Democrat cries foul over Algonquin parade ban

So far this summer, Thomas Cynor has walked in more than a half-dozen parades, in Harvard and McHenry, Hebron and Crystal Lake, promoting his run for McHenry County State's Attorney.

But one place you probably won't see the Democrat this weekend is Algonquin, where, he says, organizers of the village's Founders' Days festival have banned him from entering Saturday's parade.

Citing a rule barring some, but not all, political candidates from the event, Cynor said a festival official this month rejected his entry to the annual procession down Algonquin Road.

The same rule does not apply for sitting office holders whose seats are up for re-election, such as Cynor's opponent, incumbent State's Attorney Louis Bianchi.

"Obviously we think it's unfair, Cynor said Monday. "Given the opportunity, we'd like to be in it."

Parade Chairman Alan Kirk said the decision preventing a Cynor entry conforms to a 27-year parade rule that, until now, had never been challenged.

Cynor, he said, still may walk the parade route with the McHenry County Democratic Party's float, as long as there is no overt campaigning, but he may not have a separate parade entry.

"He just wants to have something no one else has ever had," Kirk said. "He wants to be treated special."

While organizers do make a distinction between challengers and incumbents when it comes to parade entries, the rule barring open campaigning applies to everyone, Kirk said.

"If we see (incumbents) campaigning, we'll tell them to stop," Kirk said. "If we let everyone campaign, we'd have a six-hour parade. I don't want to do that to the people of Algonquin."

Cynor said it was news to him that he could walk with his party's float. An e-mail from Kirk earlier this year specifically said no political candidates would be allowed and there would be consequences for anyone seen campaigning.

"If someone is caught violating this rule, they may be escorted off the parade route and it could be very embarrassing to the candidate," the e-mail reads.

"At some point, it just becomes intimidation," Cynor said of the e-mail.

Cynor, of Woodstock, said he has no plans to take legal action to get his entry into the event. For now, he does not intend to be anything more than a spectator along the parade route Saturday.

"We're not looking to upset anyone," he said.

State Rep. Mike Tryon, a Republican up for re-election in November, said he will be participating and would have no problem if Cynor or other challengers were allowed to do the same.

"I don't think it's government's position to tell a private organization what to do at an event like this," said Tryon, who also serves as chairman of the McHenry County Republican Party. "But generally speaking, any legitimate candidate should have the right to be in a parade. As far as we Republicans are concerned, we say 'Let them in.' "