Will County Board Race

[macrockett]

Ok, lets get this started. Will County Board candidates (in District 11) Suzanne Hart and Chuck Maher have sent or advertised the following information, that I am aware of:

winsome.cnchost.com/MAC/WC_Exhibit1_Letter_12_2011.pdf
winsome.cnchost.com/MAC/WC_Exhibit2_WTRO_12_2011.pdf
winsome.cnchost.com/MAC/WC_Exhibit3_HM_01_2012.pdf
winsome.cnchost.com/MAC/WC_Exhibit4_Mailer_2_2012.pdf

As full disclosure, I am the treasurer of their opponents, Deb Holscher and Joe Hudetz. With that out of the way, lets examine the $3 of direct debt per Will County resident.

I sent the following email to both candidates inquiring about the $3 claim:
----------------------------------------------------------
From: MACrockett
Sent: Sunday, February 12, 2012 1:03 PM
To: [e-mail] ; [e-mail]
Subject: Will County Board

Hello Will County Board Members,

As a constitute I have received at least two mailing, and have seen another ad in the Tall Grass Whispers, that all state “direct debt per capita of $3.” Could you please define “direct debt per capita” and provide the source document for this claim (the Collar County Comparison –June 2011 Wells Fargo Securities).

As a practicing CPA at Deloitte and Touche at the beginning of my career, I am having trouble coming up with that figure. At a minimum, I am off by a factor of 200. And that is per capita debt, which doesn’t even include unfunded liabilities. So please clarify so I can share with other constituents who are asking me. I just tell them I have no idea.

Oh, one other thing. Did you hear the audio of the Wheatland Township meeting on Thursday night? It sure sounds to me like Supervisor Morse, and Trustees King and Haddad have no plans to follow the electors direction to sell the land at 103rd. In fact, it sounds like they want a redo and plan to build that new town hall that the people rejected. As I recall, both of you support Todd in his “vision.” Could you also please clarify where you stand?

Thank you very much. Here is the link to my remote server where you can download the audio file I refer to:

winsome.cnchost.com/MAC/ <--------go to the remote server where the file is located
WTS_02_09_2012_SupervisorsRep> <----( near the bottom of the list of files you will find this file) double click to download and then open it in Windows Media player. This particular audio deals only with the supervisors report in the Thursday agenda, for your convenience.

Regards,

Mike Crockett
----------------------------

Well suffice it to say I have not received a response thus far, from either candidate. I don't know what "direct debt per capita" means to Suzanne or Chuck, but when I look at the Will County and Forest Preserve audited financial statements, here is what I found (and posted as a comment in a Patch story this morning:

naperville.patch.com/articles/forum-brings-dist-11-candidates-for-will-county-board-to-the-people#comment_2594686

FYI, the $64 million is unfunded OPEBs (which are other post employment benefits, health insurance paid for by the county after retirement, and life insurance), not pensions (per FY 2010 audited financial statements. See note 9 p39-40 of CAFR 2010 for Will County). There are also $1.3 million of unfunded OPEBs at the Forest Preserve (see CAFR 2010 p 33).

Consolidated debt for the two entities is approx. $207.5 million for Will County, and approx. $223.7 million at the Forest Preserve (as of the latest audited financial statements CAFR 2010 for Will County, p15 and Note 7 pp 35-37).

Finally, unfunded pension liabilities are $135.5 million at Will County (note 8, pp 39 of CAFR 2010 Will County) and $7.48 million at the Forest Preserve (note 5, pp 27-30 CAFR 2010, Forest Preserve).
Total? $639.48 million as of November 2010, Will County and December 31, Forest Preserve.

In the oldest existing audited financials online, the outstanding liabilities were approx $155 million (estimated because OPEB liability was not required to be reported at the time) as of November 30, 2004.
That represents a 400 percent increase in the taxpayers long term obligations in just 6 years.
--------------------------------------

I can certainly understand why Suzanne and Chuck wouldn't want to comment on their $3 claim, because if you just take real debt of $207.5 million at WC and $223.7 million at WCFP, $431.2 million total, then divide it by Will County residents (667,000 people per 2010 audited financials), that is $646.00 per person. If you take households, that figure becomes $1487.00 per household.

If you include all outstanding long-term obligations, i.e., $639.48 million, those figures become $959 per individual and $2205 per HH.

Now those numbers aren't staggering, but.....

First Hart and Maher made the $3 claim not me. If it were me, I would be pretty embarrassed...

Second, and more importantly, as stated above in the Patch comment, the $639 million represents a 400% increase in long-term obligations in just 6 years. That is right up there with our President's ability to create a deeper hole for America to dig its way out of.

If you look further at the Will County audited financials, you will see that the Property Tax revenue, the largest component of Will County Revenue, fell by over $30 million from 2009 to 2010 (p247 CAFR 2010). That represents a 21% decrease in Property tax revenues for Will County. That deserves a "YIKES."

If you keep up with the Case Shiller Real Estate Index, you will see, according to them, that real estate is still falling (in some areas it has flatted and in still fewer, starting to edge up) online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20120228-709098.html

more later, oh, by the way, neither Hart nor Maher responded to my second question in the email either (re support for Supervisor Todd Morse, the Taj Mahal oops, the new town hall proponent for Wheatland Township)

[macrockett]

Oh, one more thing... Hart and Maher call themselves "fiscal conservatives." Really?

[macrockett]

This was an article in the Patch on a Will County Forum Tuesday Night

naperville.patch.com/articles/forum-brings-dist-11-candidates-for-will-county-board-to-the-people

District 11 Will County Board Candidates Debate Pensions, Term Limits

By Mary Ann Lopez
Email the author
February 28, 2012


The theme of Monday night’s candidate forum for the Will County Board’s 11th District was fiscal responsibility, respect and due diligence.

A forum was held Monday night at the 95th Street Library to allow voters to meet with candidates running for the 11th District seats on the board. Candidates Joe Hudetz and Deb Holscher attended the event. The two other candidates, Suzanne Hart and Chuck Maher, declined the invitation to participate.

The candidates asked four questions—two relating to pension reform and term limits, and then two others coming from members of the audience.

Both Hudetz and Holscher agreed term limits are needed and that no official should serve more than two terms.

“This is the source of the problem, these people can be down there for 20, 30 years,” Hudetz said. “(We should) limit these people to two terms. This is a real strong basis for our campaign—term limits. We want to stop after two terms (for) any state or county official … It just doesn’t make any sense after that. (It's) something I will pledge and force the issue at the county level.”

Holscher said term limits would ensure officials keep their “eye on the ball.”

The candidates were also asked about their position on pensions for part-time officials. Both Hudetz and Holscher agreed that they shouldn’t be allowed.

“No, I do not support pensions for part time officials because they are crippling segments of our government,” Holscher said.

Reviewing the financial situation for Will County, Holscher said there are roughly $64 million in unfunded pensions and the county has more than $600 million in debt. If elected, she said she would tell the truth and work with real numbers that make sense to everybody. In order to move forward and do something positive, she said there needs to be a clear understanding of the reality of the situation.

Hudetz said the pair are conservative constitutionalists and he is all for pension reform.

“I will not take a pension as an elected official,” Hudetz said.

The audience was able to submit questions to the candidates and one of the questions asked was whether Holscher and Hudetz thought it was appropriate to accept campaign donations from vendors working with the county.

Holscher said that even if it was done on the up-and-up, such a practice was unseemly and shouldn’t even be necessary at the county level.

“The thought of bartering my integrity to take monies in exchange for business favors is so repulsive to me, I’m just dying to people who are doing it and find out why they are so desperate to keep their positions,” Hudetz said. “With my bean counter background it’s going to be hard to hide it.”

During the forum, the 95th Street Bridge project, which is will be funded by the city of Naperville, city of Bolingbrook and Will County, also came up. Both candidates said they feel the $33 million project is unneeded.

The 95th Street corridor was never built out as intended and as a result, the bridge is not necessary, Holscher said.

“It’s not that it’s an archaic ideal whose time has past, it’s a fact that we don’t need it and it’s not fiscally responsible,” she said.
Related Topics: District 11, Joe Hudetz, Will County board, deb holscher, and election 2012

[macrockett]

This is an exchange that took place in the comments below the article:
Notice how Hart still doesn't answer the questions.

Mike Crockett
11:45 am on Tuesday, February 28, 2012

FYI, the $64 million is unfunded OPEBs (which are other post employment benefits, health insurance paid for by the county after retirement, and life insurance), not pensions (per FY 2010 audited financial statements. See note 9 p39-40 of CAFR 2010 for Will County). There are also $1.3 million of unfunded OPEBs at the Forest Preserve (see CAFR 2010 p 33).
Consolidated debt for the two entities is approx. $207.5 million for Will County, and approx. $223.7 million at the Forest Preserve (as of the latest audited financial statements CAFR 2010 for Will County, p15 and Note 7 pp 35-37).
Finally, unfunded pension liabilities are $135.5 million at Will County (note 8, pp 39 of CAFR 2010 Will County) and $7.48 million at the Forest Preserve (note 5, pp 27-30 CAFR 2010, Forest Preserve).
Total? $639.48 million as of November 2010, Will County and December 31, Forest Preserve.
In the oldest existing audited financials online, the outstanding liabilities were approx $155 million (estimated because OPEB liability was not required to be reported at the time) as of November 30, 2004.
That represents a 400 percent increase in the taxpayers long term obligations in just 6 years.

Reply
Owen Wavrinek
5:01 pm on Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Considering the lack of information about this forum's sponsorship and considering that the candidates were invited only a few days before this event, it's not surprising that incumbents Maher and Hart were unable or chose not to participate.

Reply
Mike Crockett
7:12 pm on Tuesday, February 28, 2012

You may have a good argument there Owen, but a couple of weeks ago, on February 12, I emailed Ms. Hart and Mr. Maher two simple questions:

Hello Will County Board Members,

As a constitute I have received at least two mailing, and have seen another ad in the Tall Grass Whispers, that all state “direct debt per capita of $3.” Could you please define “direct debt per capita” and provide the source document for this claim (the Collar County Comparison –June 2011 Wells Fargo Securities).

As a practicing CPA at Deloitte and Touche at the beginning of my career, I am having trouble coming up with that figure. At a minimum, I am off by a factor of 200. And that is per capita debt, which doesn’t even include unfunded liabilities. So please clarify so I can share with other constituents who are asking me. I just tell them I have no idea.

Oh, one other thing. Did you hear the audio of the Wheatland Township meeting on Thursday night? It sure sounds to me like Supervisor Morse, and Trustees King and Haddad have no plans to follow the electors direction to sell the land at 103rd. In fact, it sounds like they want a redo and plan to build that new town hall that the people rejected. As I recall, both of you support Todd in his “vision.” Could you also please clarify where you stand?

In the meantime, I have opened a Will County Board thread on D204: ipsd204.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=talkabout&action=display&thread=3714
Comment_arrow


Julie Berkowicz
7:25 pm on Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Owen, this is Julie the organizer of this event. On Monday, February 20th, I personally emailed an invitation to all four candidates. The following day, Deb Holscher and Joe Hudetz replied. Suzanne replied late Tuesday that she had a family conflict and Mike did not personally respond until Sunday afternoon (the 26th). I had conflicting messages from Suzanne in response to what Chuck stated in his email but that is not important. The important fact is that all candidates were invited by email on February 20. And I am a voting citizen who lives in Will County.
Delete

Mike Crockett
7:16 pm on Tuesday, February 28, 2012

By the way, Owen, I do agree that the 95th street bridge is a waste of Taxpayers money. Given all the teacher layoff, maybe that idea should hit the trash bin and redirected to more hiring of educators.

Reply
Owen Wavrinek
12:56 am on Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Congratulations, Julie. You invited the candidates a whole week before the "scheduled" forum. In my opinion you owe the candidates -- and the public -- an apology for providing such short notice. Shame, shame. In the future, please leave such forums to the League of Women Voters, the AAUW, or some other organization that understands the appropriate etiquette and courtesy associated with sponsoring such an important event. If you wanted to have a neighborhood coffee for "Deb and Joe", why didn't you just label it as such?

I do commend you for understanding the need for such a public forum. But next time, consider the busy personal and business schedules of ALL the candidates before deciding when to have it. Good idea, but very poor execution. Consider, for example, that local homeowners associations could have alerted their members -- if they knew about it at least 2-3 weeks in advance.

Reply
Mike Crockett
7:28 am on Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Owen, lets stay focused on my comment for a moment. Why, in over two weeks, can't the candidates that I asked two questions respond? I'll tell you what. I will debate Hart and Maher any time, any where between now and the election on their record and the people they support (like Todd Morse). Then we can let the people decide who they want to support. Deb and Joe seemed to make time to that forum, ready to answer questions.

Frankly, I don't think Hart and Maher want to stand on their respective records. As for Maher, he has presided over the largest expansion of debt and unfunded liabilities in the history of Will County. Over 400% growth in 6 years.

They call themselves fiscal conservatives, they distribute in the media "$3 direct debt per capita." yet they provide no supporting proof of what the hell that is.

What it is is garbage. I have quoted verbatim from the Will County financial statements, and there is a lot more that I haven't quoted, yet.

And what about the support of the Taj Mahal at Wheatland Township? That is garbage as well, to support the cronyism that exists in the local Republican party just like it exists everywhere.

What you are doing here is simply circling the wagons, once again, around your friends to protect a system that is running us into the ground. Just like the decision to build that third HS that is bleeding our school district to death.

You should go back to school and take a course in economics.

Suzanne Hart
8:36 am on Wednesday, February 29, 2012

I am sorry that I could not attend Monday's meeting. It does not matter when we heard about this , I had plans with my daughter to attend her school event. My phone number is on our website www.hart-maher.com anyone who has a question for me please call I would be more than happy to talk to you.

Reply
Mike Crockett
8:49 am on Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Lets have a debate Suzanne, out in the open where people can ask questions about your record. Forget the phone calls. You set the time and place and I suspect Deb and Joe will be there.

By the way, do you agree with your husband Leo's decision as a finance committee person at Wheatland Township to continue buffering the budget by about $200,000.00 over what is necessary to run the township, when there is already close to $1.7 million in excess funds?

In addition, do you agree with the voters who said no to the new town hall?

Do you support Todd Morse?

I have a lot of questions. I will continue to ask them in public. Here and there-->

ipsd204.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=talkabout&action=display&thread=3714

ipsd204.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=talkabout&action=display&thread=3617


Mike Crockett
8:53 am on Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Here is another question Suzanne. What does the "$3 in direct debt per capita represent"?

And another, do you think these numbers regarding the latest WC audited financial statements are accurate? If not, why not?

FYI, the $64 million is unfunded OPEBs (which are other post employment benefits, health insurance paid for by the county after retirement, and life insurance), not pensions (per FY 2010 audited financial statements. See note 9 p39-40 of CAFR 2010 for Will County). There are also $1.3 million of unfunded OPEBs at the Forest Preserve (see CAFR 2010 p 33).
Consolidated debt for the two entities is approx. $207.5 million for Will County, and approx. $223.7 million at the Forest Preserve (as of the latest audited financial statements CAFR 2010 for Will County, p15 and Note 7 pp 35-37).
Finally, unfunded pension liabilities are $135.5 million at Will County (note 8, pp 39 of CAFR 2010 Will County) and $7.48 million at the Forest Preserve (note 5, pp 27-30 CAFR 2010, Forest Preserve).
Total? $639.48 million as of November 2010, Will County and December 31, Forest Preserve.
In the oldest existing audited financials online, the outstanding liabilities were approx $155 million (estimated because OPEB liability was not required to be reported at the time) as of November 30, 2004.
That represents a 400 percent increase in the taxpayers long term obligations in just 6 years.

[EagleDad]

There seems to be a lot of defensiveness and a bit of avoidance of participating in an open debate going on.

It does seem that the candidate could just answer the simple question asked (the source of the $3/capita debt).

Wavrinek does come off as a bit mean spirited in some of his posts - like he is pissed off about how/where/who scheduled this forum. Must be more behind that.

That said, I have to wonder where the candidates priorities lie when they choose not to participate in campaign related public forums. If I were a voter in this race (and I am not, thank goodness) I would weigh that heavily in my consideration.

[macrockett]

Here is a flash back to the 2009 school board election, when I pulled out to endorse the slate. It shows Wavrinek impugning the character of the candidates in the original email and me asking if the email was real... it was.

Ask yourself, on what basis could he possibly know the motivations of any candidate?

His email was nothing more than a hitman piece as part of the club. Now he is impugning Julie Berkowicz. That is what he does when you ruffle his friend's feathers. The odd thing is when you are part of the club, you have a difficult time keeping the players straight. He is against the 95st bridge, but Maher and Hart are for it. Also, in the email below he discusses how the candidate running for Wheatland Township are running unopposed etc., but that was Todd Morse, etal., who Maher and Hart support as well. Go figure. :

From: [e-mail]
Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2009 6:59 PM
To: MACrockett
Subject: Re: email

Yes, hopefully I'm still entitled to my opinion -- based on what I heard everyone say at the IPPC/LWV forum. Please note that I didn't swear at anyone or offer my opinion anonymously.

----- Original Message -----
From: "MACrockett" <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2009 5:48:30 PM GMT -06:00 US/Canada Central
Subject: email


Dear Mr. Wavrinek,

The following email was forwarded to me, purportedly sent by you. I was curious whether you were actually the author.

Thanks,

Michael Crockett
630 416-6441

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: [e-mail]
Date: 03/18/2009 03:09 AM

Subject: Fwd: School Board Election
Hi All --

Since some (many) of you have asked me...

After reviewing the field of 13 Dist. 204 candidates and listening to telecast of a candidate forum, I am supporting Cathy Piehl, Sue Rasmus, Dawn DeSart, and Mark Rising in the April 7 School Board election. They all seem to be fiscally responsible and interested in doing what is=2 0best for all the children as opposed to some special-interest group or neighborhood.

READ THIS TORTURED LANGUAGE THAT HE USED TO FORM HIS OPINION
I am staying far away from a 4-person slate of "gentlemen" whose primary unannounced goal reportedly is changing the high-school boundaries to suit their family/neighbor best interests. I'm also staying away from the rest of the field, all candidates who seem to have personal axes to grind.

In the case of the Wheatland Township election (for those of you who live there), all candidates are running unopposed, which is unfortunate but true. Although I used to be a member, the Wheatland Township Republican Organization is up to its old dirty tricks again -- with lots of infighting and personal brokering/positioning.

In any case, be sure to vote on Tuesday, April 7, or vote early or absentee. Polling places will be the same as November election. I will resend this closer to the election.

Please feel free to share this with friends, neighbors, other 204 residents.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 8.0.238 / Virus Database: 270.11.29/2024 - Release Date: 03/26/09 07:12:00

[macrockett]

Oh, and how is that Board working out for you Owen. For the most part it is the Titanic imo. Dawn is good, but even Mark R is a great disappointment to me. Just go along to get along. CV as always, stands out. The rest? Clueless.

"After reviewing the field of 13 Dist. 204 candidates and listening to telecast of a candidate forum, I am supporting Cathy Piehl, Sue Rasmus, Dawn DeSart, and Mark Rising in the April 7 School Board election. They all seem to be fiscally responsible and interested in doing what is=2 0best for all the children as opposed to some special-interest group or neighborhood."

[macrockett]

Feb 29, 2012 16:28:53 GMT -6 EagleDad said:

There seems to be a lot of defensiveness and a bit of avoidance of participating in an open debate going on.

It does seem that the candidate could just answer the simple question asked (the source of the $3/capita debt).

Wavrinek does come off as a bit mean spirited in some of his posts - like he is pissed off about how/where/who scheduled this forum. Must be more behind that.

That said, I have to wonder where the candidates priorities lie when they choose not to participate in campaign related public forums. If I were a voter in this race (and I am not, thank goodness) I would weigh that heavily in my consideration.

Ed, I thinks the incumbents are counting on the voters not taking the time to look at their records at Will County, i.e., debt and unfunded liabilities, or their association with Supervisor Morse at Wheatland Township re the "new town hall."

I suspect there is more to come on that.

[macrockett]

Here is the last of the emails I sent Hart and Maher. I finally received an email from Hart, as disjointed as it was...

One question you should ask yourself, why wouldn't Hart and Maher ever respond to my two simple questions regarding Will County debt and their support for Todd Morse and his "vision" to build his own Taj Mahal?

In my opinion, because they knew the REAL debt per capita wasn't even close to $3 and that new town hall was rejected by so many voters last year they didn't want to be associated with it in any way.

As I have always said, stop listening to what they say and start looking at what they do.

Please vote today.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


From: MACrockett
Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2012 12:32 AM
To: SUZANNE HART
Subject: Re: FBR Fact Sheet FINAL.doc

Finally.... you know, all I am interested in is open, honest and transparent government where our tax dollars are spend wisely and our children aren’t left with a pile of debt and unfunded liabilities by politicians who have no clue about finances and have this idea that government belongs to them rather than the people. You both should care about the same thing as we all have children. I know where I stand. I also know where our federal, state and local governments stand as well. Up to their ears in debt and unfunded liabilities. Trouble is I understand I understand it much better than the two of you and the future is not going to be pretty.

If that weren’t enough, far too many elected officers at the municipal level are availing themselves to tax dollar via IMRF. More to come on that and other issues in the near future.

Here is what was reported in the paper, as I stated earlier:

napervillesun.suntimes.com/business/11248396-420/chamber-luncheon-focuses-on-transportation-primary-candidates.html
Republicans Suzanne Hart (3rd District) and Chuck Maher (4th District), incumbent Will County Board members running for election in the newly created 11th District, said Hudetz’s figures reflected new mandates from the state of Illinois limiting the amount of time governments were allowed in fully funding their pensions.

Noting that what was considered to be a fully funded pension often assumed all the government’s employees would retire on a certain date, they said the county already had taken steps to fully fund the pensions, setting aside $2 million this year alone.

The above statement is attributed to the two of you. And regarding GASB 45, I already know the story. Duh, CPA.

What does this refer to (from the above attributed to the two of you)?: new mandates from the state of Illinois limiting the amount of time governments were allowed in fully funding their pensions. And as to that set aside, at $2 million per year, how many years will it take to bring the unfunded pension liability to the point of being fully funded?

And please, will you answer my original two questions? What about that $3 “direct debt per capita” that is now on 5 pieces of media? Care to clue me in on what that represents? I certainly know that when you add together the debt and unfunded liabilities of the County and the Forest Preserve, it is a lot higher than $3 per capita, a lot higher. Remember, CPA, duh. In addition, where do the two of you stand on Wheatland Township? You either stand by Todd Morse or you don’t. Simple questions.

Regards, Mike Crockett


From: SUZANNE HART
Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2012 10:35 PM
To: MACrockett
Subject: FBR Fact Sheet FINAL.doc




www.gasb.org/cs/BlobServer?blobcol=urldata&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobkey=id&blobwhere=1175820452252&blobheader=application%2Fpdf

Not the state that did this but the Governmental Accounting Standards Board- see link.

We never said state. Good evening.


-----------------------------------------------------------

From: MACrockett
Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2012 9:34 AM
To: [e-mail] ; [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Will County Board

Hello? I thought that at some point you would finally respond to two simple questions, as I stated on February 12, now over a month ago.

Now I find that you are responding to the Chamber at a luncheon, yet you won’t respond to my two simple questions. That really hurts. I am a constituent, perhaps a biased one, but none the less, a constituent. When you put out such clearly flawed statements, I have to ask the questions.

At the luncheon, you are attributed in the press of saying, in sum:

napervillesun.suntimes.com/business/11248396-420/chamber-luncheon-focuses-on-transportation-primary-candidates.html
Republicans Suzanne Hart (3rd District) and Chuck Maher (4th District), incumbent Will County Board members running for election in the newly created 11th District, said Hudetz’s figures reflected new mandates from the state of Illinois limiting the amount of time governments were allowed in fully funding their pensions.

So now I have to ask, “new” mandates? Just exactly when did the State of Illinois do this, and what exactly did they do? Could you quote me the legislation?

Secondly, was there anything, anything that stopped Will County from fully funding those unfunded liabilities that are off book obligations Chuck? You have been there for what, 10 years?

I look forward to your answers. In the meantime, I will be having a meet and greet at the Tall Grass clubhouse this Saturday, March 17 from 3-6, if you care to answer my questions. I have a whole list I would love to ask.

Regards,

Mike Crockett



From: MACrockett
Sent: Sunday, March 04, 2012 2:29 PM
To: [e-mail] ; [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Will County Board

Hello again Will County Board Members,

Has it actually be 3 weeks since I first ask those 2 questions below? I would have thought you would be proud of the material you are putting out there, $3 “direct ...whatever.” The fact is, how can you respond when your record is all over the audited financial statements ... and all over the debacle at Wheatland Township.

That video from May 23, 2011 has done wonders to convert voters Chuck, and your silence is golden to voters. Same applies to you Suzanne. Especially your ties to Wheatland Township Republican Organization and Wheatland Township and Todd. You know it doesn’t help that your husband sits on the Finance committee and passed that bloated budget that gives the Township even MORE funds to waste, in addition to the $1.7 million on hand.

I left a few additional questions for you Suzanne, at that Patch article you (very briefly) commented on. naperville.patch.com/articles/forum-brings-dist-11-candidates-for-will-county-board-to-the-people

Perhaps you can get to me with the answers. Feel free to chime in as well Chuck. You’ve been kind of quiet lately.

Oh just an FYI I am sending out to the people I know in the area:

Do you remember receiving mail from or your HOA publication advertising messages for Will County Board candidates Suzanne Hart and Chuck Maher, touting “direct debt per capita” in Will County of $3.00? Really?

The fact is, since Chuck Maher became a Will County Board member in 2002, Will County has seen the largest expansion of debt and unfunded liabilities in its history. Since 2004, total obligations for debt and unfunded liabilities have grown by over 400%, per information in the audited financial statements. Also, have you seen his latest proposed projects, even though property tax collections are down dramatically from past years?

I want to thank both of you for your continued silence.

One last thing, don’t forget to check the D204 proboards where I continue to add more material as time permits:
ipsd204.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=talkabout&action=display&thread=3617

ipsd204.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=talkabout&action=display&thread=3714

Oh, I do have one more thing. Re Wheatland Township, there should be some more media attention coming up from there soon. WTS is the gift that just keeps on giving.

Regards,

Mike Crockett


From: MACrockett
Sent: Sunday, February 12, 2012 1:03 PM
To: [e-mail] ; [e-mail]
Subject: Will County Board

Hello Will County Board Members,

As a constitute I have received at least two mailing, and have seen another ad in the Tall Grass Whispers, that all state “direct debt per capita of $3.” Could you please define “direct debt per capita” and provide the source document for this claim (the Collar County Comparison –June 2011 Wells Fargo Securities).

As a practicing CPA at Deloitte and Touche at the beginning of my career, I am having trouble coming up with that figure. At a minimum, I am off by a factor of 200. And that is per capita debt, which doesn’t even include unfunded liabilities. So please clarify so I can share with other constituents who are asking me. I just tell them I have no idea.

Oh, one other thing. Did you hear the audio of the Wheatland Township meeting on Thursday night? It sure sounds to me like Supervisor Morse, and Trustees King and Haddad have no plans to follow the electors direction to sell the land at 103rd. In fact, it sounds like they want a redo and plan to build that new town hall that the people rejected. As I recall, both of you support Todd in his “vision.” Could you also please clarify where you stand?

Thank you very much. Here is the link to my remote server where you can download the audio file I refer to:

winsome.cnchost.com/MAC/ <--------go to the remote server where the file is located
WTS_02_09_2012_SupervisorsRep> <----( near the bottom of the list of files you will find this file) double click to download and then open it in Windows Media player. This particular audio deals only with the supervisors report in the Thursday agenda, for your convenience.



Regards,

Mike Crockett

[macrockett]

Remember those flyers mailed out by Hart and Maher, mentioned in the first post of this thread? Where they talk about $3 per capita debt? How accurately does their statement represent the Will County taxpayers per capita debt?

Here is what Fitch says:

www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/press_releases/detail.cfm?print=1&pr_id=737603

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Fitch Ratings | Press Release fitchratings.com

Fitch Affirms Will County, IL GOUT Bonds at 'AA+'; Outlook Stable Ratings Endorsement Policy22 Dec

2011 10:14 AM (EST)Fitch Ratings-New York-22 December 2011: Fitch Ratings affirms the following Will
County, Illinois (the county) general obligation (GO) bonds at 'AA+':
--$26.6 million outstanding alternative revenue source GO bonds, series 2005;
--$9.5 million outstanding alternative revenue source GO bonds, series 2006.
In addition, Fitch upgrades $3.1 million outstanding GO debt certificates (the certificates), series 2001B to 'AA+'
from 'AA'.

The Rating Outlook is Stable.

SECURITY
The alternative revenue source GO bonds are secured by a 1.25% sales and use tax levied within the county, landfill
host fees, and the county's full faith and credit and its ad valorem tax, without limitation as to rate or amount. The ad
valorem tax levy may be abated to the extent sufficient funds are deposited in the debt service reserve. Pledged sales
tax revenues in 2010 cover annual debt service in excess of 2.0 times.
The certificates are a direct general obligation of the county payable from any legally available funds, and not
subject to annual appropriation. There is no statutory authority to levy a separate tax to pay the certificates.

KEY RATING DRIVERS

UPGRADE CONSIDERATION: The rating upgrade to 'AA+' from 'AA' for the certificates more accurately reflects
the county's considerable financial resources, including a large unreserved general fund balance, to service the debt
obligation.

HEALTHY FINANCIAL RESERVES: Management has consistently been able to generate operating surplus and
maintain a healthy financial cushion.

ROBUST REGIONAL ECONOMY: The county benefits from a deep and diverse economic base, further augmented
by numerous career opportunities throughout the Chicago metropolitan region.

MANAGEABLE LONG-TERM LIABILITIES: The overall debt burden is moderate and future debt needs appear
reasonable. Pension payments to the state system are manageable but likely will increase over time as funded ratios
are weak.

MIXED SOCIOECONOMIC INDICATORS: Residents display average educational attainment levels, below
average individual poverty rates, and somewhat elevated wealth and unemployment rates.

CREDIT PROFILE

ROBUST REGIONAL ECONOMY
The county encompasses a large land area of 845 square miles located 25 miles southwest of downtown Chicago.
Residents benefit from a host of employment opportunities within Will County and throughout the Chicago
metropolitan area.
Socioeconomic indicators are mixed with above average wealth levels but also above average unemployment rates.
Median household income is 134% and 144% of the state and national averages, respectively. The county's
September 2011 unemployment rate (9.6%) was roughly on par with the state (9.5%) but above the national mean
(8.8%) and was also above the county's unemployment rate (9.2%) during the same period a year prior.
www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/press_releases/detail.cfm?print=1&pr_id=737603
Page 2 of 3 10/05/2012 10:59 AM
Nearly 51,000 additional employment opportunities were created within the county over the past decade; however
the labor force increased by 68,000 over the same time period, which has contributed to the elevated unemployment
rate.
The county's population and tax base experienced considerable growth, especially for a Midwest community, over
the past decade increasing 36% and 128%, respectively. The county is experiencing some continued growth;
however new construction and expansion is tempered by modest overall declines in the existing tax base.
Assessed valuation declined an unexceptional 2.8% in fiscal 2011 after at least a decade of robust growth. Full
market value is noteworthy at $93,821 per capita or $63.6 billion. The tax base is diverse with the top 10 property
taxpayers accounting for roughly 6% of total assessed valuation. The county's location proximate to downtown
Chicago coupled with available land helps position the community as a desirable place to live and promotes
continued future expansion.

HEALTHY FINANCIAL RESERVES
Financial performance has been commendable. The county generated a nominal 0.9% general fund operating deficit
in fiscal 2010, which was the first operating deficit throughout this protracted economic downturn. Despite the
deficit, the county ended the year with a notable 32% ($56.7 million) unreserved fund balance.
Ending general fund balances have exceeded 30% of spending for the past four years. For fiscal 2011, management
estimates the county ended the fiscal year with at least balanced general fund operations and maintained its robust
fund balance. Management's estimates appear reasonable given their past performance of active financial
management to achieve budget results.

MANAGEABLE LONG-TERM LIABILITIES

The overall net debt burden is manageable at $4,160 per capita or 4.4% of full market value. Principal amortization is average with 56% of total principal repaid within 10 years, and maximum annual debt service as a percentage of fiscal 2010 general fund spending is easily managed at 7.5%. A majority of the county's debt is supported by sales tax revenues, which amounts may only be used for infrastructure improvements and public safety.

The county provides employment benefits to its employees through a state sponsored defined benefit plan. As of December 2010, the unfunded actuarial accrued liability (UAAL) equaled $152.7 million or a nominal 0.2% of market value. The county contributed $16.6 million for its pension in 2010, which was $752,000 below the annual pension cost (APC). The state allowed unicipalities the option to cap its annual APC increase to 10% for five years beginning in 2010, allowing for gradual stock market recovery. The county made its full APC payment in 2011. Prospectively, Fitch expects pension payments to increase due to the plans weak funded ratio of 54.7% as of December 2010 based on Fitch's more conservative 7% discount rate assumption. The county provides other post employment benefits (OPEB) to its retirees whereby the county pays 100% of the insurance premium until the retiree reaches Medicare eligibility and then solely provides an implicit rate subsidy thereafter. Historically the county paid OPEB on a pay-as-you-go basis; however the county contributed an additional $2 million in fiscal 2011 to begin funding a trust, an action that Fitch views positively. The OPEB UAAL totaled $64.4 million or 0.1% of market value as of December 2010. The combined pension and OPEB payments equaled a manageable 11.3% of general fund spending.

Contact:
Primary Analyst
James Mann
Senior Director
[phone]
Fitch, Inc.
One State Street Plaza
New York, NY 10004
Secondary Analyst
www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/press_releases/detail.cfm?print=1&pr_id=737603
Page 3 of 3 10/05/2012 10:59 AM
Karen Wagner
Director
[phone]
Committee Chairperson
Jessalynn Moro
Managing Director
[phone]
Media Relations: Sandro Scenga, New York, Tel: [phone], Email: [e-mail].
Additional information is available at 'www.fitchratings.com'. The ratings above were solicited by, or on behalf of,
the issuer, and therefore, Fitch has been compensated for the provision of the ratings.
In addition to the sources of information identified in Fitch's Tax-Supported Rating Criteria this action was
additionally informed by information from Creditscope, University Financial Associates, and IHS Global Insight.
Applicable Criteria and Related Research:
--'Tax-Supported Rating Criteria,' dated Aug. 15, 2011;
--'U.S. Local Government Tax-Supported Rating Criteria', dated Aug. 15, 2011.
For information on Build America Bonds, visit www.fitchratings.com/BABs.
Applicable Criteria and Related Research:
Tax-Supported Rating Criteria
U.S. Local Government Tax-Supported Rating Criteria
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