District 100 Referendum on At large Representatives fails

Above graph is from:  https://www.facebook.com/parentspass/photos/a.493758367392620.1073741828.489647251137065/558737924227997/?type=1&theater

Thank you to all my supporters

 

We tried very hard to get our message across.  But it was perhaps the wrong time.  Congratulation to Mr. Larson and Mrs. Giesecke.  Please do represent all of us.

BILL PYSSON

 

Results from Boone County Election

D1 CTY BOARD
(210)

Total

Number of Precincts
14

Precincts Reporting
14
100.0 %

Vote For
2

Total Votes
7194

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BILL PYSSON
DEM
1730
24.05%

SHERRY GIESECKE
REP
3245
45.11%

RAYMOND R. LARSON
REP
2219
30.85%

On a happier note here are the results of two county wide referendums; these results are identical my vote on the issues.

Bill’s Election Information

Rockford Register Star’s Candidate Questionnaire

The RR Star requires voter to compare two candidates.  To date neither Mrs. Giesecke nor Mr. Larson have completed the survey.  Mrs. Giesecke was selected to be the second candidate only because two candidates are required to retrieve Bill Pysson’s responses.  To see if the two Republican candidates now have submitted their surveys go to:  http://e-rockford.com/voterguide/

Bill Pysson (Dem) retired

Sherry Giesecke (Rep)

Change Candidates

Social Media

Biographical Information

Age 65

Occupation Former teacher, bank auditor, veterans claims examiner, Viet-Nam era veteran.

Family Married Margaret Osbakken (1981); Daughter, Mary Anne, living and working in Chicago. Son, Michael, working in Seattle, WA.

Campaign Address 9592 Denver Drive
Belvidere, Illinois

Campaign Phone (815) 544-5115

Website http://boonecountywatch.blogspot.com/

Email bill.pysson@gmail.com

Education/degrees earned BA in Education, MA in Economics, MBA in Finance

Why are you running for Boone County Board?

Bill Pysson I seek re-election to the Boone County Board because there are many improvements still needed for our county government. The accounting function is criticized each year by our external auditors for not having written procedures. Documentation of vehicle usage, citizen’s complaints and animal kennel occupancy are rudimentary if not, non-existent. Government is a series of checks and balances—the county board controls funding to the elected officials however thorough questioning of their budgets and financial actions does not always occur. The county board makes decisions with too few comparisons regarding costs of our county’s functions versus comparable counties. Revenues have not returned to pre-2008 levels; costs are escalating particularly in the policing and public safety areas. More questions need to be asked for county government to improve.

Friends and neighbors, both Democrats and Republicans, have asked me to run again.

Sherry Giesecke Candidate response is not yet available.

Why should voters vote for you?

Bill Pysson I have a track record of questioning, investigating and taking a stand on issues. I have taken actions to improve county government. The following is a partial list of my accomplishments: Required bidding for county owned farmland. Regular updating of changes in the county code are now available on the county’s website. Staff answering Freedom of Information Requests now have completed the state mandated training. Employees supervised by the County Administrator now have annual written reviews. For the first time in seven years a physical inventory of all county property was taken and a perpetual inventory is being devised. Public disclosure of employee salaries and benefits is made by name rather than position. Voluntary and paid positions in county government are being posted on the county website. I needed help from fellow board members to accomplish these improvements and sometimes there were major obstacles from leadership.There is much more to do. VOTE FOR BILL PYSSON

Sherry Giesecke Candidate response is not yet available.

Do you support larger property setback rules that would allow for wind turbine development in Boone County? Why or why not?

Bill Pysson The wording of the question confuses the issue. The current ordinance only sets the "minimum of minimum" setbacks. Under the ordinance each wind turbine will require a special use permit which will take into account the unique geographic conditions of each turbine and its effect on the health and welfare of our citizens. Each turbine will have individual positioning which under most conditions will greatly exceed the ordinance's minimum setbacks. For more than two years anti-wind forces have attempted to change the stated minimums to much larger setbacks which would effectively outlawed wind turbines in Boone County. I voted "NO" to these larger setbacks. Our current ordinance is designed to use the special use process to insure safe positioning of turbines. Such positioning can occur only when an actual application is received. My position is nearly identical to the recommendation of the professional staff of the Boone County Planning and Zoning Department

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Post Card sent to Candlewick Lake and Southern District One:

Final Newspaper Ads

Posted by bill pysson at 11:20 AM No comments:

Labels: boone county, Candidate Pysson, county board, election

There appears to be some criticism of the District 100 referendum proposal

Dean Marcellus says “NO” in Journal  See:  http://district100watchdog.blogspot.com/2014/11/bcj-letter-to-editor-opposes-district.html

 

Allison Reid- Niemiec  said:  VOTE NO

SEE:  http://district100watchdog.blogspot.com/2014/10/letter-vote-no-on-district-100-ballot.html

PASS  Parent Advocating Students and Staff appear to have many questions

SEE:  https://www.facebook.com/parentspass  see also:  http://district100watchdog.blogspot.com/2014/10/district-100-school-referendum.html

Mr. Ben Stanley of the Rockford Register Star had an article on the referendum

SEE:  http://www.rrstar.com/article/20141029/NEWS/141029272/10368/NEWS This article is also available at:  http://district100watchdog.blogspot.com/2014/10/belvidere-could-change-way-school-board.html

District #100 Proposition for Nov. 4th, 2014 ballot - YouTube

This presentation is from PASS  Parents Advocating for Students and Staff

Click on the following to view the “YOU Tube” clip:  District #100 Proposition for Nov. 4th, 2014 ballot - YouTube

Question of the Month: What are the fees if my dog is impounded for running at large?

Winter Warming Centers for Boone County

 

Belvidere could change way school board is elected - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

 

By Ben Stanley
Rockford Register Star
Posted Oct. 29, 2014 @ 8:00 am
Updated at 10:23 AM

BELVIDERE — A proposition to change the way Belvidere Board of Education members are elected will be on the Nov. 4 ballot.

As it stands, four of the board’s seven members must live in Belvidere Township and three must come from the four remaining townships in the district. The proposition is to elect all board members at-large, which means it wouldn’t matter where board members live as long as they reside within the school district.

Ten of the 13 school districts in Boone and Winnebago counties elect school board members at-large, according to Boone Winnebago Regional Office of Education Office Manager Tom McCullough. Belvidere, Durand and Rockford school districts are the only three that elect board members differently. Voters in Durand will also be asked this election whether or not all school board members should be elected at-large.

Superintendent Michael Houselog said that one reason the Belvidere School District decided to pursue at-large elections is to make it easier to appoint board members in case of a resignation.

Currently, the district must fill a vacancy with someone who meets the same residency requirement.

“For vacancies, it’s made it very difficult,” Houselog said of the district’s current school board election system. “In the past, we haven’t had people to fill those positions. We had people ready and able but they weren’t from the right township.”

Boone County Board member Bill Pysson said that he suggested the district pursue at-large elections for Belvidere Board of Education members nearly two decades ago, but has since changed his mind and would rather keep the current election system in place.

“I find it very surprising that the board is trying to do this,” Pysson said. “There’s an overrepresentation of board members that reside in the Belvidere North high school subdistrict ... Belvidere High School does not really have a representative on the board.”

According to Pysson, the current township residency restrictions were put in place more than 50 years ago when several subdistricts in School District 100 merged.

“When they merged, some of those townships really wanted to make sure that their voice would be heard, so the requirement that there be some non-Belvidere Township representation was put into the merger requirements,” Pysson said.

Above is from:  Belvidere could change way school board is elected - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

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Comment from this article on  District 100 Watchdog: http://district100watchdog.blogspot.com/2014/10/belvidere-could-change-way-school-board.html

Allison Reid-Niemiec said...

The concern over 50 years ago was to make sure non-Belvidere township had a "voice" on the school board. The same concern is just as valid today as it was 50 years ago. In regards to Superintendent Houselog's statements, I offer the following. Since June 2010, there have been 4 board resignations: 1) Ted Stenerson in June 2010 (seat filled by Robert Torbert appointed July 2010); 2) John Powell in Aug. 2012 (seat filled by Larry Cunningham appointed Sept. 2012); 3) Larry Cunningham in June 2013 (seat filled by Ron Ramos appointed July 2013); and 4) Ron Ramos (seat filled by Jason Colson appointed Oct. 2013). The fact that the seats were each filled by the board, within 30 days, directly refutes Superintendent Houselog’s statement, “In the past, we haven’t had people to fill those positions. We had people ready and able but they weren’t from the right township.” Is Superintendent Houselog saying the individuals that filled the vacated seats were not “ready and able?” I am also unsure who Superintendent Houselog is referring to as “we” in his statement. “We” cannot be the school board as he is not a voting board member, nor does he have the authority to appoint members to open seats. As for the Boone/Winnebago Regional Office of Education Office Manager Tom McCullough’s statement that 10 of 13 school districts in Boone/Winnebago elect board members at-large, this is inaccurate. There is a minimum of 4 districts that do not vote at-large. Pecatonica #321 being another district that is divided into townships and elected by township. The remaining 9 of 13 districts vote at-large, but with election differences between each district. Some vote at-large, but do so because they are not divided into townships (e.g., Hononegah #207); some districts are divided into townships, vote-at large, but are restricted by total number of members from any one township (e.g., Winnebago #323); some are not divided into townships, vote at-large, but have a limit on number of members from a congressional district (e.g., North Boone #200); and some districts are divided into townships and vote at-large (e.g., Prairie Hill #133). Outside of Boone/Winnebago County, Marengo #154 and Genoa Kingston #424 both vote at-large, but are also not divided into townships. The rationale for this proposition is both unsupported by facts and is inaccurate. Why are we, as taxpayers and community members, being told untruths? Why is this an acceptable practice? What is the true rationale and what are we not being told?

October 29, 2014 at 10:04 PM