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August 21, 2017
Governor Vetoes Senate Bill 0669, preserving
local
control on the election of the County Board
Chairman
Calling it an
“inappropriate interference” to county government, Governor Bruce Rauner vetoed
Senate Bill 669 late Friday afternoon. The legislation sets a separate process for electing the County Board
Chairman in Lake County and requires a local referendum be held in 2018 to seek
approval on electing the board chairman directly by voters countywide versus by
the members of the county board.
“Current law already allows
for a sufficient process by which Lake County can change its selection process.
This issue should be resolved at the local level instead of pursuing a change
of state law that addresses a highly political local issue to create a new
process for a single county,” said Governor Rauner in his veto message to the
Illinois legislature.
The Lake County Board has
consistently and strongly opposed SB669 since its unanimous vote against the
legislation in January. In opposing the
bill, county board members called it inequitable, unfair and costly to Lake
County voters and taxpayers.
“Governor Rauner’s veto
allows Lake County to be treated like every other Illinois county and keeps this
decision in the hands of voters, not Springfield power brokers,” said Lake
County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor. “I urge the members of the Illinois House to
vote in favor of the governor’s veto and preserve local control of local and
county government.”
SB669 now returns to the
legislature where a three-fifths majority is required to override Governor
Rauner’s veto and enact the legislation. The override vote will first take
place in the Senate where it was introduced by Senator Terry Link (D-Waukegan) and
passed 33-18. Then it will move to the
House where it was sponsored by Representative Rita Mayfield (D-Waukegan) and
passed with 61 votes, 10 votes less than is required to override Governor
Rauner’s veto.
Lawlor
added, “Springfield continues to be known as a place for stalemates instead of solutions. Legislators seek a
safe re-election instead of bold reforms. And, struggling Illinois families and retirees are voting with their
feet and leaving their home state in record numbers. It is our time to lead the innovative reforms
that make a difference in people’s lives. Together, we will make Lake County a model to help fix our broken
state.”
Earlier this year, Chairman
Lawlor and the county board formed the Lake County Commission on Government Reform
and Accountability to study issues like those presented in SB669 and provide leaders and community
members with the opportunity to propose their own reform initiatives. The Commission is charged with evaluating and
making recommendations on: if and how to implement a countywide elected board
chairman, implementing independent redistricting reform for county board
districts, reducing the size of the county board and soliciting reform ideas
from leaders and community members.
The
Commission held its first meeting in May 2017 and is expected to deliver a
final report to the county board by the end of the year.
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Jennie Vana
Communications Manager
Email: Jvana@lakecountyil.gov
Phone: 847-377-2154
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