Who is Jon Zahm??? Answer = http://thegoliathslayer.com/political_consulting.html

Your one stop shop for WINNING ELECTION CAMPAIGN = http://thegoliathslayer.com/

Therefore, the question now for Mr. Zahm is: How much is Kenny Toftoy paying you as his hired gun as Mr. Zahm does not even live in Kendall County.

Mr. Milliron, I have done much more for Kendall County over the last 20 years in electing good candidates to office than you. Sometimes professionally, and sometimes on a volunteer basis. Among these people are Senator Lauzen, Senator Rezin, Congressman Hultgren, Mayor LeClercq, State's Attorney Weis, Oswego Trustee Giles, Montgomery Trustee Bond, etc. I do not have to apologize for being compensated by the Toftoy campaign. Perhaps if you ever wanted to stop losing elections you would hire a professional to help get your message out. But since your message is all over the place... Green Party one year. Independent the next. Republican another time. You are a lost cause. The reason Ken Toftoy has the support that he does is because of his long time record of good service and compassionate and empathy filled care for families of the deceased.

Shame on you, Mr. Milliron. I used to think you were sincere in your convictions, but statements like this:

" I am told Mr. Toftoy usually leaves the money for services rendered on the dresser; you might want to check there after you are kissed."

Make me wonder what kind of a person you really are. What a nasty implication for one who presents himself as such a principled man. You will no longer have my support sir! Sad to say I don't dare give my real name, or I fear I would be the subject of such crude language!

"I used to think you were sincere in your convictions"

Now you know better.
The more Todd talks, the more he reveals his true motivations, which are much different than he pretends them to be.

Mr. Toftoy is not a leach, although he clearly doesn't have his resouces tightened up by at least $30,000. DeKalb, and Kendall County have the same population. The DeKalb County Coroner's Office is budgeted 50 hours weekly for employee salaries, to include the Coroner at 20 hours. Mr. Toftoy budgets to work 40 hours for himself. The job that Ms. Purcell (Executive Secretary) is performed at 10 hours weekly, in DeKalb County, though she is paid to work for 40 hours for the Kendall County Coroner's Office. DeKalb County has 2 part time deputy coroner's, we have 5. Yes, Ms. Purcell is a deputy coroner, so lets give her 10 additional hours weekly. DeKalb does budget for another part time deputy coroner at 10 hours a week. In other words, Mr. Toftoy's budget is padded by at least 20 hours a week for himself, and 20 hours a week for Mrs. Purcell, when you compare it to DeKalb County. Times are tough, and it's time to economize. That is the Republican way of doing things, I've been told. If DeKalb County has 50 hours of weekly employment budgeted for the Coroner's Office, with the same population, why do Kendall County taxpayers have to spend 100% more in salaries, for Mr. Toftoy, and Mrs. Purcell? My answer is no, Mr. Toftoy has the time to do most of the clerical work. Then you would only have to hire a part time employee for maybe a day a week. There is your $30,000 in savings, about 20%.

Stephen,
Kendall County has a population 10% larger than DeKalb County. 111K vs 104K
Kendall County also has a higher statistical death rate per 100k residents. 840 vs 820

That means on average, the assumptions made in the budgeting process in both counties, 924 people per year will require the services of the Coroner in Kendall County, and 852 people per year will require those services in DeKalb county.

The total budget for the coroner office in Kendall County is - 147,292
http://www.co.kendall.il.us/county_administration/budgets/KC_FY12_Budget.pdf

The total budget for the coroner office in DeKalb County is - 202,000
http://www.daily-chronicle.com/mobile/article.xml/articles/2012/03/22/r_rheawad4qi67rlhgqjxiq/index.xml

Kendall County is paying almost 25% LESS than DeKalb county is, for more population.

Taking reality into account, and leaving politics out of it, the budgets don't really seem as different as you are trying to make them seem. If anything, the Kendall County office is underpaid for the region.

@Tim, since you do not live in Kendall County, again you do not have a clue or know what the real facts are. Here is the actual reality; I guess I need to remind you yet again, we do not have a hospital in Kendall County.

In fiscal year 2010-2011 we actually had 246 Deaths processed and handled by the Kendall County Coroner’s Office, in 2009-2010 it was 215 Deaths, most of which either occurred in a decedents’ home under hospice care or at an area nursing home. Facts are facts; see page 19 of 71, http://www.co.kendall.il.us/county_clerk/Board_packets/2012/packets/December_20_2011.pdf Nov. 30 is when the county’s fiscal year ends; page 18 has the monthly facts for Oct. 2011. You can use all the stats you want, but let us be real and talk about what actually is happening, not some hypothetical numbers you choose to spin.

The Kendall County Coroner underpaid? The County Board, an the Kendall County Record hve vociferously disaggreed with you. Change what you are smoking. You still haven't opposed my positon with any credible, or relative information. As for the pint that this isn't a lot of money. My question to you is this, "Why don't we elect somebody who iswilling to economize?" Mr. Toftoy has battled even at least one County Board member on his food bill"s last year. He complained to a fellow county official about it at a Kendall County GOP meeting. The official and I did inform him that he needs to process his travel "items" properly. He was flabbergasted that he had to follow the rules to get paid. Of course Mr. Toftoy staed in the press that he runs his office as he sees fit, even i it means paying an employee for not being on the job.

"The County Board, an the Kendall County Record hve vociferously disaggreed with you."

So, when they support your ideas, they are credible, but when they don't they are not to be trusted?

Todd, I used the statistical numbers, because that is the same variable across both counties. They both use these methods when compiling the needs of future budgets.

The total budgets for both counties are not irrelevant, they are exactly what is being discussed. The facts are that Kendall County pays 25% LESS than DeKalb county. Did you ever think to consider that Dekalb pays to outsource much of the duties that a regular staff member would otherwise do, and thats why they have less staff? And did you consider that because Kendall County is NOT outsourcing those same services(tests, etc) it takes more employees at the office?

The work has to be done, Todd, no matter how much you claim it has anything to do with politics. If Kendall County has more employees to pay, yet lower total costs because in the big picture they dont farm the work out elsewhere at a higher total cost, what exactly is your problem?

State specifically WHAT your solution is to maintaining the service needed(have you ever actually been side by side with the office over the course of their duties?). I don't want to hear about trivial steak dinners, I want to see a concrete plan with attached budget about how you will handle less salary hours, and still maintain less external expenses at the same time.

hi tim..paying attention, or do you like to see your words in print? i'll bet you are a master in holding one way conversations...your last comment was directed at todd, when I made the comment...what gives? are you so anti-milliron that you can't read? also, just because the DeKalb Coroner spends more, in other areas, has nothing to do with the issue that the employment costs of the Kendall County Coroner's Office are inflated to the point that the whole budget can be reduced by 20% if the Coroner worked harder, and not need a full time executive secretary/deputy coroner.

The comment is directed at who made it, since Patch uses a single threaded format. Did you see me addressing a specific individual? No? Did you wonder why that was? When I began to address Todd's point, I addressed him. Once again, instead of presenting a coherent point or plan, you resort to name calling and straw-man arguments.

No matter how many times it is asked, NOBODY can give an exact way that these cuts are going to be accomplished. If you haven't taken the time to even look over the expenditures of the office, and what they do in-house compared to what they farm out, why in the world should anyone take you seriously.

The office is a professional office, it is not a 'wage slave' office. You can not compare your work life to public office. Working harder is meaningless when you are on call 24hrs a day. In the professional world, people work smarter, not harder. Do you think the office should be on call 26 hours a day?

Hi Tim,

It was my comment about the "vociferous" objections concening the Coroner pay, not Todd's. I can tell you this. Mr. Dabney, who knows the office well, is having a hard time with the justification for full time employees in the offce. If he marshalls the personnel, as they do in DeKalb County, there will not be a full time employee hired by the Coroner. It' not a 26 hour a day job, either. It's a 50 hour a week job, in the office, and the rest is on-call. On-call time, even in Mr. Toftioy's office is a 2 dollar/.hour proposition . At least one person has to be sober (with the 5 deputies, one woul be hopeful that at least one of them was sober, and near-by), and in the county. Please research this, or I am willing to research this with you. We can meet at the downtown Oswego Library, next Sunday, at 1pm. Are you open to this? I'll be there anyway, so it's not out of my way.

I disagree with Mr. Milliron that the election is only about what Toftoy has done now, when an incumbent is seeking reelection it is about their totality of their time in office. Also your file from the Auditor are only some of the pages them are actually from the Auditor the rest are what you added. In addition as an Elected County Office head the Coroner like all Elected Office Heads can pick and chose what County Board sanctioned employment policies and practices are put into place. You speak of vague entitlements that we the taxpayers are getting soaked for, please put in black and white where we are being taken advantage of? One last thing now that you have attacked Mr. Zahm for living outside the county and commenting on the Coroner’s race. I trust that you will go after all “outsiders” that live outside the county starting with the first post on this page.

To Common Sense: That's the same thing the Paterno family was saying, "...it is about their totality of their time...".The statue came down anyway. However I do agree with you on the Jon Zahm thing. Who cares what a nickel chasing political "cap pistol slinger" says or does.

Steve, There is not an incumbent elected Coroner in Kane County due to death of Chuck West. Therefore no request has been made of Mr. Russell for his endorsement. Because Coroner Toftoy is in a contested re-election campaign he is not getting involved in Coroner campaigns in other counties unless there is a proven incumbent with a record of good service.

Jon,

That's not the take that I got. I found my conversation with Mr. Russell, the Republican Nominee for Kane County Coroner enlightening. This was at the Western Township GOP picnic, the other weekend. Have you talked to him?

Jon, voters are asking the questionn, "Good government is great, but at these prices?" This is local, state, and federal. The issue of Mr. Toftoy's ability to perform the work is not in question, in my humble opinion. It's about how much work he does, and how much the taxpayers have to spend because of the costs of his not working efficiently (or in the taxpayers interest, if you will). I think that he, and other local officials, and boards have a lot of fat to cut. Just because you have an (R) by your name, in the State of Illinois, doesn't mean tht you have the taxpayers interest at heart. If Mr. Toftoy wishes to show his compassion, to the most people, he'd lead by example, and show how he can cut 20% out of his budget, instead of asking for a $9000 a year pay raise.

What is WRONG with the Kendall GOP? It is a sad day for Kendall County when the Kendall County Republican Central Committee Chairman, Ken Toftoy, the leader of his own party has to hire a nickel chasing (wanna be) hired (cap) gun to do his campaign. That indicates to me that either no local Republicans work local campaigns and the Kendall GOP is just a political façade in name only or Mr. Toftoy who is running, as a Republican Incumbent for the Office of Kendall County Coroner and leader of his party does not have any support from within the local GOP party/precinct committee members.

Jon, I guess it takes a PRINICIPALed REPUBLICAN to point out the obvious to you why you have to be paid, because no one is working to reelect Mr. Toftoy except you. I sure hope Kenny has enough money to pay you and I hope you will ask for your "political-fee for hire” money up front.

franco, that makes todd a better citizen than most. if 1% of the public actively quesioned government spending, we wouldn"t be in the mess we are in. federal, state, or local

Dude, if I were Mike Dabney, I'd have you locked in the trunk of a car until after the election is over. Being associated with you is gonna tank him.

100% agree with 'Lebowski'.

"When you are the tip of the spear for ethical and efficient local government"
Todd, nobody thinks that's what you are.

Todd, that committeeman is pulling your leg; Toftoy would never resign the chairmanship of the Kendall County Republicans, although he has resigned the Republican principles in the operation of his office as Coroner (he admitted in the press that he'll spend as he sees fit, not as he needs to). also, what does Mike Dabney have to do with todd's words about Jon Zahm?.

Hey todd, if he does for money what you do for free, what does that make you?

As a fairly recent Kendall County resident, I think it is wonderful to have a gadfly like Todd keeping an eye on things. I think the tip of spear reference is appropriate, and I am grateful for all of his efforts.

I just checked with Matthew Prochaska, secretary of the Kendall County Republican Central Committee. Ken Toftoy remains chairman of the party, Todd.

Of course it was BS. Todd didn't even name the person who told him this.

Instead, Todd jumps at the first attempt to spread rumors about his political opponents. Still, not a single coherent plan that details exactly what cost savings would be implemented by him. Just more vague 'work harder' and 'cut the waste' nonsense.

This is the #1 reason more people do not take you seriously, Todd. And why you were trounced in the last election. You can't even attach the same 'fact-checking' that you rail against everyone else for, to your very own statements.

I hate to take pleasure in watching someones decent into senility, but Todd just makes it so entertaining.

Jillian, you are right, Mr. Toftoy is the Chairman, however, one of the village trustees in one of our Kendall County villages was told at the YR meeting before the KCRCC meeting, a few weeks ago, that Mr. Toftoy was to resign his post to work on his re-election, so the story goes. This was told to the trustee by a member of the KCRCC Executive Committee.

Nice one Jon,
Check the forms; I'm not on any of Mr. Dabney's committee's. Furthermore, if he doesn't come out with a plan to reduce the Coroner's Office expenses by 20%, I'm not going to vote for him. Additionally, the cuts have to be thoughtful, and doable. As for attacks, what attacks? I'm just comparing how many office hours that DeKalb County (which is much larger geographically than Kendall) gets their office work done with, as compared to Kendall County. With populations that are within a few thousand of each other, I don't see why we pay substantially more for office employee salaries. It doesn't make sense unless Mr. Toftoy is not willing to put more hours in doing the mundane tasks of paperwork administration. He has 5 deputies so he doesn't have to be on call 24/7. All they have to do is be sober, and in the area. Looking at the names of his deputies, you should be able to assume that at least 2 deputies would be sober, and in the area, on a weekly basis. To continue, Sheriff Randall told Mr. Toftoy how to handle his feeding expenses, and Mr. Toftoy didn't want to follow the rules (I was there, and I confirmed to Mr. Toftoy, what the Sheriff told him was correct). He said words to the effect that he'll do it his way, and stormed away. I had no idea that Mr. Toftoy was talking about filet mignon dinners. Had Mr. Toftoy done as the Sheriff suggested, there would be no issues about how he feeds himself on the Kendall County taxpayer's dimes.

Glad you asked.

Below is a link that will take you to the complete Illinois state statute that defines the duties and responsibilities of the office of Coroner.
http://law.onecle.com/illinois/55ilcs5/3-3001.html
For fun, make it a game to find the section that defines that the Coroner has the power to arrest the Sheriff.

On a side note;
Is Yorkville in another country where eating steak is somehow extravagant? A 'filet mignon' is not exactly high living, when a full steak dinner is between $20-$30. What do the people complaining that this is 'high living' think he should be eating? crackers and water? This INSANE amount of micro-managing will never be a solution. The same people trying to use this line of reasoning also keep talking about 'running it like a business', but I can't believe they ever worked in a business with such micro-management. Such places usually don't last very long. It is not a trait that is striven for in any successful company, so I have to wonder - why is it suddenly a good idea for government, when it is also claimed that this should be managed like a business which would never use this idea?

The Dekalb County Coroner fulfills his office duties 20hours/weekly. His secretary/deputies take care of the rest with 30 hours/weekly...TOTAL between them...50 HOURS/WEEKLY. Virtually the same population, and a lot bigger county. The rest of the hours are on call, however, one can take an office like this, and bloat the payroll if know one is paying attention, or paying very little attention. I'll agree with Tim that the steak thing, on it's own is not that important, however it is symptomatic of how many people, in all levels of government feel that they don't have to adhere to proper work procedures, and accounting procedures, because they make the rules, and can break them, in deed, or in kind.