Letter: No question of blame for paperwork snafu

I would like to state my emphatic objection to the headline which appeared in the May 11 DuPage edition of the Daily Herald. "'Egregious error' costs DuPage millions in pot taxes. State never got paperwork to collect 18 months of revenue; 2 officials trade blame." There's no "blame" to be "traded" here. The statutory responsibility lies with the DuPage County Clerk.

On Oct. 19, 2019, the DuPage County Board passed an ordinance establishing the County Cannabis Retailers' Occupation Tax at 3% from municipal cannabis sales made in the County. It directed that "Copies of this Ordinance shall be certified by the Clerk and sent to the Illinois Department of Revenue prior to October 30, 2019." Clearly, the Clerk failed to perform her duty. There is no record, no recollection, transmittal letter, receipt or even a simple email indicating the clerk filed the ordinance with the Illinois Department of Revenue by Oct. 30, 2019, as directed.

On April 26, 2022, the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office requested the clerk provide verification, if any, that the ordinance and supporting materials were delivered to the state Department of Revenue. The clerk's office responded saying it had no documentation backing up her story that this significant ordinance had simply been sent via U.S. mail without documentation or even a receipt requested.

This is not a case of "two officials trading blame." It is about incompetence, a lack of professionalism and ultimately the failure to accept responsibility. The clerk is facing the voters this fall and, in this political campaign season, she will not admit she made a mistake that has cost DuPage County between $3 million to $4 million. The Daily Herald's headline should have reflected these indisputable facts.

Daniel J. Cronin, Chairman

DuPage County Board