Elgin officials agree to ethics crackdown, though concerns over lobbying activity remain

Campaign donation limits, lobbying work disclosure and enhanced training are all part of a strengthened Elgin ethics ordinance for elected officials and city employees receiving preliminary approval Wednesday night.

The idea of beefing up the city's ethics ordinance stalled over the last year as council members were at loggerheads over a proposed ban on registered lobbyists serving on the city council. At least three current members of the council do work some could perceive as lobbying depending on the definition of the term.

The debate then narrowed to lobbyists registered with the state, which focused the spotlight on council member Baldemar Lopez. Lopez is not seeking reelection, but he continued to argue Wednesday an outright ban on registered lobbyists would violate Constitutional rights. That led to what the majority of the council deemed a compromise that only requires lobbyists to disclose their clients and the nature of their lobbying efforts on the city's website.

"I believe in more disclosure," said council member Tish Powell. "If someone is a lobbyist, knowing who they are working for is important so people can avoid any potential conflicts of interest. But it's a very slippery slope when we start saying certain people, because of their line of work, cannot serve on the city council."

Saying there is already precedent for a ban based on profession, Mayor David Kaptain pointed out state law already blocks police officers from serving on the city council in the same municipality they work in. And council member Toby Shaw pointed to Chicago's ethics ordinance, which bans lobbyists from serving on its city council.

Despite that, the council voted unanimously to give preliminary support to the ethics ordinance changes with the thinking that it's an improvement over what existed before. They must take one more vote before the changes are final.

Other changes include a $1,000 cap on campaign contributions by anyone who does at least $20,000 worth of business with the city in any given year or wants to do with the city. Such donations must also include the "name of the true donor."

Council members and city employees will now also receive ethics training every two years.

There is also a desire to prohibit the "double-dipping" practice of municipal employee retirees coming to or back to the city in a job that would give them a second pension. But the council tabled that issue to allow further research on how such a ban may impact the city's ability to fill key positions like police and fire chiefs.