Run for three separate political offices at the same time! In the ultimate case of political indecision, that’s exactly what Geneva Planning Commission Chairman Jay Moffatt just did.

Apparently adhering to the shotgun method of getting elected, not only is Moffatt running for the D304 school board, he’s going for the Geneva Park and Geneva Library boards too. Never mind that state’s attorney sanctioned conflicts will prevent him from holding more than one or two of ’em, considering the likely voter backlash, he’ll probably go 0 for 3.

To make matters even worse, when the press caught up with his interesting electoral antics (sometimes the media is a good thing), he refused to respond to their overtures. And let me tell ya, it doesn’t help your case when you choose not to explain your suicidal and bizarre political behavior because then you leave it up to the press.

And, trust me, that never turns out good.

Goodbye Jay! At least you made your too-brief political career relatively fascinating.

Just when you thought the Elgin Township Trustees might actually have some good taste, they go ahead and appoint that ridiculous Laura Wallet to the township clerk post vacated by new Kane County Board Member Kurt Kojzarek.  

If you recall, when Wallet pre-announced her appointment to the press earlier this month, those same trustees suddenly decided she wasn’t the right person for the job after all. Lord knows who’s ring (or other body part) she had to kiss, but apparently after some sort of reconciliation, Ms. Wallet got the job despite her regular tantrums.

And this isn’t the first time she’s acted like a spoiled brat either. The most notable instance came when, despite refusing to participate in the proceedings, she crashed the Kane County Young Republican debate anyway. When YR Chairman Tim Stoll politely asked her to leave, she went berserk and threw a shrieking and howling fit at the top of the stairs.

I saw that one for myself.

This woman isn’t fit to serve tables much less hold public office which doesn’t say too much for the folks running Elgin Township. Thankfully, this is Clerk gig will turn out to be the pinnacle of her political career.

I hope Santa was good to everyone. Despite my tendency towards misbehaving I can’t complain about my Christmas. But now it’s time to get back to work! 

Though I’m all for reasonable gun control – no one needs to own a M-16 knock off – in Monday’s Patch column we discuss just how silly Dick’s Sporting Goods temporary ban on selling real and toy guns really is.

Not only is it an exercise in futility, but, because stupid symbolic gesture give us the illusion of actually doing something, it makes solving a serious problem even more difficult.

You can read the entire piece here. Despite a couple of knuckleheads, the comments are fairly interesting as well.

My knee jerk reaction to the Sandy Hook tragedy was to start calling local law enforcement in an effort to come up with the perfect solution to end school shootings once and for all. But after taking some time to ponder this imponderable, I realized it’s actually going to take a three pronged approach. 

1. Reasonable gun control – no one needs an M16 knock off.

2. A comprehensive nationwide plan for treating the 10 percent of us who are mentally ill.

3. A realization that we really are our brother’s keeper. As D303 Superintendent Don Schlomann wrote, ““We cannot afford to allow our students to withdraw from others.”

Please read Monday’s Patch column for my complete thoughts on this very difficult issue.

Sorry for the dearth of posts lately, but I’ve been adjusting to my new schedule working as a part-time consultant for the county clerk. 

The folks at the Beacon-News, Courier-News, and Naperville Sun got word today that the Sun-Times is  closing their Aurora office. With only the reporters excepted, the only way those hard-working folks will keep their jobs is if they’re willing to make that daily train to downtown Chicago.

And from out here, that’s a three hour commute.

Considering some of their more interesting business decisions, my best guess is this contraction is their way of culling the herd – so to speak. They’re counting on the fact that some of the staff will choose to move on instead. The Sun-Times is moving to a Net first philosophy and they harbor this strange notion that all four papers can share the same content.

But the truth is, what gets a Second City reader’s motor going, doesn’t necessarily sell in Elgin.

My fear is this is just the first step in shutting those suburban papers down. And that really would be a loss.

If you missed today’s Left, Right and You you’re in luck! Simply click on this link, sit back and relax: Left Right and You Dec. 18

We may not have covered quite as much ground as we had hoped, but the sad Newton, CT situation demanded a bit more attention that most topics.

A special thanks to District 303 Superintended Don Schlomann for offering his cogent thoughts on what parents, educators and peers can do to head these things off before they hit the point of no return.

We also want to offer our gratitude to Lauren Kelliher of Illinois Doberman Rescue Plus for calling in. For those folks considering giving a pet for Christmas, Lauren covered exactly what dog ownership really means.

Enjoy the show!

That’s right! Left, Right and You is back on the air today (12/18). Please tune your radio dial to WRMN AM1410 from 3 to 4 p.m. to get Allen’s and my thoughts on: 

• The Newton, CT tragedy and what we can all do to prevent school shootings.
• Allen and I may not like unions, but should taxpayers be subsidizing Wal-Mart and McDonald’s employees?
• Will they complete the bridge across that fiscal cliff in time? Didn’t the president receive some sort of fiscal mandate?
• The realities of giving a pet as a Christmas gift.
• Why Lovie Smith should be run out of town on a rail!

D303 Superintended Don Schlomann will be calling to provide thoughts on keeping students connected and we welcome your calls too! 847-931-1410.