Kane County starts digging into ethics reform
Kane County Board members will work from a list of more than 20 ethical concerns in drafting a new policy for how board members are expected to behave while in office. The list debuted Wednesday amid comments that made it clear several board members are will not be content to have a policy that mimics an ethics ordinance recently established in DuPage County.
The county board's Human Services Services Committee was joined by 17 of the board's 26 members Wednesday in debating a new ethics law.
Board members received a list of 21 topics to sort through by June. That's the loose deadline placed on the debate by Committee Chairman Mark Davoust, of St. Charles, to create a draft for the full county board to discuss and vote on. The topics range from political contribution limits, bans on gifts and disclosure of conflicts of interest to how the new ethics law will be enforced and how accusations of a violation will be substantiated. Even issues such as elected officials collecting dual pensions, the hiring of family members for county jobs and the ability of current and former board members to accept political appointments will be on the table.
What won't be on the table is a debate centered on the ethics changes proposed by county board member Jim Mitchell of North Aurora. Mitchell presented a full draft of a new Kane County ethics law that is nearly identical to DuPage County's ethics ordinance. Mitchell said Wednesday he wants an ethics debate based on what elected officials want, not what county staff want.
"The recommendations should come from the board," Mitchell said. "That's what we were elected to do. That's what we should do. I have no problem with (the list of 21 topics) being added. I have a problem with who adds them."
The list was generated by county staff based on the discussions the county board has had on ethics changes so far and provisions found in ethics laws in other Illinois counties.
Cathy Hurlbut, of Elgin, said she has no interest in using the DuPage County ethics laws as the gold standard for the debate.
"(Mitchell) wants his proposal to be where we start," Hurlbut said. "There are all sorts of what I would call unconstitutional issues in that ordinance. It is not a good base point. It is something they threw together in a last-minute approach for their chairman. It has procedural issues. It has constitutional issues. There are totally unenforceable, unusable provisions. To say that it is a better starting point ... is totally flawed."
Mitchell said the legalities should be left for State's Attorney John Barsanti to decide.
"I'm not saying it's perfect, but it is so far ahead of what we have now," Mitchell said.
Davoust disagreed. He said the DuPage County law can be a reference point, but the debate will be centered on the list of 21 issues presented Wednesday.