Showing up is Job 1 in public service

What if you landed a job and came to work only four out of every five days you were scheduled?

Barring any unusual circumstances, you’d probably be shown the exit. Yet that is the kind of commitment Kane County residents are seeing from some of the employees they voted to represent them on the county board.

In a Daily Herald analysis, James Fuller reported that half the returning board members, who are paid $24,000 annually, missed at least 20 percent of their required meetings in 2010. That means some board members weren’t in their seats to discuss or vote on such important issues as a shift in social services providers, an ethics ordinance, red-light cameras and a new state’s attorney.

Constituents have a right to expect that their representatives attend meetings to ask questions, pass along their views and make informed decisions. That can’t happen from an empty chair.

Some offered weak explanations for their delinquency. Board member Donnell Collins of Aurora, who missed 42 percent of his meetings due to his job as a sports photographer, said he makes up for his absences by working with residents behind the scenes. Cristina Castro of Elgin missed 34 percent of her meetings in part, she said, because of the relative inactivity of some of the committees she is involved with.

Seven other board members were absent 20 percent to 27 percent of the time.

It’s fair to say most people who enter public service start with good intentions. This is particularly true at the local level, where jobs that require long hours often are unpaid. But whatever motivates a candidate, a thorough self-assessment of commitment and time constraints is in order before filing to run. Besides attending meetings, they must read the materials, attend events, keep up on issues and answer constituents’ calls and emails.

Blending public service with careers and family life will test even the most organized person’s time management skills. Illnesses, family challenges or job changes cannot be predicted, and an occasional vacation should be allowed. But the amount of work required to serve shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who achieves an office. Officials can take a lesson from state Sen. Michael Bond of Grayslake, who was a member of the Woodland Elementary District 50 school board when he took his Senate post in 2007 and then missed 24 of 27 school meetings in the year before his board term expired in 2009. He later admitted his mistake in believing he could meet the obligations of both offices. Because he overcommitted himself, he failed to vote on salary freezes, fee increases and other key District 50 issues.

As Bond did, the no-show board members in Kane County personify missed opportunities. They must shift their priorities, keep their promise and be fully accountable to the taxpayers, who deserve better representation from the people they elect.