Trouble in the Sewers

I give the State Journal-Register grief sometimes for going easy on certain local political leaders and the Republican county board, but I have to give them credit for surprising me over the past few days. I didn't expect them to publish a highly critical editorial asking the county chairs of both parties to resign their positions on the Sanitary District Board.

I was a little surprised to see a story Wednesday that reminded people of the patronage sharing deal I wrote about last Saturday. The article states that,

...local Republican and Democratic parties worked out a deal whereby Democrats hold the majority on any city board or commission, while Republicans get the majority on any county-controlled board, such as the sanitary district...

While there is an unwritten deal between the parties, Sangamon County Board Chairman Andy Van Meter still formally appoints the sanitary board members, and they are confirmed by the entire county board.

This is a problem that involves all committees appointed by the county board. Given the investigations of the Governor regarding political appointments to state boards and commissions, I'm not sure why anyone ever thought it was acceptable to have the two party chairs make these appointments or why it hasn't received more news coverage in the past. If the press wants to do more stories on this they could start with the zoning board of appeals.

I was happy to see the Monday editorial which made similar arguments to what I've written repeatedly about the county's lackadaisical approach to public involvement. Sure, the county board will hold a big public hearing on rare occasion, but only on issues of their choosing when they're trying to build support for something controversial. Most of their work is done in committees that almost everyone ignores.

I'm not sure why the local press chose to ignore these same issues in relation to the selection of the new voting system, which was done without any serious effort at public involvement or outreach. At the time, the County Clerk defended it as an "open process" because insiders from both political parties were involved. Yet, my FOIA request produced no evidence of public notices, press releases, or attendance by the general public at any of the selection committee's meetings. It says a lot about what their idea of an open process involves. It's a decision that effected every voter in the county, but I suppose a big rate increase that hits people in the pocket book is a sexier issue.

What I hope people get from this episode is that it's not just about the voting machines or the Sanitary District Board. Those are merely two examples of a mindset in county government that desperately needs to change. Maybe change will happen now that the decisions of one committee are being put under the microscope.

My long-time readers will find parts of Schoenburg's Thursday column familiar because he writes about another cookie cutter mailing done for Republican county board members. Identical mailings were signed individually by each board member as though it were their own words. He mentions this happening in 2004, but I don't recall the SJR reporting on the same thing happening in 2006 after I wrote about it here. Obviously, this is a pattern in every election.

Let's review. Many (I've lost count of the number) of the county board members were appointed by Andy Van Meter. Their campaign funds are then funneled through the Republican Sangamon County Board Election fund chaired by Van Meter, which seems to violate the spirit of campaign finance reporting laws, if not the letter, because it prevents us from knowing where each individual candidate is raising their money. Van Meter has reported personally donating tens of thousands of dollars to this fund over the years.

Campaign mailings are written principally by Van Meter rather than individually by the candidates. Board members vote for his appointments to committees such as the Sanitary District without fail. Recent articles have included quotes such as this one from a Republican member, "I don’t know enough about what they do and what’s involved. I’m sure (Sangamon County Board Chairman) Andy Van Meter is going to look into what’s going on." I don't know Van Meter personally but I respect the work ethic he shows by doing the job of 25 Republican board members.

So far, one Democratic board member has shown signs of independence. Will any of the Republican members do the same? Is this a representative body or a one party dictatorship?