GENESEO—Well, this year is another election year with a lot of candidates on the Democratic primary ballot. This primary election is earlier and will be on Feb. 2, so I hope all my Democratic friends remember to get out and vote. Many know me and of my background in the judicial system for the last 35 years, first as a police officer, then as a prosecutor for more than 25 years in private practice. I am not running this year, but I am supporting many of our local Democratic candidates, one of whom is Clarance “Mike” Darrow.

ANDOVER—Seldom do we have need to ponder our responsibilities as a citizen of Henry County, Illinois. Well, we certainly think about it twice a year when we write our check to the county collector for property taxes, but other than that we, like most residents, just take for granted that all is well.  Now however, it is a time to really think about our duty as it pertains to the preservation of the courthouse. It is up to us and each resident to step up and consider what is our responsibility to a courthouse badly in need of repairs.

CAMBRIDGE—In his viewpoint letter of 18 January, board member Tom Steele is correct in stating I was the only dissenting board member to oppose the latest sales tax referendum. Going back to April 2009, I again was the only dissenting vote for the sales tax referendum. When the vote was cast, 57 percent of the voters opposed it.

OSCO—On election day, Feb. 2, a referendum will appear on the Henry County ballot again to create a special sales tax for the purpose of courthouse repairs. Just this past year, the voters rejected this idea by a clear margin. I was one of the “no” votes because I do not trust the Democrat majority on the county board to make fiscally prudent decisions with our tax dollars.

ANDOVER—Once again, the voters of Henry County will be asked to vote for the Public Facilities Sales Tax Referendum, which is being proposed in order to finance the much-needed repairs and restoration to the Henry County Courthouse.

GENESEO—In his letter to the editor, Henry County Board member Bill Preston states he was the only member to vote against placing the one-quarter of 1 percent sales tax increase on the Feb. 2 ballot. That is correct, but he was the only dissenting vote because all other board members understand the need to repair the 130-year old magnificent structure. Mr. Preston is incorrect in the other points he presents.

LYNN CENTER—What a decade that was. First, it was the meltdown of the stock exchange brought on, in no small part, by the speculative nature of financing coupled with rampant fraud, a decline in building and manufacturing and the weakening of the dollar. The largest bank in the United States declared itself bankrupt, while wars being fought on global fronts were extraordinarily costly in blood and treasury. Economic times were tough, indeed. But, if you think I am referring to the last 10 years, you would be very wrong.

CAMBRIDGE—The Henry County Board has again voted to place a 1/4 of 1 percent sales tax referendum on the ballot for courthouse repairs. The sales tax increase, if approved, will be used to buy $2.8 million of bonds to finance the proposed repairs.

CAMBRIDGE—I would like to wish all of you a happy and joyful holiday season and thank you for sharing your greatest gift with us, your children. It is a joy every day to see the hallways filled with students who are excited about learning. As an educator, to be a part of this time of their lives is one of the greatest gifts of being in education.

COLONA—On Feb. 2, 2010, the primary elections will be held. Between now and Feb. 2, it is time for every voter to really take note if the people running for positions are really the honest-to-goodness ones to fill that position. We are having a big problem with recession right now, and with that in mind, we need to research if the person we are voting into office really knows what he/she is doing to have control of that office. Do you really want them to represent you? Will you not complain further down the road that you shouldn’t have voted this person into that office?

CAMBRIDGE—The Cambridge High  School Mascot “Viking” slipped silently into the darkness in the final hours of the crisp cold evening Friday, Oct. 23, as the final buzzer for the Cambridge Vikings sounded at Oneida High School.
   

CAMBRIDGE—First of all, I wish to say the Tractor Show at the Cambridge Fun Fest was one of the best well-run shows that I have seen put together. In 2008, I heard a lot of bad reviews about the show in Cambridge. This year I have heard nothing but positive reviews and I work with a number of the antique tractor groups in Henry County. The letter Karen Hutchinson received was outrageous and wrong.
 

CAMBRIDGE—I'm writing to share about an experience at College Square Park in Cambridge on Wednesday, July 15.  My husband and I were in town with our two-year-old son for the visitation of my grandfather at the funeral home.  We stopped by the park before hand to let our son play for a bit and burn up some energy.  We had a very upsetting experience.

GENESEO—I write a letter each year to promote the fund-raising efforts for the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life.  Our family suffered a devastating loss when my sister lost her battle to an inoperable brain tumor at age 37 on July 4, 1995.  
 

CAMBRIDGE—Summer is heating up in Cambridge and so are the activities at the school. I would like to give you a few updates on what is going on here at the school.