Critics say DuPage election board ethics proposal doesn't go far enough

Critics say proposed revisions to the DuPage County Election Commission's ethics rules don't go far enough.

They are urging the bipartisan commission to postpone adopting the new initiatives until it considers additional measures.

"These amendments fall short of the real ethics reform desperately needed at the election commission and needs to be subject to citizen input and serious reconstruction," said Amy Tauchman, executive director of the Democratic Party of DuPage.

On Tuesday, election commission Chairman Rick Carney said the 14 pages of proposed changes still are in draft form. He said he believes changes will be made before a final vote is taken.

Ultimately, Carney said the goal is to revise the commission's existing ethics policy so it's "in line with Illinois law and as good - if not better - than the county's ethics policy."

DuPage officials are considering a variety of initiatives to make county government more accessible and to limit vendor influence. However, the election commission is among more than four dozen county agencies that don't have to follow the county ethics code, according to an opinion from State's Attorney Joseph Birkett's office.

Carney said updating the election commission's own ethics policy is the right thing to do.

Still, Democrats say the proposed amendments are watered down and miss crucial elements.

For example, the proposed changes don't prohibit staff from leaving to work for a vendor the commission does business with.

Jean Kaczmarek, co-founder of the DuPage chapter of the Illinois Ballot Integrity Project, said a so-called revolving door policy is "an absolute must."

She said ethics policies across the nation usually prohibit former government officials and staff from working in a private sector industry directly related to their previous positions for at least two years.

While he agrees commissioners shouldn't take jobs with vendors, Carney said he doesn't believe that restriction is needed for staff members.

"Our employees don't make a lot of money," he said. "And I can't ask them not to work in the business for two years after they quit here. That's not fair."

However, Carney says he's willing to consider other suggestions made by Tauchman and others, including a proposal to have an independent board investigate ethics complaints.

In the meantime, the draft of the proposed amendments will be posted on the commission's Web site so it can be reviewed by the public.