Thursday, April 30, 2009

NW and Daily Heralds Bid Farewell to Snow by Publishing Stories about his Guilty Plea in Uninsured Driving Case


For some odd reason that old In Sync Song "Bye Bye Bye" that Bongo's pups used to blare from their CD players is stuck in his mind today.

Oh yeah, tonight is the night when District 158 officially says bye bye bye to Larry Snow.

Any parting words of wisdom (?) that Snow had planned to share with the community on his way out the door will now be heavily overshadowed by the article that ran, complete with Snow photo, on the front page of the local section of the Northwest Herald today.

Here's a link to it.

The Daily Herald also published a story about it today. Here is a link to that one.

Snow must be pleased. After all, we all know how much he enjoys seeing his name and photo in the paper. But somehow, Bongo guesses this isn't exactly how he would like to be remembered on the day that he will step down from the board of education.

It appears that the Northwest Herald and the Daily Herald, which were both completely uninterested in covering Snow's uninsured driving incident during the election, have finally realized that when an elected official gets caught breaking the law, its news.

With any luck, this will be the last time Bongo has to open his newspaper and see Snow's mug staring back at him.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

LARRY SNOW GUILTY OF DRIVING WITHOUT INSURANCE


Well, its three weeks post-election, and Larry Snow finally faced the music in court today on charges stemming from his January car accident.

The result regarding the allegation that Snow drove without mandatory car insurance?

GUILTY WITH 120 DAYS COURT SUPERVISION

Snow also has to go to traffic school and pay $429 in fees/fines.

Bongo believes this is the tip of the iceberg, because the Lakoma family will undoubtedly sue Snow to recover their costs for the totaled car, medical costs, etc.

Bongo does not know if Snow has a valid driver's license now or if his license is suspended until he makes full restitution with the Lakoma family.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Aileen Seedorf Spews "Anti-Teacher" Rhetoric on Local Blog


Bongo's all for free speech, but as my momma once said, "If you don't have anything nice to bark, don't bark at all."

Aileen Seedorf must have been gone on the day that this precious life lesson was taught in doggie finishing school.

A few days ago Bongo was blog-surfing and came across a discussion on Huntley Neighbors about upcoming Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week and activities for District 158's schools. It was a simple enough thread with a PTA member announcing the event and soliciting volunteers and donations from local businesses.

Simple, that is, until school board member Aileen Seedorf added her two cents.

"This almost sounds like a form of mandatory tangible appreciation for all whether or not you or your child have a good rapport or a successful interaction with an employee and it sounds a bit demanding, controlling, or over the top for any business - private or public.

Staff members are all adults. This should not be a case of pressing parents to do what a group (they do or don't belong to) is encouraging - no matter how well intended the group is.

This isn't a classroom of kids required to bring in Valentine cards for everyone in the classroom. It IS a business where parents are among the Taxpayers who are paying yearly raises and benefit increases above what the average person receives - whether or not more work is taken on or there is a change in responsibility - even in bad economic times - and that extra compensation, in a way, IS in itself a gift of appreciation."



Talk about dumping rain on a parade. Bongo would remind Ms. crabby-pants that teaching is a very nobel profession and those who teach 1)could make more money if they chose careers in the public sector, and 2)sometimes have immeasurable positive impacts on kids.

Four paws up to the PTAs for celebrating the hard working staff at the schools!

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

A Request from a Bongo Fan


Normally Bongo doesn't share his fan mail with his readers. But Bongo will make an exception today due to the importance of the subject matter.

Read on...




I am a faithful reader of your Blog and found it quite ironic that you would be writing about Linda Moore today. I am e-mailing you in hopes of getting the word out about what Linda is up to. Attached is a letter I sent to the Northwest Herald last week. Even though they assured me it would get right out they have yet to print it. I am not naive enough to think that the letter would make people attend an annual meeting of the Grafton Township (which is being attended by Cal Skinner and all of his buddies from Lakewood to vote down the new building project). My goal is not even to garner support for a new building. I am trying to get support for the Pantry. I am there several times a month and see that our community is in desperate need of its services and I see how dedicated the staff and volunteers are in trying to help. It can be heartbreaking. My goal is to also let people know what voter apathy does in letting people like Linda get elected. I think her new move is a new low even for her. I am just a volunteer at the Food Pantry so I admit I do not know all the ins and outs of the local politics involved or all the facts. But I know that she toured the Township offices a few weeks ago and declared that as soon as they (the Food Pantry) are out of there she would have plenty of room for her bigger offices (at which she plans on only spending 10 hours a week - another quote). She seems to have the support of the Mayor and John Rossi (who is staying as the director of the Pantry) is not getting any help from any of them in relocating. I'm curious to know if that is all politics. The Algonquin/LITH Pantry rents their building from the city for about $1 a month (Its an older maintenance building). So I'm asking for your support in getting the word out about Linda and maybe even getting help in trying to find a location for the Pantry. I know they are working with local realtors too. I don't know what else I can add but thanks for your time. I love your blog.

Here is a link to her letter to the editor. It ran in the Northwest Herald today.

Politics, politics, politics. Didn't anyone get the memo that Bongo needs a vacation at the Doggy Palace and Pet Spa? I guess a doggie's work is never done.

Someone should let Bongo know if Cal Skinner shows up. If he does, someone should direct him to the Algonquin Township meeting, which is also tonight, since Skinner lives in Algonquin Township and not Grafton Township.

Monday, April 13, 2009

A Day in the Life of Larry Snow: Post-Election

Well, you've seen the "Day in the Life" and the "Day in the Life Election version," so here is "A Day in the Life of Larry Snow: Post-Election." Enjoy!

6:15: Wake up in a cold sweat from a nightmare that Mike Skala has won the school board election by a landslide.

6:20: After repeatedly washing face with cold water, realize that my nightmare was not a dream but really happened.

6:30: After thinking about my election loss, I am still bewildered that my negative, unethical, untruthful, slimy campaign did not work. Cal Skinner told me it would.

7:15: Go to computer to make first attack of the day on the NW Herald Blog. Can’t find a single article about me to post on.

7:30: Realizing that I no long have an elected job on the school board, and never had an actual paying job, call Linda Moore to ask if she needs any help at the Township. I get her voice mail and wait for her to return my call.

7:45: Call Aileen, give her talking points for tonight’s school board meeting. She informs me that she already has her talking points ready and will no longer be needing my advice. She also then informs me that since she got twice as many votes two years ago than I got this year, she is now claiming herself as head of our political party – Solutions Now.

8:00: Go to computer and check Career Builder.com. Try to find if there are any jobs that meet my talents. Finding no listings for "political disruptionist", refine search to "political spin-meister". Still nothing.

8:05: Check voicemail. No call from Linda Moore. Leave her a second message.

8:15: Decide to check e-mail. While checking my e-mail I notice I am beginning to have a huge spam problem with offers from companies that sell car insurance.

8:16: Call Aileen back; beg her to have my role as chief of our political party back. She initially says no, but then says she will have to get a legal review. She then abruptly gets off the phone saying she has to go for a pedicure.

8:20: Check voicemail. No call from Linda Moore. Leave her a third message.

8:30: Call Cal Skinner to see what I can get on his blog today. He informs me that he is now going to focus more now on township government. I ask him if he wants to have lunch, he tells me he is busy.

8:35: Call Jameel at Daily Herald. Tell him I have a great scoop about the 2004 referendum. Jameel informs me that he was in high school in 2004 then and could care less.

8:50: Call Aileen back and concede that if I can’t be the head of our political party, I at least want to be an officer. She tells me she is still awaiting a legal review.

8:55: Check voicemail. No call from Linda Moore. Leave her a forth message.

9:00: Return to Northwest and Daily Herald on-line sites. Go back to previous articles about me and post attacks at random.

9:30: Call Jack Roeser. Tell him the $1,365 he put in my account a few days before the election won’t quite cover expenses. Hang up when Roeser suggests I get a real job.

10:00: Call Linda Moore once again, and I get David Moore. He says Linda is not available to talk to me. I take the opportunity to ask if he might have any mowing work for me to do this summer. Dave tells me to submit my resume. Realizing that I don’t have a resume, I decide that is another dead end.

10:10: Call my attorney and ask him to postpone my court date once again.

10:15: Start calling Del Webb residents at random in an attempt to find out why they did not turn out to support me this election. The first person I call asks if I had car insurance on the day of the accident. As I explain to the person that it is not a simple yes or no answer, they hang up on me.

10:20: Aileen calls me back and says that she and Linda Moore have officially taken over Solutions Now and have renamed it LindaDorf Independent Thoughts. She tells me not to call back.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Snow "Sugar Daddy" Jack Roeser Pumps Key Cash into Snow Campaign at 11th Hour


Documents posted on the Illinois State Board of Election's web site show that Jack Roeser of North Barrington pumped $1,365 into the Snow campaign during its last week. You can click on the document above to make it easier to read.

Roeser, known as an anti-public education zealot by many, is known for making large donations to candidates and groups he wishes to control. He is also known for his ultra-conservative views, but Bongo guesses that those ultra-conservative views don't prohibit Roeser from financially backing a guy who got caught not following the law and whose former spouse said he beat the heck out of her on many occasions.

Roeser just doesn't give candidates money. He expects something in return. Roeser's business Otto Engineering is located in District 300. Remember a few years ago when Larry Snow was working against the District 300 referendum and speaking at rallies in District 300? Shortly after, Roeser made a nice donation to Solutions Now. Payment for services rendered?

I wonder what Larry will have to do for Roeser now? I hear Snow needs a new project. Maybe he'll go to work for Roeser on a more full-time basis.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Coming Soon: Skala Chia Pet!


In yesterday's Northwest Herald, editor Kevin Lyons published an editorial about the low voter turnout on Tuesday. He wrote about how people seem to think the elections for lower levels of community government weren't important.

And then he suggested the Mike Skala Chia Pet.

Bongo couldn't resist.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

SKALA WINS BIG IN D 158


UNOFFICIAL VOTE TOTAL:
SKALA: 2,308 (64%)

SNOW: 1,295 (36%)

Bongo wonders if Larry Snow will ask for a recount.

Northwest Herald Story

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

TODAY'S THE DAY! VOTE!



The Northwest Herald editorial staff said it better than Bongo ever could... You can click on the article to make it easier to read.

Now put on your coat and go VOTE!

Monday, April 6, 2009

Snow, Snow, Go Away...


Bongo had to do a double-take this morning when when he went outside to chase some bunnies.

Snow? In April?

Let's just hope its not a sign of things to come.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Haven't You Had Enough Snow?


Yesterday Larry Snow's campaign literature arrived at Bongo's house. And Bongo's puppy pal from down the street said she got an automated phone call from the Snow camp.

A few days ago, Mike Skala's literature appeared on Bongo's door and a post card arrived in the mail.

Bongo took the time to read all of the literature from both candidates.

As Bongo read through Snow's literature, he saw allegations that Skala was running a smear campaign against Snow.

So Bongo put Snow's literature and Skala's literature side by side on the carpet. The Skala literature did not even mention Snow. It outlined the Skala accomplishments and spoke to the value Skala has brought to the board of education. It mentioned future goals, and the post card included endorsements from Senator Althoff and Representative Tryon. Impressive.

The Snow literature, on the other hand, attacked Skala and represented the very essence of a "smear" campaign. Snow took credit for everything good that has ever happened. Bongo half expected Snow to take credit for the invention of the retractable dog leash.

A comparison of the literature showed that Snow put out a piece of campaign literature which attempted to smear the reputation of his opponent. Skala put out a piece of literature and a post card that touted his accomplishments and didn't even mention his opponent.

Next, Bongo visited both candidates' web sites.

The Skala web site focused on accomplishments and future goals, it listed endorsements, candidate questionnaires, position statements and a section on ethics. Nowhere on the site did Skala take a swipe at the character of Larry Snow.

But the Snow web site was filled with character attacks against Skala and included many statements that are downright not true. Some of the statements that Snow made on his web site have been proven false, yet he wrote them anyway.

Bongo is reminded of the Daily Herald endorsement of Skala, where the editorial board members said,

"Critics ... would note [Snow's] mercurial and challenging personality and tendency to spin things to Mars..."

and

"To throw verbal grenades or allegations just to rile things up is hardly effective in any forum, much less a school board."

This last ditch effort by Snow to accuse Skala of the very behavior that Snow has engaged in for the last four years would be laughable, if it weren't so completely offensive.

Haven't you had enough "Snow?" The "Snow" can end on Tuesday if the voters make sure their voices are heard at the polls.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

You Gotta Love YouTube: Snow "Responds" to Insurance Question at Sun City Forum


At Saturday's candidate forum in Sun City, Larry Snow was flat out asked if he had state mandated car insurance on the day of his car accident in January.

It's a simple yes or no question.

Here is how Larry chose to answer the question. Isn't it nice that he actually accuses the mother of the victim of not telling the truth?

He's quite a piece of work.

You'll need your speakers turned on.
Larry's Response to the Insurance Question

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Skala Blood Relative Reunion Scheduled for July


Click on the invite to make it easier to read.

Many have already RSVP'd, including:

Uncle Chuckie "Sass" Skala

Brother in law Eddie "Plaza" Skala

Sister Jo Ann "Lakoma" Skala

Cousin "Shawn the Cop" Skala

Auntie Kim "Skaja" Skala

Cousin Pam "Fender" Skala

Uncle Bobbie "Hurrie" Skala

Aunt Carolyn "Bien" Skala

Brother "Bob" Skala from the Algonquin Police Department

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Snow Car Crash Victim's Mom Writes Letter to the Editor: Snow Attacks Her on Blog


Holy Dog Piles! It's a low move, even for Larry Snow.

Jo Ann Lakoma exercised her right to free speech by writing a letter to the editor of the Northwest Herald, and by 6:30 AM Larry was already attacking her on the blog. He accuses her of making politically motivated statements and suggests she get her facts straight. All done, Bongo assumes, to deflect attention from the real issue that Snow drove without insurance and then directed his attorney to get a court continuance of the case until after the April 7 election.

Pertaining to whether or not Snow had legally-required insurance, the Lakoma family would know, wouldn't they? After all, insurance companies are dealing with the costs involved, right?

Bongo is guessing that Larry's lawyer is cringing at the insensitivity Snow is showing the family of the victim. It should make for great fodder in court, whenever Larry eventually decides to answer to the charges filed against him.

Here is a link to the letter.

Monday, March 30, 2009

TONY QUAGLIANO ENDORSES MIKE SKALA



It appears that more and more people are waking up and smelling the dog piles when it comes to Larry Snow. At Saturday's forum in Sun City, a two-page endorsement of Mike Skala written by Board Vice President Tony Quagliano was distributed.

This endorsement is very important for a few reasons. First and foremost, Quagliano used to be a Snow supporter and in the letter he admits that four years ago he voted for Snow. Secondly, Quagliano is a leading authority in Illinois on school finance, and the people of Sun City respect him. Third, Quagliano explains in detail why he resigned from Snow's political action committee.

Read the letter for yourself. Click on the images to make them easier to read.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Mother of Snow Car Accident Victim Comes Forward to Share Story


(click on the image above to make the letter easier to read)

All Bongo can say is W-O-W!

A few of Bongo's peeps shared a letter they received in the mail on Friday from the mother of the boy who was driving the car that was hit in Larry Snow's January car accident.

This gutsy mom pretty much put to bed any question of whether or not Snow had car insurance on the date of his accident.

On a similar note, a few of Bongo's fans were at the Sun City candidate forum yesterday, and they said that Snow was flat out asked whether or not he had car insurance on the date of his car accident. It was a simple yes or no question.

Snow gave a five-minute non-answer.

Bongo's Sun City fans also said that Snow addressed the Lakoma letter and actually had the audacity to take a swipe at this angry mom, by saying that some of the statements in her letter weren't true.

Which part Larry? The part where she said you didn't have insurance? The part where she said her son was injured and his car was totaled? The part where she said her son's recovery of costs were delayed because you got a continuance until after the election so you could hide this information from voters? Or the part where she said your recklessness has changed her son's life forever?

For Snow to attack the mother of the boy injured in a car accident that was Larry Snow's fault is a new low, even for Larry Snow.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Pro-Skala Sentiment Continues Through Editorials


Well, if any of you humans are keeping track of the letter to the editor contest, Mike Skala is definitely winning. Bongo has only seen two pro-Snow letters.

Here is a listing of some of the pro-Skala, anti-Snow letters that Bongo has seen over the last few weeks.

Character Counts

Skala Support

Future of D-158

Support Skala

Vote for Skala

Supports Skala

Supports Skala(2)

Vote Transparency

For Skala

Supports Skala(3)

Where's the Transparency?

Send Message

Supports Skala(4)

Skala Best for Dist. 158 Board

Friday, March 27, 2009

A Day in the Life of Larry Snow: The Election Edition


A very clear pattern has emerged during this election season. Welcome to "A Day in the Life of Larry Snow: The Election Edition."

6:15AM: Wake up on wrong side of bed, immediately check Northwest Herald and Daily Herald online. If anyone has written a letter in support of Mike Skala, immediately begin posting responses personally attacking the writer.

7:00AM: Look outside; make sure that nobody has put any Skala signs in yard overnight.

7:15AM: Call Aileen; find out if she’s had an independent thought yet today. Finding that answer is "no", make a mental note to check back with her later.

7:30AM: Call Linda Moore; find out if she’s figured out how she's going to keep her campaign promise not to build the new township building yet. Finding out the answer is "no", tell her its OK; that I didn't keep any of my campaign promises from four years ago either.

7:45AM: Look in yellow pages for an insurance agent; call to check on prices for auto insurance.

8:00AM: Go back to Northwest and Daily Herald web pages. If anyone has responded to my earlier attacks, immediately attack them. Deny allegations from a real restraining order that that I beat my ex-wife; post that she was involved with the 2004 referendum and that she's a blood relative of Mike Skala.

8:15AM: Think about formulating a board policy that would help raise achievement scores.

8:16AM: Realize that previous thought of actual productivity for kids was foolish; go back on attack mode.

8:20AM: Call Aileen; find out if she’s had an independent thought yet today. Finding that answer is still "no," make a mental note to check back with her later.

8:30AM: Call Jameel at the Daily Herald, complain that my earlier on-line posts were removed because of "violation of terms of service". Chastise Daily Herald for being too sensitive when I go on attack mode.

8:35AM: Call Don Bond. Become furious that Bond says that even he is going to support Skala this time around.

8:50AM: Go back on-line and attack some more. Go to other articles on website and attack bloggers at random.

9:00AM: Call Aileen; find out if she’s had an independent thought yet today. Finding that answer is still "no", make a mental note to check back with her later.

9:15AM: Call the head of the support staff union HESPA; ask if they've changed their mind about not endorsing me. Finding out the answer is still "no", create first draft of nasty comments to be shared at next BOE meeting.

9:30AM: Read first few pages of "How to Win Friends and Influence People"; toss it in the trash and decide it doesn’t apply to me.

9:45AM: Linda Moore calls me; is giddy over news that Moore Turf Care got a mowing contract for 2009. They beat out a 16 year old boy for the job of mowing the Smith’s yard for $30 per week. David Moore is happy he is back in business.

10:00AM: Being exhausted from four hours of reckless attacking, go to bed to take nap.

Noon: Repeat actions from the morning, and when it becomes clear that the blogging against me won't stop; call the papers and try to shut down all on-line free speech.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Larry Snow Gives "Voice" Reporters a Lesson in Chicago-Style Politics


It's a joke, right? (Click above to make the image larger)

Yesterday Bongo printed the endorsement for Mike Skala from the Huntley High School student newspaper "The Voice."

But also included in that edition of the paper were school board candidate responses to seven questions that were asked of each of them during telephone interviews with student reporters. The questions represented a broad range of topics, and each of the six candidates, except for one, answered the questions politely and by outlining their views and how they felt their particular skill set could benefit the school district.

Larry Snow did not respond respectfully or politely to the student reporters. He used the interview as another opportunity to engage in a smear campaign against his opponent Mike Skala. Mike Skala, on the other hand, did not even mention Larry Snow in his answers.

While each question was framed in such a way that the candidates were encouraged to tell the student reporter about themselves and why they would be a good school board member, Snow turned every answer into a Skala-bashing session. His answers were rude, spun around half-truths, and were a classic example of the dirty politics that one would hope that our children would never want to engage in. Nice example you set for the kids there, Larry.

But one part of the article made Bongo roll over with laughter. When the candidates were asked about some of their weaknesses, Snow, who spends what appears to be the equivalent of full-time hours on the blogs each day slinging mud and ilk, actually said he's been told he's "too nice a guy to be in an elected political office."

You know, a lot of phrases come to mind when Bongo tries to describe the behavior of Larry Snow, and "too nice" is most definitely NOT one of them.

Even more interesting is that Snow claims the comment came from his daughters. Would these be the same daughters who, if you believe the court documents that are floating around the community right now, were listed in a restraining order request as allegedly being present in the house while Snow beat his former wife? (the allegation is listed in a restraining order request from DuPage County that can be found at the web site www.transparent-snow.info)

That restraining order was granted, by the way, and then later upheld by a judge, according to the documents.

Hey Larry, the next time you want to LIE to kids, you might want to choose something that isn't so easy to refute (see NW Herald Blog, DH Blog, meeting minutes, press archives from many newspapers, DH Endorsement of Skala, etc.)

Too nice? It's a joke, right?

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

HHS "THE VOICE" ENDORSES MIKE SKALA


...Click on the image to make it easier to read.

The main endorsement says this:

"While both have experience, Skala has served the school district for nearly a decade, and his passion for the schools and especially the students shows through constantly. Because of this, The Voice endorses Mike Skala for the two-year position. Not only does he have immeasurable experience but his cooperative attitude has aided progress during board meetings and for our district as a whole."

Bongo is not surprised by this nice endorsement. After all, Bongo is guessing it would have been hard to endorse the guy who tried to censor your newspaper a while back...

Endorsements: Skala: 2 Snow: 0

Monday, March 23, 2009

From My Puppy Pulpit

Yesterday the Daily Herald endorsed Mike Skala for the District 158 two-year school board seat. Bongo was very pleased with the editorial and was glad to see that the Daily Herald has come to the conclusion that Larry Snow has let the community down since taking office in 2005 and that he does not deserve to be reelected.

The editorialists from the Daily Herald made several key statements in the endorsement piece. Here is Bongo’s two cents:

Daily Herald: "Skala's critics, primarily led by Snow, note that Skala's wife is a teacher and has been a union official in the district, questioning why Skala at one point voted on a teacher's contract or was anywhere near negotiation sessions. It's a valid concern and, when initially raised more than an election ago, he took steps to ensure he is not part of those tricky teacher contract negotiations."

Bongo: When Mike Skala voted in favor of a teacher contract seven years ago, no one from the community and no one from the board at the time suggested that he should recuse himself. The meeting minutes from this time period clearly reflect this. Illinois law, both then and now, is quite clear that as a board member Mr. Skala had every right to vote on that contract. But a few years later when it was thought by some that Skala should not have voted on that contract, Mike said he would abide by the wishes of the community and remove himself from future discussions and votes regarding teacher contracts. He kept his word, and when subsequent contracts were penned in 2006 and 2008, Skala did not participate in discussions and he did not vote. Again, the meeting minutes from these time periods are clear on this.

The individual who was the biggest critic of Skala at the time was Larry Snow. He claimed it was inappropriate for a board member to vote on an issue where there was a conflict of interest. But less than a year ago, Mr. Snow was asked to recuse himself from snow removal discussions and votes because he had taken a very public stance as an advocate for the existing snow removal vendor Moore Turf Care. The requests for Snow to recuse himself came from both community and other board members. Meeting minutes clearly reflect that he was asked to step away from the snow removal issue. After coming down on Mr. Skala for not recusing himself from a vote seven years ago, Snow refused to step away from the snow removal discussions, and when an ultimate vote came up for the new contract, Snow voted not to award the contract to the new vendor, Tovar, even through they were the lowest bidder and had an unmatched record of customer satisfaction.

Daily Herald: "Similarly, after Skala's role on the infamous referendum mistake that would have cost taxpayers more than bargained for, he worked hard to make amends, becoming a prime mover in the change of state law to prevent it from happening again."

Bongo: This statement strikes to the core of Mike Skala’s character, and also at one of the key differences between Skala and Snow. While Snow stood on the sidelines and pointed fingers of blame and polarized the community, it was Mike Skala who apologized publicly to the community and then quietly rolled up his sleeves and worked with board member Quagliano and with Senator Althoff and Representative Tryon to fix the flaw in the law and protect the taxpayers. As a result, District 158 taxpayers did not pay one penny more than what the referendum question said, and the revised law saved them millions on tax bills. Skala also led the charge to get rid of two members of the D 158 administration who did not inform the school board members that their ballot initiative could have cost taxpayers more than what was thought. And Snow? Sure, Snow made a couple trips to Springfield, but anyone else who was there will tell you that Snow’s abrasive demeanor in Springfield was not well-received by the decision makers whose votes were critical to the bill’s success.

Daily Herald: "Critics, including us, however, would note his mercurial and challenging personality and tendency to spin things to Mars muddies the picture. In response, he toned it down for awhile and seemed to be an effective board member despite a tendency to showboat in public with less than the full story."

Bongo: It pleases Bongo that the editorial staff at the Daily Herald is calling Snow out for his abrasive personality and for spinning half-truths around a load of garbage as he tries to build himself up by knocking others down.

Daily Herald: "To throw verbal grenades or allegations just to rile things up is hardly effective in any forum, much less a school board. As witnessed by numerous posts on various news stories in recent weeks, Snow's spinmeter is on overdrive and it's clear he feels his public post is a pulpit with a loudspeaker and a spotlight."

Bongo: This too pleases Bongo. It is about time that officials from newspapers are willing to say what Snow critics from the parental community have been saying for years. His behavior is divisive, unconstructive, unstable, and completely inappropriate for an elected official.

Daily Herald: "Though we've thoroughly chastised Skala at times, we've found he's worked hard to remedy his errors and has developed into a reasoned, thoughtful board member tuned in to both the district's and taxpayer's needs. Mike Skala is endorsed."

Bongo: Bongo is pleased that the Daily Herald'd editors are publicly recognizing that Skala has learned from his mistakes and has grown over the last few years into a very fine board member.

Now, the election is two weeks from tomorrow. Everybody go vote early at the Huntley Park District!

Sunday, March 22, 2009

DAILY HERALD ENDORSES MIKE SKALA

This morning, the Daily Herald published their endorsement for District 158's two year school board seat and their endorsement went to Mike Skala. Their write up stopped just short of suggesting that Larry Snow had gone off the deep end.

Here is a link to that endorsement, and since their words are better than any Bongo could ever come up with, I'm printing their endorsement, word for word, below.

Many an elected official or candidate for public office has made a mistake at some point in his or her career. The final judgment often stems not from the mistake itself, but from what was learned from the error.

Such judgment becomes even more important when two candidates running for a single seat both have flaws in their public roles.

Such is the case in Huntley Unit District 158 where incumbents Michael Skala and Larry Snow are competing for one 2-year seat. Four other candidates are running for the four 4-year seats.

Both Snow and Skala have their public critics. Both have, clearly, made mistakes in their public tenure. And both have also brought much good to this school district where contention and board meetings seemed irrevocably linked for a long time.

Skala's critics, primarily led by Snow, note that Skala's wife is a teacher and has been a union official in the district, questioning why Skala at one point voted on a teacher's contract or was anywhere near negotiation sessions. It's a valid concern and, when initially raised more than an election ago, he took steps to ensure he is not part of those tricky teacher contract negotiations.

Similarly, after Skala's role on the infamous referendum mistake that would have cost taxpayers more than bargained for, he worked hard to make amends, becoming a prime mover in the change of state law to prevent it from happening again.

Snow has also brought some good by asking hard questions and challenging the school board to be fiscally responsive and restrained. Critics, including us, however, would note his mercurial and challenging personality and tendency to spin things to Mars muddies the picture. In response, he toned it down for awhile and seemed to be an effective board member despite a tendency to showboat in public with less than the full story. To throw verbal grenades or allegations just to rile things up is hardly effective in any forum, much less a school board. As witnessed by numerous posts on various news stories in recent weeks, Snow's spinmeter is on overdrive and it's clear he feels his public post is a pulpit with a loudspeaker and a spotlight.

That's worrisome.

Though we've thoroughly chastised Skala at times, we've found he's worked hard to remedy his errors and has developed into a reasoned, thoughtful board member tuned in to both the district's and taxpayer's needs. Mike Skala is endorsed.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Snow Tries to Stifle Contributions of Newest FAC Member


Some people just never learn. Gee, even Bongo's pup only touched a hot stove burner once before learning his lesson.

The censorship monster reared its ugly head again Thursday night when the board appointed a new member to the Financial Advisory Committee (FAC).

After four years of trying to halt the publication of student newspaper editorials, trying to remove literary classics from classrooms and trying to limit the board president's ability to share information with staff members, wouldn't you humans think that Larry Snow would come to the realization that censorship is a no-no?

Evidently he hasn't.

Huntley resident Michael Laird applied for a vacancy on the FAC, and board member Tony Quagliano recommended that the board approve the appointment. Mr. Laird is a CPA who happens to be the spouse of a teacher. As soon as his name was mentioned for the post, Snow tried to amend the motion to exclude Laird from participating in any FAC discussions that related to teacher salaries or contracts. And Bongo will give you a bone if you can guess who quickly provided a "second" to Snow's motion... Yup. the (not really) independent thinking Aileen Seedorf.

The other five board members disagreed with Sowdorf's attempt to limit Laird's ability to participate and learn, and they voted down Snowdorf's attempt at censorship 5-2.

Isn't board member Snow the guy who advocated for David and Linda Moore when they had a $250,000+ snow removal contract with the district and then who refused to recuse himself from further discussions and votes on snow removal? Ah. Just checking.
(See "Do as I Say, Not as I Do" post from the other day)

Did Bongo mention that the "A" in FAC stands for ADVISORY? As in, they are an advisory board with no voting authority? And did Bongo mention that the sole purpose of the FAC is to put financially savvy district residents from varying backgrounds together to serve as a sounding board for financial ideas and as another group of eyes to check numbers?

Those who have served on the FAC have told Bongo that they have learned a lot about the intricacies of school finance from serving on that advisory committee.

So Bongo's question to Snowdorf is this:

If by serving on the FAC, the spouse of a teacher could gain a much better understanding of how school district finance differs from finance in the private sector of business, why would you not encourage this learning opportunity?

And who knows... Maybe the others can learn something from Mr. Laird too.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Five of Six School Board Candidates Cordially Discuss the Future of D 158 at HEA/HESPA-Sponsored Forum


You could see the hopeful looks on people's faces as they watched five school board candidates explain their views on issues facing District 158 at the candidate forum on Wednesday. They knew that four of the five were uncontested and that those four candidates were headed for seats on the board.

But Mike Skala was the star of the evening. In spite of the fact that his opponent Larry Snow didn't bother to show up, Skala provided thoughtful and productive answers to a variety of questions from the HEA/HESPA and from the audience.

The noticeable element of the evening? Everyone got along. There were no unfounded allegations of corruption, no nasty name calling, just five adults acting their age.

"Wow. This is what it could be like after April," is what Bongo thought.

But Bongo just doesn't get why Snow would not attend this event. As lead negotiator for the last contract, he's the guy responsible for giving the teachers raises that are a minimum of 5.45% higher than the rate of inflation this year. You'd think he'd be a hero. But instead, Snow stayed behind and continued with his blog-based smear campaign.

Here is a link to the Northwest Herald's story. Notice that Snow, who didn't think that appearing at the only forum open to parents was worth the effort, was the first to post on the blog this morning at 6:03 am.

As one poster said, "He's got nerve."

Have you early voted yet?

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Snow Thumbs Nose at Parents; Decides NOT to Attend Candidate Forum at Conley


Yesterday Larry Snow announced that he would not be attending the District 158 Candidate Forum this evening at Conley Elementary School.

It was pretty much a case of

"If you're not going to play by my rules (attacking reputations and throwing out ridiculous allegations) I'm taking my ball and going home."

Snow said he was backing out of the forum because he disagreed with the rules set forth by the teachers union and the support staff union, which organized the event. Here are the rules:

1. There will be a rotation of which candidate responds to the question first.

2. Each candidate will be given two minutes to respond to questions asked.

3. People are not allowed to interrupt when another person is speaking.

4. Personal attacks will not be allowed.

5. At the end of the session, each candidate will be allowed four minutes for a closing statement.

6. If the event cannot be cordial, we reserve the right to end the public forum.

Sounds fair to Bongo. But evidently Snow got into one of his "obsessive compulsive" e-mail exchanges with the event chair, and started throwing out all kinds of allegations and insults once it became clear that the HEA and the HESPA would not cave into Snow's demands that he be allowed to engage in personal attacks.

Two of Bongo's readers shared the following comments from Snow's exchange with the event chair:

"Comparisons between candidates' positions will not be permitted. The event is designed to allow candidates to share anything about themselves they wish to convey to the public. However, candidates are not permitted to share their views on other candidates or other candidates' views, board voting history etc. We hope you can see where that type of interaction could quickly deteriorate into personal attacks.
In response to concerns initially expressed by at least one candidate that the event might turn into a free for all or X number against one, we decided to eliminate the variables that might promote hostile and negative interaction between the candidates. It was made very clear that the event will be a strong reflection on the two unions hosting the event. We took that feedback under consideration in arriving at the format we did.
Candidates will be guests of the HEA and the HESPA. Candidates are invited to participate in what we understand to be the only candidate forum open to the public. We do not believe that it is too much to ask that participants abide by the ground rules put in place to address the concerns expressed by those very same individuals." -Event Chair

"Does the HEA want to take a position against professionally phrased
political free speech?" -Larry Snow

"I can understand why the HEA wants to hide Mr. Skala's voting record and actions from voters." -Larry Snow

"I understand how Mrs. Skala has been an official in your teachers union, and teacher in our district, and how you want to help her husband get elected to be in a position again to overtly help your union during future negotiations." -Larry Snow

"Your ground rules are intended to make your event a publicity event for Mr. Skala with restrictions that favor Mrs. Skala's husband. Your remarks have highlighted how it will not be a neutral event but showcase the union's bias." -Larry Snow

Once again, is this the guy you want making decisions for kids for the next two years? Is this the guy you want representing District 158? You can early vote Snow outta here between 8:30 and 4:30 M-F and from 9-1 this and next Saturday at the Huntley Park District.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

The Pot (Snow) Calls the Kettle (Skala) Black in Daily Herald Meeting


I'll say one thing. The guy's got nerve.

Larry Snow actually walked into an endorsement interview at the Daily Herald and accused Mike Skala of voting on an issue for which he had a conflict of interest...seven years ago.

Evidently, Mike Skala voted in favor of a contract for roughly 200 teachers in 2002, which was three school board terms ago.

On the flip side, Larry Snow, during this last term, served as an advocate for his friends who had a $250,000 snow removal contract with the district. He attended a meeting between Moore Turf Care and the District 158 Administration, and Snow represented the interest of his friends David and Linda Moore and not the interests of the District and its taxpayers!

Here's the key difference between what Mike did and what Larry did.

In 2002, there was not one member of the community, not one member of the school board, or one member of the media who questioned Skala's decision to vote. There was no public outcry and certainly no newspaper headlines suggesting that Skala had a conflict.

In 2007-08, after Snow advocated for his friends, Snow was asked by President Green on several occasions and by Tony Quagliano on one occasion, to recuse himself from future discussions and votes regarding snow removal. Even the news media wrote about it and made it clear that Snow had crossed a line of impropriety. Yet even though he was asked by several people to recuse himself, Snow refused, and continued to advocate for the Moore's from his seat on the Board rail.

And when it was time to award the new snow removal contract? Snow again refused to recuse himself from the vote and voted NOT to give the new contract to the lowest bidder, Tovar Snow Removal.

Can you say HYPOCRITE? Can you say LIVING IN THE PAST?

The moral of the story is this: Larry Snow lives in a "do as I say, not as I do" world and is stuck in the past. After all, he had to go all the way back to 2002 to find ammunition for his Skala smear campaign.

NW Herald 7/20/07

Approved Meeting Minutes

NW Herald Editorial

Candidates Forum Slated for Conley on Wednesday

Come one, come all! Your chance to meet the candidates running for the District 158 Board of Education is tomorrow!

The HEA is sponsoring a Meet the Candidates Night Wednesday, March 18 at Conley Elementary School from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. The four uncontested candidates who will take the four-year seats are expected to be there to answer your questions, but the real event will be the Skala-Snow show.

Unless Snow is a No-Show.

Remember two years ago when Snow financed the election campaigns of Aileen Seedorf and Linda Moore? Neither of them bothered to show up to the only forum that would be held outside of Sun City where parents could attend.

Bongo's guess is that Snow is weighing the pros and cons of coming to Conley on Wednesday, where the crowd is most likely to be weighted heavily with Skala fans. He's probably also pulling up a google map so he knows how to get there (has he ever stepped foot inside Conley school?).

Bongo will be watching and he hopes you will be too. Will he show up? And if he does, how will he explain the dirty deeds that are bound to come up when the public has an opportunity to ask questions?

Stay tuned...

Monday, March 16, 2009

On Your Mark, Get Set, VOTE!


Today marks the beginning of Early Voting for the April 7 election. That means you humans can vote pretty much any day (other than Sundays) between now and April 2nd.

All you need is a photo ID and you can vote.

Residents of District 158 can vote any time between 8:30 and 4:30 Monday through Friday at the Huntley Park District building, one block west of the intersection of Route 47 and Mill Street. They can also vote on Saturday the 21st and the 28th from 9:00 to 1:00.

So really, there's no excuse. Moms, get yourselves over there and vote. It will take less than five minutes. What a GREAT thing for your kids to see you do. Dads, get yourselves over there and vote. If you're not available during the day, mark your calendar for this upcoming Saturday or the Saturday after that, and make your voice heard!

This last weekend, Saturday and Sunday were beautiful days! Isn't it remarkable the difference that we all feel when the "Snow" is gone?

VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

For those who work outside of Huntley, your ballot can be cast at any of these other facilities at the times listed:

McHenry County Administration Building
667 Ware Rd., 2nd Floor, Conference Room A
Woodstock, IL 60098
Mar 16th thru Mar 20th, Mar 23rd thru Mar 27th,
Mar 30th thru Apr 2nd
Hours: 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM
Saturday, Mar 21st and Mar 28th
9:00 AM to 1:00 PM

Algonquin Township Offices
3702 US Hwy 14
Crystal Lake, IL 60014
Mar 16th thru Mar 20th, Mar 23rd thru Mar 27th,
Mar 30th thru Apr 2nd
Hours: 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Saturday, Mar 21st and Mar 28th
9:00 AM to 1:00 PM

McHenry Township Offices
3703 N. Richmond Rd.
McHenry, IL 60050
Mar 16th thru Mar 20th, Mar 23rd thru Mar 27th,
Mar 30th thru Apr 2nd
Hours: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Saturdays--NO Hours

Nunda Township Offices
3510 Bay Rd, Annex
Crystal Lake, IL 60012
Mar 23rd thru Mar 27th, Mar 30th thru Apr 2nd
Hours: 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Saturdays--NO Hours

Harvard Area
Dunham Township Offices
107 Airport Rd
Harvard, IL 60033
Thursday, Mar 26th thru Friday Mar 27th,
Monday, Mar 30th thru Thursday, Apr 2nd
Hours: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Saturday, Mar 28th
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Marengo Area
Marengo-Union Library, 2nd Floor

200 S State St
Marengo, IL 60152
Monday, Mar 30th thru Thursday, Apr 2nd
Hours: 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM

Sunday, March 15, 2009

A Walk Down Memory Lane, Part V


Today's post marks the end of our walk down memory lane. This five-part series was a chronology of the dirty deeds done by Larry Snow since he entered the D 158 scene in the spring of 2004.

Bongo hopes you have enjoyed the series and he would encourage you to send the link to this site to all of your voting friends in District 158. The series, backed up by newspaper clippings and approved meeting minutes, shows that a vote for Larry Snow is a vote for continued:

wasted tax dollars for political gain
advocacy for friends over what is best for students and taxpayers
reckless behavior
attempts to hide important information
exposure of District 158 to costly law suits
slander against colleagues and other elected community officials


And with that, here is the final lap of our walk, which represents Snow's activities during the last 2 1/2 months:

Part V

January, 2009
Snow Slams the Professional Integrity of New Head Finance Official Before His First Day of Work in D 158


Just as he did with Ms. Ferrier a year before, Larry Snow welcomed a new addition to the District 158 Fiscal Services Department in January of this year by attacking Mark Altmayer’s reputation at a public school board meeting. Snow voted against the hiring of Altmayer, and after voting “no,” Snow said, “The candidate’s responses in the two interviews reminded me too much of Paul Halverson.” Nice. Welcome aboard, Mr. Altmayer.

Daily Herald 1/9/09

NW Herald 1/9/09

January, 2009
Snow Ticketed for Driving an Uninsured Vehicle

Toward the end of January, Larry Snow was ticketed by Algonquin police for driving an uninsured vehicle. Snow was also ticketed for failure to yield in the 9:00 am incident. Driving without insurance is against the law. As today, Snow has still not produced proof of insurance for the date of the accident, even though he could have had someone take the proof to the courthouse in Woodstock at any time.

“Well maybe following the law isn’t important to you, but it sure is important to me!”

Famous last words spoken by Snow just a few weeks prior to Tony Q.

NW Herald 2/12/09

Daily Herald 2/10/09

February, 2009
District 158 Foundation Hosts Second Annual Community Showcase; Five Board Members Support or Contribute- Two Do Not


The District 158 Foundation’s Community Showcase is a treat every year. Community members from the ages of 5-85 take the stage at the Huntley High School Performing Arts Center and show their talents. The event is also a huge fundraiser. Money raised through the showcase is used for scholarships for HHS seniors and for grants for K-12 teachers.

Five of District 158’s school board members supported the show in some way. Two did not support the showcase in any way, shape or form.

President Green: Emcee and performer in the show
Vice President Quagliano: Attended the show in support of the community
Kim Skaja: Director and Organizer of the event
Kevin Gentry: Ticket taker at the door and attended the show in support of the community
Mike Skala: Major financial donor to the event
Aileen Seedorf (Chair of Community Relations for D 158): Nothing
Larry Snow: Nothing

February, 2009
Snow Asks for Preferential Treatment and Extra Money Spent on Del Webb Citizen Surveys


At no time over the last four years has Snow come to the realization that as a board member his job is to represent ALL of his constituents, not just some of them. In yet another blatant display of favoritism, during a February discussion of how the high school capacity survey would be distributed, Snow asked that the citizens of Sun City receive preferential treatment over parents and other community members. Snow thought it would be best if Sun City residents received their surveys via first class mail, while everyone else could receive theirs via bulk mail. His reasoning was that many Sun City residents spend their winters in warmer locations and bulk mail would not provide for the forwarding of the survey.

What about the club homes in Manchester Lakes? Those homes are owned primarily by senior citizens. What about the many, many seniors who live throughout district 158 in other neighborhoods?

Bongo guesses that in Snow’s mind, the opinions of people outside of Sun City aren’t as important.

February, 2009
Snow Lobbies for “None of the Above” Option for High School Capacity Survey


Larry Snow was part of the high school capacity survey issue from its inception several months ago. So Snow knows very well that the survey is structured in a way that clearly explains that it is an “IF we need additional classroom space for high school students” survey, and not a “we are determined to build more classrooms so which option would you prefer” survey.

But in February, Snow attempted to alter the survey to add a “none of the above” option to all questions. He did this knowing that the survey will also include some open ended questions where residents could express that exact point of view if desired.

Correct Bongo if he is wrong, but if the District is only going to build additional classrooms if/when the population of students moving through the district warrants it, the “I don’t care if you have to shoehorn them in there like sardines, I don’t want one new brick” option doesn’t seem like a feasible one. It sounds more like a manufactured campaign issue to me.

February, 2009
Snow Sends Attorney To Mandatory Court Hearing to Get a Continuance Until After the Election for Driving Without Insurance Case

Larry Snow, who preaches about the importance of transparency, did not send his attorney to court with all of the facts surrounding his ticket for driving an uninsured vehicle on February 24. While it would have been very easy for Snow to send his proof of insurance with his attorney to court, he instead directed his attorney to obtain a continuance of the hearing until after his election on April 7. Snow’s new court date is April 28, three weeks after the election.

How convenient, and how utterly non-transparent. But oh, how predictable!


March, 2009
Snow Engages in Negative Smear Campaign Against Skala and Anyone who Dares to Support Him

With election season in full force, Larry Snow has really started to show his true colors. He spends what appears to be hours each day blogging nasty comments about his opponent Mike Skala and about any individual who publishes a letter in favor of Skala or critical of Snow. Never mind that the people submitting the letters are Snow’s constituents and in many cases are the parents of the kids he claims to care so much about. On many occasions his comments have been pulled from the blogs because editorial staff members have found Snow’s comments to be a violation of the Federal Communications Decency Act.


March, 2009
Snow Exposes District 158 to Liability with Manufactured Campaign Issue


At the March Committee of the Whole meeting, Larry Snow made one thing very clear. He is absolutely willing to expose District 158 to a costly lawsuit for his own political purposes.

At the very beginning of the meeting, Snow tried to amend the agenda for the evening to add “Acknowledgment of Sexual Harassment Claim Settlement” to the agenda. His sidekick, the independent thinking (not) Aileen Seedorf quickly seconded it. The other five board members voted against adding the item and many explained their vote by saying that discussing that issue during the public meeting was inappropriate because it was a personnel issue. Board President Green, who usually does not explain his votes, felt the issue warranted an explanation. He said he was voting against adding the item because it would expose District 158 to huge liability. The vote was 5-2 not to add the item to the agenda.

Issue closed, right? Nope. Not with an election a month away.

After a few blog entries by Snow about the issue, Snow went to his favorite blog and made an outrageous accusation that Mike Skala was trying to sweep a sexual harassment issue regarding an employee under the rug and “hide” it from people.

The entire issue is absurd, yet very telling. Any human who had lingering doubts in the past about Snow’s real motives had those doubts put to rest. Clearly,

Larry Snow is willing to expose the District to a very costly lawsuit, all in the name of fabricating a campaign issue.

March, 2009
Mike Skala Travels to Springfield to Testify Before Senate Committee While Snow Stays Behind and Attacks him on Blogs All Day


On March 11, Mike Skala, Tony Quagliano and Dr. Burkey made the long drive to Springfield to testify on behalf of a bill that would increase D 158’s state aid by more than $2 million per year. It’s a four hour drive each way, but a small price to pay if the end result eases the tax burden on District residents.

Larry Snow, who chairs District 158’s legislative committee, didn’t go to Springfield. Instead, he spent the entire day on the blogs, attacking the reputation and character of Mike Skala.

State Senator Pamela Althoff credited Skala and Quagliano for the bill having received a favorable vote by the committee:

“I thought [the Illinois State Board of Education] made their case, but Tony and Mike were dead on target, and they swayed the committee,” said Althoff.

NW Herald 3/12/09

Saturday, March 14, 2009

A Walk Down Memory Lane, Part IV

October, 2007
HHS Student Threatens Gun Violence; Snow Does NOT Vote to Expel Student


When a Huntley High School student went on Myspace in October and threatened to kill his teachers and some students and asked if anyone knew where he could get a gun, the entire community knew about it. So on November 1st when the Board of Education held a closed session regarding disciplinary action for a student, everyone in the room knew to which student the board was referring.

District 158’s policy on gun violence is very clear: Zero Tolerance. So Bongo was shocked and appalled when the vote to expel the student was not 7-0. Larry Snow did not vote in favor of expelling the student. Neither did Seedorf. They both abstained, but refused to provide their reasons.

NW Herald 10/12/07

NW Herald 10/17/07

Approved D 158 Meeting Minutes 11/1/07


January, 2008
Detailed Forensic Audit Shows No Fraud: Snow Declares “Auditors are Wrong!”

Well, it cost the taxpayers more than $100,000 and 18 months of administrative time, but the school board officially closed the book in January 2008 on a targeted audit of the district’s fiscal department. The conclusion: No fraud. Sloppy bookkeeping by a CFO that no longer was employed by the District, yes, but criminal wrong doing? Absolutely not.

This is not what Snow was hoping for with his “witch hunt.” He was hoping to find a smoking gun that would send someone to jail. So what did Snow do? He did what he always does, and attacked the credibility, reputation and integrity of the audit firm. He also accused the other board members of telling “half-truths” with regard to the audit.
An interesting issue in the audit report was a discovery that more than $34,000 in rent for the house across the street from Huntley High School was owed to the District. Who lived in the house and wasn’t paying their rent? Linda Moore and her family. Snow actually wanted to have this information about the rent dropped from the audit report. Can you say “Chicago-style politics?”
So Snow wanted to omit key information that might reflect badly on a political ally and then claimed the rest of the board was telling “half-truths.” The Northwest Herald editorial board said it best when they wrote, “Snow’s and Seedorf’s hypocrisy is disturbing but not surprising. And their act has gotten very, very old.”

NW Herald 2/5/08

February, 2008
Snow Suggests Holding Board Meetings in Sun City


In late 2007, President Green had made a suggestion that “scorecards” be available at board meetings so that audience members could provide feedback on the efficiency of meetings and the conduct of board members. Snow called it a “political stunt” on the part of Green, who he said would stack the audience with his friends.

So it was surprising in February, when Snow suggested moving 1/3 of the board meetings to Sun City, which coincidentally is the home base for much of Snow’s support. Why was it “political” when Green wanted to solicit feedback on board performance, and not political when Snow wanted to move meetings into Del Webb, where non-Del Webb residents would not have been allowed to attend?

February, 2008
Snow Suggests Limiting the Number of Middle School Students Who Can Participate in Track and Field

At the Committee of the Whole Meeting in February, Snow voiced an objection to hiring an additional assistant track coach at Heineman to handle the 350+ kids who wanted to go out for track. Keep in mind that track and field is the one “catch-all” sport where even the average athlete is guaranteed participation in home meets. Unlike other sports, kids don’t have to try out for the track team. The suggestion was baffling, because each child who participates pays a $40 participation fee, which would have covered the cost of the assistant coach. Additionally, it was baffling that Snow would have wanted to limit daily physical activity for children, a segment of society where obesity rates are exploding.

Approved D 158 Meeting Minutes 2/7/08

March, 2008
Snow Suggests That Different Ethnicities of Students Should Pay Different Fees for Summer School


Sometimes, Bongo wonders if Larry Snow thinks before he speaks. At the March Committee of the Whole meeting, Larry actually suggested that different “demographics” of people should be charged different rates for summer school. Note that Snow did not say that summer school fees should be determined by financial need, but by demographics. Snow’s implied reasoning was that every family in District 158 which utilized English Language Learner services was a family of limited financial means. The suggestion was a slap in the face to District 158’s diverse population of families. While Snow thought that the ELL program fees should be reduced (ie those families can’t afford it), he thought the fees for the summer reading program should be increased (those families could afford to pay more).

Approved D 158 Meeting Minutes 3/6/08

June, 2008
Snow Puts Foot in Mouth with Everyday Math Comment


At a committee meeting in June of 2008, Snow aimed his venom at District 158 Curriculum Director Dr. Olson. Snow asked what the process was for reviewing textbooks, and then said, “When will we look at the Everyday We Don’t Learn Math series?”, implying that the existing elementary school math series, called “Everyday Math,” is terrible.

What Snow didn’t mention, is that while Everyday Math is difficult for parents to adapt to because it is “new math”, ISAT scores have increased significantly since the program was implemented several years ago.

July, 2008
Snow Praises Fund Balances Created from 2004 Referendum

Does anyone remember what Larry Snow’s platform was when he ran for the board in 2005? He promised that if elected he would reverse the referendum because it was never needed. Snow never strayed from that battle cry, even when everyone else with any financial expertise whatsoever said the referendum WAS needed and that the fund balances it created WERE vital to the solid financial footing the District now has. But in July of 2008, during teacher contract negotiations, all of a sudden Snow was singing a different tune.

The Northwest Herald wrote that Snow said the fund balances allowed the district to cover its costs before property-tax payments arrived in June and that previously, the district borrowed money through tax-anticipation warrants that could require six-figure interest payments. He also praised the fund balance by saying that District 158 earned about $750,000 in interest last year with the fund balances. “That’s a lot of money,” Snow said. “Without the interest income, we would not have been able to hire the number of teachers that we did for this last year. It is helping to keep class sizes down and pay for the last teachers’ contract,” Snow said.

NW Herald 7/29/08


September, 2008
Snow, Lead Negotiator for District 158, Leads Board into Approving Huge Pay Hike for Teachers During Economic Recession


Throughout the contract negotiations with the HEA, Snow proclaimed himself to the press as the “lead negotiator” for the Board. The three-day strike ended when Snow and his colleagues approved a new, two-year contract with teachers that this year will give them raises that are a minimum of 5% higher than the rate of inflation, and much higher than that for some teachers. Board member Mike Skala did not vote for the contract; he abstained from the vote and the discussions because his wife is a teacher.

NW Herald 9/14/08

November, 2008
Snow Disagrees with Policy Requiring Board Members to Sign in at School Offices When Visiting


In November of last year, the board held a discussion regarding a policy for board members visiting school buildings. The proposed policy stated that board members would have to sign in at the school office upon arrival at any school. Snow immediately took exception to the proposed policy and said it should NOT require board members to sign in at school offices when they visit the schools.

Why wouldn’t Snow want people to know when he was in the buildings?

December, 2008
Snow Accuses Tony Quagliano of Not Thinking It’s Important to Obey the Law


In a budget discussion at the Building and Finance Committee meeting in December, Larry and Tony disagreed on how budgeting should be done. Snow said one thing, and Quagliano, a CPA at a respected firm, said Snow was mistaken, and that District 158’s budgeting process was proper. Snow, not known for ever admitting he is wrong, fired back, “Well maybe following the law isn’t important to you, but it sure is important to me!”

This particular quote by snow would come back to bite him in the backside a few weeks later, when he was ticketed for breaking the law by driving an uninsured vehicle.

December, 2008
Board Discusses the Value of Background Checks for Board Members; Snow Votes Against It


In December, the Board was talking about whether or not they would be supporting a list of resolutions from the Illinois Association of School Boards. One of the resolutions dealt with a requirement for all school board members to have a background check. Almost everyone thought it was a good idea. After all, teachers have to have background checks. Substitute teachers have to have background checks. Custodians and bus drivers have to have background checks. It only makes sense that board members who can come and go as they please at the schools should have to have a background check.

Notice Bongo said “almost” everyone. Larry Snow voted against supporting the resolution, saying it was unnecessary.

OK, so Snow is not in favor of writing a policy which states that board members must sign in at school offices when they visit and he is on record as being opposed to background checks for board members. Does anyone other than Bongo see some huge red flags here?

Coincidentally, two months later, at a February board meeting, a resident spoke during public comment and suggested that the board should create a policy of their own which required board members to have background checks. Snow, who had phoned into the meeting, jumped right in and was noticeably upset by the suggestion.

The issue came up again in March, and each board member was asked if they supported drafting a policy that would require background checks for D 158 board members. President Green, Vice President Quagliano, Gentry, Skala and Skaja all said they were in favor of it. Aileen Seedorf said she was against it and Larry Snow refused to answer the question.

So much for making sure that student safety is priority #1.

NW Herald 3/6/09

Friday, March 13, 2009

A Walk Down Memory Lane, Part III

When we last left off, Bongo had shared summaries and news clippings showing Larry Snow's trail of destruction from 2004 through May of 2007. Feel free to look back at those posts if you missed them or if you need a refresher...

Part III

July, 2007
Snow Tries to Renege on Superintendent Contract That He Voted to Approve


When Superintendent Dr. John Burkey was hired in 2006, Larry Snow was involved with the creation of the contract, including its wording and the salary figures. So Larry was well aware that Dr. Burkey was given a starting salary that fell well below the average for Superintendents in large K-12 districts. Snow also knew that the contract provided for a pretty large salary bump after Burkey’s first year, which increased his pay but still placed him below most of his peers with regard to pay.

Snow voted in favor of the Burkey contract.

One year later, Snow tried to renege on the deal he helped to create, and said Dr. Burkey did not deserve a large raise. Snow made these comments in open session even though he knew that personnel matters were closed session topics. During the meeting when he was asked to refrain from discussing the contract in open session, Snow continued with his rant, in direct violation of the code of conduct for school board members.

When Snow was reminded that he helped to negotiate the contract and knew full-well what salary provisions were in it, Snow said he didn’t understand the contract he voted to approve. But wait a second. Didn’t Snow say his background was as an expert in contract arbitration? Hmmm.

NW Herald 7/14/08

July, 2007
Board Discusses New Snow Removal Contract; Snow Refuses to Abstain from Discussion and Vote


After a year of nothing but trouble with snow removal vendor Moore Turf Care, discussions took place in July to award the contract for the next year. From his chair on the board rail, Larry Snow immediately began advocating for his friends and political allies Linda and David Moore. He spoke up in favor of the vendor even though he knew the contract had brought nothing but headaches onto the administration. Board Vice President Tony Quagliano asked Snow to recuse himself from the snow removal discussion since he obviously was not a neutral party, but Snow refused and continued to advocate for his friends Linda and David Moore.

Wasn’t Larry Snow the guy who made all kinds of accusations about political cliques and political favoritism toward friends? The fact that Snow refused to recuse himself from the snow removal discussions proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that his first priority was to try to get a lucrative District 158 contract for his friends.

NW Herald 7/20/07

September, 2007
Snow Shows Complete Disregard for Rules During September BOE Meeting


Larry was in rare form at the September, 2007 Board meeting. He was argumentative and disrespectful during almost every agenda item discussion. Here are summaries of just a few of his controversial and disruptive actions at this meeting:

Snow Admits his Sun City Attack Ads were Politically Motivated; Refuses to Correct Misstatements

Snow’s controversial and disruptionist tendencies were apparent right off the bat. During the public comment portion of the meeting a resident questioned the content of Snow’s full page ads in the Sun City Herald in the days leading up to the election. It was pointed out that many of Snow’s accusations were false, and Snow himself admitted that the ads were politically motivated. Snow was asked to publicly correct the misinformation he had provided to the residents of Sun City, and he refused.

Snow Tries to Remove Moore Turf Care’s Latest Blunder from the Agenda

One agenda item on this night was an oil spill by Moore Turf Care on the playground at Leggee. Snow moved, and Seedorf seconded, a motion to remove a discussion of the spill, which MTC did not report until a full 24 hours after it occurred, even though they knew there would be children on the playground that day. The Snow-Seedorf attempt to protect their friends failed and the issue was discussed during the meeting. According to the Leggee Principal, about a quart of oil had been spilled down the entire length of the playground on Wednesday morning, and children were slipping on the spill all day on Wednesday. Notification of the spill by Moore Turf Care did not occur until Thursday.

Robert’s Rules? We Don't Need No Stinking Robert’s Rules!

Also on this date, Larry Snow made a motion to completely ignore Robert’s Rules of Order and proper parliamentary procedure, and have the board meetings run by the vice president for three months. Snow cited his dissatisfaction with the manner in which President Green was conducting meetings.

In reality, Snow was frosted that Green cut his comments off when they bordered on slanderous for the district, included verbal attacks against other board members and administrators, or were blatantly false statements. In other words, Snow was mad that Green was actually enforcing parliamentary procedures which prohibit such activity at a meeting.

Green defended himself by saying that he stood by his actions and while it is not his job to interrupt a speaker when he disagrees with the speaker’s opinion, it is most definitely his responsibility as President to interrupt when incorrect statements are made.

Again with the Attempted Censorship…

A bit later in the meeting, Snow requested that any e-mail sent district-wide by the board president must first have superintendent approval. Snow then accused Green of sending a politically motivated e-mail to all staff.

Here is the content of the e-mail that President Green sent to all staff members:

Hello all-

I hope the first couple weeks have gone well. From time to time, an individual BOE member will contact a staff member for information requests, etc. I’d imagine most of the time this is not a problem, but I have been made aware of instances where staff members felt obligated to put higher priority work on hold to handle these requests. Just a reminder- Policy 2:140 provides you all with the authority to tell us to take a hike if we, as individual board members, are pestering you! The mission statement is “Inspire, Challenge, Empower,” not “drop everything you’re doing and handle a request from an individual board member.” Please take a few minutes to re-read this policy, and feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns regarding this or any other issue.


Snow Disregards Closed Session Rules and Tries to Discuss and Vote on an HEA Contract Issue in Open Session

Still on a roll, Snow decided that the rule that contracts and negotiations can not be discussed in open session without the consent of both parties, was not important. Even after he was told that his actions could compromise the board and the District, Snow went on to make a motion about the level of teacher salary increases for the upcoming contract. Even his sidekick Seedorf knew this one was wrong, and she did not provide her customary “second” to Snow’s motion.

Snow Votes Against Snow Removal Contract that Doesn’t Go to Moore Turf Care

Due to the lousy job the Moore’s did with snow removal the prior year, they were prohibited from bidding on the contract for 2007-08. Bids were opened and a new snow removal vendor emerged… Tovar. The company had an impeccable record of customer satisfaction and they had the equipment and manpower to assure that District 158’s snow removal needs would be handled on time and correctly.

Snow voted against giving the contract to Tovar, even though they were the lowest bidder. Any lingering doubt about Snow’s loyalties and priorities were put to rest when he voted against what was clearly in the best interest of the District’s taxpayers regarding snow removal.

Snow Tries Again to Circumvent Open Meeting Act Regulations

Evidently not swayed by the board’s explanation that discussing teacher compensation in open session exposes the Board to possible liability, Snow tried to amend the annual budget proposal to include a $25,000 line item for teacher bonuses. Snow was told that his motion was a violation of the bargaining agreement, and Snow provided no measurable method for determining who would get the raises. Board member Gentry said he had no opposition to rewarding good performance, but reminded Snow that it is not good business practice to violate a contract.

Snow Votes Against Balanced Budget
On this night, Snow voted against the budget. Even though the budget showed revenues that were higher than expenditures, Snow voted against the budget.

Approved BOE Minutes, 9/20/07

October, 2007
Snow Blasts Village of Huntley Officials and Lobs Allegations of Backroom Deals with Developers

Evidently, trying to ruin the reputations of his other board colleagues and the administration was not enough for Larry Snow. In October, Snow published statements which accused officials from the Village of Huntley of making backroom deals with developers. Snow’s comments included this: “A few free lunches, a few free dinners, a thank-you envelope in the Christmas basket sent to the home and a few well-placed political [contributions] and you have a recipe for overcrowding (in Huntley).”

The unfounded comments were made in regard to a development in unincorporated McHenry County, which was not giving any impact fees to the local schools. In a three-page response to Snow’s allegations, Huntley Mayor Chuck Sass said Huntley has no jurisdiction over developments in unincorporated areas, and the village could not annex the property because it was not contiguous to any Huntley border.

NW Herald 10/4/07

November, 2007
Snow Tries to Create Community-Wide Panic Over MRSA Issue

In the fall of 2007 a few cases of MRSA, a drug resistant skin infection, surfaced in McHenry County. After a case was identified at Martin Elementary School, all District 158 schools were “supercleaned” to help prevent the spread. In all, 238 elementary classrooms, 90 middle school classrooms and 105 high school classrooms were cleaned. When it was discovered that a few kindergarten classrooms at Chesak had trash cans that had not been emptied, that entire school was supercleaned again.

Soon thereafter, Snow began suggesting on newspaper blogs that a MRSA epidemic might be on the horizon and he pointed fingers at District 158 administrators. The District eventually had the communicable disease coordinator for the McHenry County Health Department come to a board meeting to calm the brewing community-wide panic. She explained that the District’s MRSA response effort went “above and beyond” what they needed to do to respond to a case of MRSA in one building.

Tony Q, disgusted with Snow’s attempt to scare parents into thinking their administrators didn’t care about the safety of their kids, had this to say:

“What Mr. Snow provides throughout his writing is pure, unadulterated fear mongering at its worst.”

NW Herald 11/8/07

December, 2007
LITH Resident Michael Luecht Takes out Full Page Ad in Northwest Herald and Asks Snow and Seedorf to Resign


By December of 2007, much of the community was fed up with Larry Snow’s antics and despicable behavior. Residents were surprised on December 15 when they opened up their Northwest Herald and saw a full page two-color ad. In the ad, Lake In The Hills resident Michael Luecht explained that he has attended board meetings and “the two obstructive board members are stunning to watch in action. They just want attention, they do not have an identifiable agenda, and they are certainly not qualified to be in leadership positions.”

Little did Luect know that the next week Stacie Talbert would resign her position as the District’s top fiscal office employee because of Snow and Seedorf.

If you don’t know who Michael Luecht is, he and two of his friends were recently in the news as the incredibly generous donors who created the MCC Promise Fund, a scholarship program available to high school seniors. To say he’s a good guy would be putting it mildly.

December, 2007
Comptroller Resigns: I Feel Like a Sitting Duck


In a move that both surprised and angered parents, Comptroller/Treasurer Stacie Talbert resigned at the December meeting, and on her way out the door she made perfectly clear that her departure was a direct result of Larry Snow’s and Aileen Seedorf’s treatment of other board members, of administrators and of District employees. “I’ve personally witnessed how they have attacked my colleagues and I feel like a sitting duck wondering when it will be my turn. Here at District 158 the word ‘administrator’ is viewed as a dirty word by some, and the type of collaboration, trust and respect between some of the Board members and administration is not conducive to moving the school district forward. Overall, I cannot work in an organization with such negative culture.”

NW Herald 12/26/07