Posts tagged ‘Montgomery IL’

Matt Brolley IL-14 Candidate Revisited

by , posted on Friday, April 28th, 2017 at 2:55 pm

On Tuesday I attended the monthly Kane County Democrats meeting and unexpectedly encountered two candidates, Matt Brolley and Victor Swanson running for – or in Brolley’s case still considering running for – Congress in IL-14. Since I know there’s a lot of interest in who might run against Hultgren, I’d previously profiled Jim Walz, and had previously heard these two had addressed the McHenry County Dems meeting, I quickly took out my cell phone, captured video, and posted about Brolley on Wednesday and Swanson on Thursday.

Almost immediately after I put up that Brolley post I received an emailed tip to the effect that Matt Brolley does not live in IL-14. He resides in IL-11, and that he pulled Republican ballots in 2010, 2014, and 2016. The tip had included some pretty strong evidence, but I wanted to investigate a bit further, at least to the extent that I gave Brolley a chance to respond.

I emailed Brolley at his Village of Montgomery email address, but because I am aware that elected officials can’t use municipal email or resources for campaign-related reasons, and I was concerned an inquiry about his voting record might fall under that category, I also went looking for another contact, preferably a campaign-oriented one. All I was able to find was this Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/Brolley4Montgomery/

I didn’t think it ideal to send such an inquiry via Facebook message, but I did, and as it turns out it really is ideal, because Facebook messages have this handy “seen” feature.

So, while I have not received a response to my detailed inquiry to either Brolley’s Village email address, or the Facebook message, I know that the Facebook message was seen on Thursday at 11:10 a.m., precisely nineteen minutes after I sent it.

As it is now well more than 24 hours later I have to conclude that I can expect to receive no response. I had asked for verification of both facts – residency and the history of voting as a Republican – in both of my inquiries, as well as inviting Brolley to offer any comment he might have to make. As I have seen some pretty solid proof and he isn’t responding I have to think this information most likely is true.

If so, it’s giving me pause for thought. Much pause.

The IL-11 bit does not bother me all that much, frankly, as the last redistricting drew many, many people I knew out of IL-14, including a lot of them who worked like crazy on John Laesch’s candidacy in IL-14 in two successive elections. Hell, it drew John Laesch out of the district, Bill Foster promptly moved out of it to run in IL-11, and for all we know the next redistricting (coming right up!) is going to draw them both right back in.

Considering how that line is wobbling I don’t really think being out of it this year is any more of an ethical disqualifier than it is a legal one, which is to say it is not at all. I haven’t looked at it since it was redrawn, but if my memory serves me correctly I myself could move across the street and be out of IL-14. Nothing to say someone that close can’t just move back in, which doesn’t even strike me as nearly as egregious as Foster moving from Batavia to Naperville to get into the better district that was custom drawn for him.

The Republican ballots are another issue. Sure, living in this sea of red in an open primary state I know Dems who pull Republican ballots in primaries because there are no Dem candidates on the ballot, and because they think they can do more good as Dems by weighting a Republican primary one way or another. Could be the case in Montgomery most years.

But 2016? Really? Anyone else remember how tight and hotly contested the Bernie/Hillary contest ended up being here? What’s that you say? All of you? Right. I know I worked my tail off for Bernie in Kane County. So, yeah, I have a hard time buying Brolley pulled a Republican primary ballot in 2016 and is nevertheless a Democrat, much less a progressive.

But since Brolley isn’t responding, I guess we will all just have to draw our own conclusion. I know what mine is.

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UPDATED: Matt Brolley IL-14 Candidate 4.25.17

by , posted on Wednesday, April 26th, 2017 at 3:05 pm

UPDATE: Please see the Brolley post subsequent to this one for more – and critical – information. You can find it here.

Two potential Dem Candidates for IL-14 spoke at the Kane County Dems monthly meeting last night. I don’t want to lump them into one post, so taking them in the order they spoke, I’ll post the video of Matt Brolley tonight, and will get to the other candidate tomorrow.

Matt Brolley is the current mayor of Montgomery, just re-elected and starting his second term. Brolley seems quite at ease with public speaking. He was brief, to the point, was a little funny, spoke about his background, and, it should be noted, said he is considering a run, rather than stating he is running.

Because I am trying to determine in my own mind who in the (ever growing) Dem field is progressive, I’ve come up with something I guess you could call my own personal two-question litmus test. I didn’t really plan those two questions out, by the way, they just happened to be the two issues I questioned Walz about, and in the interest of consistency, and comparing apples to apples, I thought it fair to stick with them. As he didn’t answer my questions with certainty during his brief remarks, I spoke with Brolley after the event and asked him my two questions.

In answer to my first question Brolley, who had mentioned healthcare for all as an issue he cares about, confirmed that he is a single-payer advocate.

In answer to the second, he said he had not yet thought about whether he would accept corporate donations, and then noted IL-14 is likely to be a two or three million dollar race, so it is something he feels he need to think through, as it would be tough to get to that kind of dollar amount. Not a definitive answer, one way or the other, but it seems to lean toward yes.

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Rats Found at Buona Beef in Montgomery

by , posted on Wednesday, April 7th, 2010 at 7:19 pm

I stopped by the Montgomery Menard’s (I boycott anti-union Home Depot for their CEO’s effort to kill the Employee Free Choice Act) to pick up some drill bits last week and saw a picket in front of a Buona Beef that was going up in front of the Menard’s.

As I walked over to the

picket line, I found several Fox Valley labor leaders and friends holding signs in front of about 10 inflatable rats.  When I asked what was going on, my friends informed me that the owner of Buona Beef was out for an inspection and they were sending a message. 

(more…)

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