McHenry County's Political Drama

A drama is unfolding in McHenry County that has been ongoing since the 2004 Republican Primary Election for McHenry County State’s Attorney. It could also have been precipitated prior to that date.

It has now reached the point where those who have reportedly been wronged are retaliating.

A lawsuit was recently filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division by Louis, A Bianchi, Joyce A. Synek, Ronald J. Salgado, and Michael J. McCleary against Henry C. Tonigan, III, Thomas K. McQueen, Daniel Jerger, Robert Scigalski, James Reilly, Patrick Hanretty, Richard Stilling, Quest Consultants International, Limited, an Illinois Corporation, Kelleher & Buckley LLC, an Illinois Limited Liability Company, and Unknown Co-Conspirators.

By way of explanation, Jerger, Scigalski, Reilly, Hanretty, Stilling are employees of Quest Consultants, International.

As the complaint explains, the “action is brought pursuant to the First, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution and under Illinois State Law.”

According to the lengthy complaint filed by McHenry County State’s Attorney Louis A. Bianchi, and three of the employees of the State’s Attorney’s Department, including Administrative Assistant to Bianchi, Joyce A. Synek; investigators for the department, Michael J. McCleary and Ronald J. Salgado, defendants Scigalski, Reilly, Hanretty, and Stilling were employees of Quest Consultants, International, retained by Tonigan and McQueen who were appointed by McHenry County as Special State’s Attorneys.  They were to investigate allegations made against Bianchi, Synek, Salgado and McCleary. All investigations were at the expense of McHenry County.

The investigation was precipitated by the 2004 General Election in which Bianchi unseated the incumbent State’s Attorney Gary Pack. The results of that election and following elections are as follows:

2004-MARCH REPUBLICAN PRIMARY-
Glenn Gable			9,738
Louis Bianchi			16,286
Ray Flavin			2,313
2004 MARCH DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY
No candidates
2004 NOVEMBER GENERAL ELECTION
Louis Bianchi- R-- Only candidate			101,948
2008-FEBRUARY REPUBLICAN PRIMARY
Daniel J. Regna			12,435
Louis Bianchi			16,288
2008 FEBRUARY  DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY
no official candidates
2008 NOVEMBER GENERAL ELECTION
Louis Bianchi - R			79,764
Thomas Cynor - D*			49,248
(*Candidate as result of Democratic March caucus)
2012 MARCH REPUBLICAN PRIMARY
Louis A. Bianchi
2012 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY
No Candidate Filed

A complaint has been filed in the United State District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. The plaintiffs include Louis A. Bianchi, Joyce A. Synek, Ronald J. Salgado, and Michael J. McCleary.

The complaint spells out allegations against defendants Henry C. Tonigan, III, Thomas K. McQueen, Daniel Jerger, Robert Scigalski, James Reilly, Patrick Hanretty, Richard Stilling, Quest Consultants International, Limited and Kelleher & Buckley LLC.

If the allegations made by the plaintiffs’ lawsuit are true it presents a sad situation. That is one matter, but as in journalism and all legal allegations, there are at least two sides.

A sizeable amount of money has been paid to investigators Tonigan, McQueen, and Quest Consultants International, employer of Jerger, Scigalski, Reilly, Hanretty and Stilling. All was precipitated by allegations that political work was being done in the State’s Attorney’s office by paid employees, as well as allegations of favoritism given to supposed friends, relatives and supports of the State’s Attorney’s office. 

As it was shown, those mentioned in the allegations were not related to anyone in the State’s Attorney’s office.

McHenry County has been responsible for paying those bills, although there is insurance to cover this.

If the allegations made in the District Court case are true, that it is a sad commentary on what can be expected from individuals supposedly involved in investigative work on behalf of the public. This includes investigators as well as the judiciary.

As a comment from this writer, who has watched McHenry County politics since mid-1960s (with time out for to earn a better living by working in the legal field, and attending Penn State graduate school) things do not seem to have changed too much as to the lengths that disgruntled politics can be taken. Also, we have found that politics can cause the same or similar situations in other parts of the country.