Anonymous robo calls irk candidates

Nobody wants to take credit for a series of automated phone polls about Kane County Board races, and no one seems happy about them.

Voters and candidates in Kane County have confirmed phone polls for several county board races involving incumbents John Fahy, Barb Wojnicki and Bill Wyatt in recent weeks. The calls originate from the phone number (630) 780-5609, which is based in Naperville. However, there is no identification in the phone message that indicates who is bankrolling the poll.

"It should say at the end of it who is paying for it, and it doesn't," Wojnicki said. "And that's just wrong."

Wojnicki said she doesn't want anyone to think she's behind the automated calls because she finds them intrusive and annoying. Apparently, several other people feel the same way.

An Internet search of the number returns several Web sites where residents have logged complaints about the anonymous phone poll, and some people posting comments on the Web sites claim the number traces back to the Kirk Dillard for Governor campaign.

Dillard campaign Spokesman Wes Bleed said the Dillard campaign is not connected in any way to the phone polls.

"We have been doing no robo calls on behalf of any other candidates or any outreach of any kind other than on behalf of (Dillard)." Bleed said.

But that didn't stop some of the candidates involved from speculating that Kane County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay was behind the phone polls. McConnaughay is a co-chair of the Dillard campaign. McConnaughay said those allegations are "kind of ridiculous." She said the connection to the Dillard campaign likely stems from the company performing poll working for several different people at the same time.

"It should not be any great shock that a vendor who provides electronic phone polls has multiple clients," McConnaughay said. "Why would the Dillard campaign have anything to do with them? It's almost kind of ridiculous."

As to the idea that somehow she is behind the phone polls, McConnaughay denied it.

"When I heard that, at first I was angry," McConnaughay said. "Then I was kind of flattered." Now, McConnaughay said, she just finds it "absurd."