Combine some city, county taxing bodies

Kerry Lester’s recent reporting of the excessive number of local government bodies draws attention to a persistent problem that should be addressed by public leaders, not just journalists. When it comes to reducing the number of taxing bodies, we must all put personal interests aside.

My office has long favored combining the Chicago Board of Elections with our county election department, and I welcome proposals to streamline tax services by merging our tax department with other tax offices.

For the local elections next week, there are 2,053 candidates on the ballot in the Cook County suburbs alone. A full 55 seats are without a candidate, and more than 60 percent of the 716 races are uncontested. In the face of such numbers, all ideas to create more efficient government should be on the table.

David Orr

Cook County clerk