Eliminate election commission salaries

Worried about corruption, waste of taxpayer money and patronage? We can start be addressing these issues right here in DuPage County and set an example for the rest of the state.

I applaud Dan Cronin's idea to reincorporate the election commission back into the office of the DuPage County Clerk. But this merger should eliminate waste and corruption; as the proposal stands now it will increase both.

The three election commissioners, all appointed by Mr. Cronin, receive an annual salary of $27,500. With the merger, Mr. Cronin wants to increase the number of these plum jobs he assigns from 3 to 5.

To remove any scent of corruption and save taxpayer money, let's eliminate the salaries altogether. (Local school board members and the College of DuPage board of trustees all work for free, and they put in a lot more hours and were actually elected.)

Let's also audit the election commission and implement some conflict of interest rules so donors don't automatically become the commission's no-bid vendors. The right to vote is too important to let the election commission be a patronage playground.

Let's make the DuPage Election Commission bipartisan, transparent and accountable.

Jennifer Barron

Naperville