Marengo, Illinois is a pretty small town by most standards. At the outer edge of McHenry County and sporting a 2-block-long downtown and an official population around 5,000 and surrounded by pretty little farms and pastoral "estates," it's hardly a metropolis.
This town, like most small towns, has its share of movers and shakers as well as deadbeats and characters, but vastly more than its share of social and benevolent organizations. Everyone knows almost everyone else. It's one of those places where everyone knows everyone, and unless you know who is related to whom, it's best to always be polite if you wish to avoid embarrassment or offense.
Politically, the folks there are largely conservative. When I first arrived on the scene there as a reporter, there was very little activity in the Democratic party. The big elections were the primaries, where the liberal and conservative Republicans were sorted out. That started to change in the mid-'90s, when a few Democrats managed to position themselves as eclectic enough and economically conservative enough to impress the electorate into a promising majority.
It was in this environment in 1998 that Jack Franks, a Marengo native, Democrat and son of local powerhouse Herb Franks, was elected as State Representative of the 63rd district which covers about three quarters of McHenry county. This didn't happen without Franks promising to reflect the fiscally conservative values of his consitutency, and true to his promise, he immediately reached across the aisle to the very conservative Cal Skinner of the neighboring 64th district. Since then, Franks has held a rather moderate line. He wound up leading the charge to impeach Governor Rod Blagojevich in 2008, and for a while even became a darling of Fox News. There was even speculation that he would run for governor in 2010 but he declined.
Controversy began to stir in February 2008, when a number of "clout lists" were outed during the investigation of Democratic fundraiser and political strong-arm Tony Rezko. Along with dozens of other legislators, both Democrat and Republican, Franks also had an appointment list exposed. Franks had been stirring the manure pile over Blago's shenanigans for a while previously, and his counter-charge was that Blago requested (read that: required) these lists be submitted, and that he kept them on file to release them in the event of political attacks. Given Blago's propensities, that's not all that hard to swallow.
I got to know the Franks family rather well during my years as a beat reporter covering Marengo for the Northwest Herald in the early- to mid-'90s. When my parents moved there, I introduced them and they became friends as well. Obviously, I don't agree with them politically in many matters, but in a small town you don't let such things get in the way of friendship with nice and interesting people.
This year Franks' seat is challenged by Republican John O'Neill of McHenry city, who is not well known in Marengo. Now, I don't know who's advising him, but they made a major mistake in devising his strategy. A number of residents, including several seniors and including my own mother, have been getting robo-calls from Mr. O'Neill, dragging out the old charges unleashed by Blago's attack machine and pretty much offending everyone who considers themselves a friend of the family, which is about half of Marengo. Not good. It would probably have been enough for O'Neill to point to Franks' voting record, interest group ratings and endorsements (which he hides) and contrast that with his own views and positions. Instead he opted for a cheap personal attack. What the hell was he thinking? He might as well have taken out a full-page ad in the Herald saying, "I'm a jerk! Vote for me!" Outsiders, beware when taking on a townie...
Full disclosure: As I mentioned, I've known the Franks family for at least 10 years and have especially enjoyed the friendship of Jack's parents, Herb and Aileen. Obviously, I do not agree with them politically on many issues. I am not endorsing either candidate in this race - just pointing out what I see as a major political blunder of Jack's opponent.
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