The Warren Piece

Lake County's #1 fake news source, the Lake County Gazette knows what you get paid.

The Lake County Gazette has been looking up the public records and publishing the paychecks of municipal employees in Lake County:

Highest Paid Municipal Employees in Lake County

The salaries of employees at some 35 Lake County villages are disclosed. For instance, do you know who is the highest-paid employee in the Lake County Village of Warren?

Who are the Village of Warren's highest-paid employees?

If you do not know the answer, that may be because there is no Village of Warren in Lake County. Wikipedia does say there is one in Jo Davies County:

Warren, Illinois
Warren is a village in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,428 at the 2010 census, down from 1,496 at the 2000 census.
Warren, Illinois

Note to Ops at the Lake County Gazette: Cable Russia immediately and tell your minimum-wage content providers there that the Village of Warren and Warren Township are totally different. At least within the State of Illinois.

Totally.

Hold the Bezos Bus

Overheard today somewhere in Lake County:

"Siri, tell Mr Bezos to build his new Amazon headquarters in Waukegan."

Haha, everyone is in a bidding war to get the new amazon.com world headquarters. And by everyone, your LakeCountyEye means the City of Waukegan:

Waukegan has joined the legions of communities vying to be the home for online retail giant Amazon's proposed second headquarters, hoping that its proximity to Chicago and the interstate system will give it an edge. The city's planning and zoning department is in the process of reviewing potential sites, which will then be submitted to Lake County Partners
Waukegan, Lake County Partners plan bid for Amazon's second headquarters

Naysayers will say that they are more likely to see a $5 minimum casino built in Waukegan than a $5 billion dot.com corporate megaplex. But the smart money says Waukegan not only has an edge, it has the inside track.

Your LakeCountyEye recently discovered this amazon.com internal document ...

Amazon Route 53

Those who click the link will as surprised as your LakeCountyEye to learn that amazon.com has purchased the naming rights to the Route 53 Extension:

Amazon Route 53

Note to Ops: If you haven't invested in any northeast Lake County bottomland yet, what are you waiting for?

French Fry the Franchise

Question of the day ...

If Russian hackers are eligible to vote in Illinois. And if the potato is the national vegetable of Russia. Does that mean you should vote like a couch potato?

Haha, this may explain a recent video made by the Lake County Clerk's office, called Vote Like a Couch Potato:

A short video called Vote Like a Couch Potato! starring a faux Mr. Potato Head was created and posted on YouTube, the county website and in newsletters. Lake County honored for 'Vote Like a Couch Potato' campaign

Sources tell your LakeCountyEye that the video is a followup to a successful GOTV campaign by the previous Lake County Clerk. That one was called Vote Like a Goldfish:

In related news, a Fish & Chips dinner announced that he will be a candidate for Illinois Attorney General:

Note to Ops: Petition period began only a week ago and already the slates are filling up!

Same Name Different Race

This actual, unretouched screengrab proves there are no spam filters on this blog:

Yes We Have a 2nd Banana

In related news, Lake County favorite son Scott Drury says he is running for Illinois Attorney General:

Drury says he’s in the AG race

Drury, it is widely believed, is a former federal prosecutor. You can now add to that: Former Gubernatorial Candidate.

It is not known who Cal Skinner is:

Yes We Have a 2nd Banana

Your LakeCountyEye: Uncannily predicting the future since 2008!

The United States and the World Economy

Adlai Stevenson Center on Democracy

Lyric Hughes Hale, editor in chief of EconVue, a website which publishes independent economic news and analysis, will speak on:

The United States and the World Economy:
Why Things are Really Different this Time

• Sunday
  September 24, 2017
  2:00 pm
• The Stevenson Center on Democracy
  25200 N St Mary's Rd
  Mettawa (Libertyville), IL 60048
  847-816-7433
• $15
  (Students Free)

Yes We Have a 2nd Banana

Did you know that Lake County favorite son Scott Drury is a former federal prosecutor? And if that don't beat all, next year Drury will be a former gubernatorial candidate.

As readers of this blog are aware, State Representative Scott Drury is running for Governor this cycle:

Q the Eye/06.09.17

Anyone twenty-five years old (and/or worth a billion dollars) is qualified to be Governor in Illinois. But election law stipulates that anyone who wants to appear on the Illinois ballot must also meet an inflexible requirement: Find a Lieutenant Governor candidate to be your running-mate.

The Capitol Fax reports that Drury's last campaign manager is his Lt Governor choice:

Drury's apparent running mate ran his last campaign

To be sure, nothing says the wheels have flopped off the campaign wagon than when you have to ask an old campaign manager to be your running-mate. Well, short of asking a pro-Palestinian socialist -- but who's counting?

One knowledgeable insider told your LakeCountyEye: "When you have a plan you stick to it. Your guy runs for Governor. After he loses the Primary, he runs as an Independent for his old State Rep seat and wins easy. He goes back to a divided Statehouse in Springfield and there is a bidding war for his allegiances. It's a big win for Democracy!"

Your LakeCountyEye will keep you apprised when further developments warrant.

If 7 Was 9

Q:	How many candidates in the Sixth Congressional District does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
A:	Who's counting?

Haha, there is already a crowded field of candidates in the Sixth Congressional District. The Daily Herald counts seven:

The already packed field of Democrats seeking to unseat U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam in the 6th Congressional District got a little more crowded Thursday when Sean Casten, a scientist and clean energy entrepreneur from Downers Grove, announced he's joining the race for the Democratic nomination.
Seventh Democrat announces plans to challenge Roskam

While the Pioneer Press recognizes nine:

Downers Grove resident and scientist, Sean Casten announced Thursday plans to run in the 2018 Democratic primary for U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam's 6th District seat. So far, nine Democrats are planning to seek the nod to appear on the ballot
Downers Grove scientist is ninth Democrat to announce run for Roskam's seat

At the rate things are going, there will be more Democratic candidates for the Sixth Congressional District than there are voters. Statistics like those hardly bode well for incumbent Republican Congressman Peter Roskam.

The good news for Roskam (Lake County's vestigial Congressman) is there is a theoretical limit to the number of candidates that can appear on a primary ballot. Divide the number of voters by the number of petition signatures required, and your LakeCountyEye reckons there can be no more than 1,000 names on the Democratic ballot. Give or take a few.

Note to Ops in the Sixth Congressional District: Your petition period began last Tuesday.

Just sayin!

House of Misrepresentatives?

An actual unretouched screencap from the LakeCountyEye Inbox:

Informed sources tell your LakeCountyEye that Sheri Jesiel is not a member of the US Congress. For the record, Jesiel (R-Ill) is the Illinois State Representative in the 61st District.

Note to Congressman Randy Hultgren (R-Ill) campaign Ops: Watch your backs.

Chain O' Lakes Smoke

Not to be outdone by Cook County's effort to raise a soda tax, Lake County wants to raise the smoking age to 21:

A move to raise the minimum age to purchase cigarettes to 21 in unincorporated Lake County has cleared two hurdles. Two different Lake County Board committees — financial and administrative, and health and community services — unanimously recommended adoption of the proposed ordinance, which means it will next be sent to the full board for a final yes or no.
Lake County committees back raising minimum age for purchasing cigarettes to 21

The move may be too little too late:

Smoke from forest fires in Canada created quite a stir Thursday when it settled across northern Illinois. Whether the smoky haze lingers Friday in McHenry County depends on the extent of the fires and how long they persist
Wildfires in Canada bring haziness throughout McHenry County

Transportation authorities have issued a travel advisory: Expect heavy traffic from Cook County into Lake County, where beverage drinkers can obtain tax free soda. And into McHenry County where they are going to smoke.

That's all your LakeCountyEye has. Nothing to see here.