DuPage board looks to limit chairman's powers
Some DuPage County Board members are attempting to significantly wrest authority from the next board chairman by severely curtailing his appointment and hiring powers.
A 45-page memo obtained by the Daily Herald outlines the proposed changes that seemingly emasculate the position. If passed, the new rules would not allow the chairman to hire or appoint anyone without authorization from the county board first.
Board members are expected to propose the new rules at today's meeting.
In addition, some board members who asked not to be identified, said more amendments to the county board rules will be proposed at the meeting. Those could change how county legislative districts are drawn, create county board oversight of election commission appointments and possibly even try to take away the chairman's power to appoint a new state's attorney.
Insiders say changing the appointment process of a replacement state's attorney is a reach because state election code outlines that process. The law calls for the chairman to make a recommendation to the board. If the board and chairman can't agree, the chief judge can make an appointment until the issue is resolved by the board and chairman, said current State's Attorney Joseph Birkett.
Birkett has said he does not plan to run for re-election, and instead is seeking a judicial post. His state's attorney term doesn't expire for another two years. If Birkett leaves, the new chairman could play kingmaker, giving the appointed state's attorney a leg up in any election.
Several board members have expressed concerns about their role in future legislative map configuring that will follow the results of the 2010 census. The county's legislative map is currently divided into six districts, with three members elected from each district. There has been talk of creating nine districts, with two members coming from each district. Any significant changes to the legislative map could force current board members out of office or to run against one another.
Another potential change would allow the county board to determine its own committee assignments. The board balked at Schillerstrom's committee appointments late last year and wound up deciding for themselves which committee assignments and leadership positions they would take. The committee leadership posts used to be coveted spots when board members were paid to serve as chairmen and vice chairmen. But those stipends have been eliminated.
Oversight of election commission appointments is another potential change. Some board members said they currently have no say in who is appointed to sit on the three-member panel. The DuPage Election Commission is a unique entity in Illinois government. All other counties handle elections through the clerk's office.
Longtime Chairman Bob Schillerstrom did not seek re-election and DuPage voters will choose between Republican state Sen. Dan Cronin or Democrat Carole Cheney Nov. 2.
Cronin would not comment about the proposed changes, but Cheney was supportive of the proposals.
"A more equitable distribution of authority and responsibility on the county board will provide citizens with more accountable representation," she said. "The only motivation for opposing this measure is a thirst for political power - something my opponent has been accused of regularly."