Plainfield Township Property Should Not Be Used for Political Fundraisers

If you want a copy of the mailer that went out more than a week ago on this, see pictures above. A “Yummy Chicken Dinner” fundraiser for the Republican 11th District US Congressional candidate, Tonia Khouri, is scheduled at the Plainfield Township Community Center for August 23rd.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner? Not exactly. This is a wrong that someone either should have recognized and halted, or has no qualms about committing. So, whose bright idea was this? And, who just went along with it?

There’s no record of this ever being brought to the full board of Plainfield Township to even consider (and inevitably reject, I hope), but somehow the township community center is going to be the cheap and easy date for a partisan political event.

The township’s established policy for using space at the PT administration building out on Lockport (linked here), has several exclusions which would apply to this sort of use, like items 1a or 8, for example, IF this policy carries over to the PT Community Center. I assume it would, though there isn’t a policy yet written regarding the center. My assumption about the carry-over of those rules is reasonable because the center is only different in geography from the community space at the administrative building.

Rules aside, shouldn’t some basic ethics about not doing fundraising from a political office or government property kick in here? How in the world do the following sponsors, as named on the mailer, reconcile their sworn public duty with this blatant partisan privilege? And, what is on the mind of the Khouri campaign that even they didn’t say, “uh, guys, hold up a minute”?

The names in italics below are direct officials of Plainfield Township, itself, and they REALLY need to step up on this (though the entire board of trustees AND Supervisor Fremarek need to address this, no matter whose idea and decision this was). The other people listed just need to rent a clue, because everyone of them should know better than this, and they definitely have to do better than this.

Host Committee:

• Christine Radogno – IL State Rep. Leader
• Jim Durkin – IL House Rep. Leader
• Mark Batinick – State Rep.
• Keith Wheeler – State Rep.
• Michael Collins – Mayor of Plainfield
• Suzanne Hart – Will County Board
• Steve Balich – Will County Board
• Darren Bennefiled – Will County Board
• Gretchen Fritz – Will County Board
• Liz Collins – Will County Board
• Matt Starr – Plainfield Township Trustee
• Yvonne Bolton – Plainfield Township [Tax] Collector; National Committeewoman, Republican National Hispanic Assembly

Co-Chairs:

• Tim Kraulidis, Chairman, PTRO [Plainfield Township Republican Organization--oh, PTRO, just when I think you’ve done the stupidest thing possible, you keep doing stuff]
  
• Debbie Kraulidis, Plainfield Township Trustee [also Legislative Asst. to Rep. Batinick]
• Chris and Jill Balkema, former US Congress candidate from 11th District [Chris is the former candidate, Jill is his wife, and Debbie Kraulidis worked on his campaign prior to working on Rep. Batinick’s campaign]

On this mailer, Ms. Khouri’s campaign slogan is “Locally Focused – Globally Aware”. I think the focus is fuzzy and the awareness is not acute if this sort of stupid and unethical thing sails right by her. Here’s a tip: when it’s your name on something, pay attention to what that something is.

I have no objection to any candidate or cause having a fundraiser. And the listed sponsors have every right to support whomever they choose. Just not on government property,using government resources, AKA the property and resources of the people--all of the people.

A partisan political event held at the PTCC is not right and this event should be moved. It’s easy enough to rent some space in an area hall, hotel, or restaurant for this event or to have someone host it in their home or on private property.