A few changes would help reform Illinois

Following are a couple of changes that I recommend. I believe they would greatly reform government in Illinois. They would make our government more small-d democratic and more responsive to the electorate. The first has two parts:

First, provide for the election of precinct committeemen in Cook County. This is the way it presently is done in every other county in Illinois and, in fact, most of the country. I watched it in DuPage County last year and it was beautiful. This would completely reform government in Cook County where Ward and Township Committeemen control their re-election by armies of patronage workers and (for the Democrats) union members beholden for their jobs. Ward and Township Committeemen would have to be loyal down to the Precinct Committeemen who elected them rather than up to a Central Committee. The County Chairman would have to appeal to Precinct Committeemen to get elected.

Then change Illinois law to provide that the State Parties' Central Committees be comprised of all of the County Chairmen of their parties. I am told most other state parties are also directed by County Chairmen. Presently in Illinois, State Committeemen and Committeewomen are elected based on Congressional Districts, one of each gender per district. In the Democratic Party the State Central Committee is nothing more than a rubber stamp for House Speaker Mike Madigan. He couldn't run roughshod over 101 County Chairmen and his party chairmanship would be in jeopardy.

The second change I recommend is the repeal of the Governor's amendatory veto. The last session of the legislature saw the House and Senate pass different budgets that were in excess of expected revenues. If there were no amendatory veto the House and Senate would have had to agree on the cuts to be made. If our legislature is ever to be responsible it would be better if they didn't have the option of punting. I think the Governor should veto the acts and require the legislature to get its act together.

R. Kent Kirkwood

Mount Prospect