A split in the McHenry County Republican Party that could affect the races for governor and two county offices erupted Monday over a plea agreement offered to a politician accused of election fraud.
McHenry County Board Member Kathleen Harper, 47, of Crystal Lake, is under felony indictment for allegedly hiding her nominating petitions from public inspection when she ran for Nunda Township supervisor last year.
Harper was in the midst of pleading guilty in a Woodstock courtroom in return for a lighter misdemeanor sentence when Republican State’s Atty. Gary Pack walked into the courtroom and called off the proceeding.
Pack said the postponement to Thursday had nothing to do with politics. But Harper’s township opponents said the plea deal, which would have allowed her to run for re-election to the board, was “a slap on the wrist,” and they threatened to run popular Nunda Township Supervisor Anita Sherwood against her in November as a third party candidate.
If Republican voters split their tickets to vote for Sherwood, it could affect support for Gov. Jim Edgar in the heavily GOP county. The ticket-splitting might also affect the chances of McHenry County Sheriff William Mullen and Treasurer William Ward, both of whom have Democratic opponents, said County Board member Richard Meyers of McHenry, who is also the Nunda Township clerk and a bitter rival of Harper’s.
Pack said the plea deal is still on the table. He said the postponement “involves ironing out some of the details, that’s all. . . It’s still scheduled for a guilty plea Thursday.”
Under the agreement, Harper would be placed on 2 years’ probation, fined $500, and required to perform 100 hours of community service. Though she could run for re-election to the County Board, she would be barred from seeking office in Nunda Township for five years.
When Harper challenged Sherwood in the township last year, she was defeated almost 4 to 1. In March, Harper won a bitter Republican primary battle for the County Board and currently is unopposed in the November general election.
Ward’s reputation was seriously damaged earlier this year when Pack submitted evidence to a grand jury that while serving as county treasurer he held stock in two banks that had county deposits. But the grand jury declined to indict Ward, 64, a veteran of 30 years in county politics.
Mullen, 56, was appointed sheriff by the County Board in December to replace the retired George Hendle and is seeking his first four-year term.
“The party has its hands full-it has to decide whether it wants to keep Harper on the County Board or strengthen the campaigns of Edgar, Mullen and Ward,” said Meyers, a Republican.
Sherwood, 67, a lifelong Republican from unincorporated Crystal Lake who is in her fifth term as supervisor of the county’s third largest township, said a plea deal that would allow Harper to stay on the County Board might force her to run.
“The possibility of causing ticket-splitting would bother me greatly,” Sherwood said, “but I don’t think it would bother me enough to stop me from running, because this is a local matter and I’m more concerned with local politics.”
Sherwood would need at least 700 signatures on nominating petitions by Aug. 8 to get on the ballot.
Michael Poper, Harper’s attorney, said he will advise Harper to reject a plea if she is not allowed to run for re-election. “We’ll go to trial, and it will be an interesting one,” said Poper.
Monday’s sentencing hearing was before Judge Harry Hartel of Lake County, who was brought to McHenry County to hear the case after all 10 McHenry County judges recused themselves.
Pack’s first assistant, Terry Nader, approached the bench and told the judge his office and Harper had “reached an agreement on a negotiated plea.”
“Are you pleading guilty because you think you are guilty?” Hartel asked Harper.
Harper replied “Yes,” and Nader was preparing to read a stipulation on the facts surrounding the hiding of the petitions when Pack arrived. He walked up to Nader and whispered in his ear. Nader then asked Hartel for a conference in the judge’s chambers.
Five minutes later the parties walked out and announced the continuance to Thursday.
Nader said the agreement calls for Harper to plead guilty to the misdemeanors of attempted mutilation of election petitions and disregard of the election code, both of which carry up to a year in the county jail and a $1,000 fine, and the misdemeanor of misconduct by a township officer, which carries only a $1,000 fine.
She had been indicted for three felonies and two misdemeanors. One felony, perjury, carried a prison sentence of 2 to 5 years and the others carried sentences of 1 to 3 years.
