Quinn signs bill giving county boards more oversight authority

Calling it “a good step forward” toward ethics, honesty and openness in local government, Gov. Pat Quinn Wednesday signed legislation giving suburban county boards more financial supervision over the agencies they appoint.

The new law, which Quinn signed during a stop in Wheaton, is in part a response to financial scandals involving two DuPage County agencies. A series of federal audits revealed the DuPage Housing Authority misspent or failed to account for more than $10 million. And in 2009, the DuPage Water Commission accidentally spent $69 million in reserves because of poor accounting practices.

Quinn said it's imperative everyone in the state “be dedicated to integrity and honesty in government. And I think there's lots and lots of things still to be done. But this is a good step forward today.”

Suburban county leaders now have more authority to get budget details and other financial information from the independent boards and commissions they appoint.

DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin, who took office in January after serving as a state senator, was dealing with residual fallout from the water commission when the financial scandal involving the housing authority broke. He pushed for the new law, saying it would correct “a structural defect in county government.”

Cronin said he and the county board are responsible for appointing 265 people to 53 agencies, boards and commissions. Previously, those independent units of government — including sanitary districts and mosquito abatement districts — weren't accountable to county leaders after the appointments were made.

“The average citizen thinks the county board has complete oversight over everything that says DuPage County next to it,” said Rep. Michael Connelly, a Lisle Republican who sponsored the measure in the House. “It turns out they don't. This is a big step in the direction of providing that accountability to the county board and the chairman.”

Cronin says he plans to use the new oversight power “to prevent the mistakes of the past.”

“It's the first step in the process,” Cronin said. “It will allow us to start looking for efficiencies, raising the level of professionalism, and demanding more transparency and accountability.”

Once he gets a better understanding of what various governmental entities are doing, Cronin said he will explore consolidation and privatization opportunities. He also plans to change the process of finding appointees for boards and commissions. He has said the county needs to actively search for qualified candidates committed to public service.

On Wednesday, Quinn made three stops in DuPage. Before traveling to Wheaton, he was in Naperville to sign legislation dealing with sudden infant death syndrome. He also visited Elmhurst to approve a plan to allow remotely-activated bracelet technology to contact emergency services during a missing persons incident.