Boone County Board wants voters to ‘have their say’

By Bob Balgemann

REPORTER

Some Boone County Board members didn’t necessarily agree with one particular referendum. However, they were in support of letting voters “have their say” on such matters as taking money out of politics, term limits, and redistricting.

So, the board voted in favor of putting those questions to referendum as part of the Nov. 8 general election. However, only one of those actions was unanimous.

The board voted 7-4 at its Aug. 17 meeting to support putting the “anti-corruption” referendum on the ballot. Dissenting were board members Karl Johnson, Cory Lind, Brad Stark, and Chairman Bob Walberg. Member Sherry Branson was absent.

During the public comments portion of that meeting, seven area residents from Woodstock, Wildwood, Freeport, and DeKalb, and one from Poplar Grove, encouraged the board to support putting those advisory questions to referendum. So far, boards in Winnebago, DeKalb, and McHenry Counties have done that, the visitors said.

“It makes it illegal to purchase political influence and puts power back in the hands of the people. It will definitely benefit us if it passes,” Angelique Bodine, Poplar Grove resident and State Representative candidate for 69^th District, said.

When the agenda item came up for board discussion Chairman Walberg said he was “very skeptical of that strategy. I don’t think this has enough specifics in it.”

Should the referendum pass, he said the ensuing, proposed law “would have trouble getting through our legislature because of all the corruption that’s there now. To put more money there doesn’t seem to be a good solution. That’s my reservation.”

Board member Brad Stark said he would vote “no” on that referendum, adding that he thought the term-limits and redistricting maps “is more productive and will get more done in getting corruption out of politics.”

Another board member, Cathy Ward, said she didn’t think state legislators such as Rep. Bob Pritchard, R-Sycamore, should be termed out of office. He has served in Springfield for 13 years and in her view “has done an excellent job.”

Pritchard represents a small part of Boone County.

After the 7-4 vote of approval the board took on the referendum with term limits and redistricting of state and federal office boundaries throughout Illinois.

Ward continued by saying she thought this was “somewhat of a ghost bill because we don’t know how long the terms would be. We don’t know who it’s going to impact.”

While she said the board typically didn’t support that kind of a measure, she didn’t see any harm in putting the question on the general election ballot.

“But, I don’t think it’s going to go anywhere,” she said.

Chairman Walberg said he thought that question was more germane. Of Rep. Pritchard, he said he didn’t know of anyone who worked harder.

Board member Karl Johnson said he agreed with Ward on that particular item.

“I’m not a big fan of term limits, personally,” he said. “I don’t think a quality person who’s doing a quality job would leave the position just because they’ve been there for four years, six years, eight years, however long.”

This is an advisory referendum, which caused board member Denny Ellingson to say it might be a waste of time. “Everybody will have an opinion,” he said. “But, I still say let the people have their say.”

Board members Jeffrey Carlisle and Kenny Freeman also supported putting the question on the ballot.

Ultimately, the issue passed, 11-0.