By KEVIN P. CRAVER - kcraver@nwherald.com April 2, 2007

Woodstock attorney Thomas Cynor’s work to get a Democrat on the McHenry County Board has paid a political dividend for him as well.

The Democratic Party of McHenry County elected Cynor, 38, as its new chairman, handily beating acting chairwoman Kathy Bergan Schmidt. Party precinct representatives elected him with 1,698 votes to Schmidt’s 965 at their Wednesday meeting at the McHenry County Farm Bureau building in Woodstock.

“We did very well in McHenry County this last election, and Tom was a big part of that,” party spokesman Patrick Murfin said. “He put together a first-class ground operation, and that certainly impressed a lot of folks.”

Schmidt, who unsuccessfully ran for county board in November, had held the chairman position since January, when former chairman Patrick Ouimet stepped down for health reasons. She has resumed her position of vice chairwoman.

Members credited Cynor with ensuring that every Dorr Township precinct was covered and walked by a committee member, which helped Democrats score big last November, Murfin said. Cynor also served as chairman of the party’s Membership Development Committee and played a role in appointing and training 91 new precinct committeemen, and ensured that all township polling places had poll watchers.

Cynor said his main goal is to build on November’s results by getting qualified and competent committeemen in every county precinct. He worked on the successful campaigns of McHenry County Board member James Kennedy, D-Lake in the Hills, and 8th Congressional District incumbent Melissa Bean, D-Barrington.

“I realize there’s a tremendous amount of hard work involved, but I’m looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting the job done,” Cynor said. “In recent years, we’ve been a very results-oriented organization, and that’s why we’re involved.”

Kennedy, who now represents the township as part of the county board’s District 5, became the first Democrat to be elected to the board since 1976. But the Democratic Party also fared well countywide.

Bean practically split McHenry County’s vote with Republican challenger David McSweeney, who had hoped the county would win him the election. McHenry County voters in 2004 favored longtime GOP incumbent Phil Crane, but Bean carried Lake and Cook counties to win.

Kennedy, who seconded Cynor’s nomination Wednesday, gave Cynor a lot of credit for his win.

“He was a major component of it, from door-to-door canvassing to putting out literature, making phone calls and providing some excellent political strategy during the campaign,” Kennedy said.

Cynor called the victories a further foothold aside from the five terms held by current State Rep. Jack Franks, D-Woodstock, who ran unopposed in November. All other county government offices are held by Republicans, as are the 16th Congressional District, both remaining state representatives and both state senators.

“That’s how you win elections,” Cynor said. “It’s all about good candidates with a good message, and ultimately, getting people to the polls.”

Cynor presently is legal counsel to judges of the newly-created 22nd Judicial Circuit. He has a wife, Kathy, and a 4-year-old son, Quinn.