Rocky week comes to an end for Kane GOP

It was not a good week to be a Republican in Kane County. First Denny Wiggins offers to resign as Kane County Republican Central Committee chairman after becoming a paid consultant for state Sen. Chris Lauzen's congressional campaign. He'd rather not, he said, but if that is the will of a majority of his executive committee members, he'd reluctantly leave the organization. Or maybe just take a leave of absence. And that's only if he finds someone worthy enough to take his place.

Immediately, Lauzen opponent Jim Oberweis cried foul. He should resign, Oberweis' campaign urged. That only served to ruffle Wiggins' feathers.

"When people start going negative, it puts my back against the wall," Wiggins said the day before announcing his plan to take a leave of absence from his party duties while working for Lauzen. "I get defensive."

The Oberweis camp ripped into him again.

"For Denny Wiggins now to use a press release from our campaign as his excuse to hold onto his position as chairman of the Kane County GOP … really takes the cake," Oberweis campaign spokesman Bill Pascoe stated in a news release Thursday.

Imperfect harmony: Treasurer Dave Rickert picked a fight with the most powerful woman in the Kane County GOP. In a news release Wednesday, he threatened to call the state's attorney to investigate Kane County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay for denying him access to the county's new financial system because she was trying to hide that the jail construction was over budget.

A day later, both parties reached "a clear and unified understanding," according to a news release issued by McConnaughay. But the two former political foes -- Rickert entered the board chairman race four years ago but dropped out before the primary, ensuring a McConnaughay victory -- were far from holding hands and singing "Kumbaya." After meeting with her and several other county officials Thursday to talk about the finance system, Rickert, who chalked up the kerfluffle as "miscommunication," realized he does indeed have complete access to the finance system. And it turns out the jail isn't $4.1 million over budget after all; that money is being used to build the sheriff's office, a separate project.

In two patronizing quotes attributed to county board members, McConnaughay's news release seemed to point at Rickert -- a certified public accountant for 14 years with a master's degree in accounting -- and ask, "This is the man handling our taxes?"

"There is a lot involved in upgrading the accounting mechanism for the entire county and it can be confusing for anyone," board Vice Chairman Don Wolfe said in the statement.

A quote from board member Mike Kenyon seemed to scold Rickert for going to the media before approaching McConnaughay with his concerns: "This recent confusion highlights the importance of staying in close contact and raising questions as they develop. I'm glad we were able to sort through misinformation …"

Next week: Will the Democrats try their hand at party infighting?