On Wednesday, October 30th, I appeared before the Illinois Department of Public Health Health Facilities Planning Board in support of Vista Health System’s proposal for a new hospital in Lindenhurst, Illinois.  Obtaining a new hospital for northwestern Lake County has been and will continue to be one of my highest priorities.  Below is my testimony.

October 30, 2008

Hello.  I am Bill Gentes, Mayor of the Village of Round Lake.  I am here to tell you that northwestern Lake County is in great need of a new hospital.  Our region is one of the fastest-growing areas in the state.  Most of that growth is happening in the northern half of the county.  In fact, the population of Round Lake alone has tripled in the past six years.

It is important that we plan for the future growth in our area.  That is why I strongly support Vista Health System’s plan to build a satellite hospital in Lindenhurst.

I am proud to say that I was one of the first public officials to call for a new hospital in northern Lake County.  In 2006, in an address to the Round Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, I talked about the need for a new hospital to serve our rapidly growing communities.  All of us in our village worked countless hours over many, many months to bring a new hospital to Round Lake.  Unfortunately, Advocate Health Care’s plans have changed and a new hospital in the Village of Round Lake is no longer a possibility.

Now, to be honest, I would have preferred that the new hospital would be built in Round Lake.  But that’s not going to happen.  Advocate’s choice to acquire Condell Memorial Hospital does nothing to shorten our drive time to a hospital, nor does the addition of beds to Condell.  The fact of the matter is that the area hospitals, whether you are talking about Vista in Waukegan, Condell, Good Sheperd in Barrington or Northern Illinois Medical Center in McHenry, are too far away.

The site of the new Vista hospital in Lindenhurst is literally just a few miles up Route 83 from the four Round Lake sister communities — Round Lake Beach, Round Lake Heights, Round Lake Park, and the Village of Round Lake.

In addition, and very important to me, our communities have a sizable population that is uninsured or under insured.  It’s a well known fact that Vista, through its Waukegan hospitals, is the largest provider of Medicaid services in the county and that it works actively with HealthReach.  Knowing that Vista will be moving west will be a great comfort to many of our residents.

In closing, the Village of Round Lake is celebrating its centennial this year.  We are in the process of a large-scale downtown redevelopment plan.  Our village is growing.  We have a need for a hospital and the other medical services that a hospital brings nearby.  It would be great for everyone who lives in our area if the state planning board would approve a new hospital for our area.  Our residents need it.

October 13, 2008, Chicago Sun Times

By Angela D. Sykora

Technology vs. clipboards in 26th Senate race

The democratic candidate for the 26th Senate District, Bill Gentes, is making his Palm Pilot work for him as he identifies supporters, undecided voters and the issues they care about.

“It’s cutting-edge politics,” said Gentes of Round Lake, who is using a software program called “Voter Activation Network” or MAP, which was created four years ago for the campaign of former presidential candidate John Kerry.

The software, available only to democrats, allows the user to link his or her Palm Pilot to voter information online, including their address and how they voted in the primary. When candidates walk their precincts, they have a digital heads-up before they even ring the doorbell.

“I know exactly who I’m talking to when I walk up to the door,” said Gentes. “It’s the greatest thing since sliced bread.”

After speaking to voters, the candidate can store talking points in his or her Palm Pilot.

For example, said Gentes, if a voter has a particular interest in water quality or preserving the environment, he can record that in his Palm Pilot. Later, if he is elected, Gentes can notify the voter if he takes action on their issue.

Gentes first used the MAP software during his primary campaign. State Sen. Michael Bond, D-31st, of Grayslake, used the software two years ago when he ran against Warren Township Supervisor Suzanne Simpson, and was able to identify more supporters because of it.

The program is a real time saver, said Gentes. The “old way” involves carrying around a clipboard with a precinct walk-sheet then employing campaign workers to input the data onto a giant spreadsheet back at headquarters.

“It’s a fantastic way to identify supporters,” said Gentes of MAP. “The payoff is now.”

“It sounds like they have a fancy system, but I’m doing it the old-fashioned way,” said Gentes’ Republican opponent, Dan Duffy, of unincorporated Lake Barrington.

On Monday, Duffy said he was having a blast walking through neighborhoods in Lake Zurich with his kids following on their bikes, enjoying the unusually warm weather.

“It’s a fun, family day. I have a clipboard in my hand. If they (voters) need a yard sign I mark that down. I write down their issues.”

Duffy said he uses e-mail to keep in touch with his supporters and their needs. “I guess that’s old-fashioned now too,” he laughed. “We’ll see what happens.”

Check out these awesome Letters to the Editor in the November 1, 2008 Daily Herald!

Doesn’t trust Duffy on CN question

I live in Barrington near the EJ&E railroad tracks. Canadian National wants to buy the EJ&E tracks, and increase traffic to 20 freights a day. That’s why I don’t plan to vote for Dan Duffy. Duffy took campaign money from Burlington Northern Railway, a strategic partner with Canadian National.

Duffy also took campaign money from Caterpillar Inc. Caterpillar wants to give its business to Canadian National when the EJ&E deal goes through. I don’t trust Dan Duffy to do what is right for Barrington.

Larry Garascia
Barrington

Gentes cares for people in District 26

I support Bill Gentes for state Senate because he’s one of the best people I’ve ever met. He’s courteous, funny, outgoing, and smart, and he genuinely cares for the people of this state. While he talked to voters, knocked on doors, and plotted out his positions and agenda for the 26th District, his opponent spent his time raising money from huge corporate special interests and thinking up ways he could tie him to the unpopular governor. Dan Duffy is an empty suit, a man with a big checkbook who thus far has spent it lying about Bill Gentes. If you vote for Dan Duffy, you should be absolutely ashamed of yourself.

Cris Nolan
Mundelein

ILLINOIS COMMITTEE FOR HONEST GOVERNMENT

2008 GENERAL ELECTION ENDORSEMENTS OF DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES RUNNING IN LAKE COUNTY

State Senate:  Bill Gentes (D-26th).

Letter to the Editor, Daily Herald, October 31, 2008

I am so impressed with Bill Gentes, the candidate for state Senate. His willingness to humble himself and set the record straight took guts and courage. Many of us who are capable, competent, and hard workers are experiencing the embarrassment of unemployment as well, including me.

It takes away your sense of dignity and worth and is quite embarrassing. Today’s paper reports another 3 or 4 dozen lawyers have been terminated because of our horrible economy so it was never limited to blue-collar workers, small business owners or manufacturing jobs, it has taken an enormous toll across all economic and social boundaries.

Bill Gentes has many supporters who are proud of this man’s integrity and commitment to better the state of government and improve the prospects of people’s daily lives in his district and all Illinois. Good luck and keep moving forward Bill, we are all rooting for you!

Pam Norman
Grayslake

by Wendy Warden

We are close, the last few weeks have been harried with negative campaigning from Duffy and the final push to victory.    We have been allowed insight into Democratic and Republican polling and we are within the margin of error.   This means that the final push is more important than ever!  

We NEED “pushers” .. phone banking “pushers” .. door knocking “pushers” ..  bag stuffing “pushers” .. bag delivering “pushers” … The bottom line is  WE NEED HELP to push this campaign over the finish line!!!

Just to review the reason I am willing to work morning, noon and night is that I DO NOT WANT Dan Duffy to be my representative voice in Springfield.  The reasons are:

• Duffy is against equal pay for equal work .. i.e. against women in my mind.

• Duffy does not value a woman’s right to choose what is best for her. 

• Duffy is against paycheck fairness which can be devastating for middle class women and their families.

• Duffy is against requiring insurance companies covering cancer testing including mammograms. 

• Duffy is against allowing employees time off to car for sick relatives.

• Duffy is against requiring insurances to cover treatment for Autism, treating Asthma and many other things.

Bill Gentes is the right candidate for State Senate in District and we must “PUSH” Bill across the finish line as the victor! 

“We” means you and I so please contact us to step up into your slot as our valued “pusher” for victory.  We will be phone banking and bag stuffing at Gentes Headquarters, 452 Cedar Lake Road, Round Lake everyday until the election.  We will be distributing litature bags on Saturday and have things that need to be done Sunday, Monday and Tuesday!  

Contact David McArtin and let him know what you are available to do and what hours you are available to volunteer.  David, Bryen or Cris will be ready to train you and get you on our victory push!  dsmcartin@me.com and/or 847-715-6167.

Letter to the Editor, Daily Herald, October 29, 2008

Over the last several weeks, Mayor Bill Gentes has been the victim of negative and unfair attacks by his Republican opponent Dan Duffy in the race for the Illinois State Senate in the 26th district.

Bill Gentes is a man who has been serving for the last seven years as the Mayor of Round Lake, but Mr. Duffy has chosen to attack this service rather than commend it. Despite the fact that all municipal elections are nonpartisan, Mr. Duffy has stated that Mayor Gentes has been running the town as a “mini-me” to the governor, or as some sort of henchman to entrenched partisan interests, which is a complete fabrication of the truth.

In Round Lake, people know Bill, and they know where he stands. As stated before, because municipal elections are nonpartisan, candidates are expected to run for office on the strength of their ideas, not the depth of their pockets or their loyalty to any party. They need to be able to demonstrate a commitment to the people of their community, not to their political party, and certainly not to campaign contributors or their corporate sponsors. Even more importantly, they need to be able to tell people why it’s in their best interest to vote for them - not why they shouldn’t vote for someone else. Bill wants to go to Springfield to clean house, not to clean up.

If people actually open their eyes, they might see that Dan Duffy is the perfect example of what is wrong in Illinois politics.

Cris Nolan
Mundelein

Many of the strains that congestion inflicts on individuals and families are difficult, if not impossible, to quantify. What is the cost of the stress generated by being stuck in traffic? What is the cost of missing a child’s soccer match, or not getting to the store before it closes?

However, other measures are much more readily assessed. Commuters and other drivers lose time on the roads, which has a significant cost, and the amount of wasted fuel is a very tangible concern. Congestion also adds uncertainty to the commute, and to other travel, leading drivers to build additional time into their schedules in the event that traffic jams occur. This is time that could otherwise be spent working, shopping, or relaxing.

Wasted time costs money

Each vehicle-hour lost to congestion has an assumed cost of $24.03. Assuming 250 days of congested travel per year (i.e., excluding weekends and holidays), for 2005, the estimated total cost of congestion in wasted time amounts to $6.98 billion for the metropolitan area. While most people tend to think about wasted fuel when they think of congestion, the cost of lost time is almost 20 times greater for the region.

The time commuters lose to congestion accounts for the major share of the total cost of congestion on Chicago-area roads. In 2005, gridlock increased the overall cost for commuting by car to workplaces in the Chicago metropolitan region by about $5.1 billion. This amounts to nearly two-thirds of the region’s estimated $7.3 billion annual total. However, evidence from a National Coop­erative Highway Research Program study of tolled express lanes in southern California suggests that $20 per hour might be a more accurate measure of the value of personal travel time than the U.S. DOT’s measure of $14.75. A value of $20 per hour would increase the total cost of congestion in the Chicago area by 24 percent, to $9.0 billion.

Understanding the numbers

The average value of time per vehicle-hour, $24.03, was calculated as a weighted average of the values for each of the three categories of travel based on their relative percentage of vehicle miles traveled: commercial truck ($67 per hour), other busi­ness ($38), and personal ($14.75), including com­muting; while the other 15 percent captures all “on-the-clock” driving, such as deliv­eries and trips to meetings.

Congestion increases travel uncertainty

The increased uncertainty the threat of congestion creates also has costs, though it is difficult, if not impossible, to assign a dollar figure to it. The lack of reliability in travel times leads travelers to include additional buffer time in their plans, particularly for travel during the morning period, when commuters are concerned about lateness to work. This is not an uninformed gamble, but one informed by experience. CMAP has estimated a variation in traffic volumes and speeds by time of day on selected roadways. This conforms to the normal pat­tern of morning and afternoon traffic peaks, with the dominant peak — morn­ing or afternoon — being corridor-specific. For example, to travel the Stevenson Expressway northbound from Naperville Road to I-294 normally takes under 15 minutes during the off-peak versus about 22 minutes during the height of the morning peak and 20 minutes during the height of the afternoon peak. On some days, however, travel during the peak periods can take much longer. The 95th percentile in the distribution of travel times is between 30 and 35 minutes during the morning and afternoon peaks, an effective doubling of off-peak trav­el times. One result of this is the morning peak starts early, with travel times on the Stevenson Expressway increasing rapidly around 6:00 a.m.

Congestion increases fuel costs

The annual increase in fuel costs per peak period traveler in 2005 came to $81. That includes all peak period traffic, not simply commuters. Again, this is the extra amount of money spent on gas as a result of congestion. Gas prices have risen considerably since 2005, and are expected to continue rising. At current fuel prices (July 2008), the increase in annual fuel cost incurred by congestion is $681 million.

Understanding the numbers

The cost of wasted fuel was estimated using average speeds under congested and relatively uncongested condi­tions, and TTI’s equation for miles per gallon. The cost of gasoline was set at $1.88 per gallon, the average Illinois retail price in 2005 (the refer­ence year for all calculations in this analysis) minus fed­eral, state and local taxes.

Policy Implications

Congestion does not simply cost people time and money, it wastes both. For most people there is no benefit gained from excessive congestion.

Strategies to mitigate regional congestion must:

• Reduce the number of lost hours and amount of gas that literally goes up in
  smoke.
• Increase certainty about travel times.
• Provide people with more transportation choices.

Strategies to mitigate congestion may include some kind of toll to price more accurately the utility of traveling without excessive traffic. It is important to remember these tolls, which would appear to be an additional cost, would serve to eliminate partially or wholly the wasted time and money that congestion creates. Variable tolling schemes that determine tolls based on the level of traffic might help to maintain a more even flow, thereby increasing people’s confidence about travel time.

While some would say congestion is the result of people choosing to drive, it is equally accurate to view congestion as the result of a lack of choice. A prime example is a mass transit network that more efficiently moves people to and from home, work, stores, schools, and other transportation hubs to give people more choice in how to get around.

From metroplanning.org

From the Daily Herald earlier this weekend–

Candidate says he doesn’t favor jailing women for having abortion

by Bob Susnjara, October 18, 2008

Republican state senate candidate Dan Duffy contends a political action committee is distorting his views on abortion in a campaign mailer sent on behalf of his Democratic opponent, Round Lake Mayor Bill Gentes.

Personal PAC, a statewide abortion-rights group, has sent the slick brochure to residents in Senate District 26 where Gentes and Duffy are running for an open seat in the Nov. 4 election. The district covers parts of Lake, McHenry and Cook counties.

Duffy said Illinois Republican Party lawyers have sent a letter asking Personal PAC to halt its direct advertising because of the false statements on his abortion stance.

Under the headline “Dan Duffy Wants to Put Illinois Women Behind Bars,” the literature states he favors criminalizing abortion in the state and opposes the procedure in cases of rape and incest.

Images of women in jail are sprinkled throughout the piece.

Duffy, 42, of Lake Barrington, said he’s not against abortion for rape and incest victims, unlike what’s stated in the Personal PAC mailer. He said he opposes government funding of abortions and backs parental notification.

“I would never in a million years want a woman put in jail for having an abortion,” Duffy said Friday.

But Personal PAC’s president and chief executive officer, Terry Cosgrove, stands by the direct advertising and said it’s fair. He said Duffy never returned a Personal PAC questionnaire that highlighted the consequences of inaction.

“Lack of receipt by Personal PAC of our completed questionnaire will result in our assuming that you are in opposition to ALL our positions on reproductive matters,” says a letter from Cosgrove to political candidates.

Cosgrove said one question asked if candidates favor changing Illinois law to criminalize abortion except to prevent a woman’s death, which his group opposes. He said Duffy had more than one opportunity to answer.

“It couldn’t have been more clear to him,” Cosgrove said. “I sent it to him through registered mail because he’s so untrustworthy.”

Duffy said he elected to not reply to Personal PAC for a reason.

“It’s an extreme radical organization,” he said. “You get hundreds of questionnaires from groups. You can’t respond to all of them.”

Meanwhile, Gentes said he had nothing to do with the mailers and won’t ask Personal PAC to stop them. Gentes, 49, also said he believes in abortion rights, so there is no reason to refuse Personal PAC’s campaign assistance.

“Certainly, this is between Dan and Personal PAC,” Gentes said.

Letter to the Editor, Daily Herald, October 18, 2008

Gentes’ Web site one-stop shopping

I like what I read about Bill Gentes. He’s built a sound base of achievement as a two-term Round Lake Beach mayor, but talk about government at your service; I love his blog site! This guy is an open book. I went to his Web site to read about his position on the EJ&E and quickly was led to the blog which has been ongoing for about three years. I found information and links which were available on almost all of my concerns for the district, just like one-stop shopping. Thanks, Bill.

Vivian Fiore

Grayslake

Candidates trade accusations on corruption, CN support
By Bob Susnjara, Daily Herald, October 14, 2008

Democratic Round Lake Mayor Bill Gentes says his state Senate opponent is spreading falsehoods about his wife’s connection to a village real estate deal.

But the Republican foe, Dan Duffy, contends Gentes’ campaign is misrepresenting his position to make it look like he favors a Canadian National Railroad plan to run more freight trains through state Senate District 26.

Gentes and Duffy are battling for the 26th District seat being vacated by retiring veteran Republican William Peterson of Long Grove. The 26th District spans from Libertyville Township in Lake County west to McHenry, Dorr and Nunda townships in McHenry County, and part of Palatine Township in Cook County.

In a Daily Herald editorial board interview Monday, Gentes blasted the latest Duffy mailer paid for by the Illinois Republican Party as a “misleading attack.”

Gentes is accused of paving the way for New Century Real Estate to handle Round Lake’s $5.5 million purchase of 57 acres at Wilson Road and Route 120 about two years ago. The village-owned land was supposed to be sold to Advocate Health Care for a hospital, but instead was recently purchased by a developer.

Christine Gentes, the mayor’s wife, is a licensed real estate agent who works for Round Lake Beach-based New Century as an independent contractor. Tom Yingling, broker/owner of New Century, said Christine Gentes never received a financial reward for the $5.5 million Round Lake deal.

“It’s easy to make accusations,” Yingling said.

Duffy said he stands by the mailer about Gentes. He also said the Gentes campaign has inaccurately portrayed him as supporting Canadian National’s plan to run more freight trains through parts of District 26.

“I’m against Canadian National,” Duffy said.

Gentes said he’s just noting Duffy’s campaign received $2,500 from BNSF Railway Co. Duffy countered that BNSF doesn’t have anything to do with CN.

Below is an excerpt from the Daily Herald story House, Sen. candidates address transit.  For purposes of brevity, only the section relevant to the 26th District is included below.

House, Sen. candidates address transit

Daily Herald Staff Report, October 13, 2008

State senate and representative candidates in Lake County have a variety of transportation improvement projects they want funded, ranging from the Metra commuter rail line to major east-west thoroughfares. In advance of the Nov. 4 election candidates were asked by the Daily Herald what were the top local projects they want included in future state spending.

Senate District 26

Republican Dan Duffy would push for funding the long-proposed Route 53 extension north from Lake-Cook Road, while Democrat Bill Gentes cites the need for improving Route 120 from Waukegan to McHenry County.

Gentes, 49, the mayor of Round Lake, said the proposed Route 120 project would benefit the large suburban area.

He said he also would want money to widen major roads such as Route 60 and the Route 53 extension, but believes Route 120 should be at the top of the list.

Duffy, 42, a business co-owner from unincorporated Lake Barrington, said while he realizes Route 53 has been a long-dormant proposal, it would be worth seeking funding for it because of the potential to relieve other congested suburban roads.

He also would seek funding for widening of Route 176, calling it “bottlenecked from one end to the other.”

District 26 runs from Libertyville Township in Lake County west to Nunda, McHenry and Dorr townships in McHenry County, and part of Palatine Township in Cook County. Duffy and Gentes are running for the seat now held by longtime state Sen. William Peterson, who is retiring.

October 13, 2008 For Immediate Release,

Round Lake, IL – Bill Gentes, Mayor of Round Lake and candidate for the open Illinois 26th Senate district seat, said today that he will use his experience as the chair of the Route 120 corridor planning council and as a member of the Lake County Transportation Alliance to lobby aggressively for infrastructure improvements to the northwest Illinois region in Springfield if he is elected to the State Senate.

“If you send me to Springfield, I will use my experience as the chair of the Route 120 corridor planning council and as a member of the Lake County Transportation Alliance to work to obtain funding for Illinois routes 120 and 53. Improvements to these local routes are vital to building our local economy, creating jobs and growing new businesses.”

“Route 53 and Route 120 are vital arteries in the district,” said Gentes. “We need these two critical roads to be expanded to cut congestion around the 26th district and to expand business and help create jobs around our area.”

“As the chair of the Route 120 corridor planning council, I know the local impact that improvements to these roads will have on our area. I have worked with business, community leaders and labor groups as a part of the Lake County Transportation Alliance. I will use that experience to bring these projects home. No capital plan will get my vote without the inclusion of funding for these two roads.”

“Illinois has not had a comprehensive capital construction plan for nine years,” said Gentes. “Passage of a construction plan would allow our local communities to update and improve our infrastructure. You’ve got to have the pieces in place if we want to business to grow and attract higher paying jobs.”

Gentes also has other priorities for regional transportation.

“Most state routes in our are like routes 176, 60, 83, and 41 all have two lane portions to them and create “choke-points” where traffic get bottled up, therefore causing the congestion that we are used to seeing in our region,” Gentes said. “All of these issues can be addressed in a capital plan and I will use my experience and background to get this done.”

Race heating up between Gentes, Duffy for state senate

By Bob Susnjara, Daily Herald, October 9, 2008

Republican Dan Duffy and Democratic Round Lake Mayor Bill Gentes are expected to receive plenty of assistance - financial and otherwise - in the final weeks of a spirited campaign for a vacant state senate seat.

Duffy and Gentes are competing for the state Senate District 26 seat being vacated by retiring veteran Republican William Peterson of Long Grove. The 26th District stretches from Libertyville Township in Lake County west to Nunda, McHenry and Dorr townships in McHenry County, and part of Palatine Township in Cook County.

Gentes had $13,871 in available funds as of June 30, according to state campaign disclosure documents.

However, said state Sen. Terry Link of Waukegan, leader of Lake County’s Democrats, Gentes will have “six figures” to spend to defeat Duffy. Gentes said he expects some of the cash from a Democratic campaign committee to pay for cable television advertising in the final two weeks before the Nov. 4 election.

Link said a state Democratic Party staffer already has been assigned to help Gentes, 49.

“He’s a viable candidate and it’s a winnable race,” Link said of Gentes. “We don’t get into these races to lose.”

Duffy, 42, of unincorporated Lake Barrington, had $135,422 in available campaign funds as of June 30, according to the most recently available documents. The Illinois Republican State Senate Campaign Committee has been paying for Duffy’s cable ads.

Ryan Cudney, executive director of the committee helping Duffy, said the early TV spots were necessary to introduce the first-time political candidate to voters in state Senate District 26.

“It’s an absolutely important race for us in Illinois,” Cudney said. “This is the only open seat that is being contested in the suburbs.”

In the regional commercial appearing on various networks carried over Comcast Cable, Duffy tries to link Gentes to Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Gentes and Blagojevich are labeled as “two peas in a pod” in the spots.

“Gentes agrees with Blagojevich, supporting his job-killing tax hikes,” says the announcer in Duffy’s spot. “We need a new approach in Springfield.”

But Gentes said the Duffy ad isn’t accurate. He’s come out publicly against increasing sales or income taxes in Illinois.

“Kind of silly,” Gentes said of how he’s portrayed by Duffy. “I’ve never even met the governor and I don’t think he’s a good governor. It’s the typical Republican talking points.”

Duffy said he stands by the ad. He touts a desire to reduce the state gasoline sales tax and his small-business experience in the commercial.