawing her challenge and called for the role. The motion to adjourn (recess, really) failed 22-3. (Schroeder, Happ, and Mossier all voting yes...to recess.)

Ron Bensyl -- who led the effort to call the meeting in the first place -- then stated that he had no questions on the County Nursing Home because no one was there to answer (Beckett, Weibel, Inman). So the CB moved into closed session... (for like, the 45th time or something in the past 12 months. joke.)

Those of us in the gallery filed out into the hall. Our merry band of benchwarmers included: myself, JJ Farney and his wife, Bob Kirchner (!), Duane Northrup, a few others plus press from the NG, WILL-580, AM1400, WCIA, and WICD.

But wait! At 7:30pm Weibel dashed into the CB room, and at 7:40, here comes Steve Beckett! Just in time for closed session, but nary a word to the press or any other board member in regards to Nursing Home questions. Apparently, Inman was tucked away in his office with his attorney.

The folks in the hall quickly bonded and for the next FOUR HOURS waited as the County Board debated the fate of Denny Inman.

Finally, around 11:30pm, open session resumed and we filed back in. Ron Bensyl moved to terminate Denny Inman's employment, effective immediately. This was promptly substituted by Tom Betz with a motion that sounded like a slap on the wrist: a letter will be sent stating Inman's good and bad results and giving him a four month probation or something. (I was a bit bleary eyed to get the entire gist.) The vote to substitute succeeded 13-12, and the main motion then succeeded 16-10... or so.

MIDNIGHT ANALYSIS: As for meeting goal #1, I am told this was the best that the board could do and hopefully, Mr. Inman starts being straight with the board and the public.

As for the CCNH discussion, I am appalled -- but not surprised. More of the same: tell us we have all the answers and info, and then evade legal requests for more info (as in, the special meeting tonight to discuss.) The meeting was called in plenty of time and at least ONE of the three persons who could answers the questions should have been there. Can someone please tell what's open and honest about this?
Clearly, the County Board can do better. And I'd like to be part of that improvement.

(DISCLOSURE: I am a candidate for County Board District 7)

...and I'm running for County Board in District 7.

I was invited to post here several months ago, and now that the campaign is getting fully underway I'm providing an introductory post and some other information.

I've been a resident of East Central Illinois most of my life. I've been married for 13 years and have three young children. I'm a fundraiser for the Newman Foundation at the University of Illinois and involved in several local organizations as a volunteer.

The seat in District 7 that I am running for is empty since Nancy Greenwalt (D) decided not to run again. I have two opponents -- Carrie Melin (D) and Kostas Yfantis (G). Although I take nothing for granted, I firmly believe I can win this race and contribute to the two-seat "must win" for the County Board.

I want to be part of the County Board for several reasons:

• I believe the County Board plays a key role in the quality of life in Champaign County;
• Recent actions by the current Board have demonstrated their inability to properly manage our tax dollars and keep our interests first and formost;
• I want to work with the other members of the Board to improve our County and restore fiscal integrity to the business of the Board.

(You can learn more about why I wanted to run, my background, etc. from my website.)

After attending last night's County Board meeting, I am convinced more than ever that the people of Champaign County deserve better representation at that level. The Nursing Home debacle is indeed the "greatest public works disaster in the history of Champaign County" as one person stated. But the Nursing Home is just one issue. Other key areas include making qualified MTD Board appointments, keeping the business of the County open and honest, pursing a viable and reasonable Land Use Agreement, and providing a balanced county budget.

I'll be posting my position statements on these issues soon and blogging from my site as well. (Wordpress is being installed today hopefully by my outstanding web designer, Dave Glenn.)

I'm not going to be a regular poster on IP (although I am an avid reader), but I hope you'll continue to watch my website and blogging area. Most of all, I truly hope that you will offer me your feedback, suggestions, comments, etc. I have many ideas but I want to know what you -- my friends and neighbors of District 7, and all residents of Champaign County -- believe are the important issues facing us in the coming months.