New rule on Kane County Board silences Kunkel

Call it the Bonnie rule.

Kane County Board Member Bonnie Kunkel was muzzled Wednesday when she tried to ask questions about the bidding process for county transportation projects.

Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay blocked Kunkel's questions with a new rule that allows board members to comment, but not question, at Executive Committee unless they chair a county committee.

Kunkel, of Aurora, does not chair any committee, barring her from asking questions.

The rule was enacted after a November meeting in which Kunkel asked several questions at Executive Committee about specific line items in the county budget.

She was told by fellow Democrats, including senior Democrat Gerald Jones, that she should save her questions for county staff and not waste the time of other board members during an open meeting.

Kunkel did not protest the rule Wednesday, but later expressed concerns about its impact.

"We're supposed to discuss things with one another," she said. "If people don't know what's going on in government, they presume something bad is going on. I'd just like a more open process. I think that's what a democracy is supposed to be about."

McConnaughay said after the meeting the new Executive Committee rule is designed to remind board members they have an obligation to educate themselves on issues before meetings and come ready to vote.

Committee meetings shouldn't be question and answer sessions, she said, because county board seats are part-time positions and many board members have other jobs to attend. The new rule allows for a speedy meeting and the ability to express opinions without getting bogged down with questions that can be answered on a board member's own time, McConnaughay said.

"I certainly don't want to discourage any board member from offering an opinion on any issue," McConnaughay said. "Opinions are always welcome, and every elected official is entitled to express them."