Just as U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) promises
reform on Capitol Hill if he’s elected, five Democratic challengers
running for the Sangamon County Board promote revolution here at home,
starting with the structure of county government. They call their proposal,
“Operation Fewer and Better,” and on Nov. 4, voters will be
asked whether the county board should be downsized from 29 to 15 members.
Scott Saunders, who is running against Republican
incumbent Rosemarie Long in District 10, got behind the issue to save
Sangamon County money and to increase the board’s efficiency. He
admits it’s a controversial stance, especially since 25 of the
board’s current 29 members are Republican. But that’s why
he’s doing it, he says.
“It’s more gutsy to run for office when
you put forth an idea like this,” Saunders says. “That’s
the whole point in being in elected office — having ideas to put
forward. If you’re not going to have ideas to put forward, then you
don’t have any business being there.”
The proposal — also supported by candidates
Michael Hoerner, Rob Mehan, Roy Pierceall and Mike Shipman — would
equally divide Sangamon County’s 189,107-resident population (using
the latest census data from 2000) into 15 districts. The average number of
residents per district would increase from 6,500 to 12,600. Since urban
areas comprise nearly 70 percent of Sangamon County, the board would
operate with 10 urban districts, four rural districts and one urban/rural
split district.
Saunders and other advocates argue that by eliminating
14 board positions and their attached $7,500 salaries, the county would
save $105,000 each year. The cut would also give board members “a bit
more muscle with more voters behind them,” Saunders says, and
encourage transparency in the board.
“They’ve got 15 standing committees, and
that’s where everything gets done,” Saunders says. “By
the time it gets to the floor of the county board, everything’s been
decided. If there were half as many county board members, they’d have
to consolidate some of those meetings and people could keep track of
what’s going on.”
Cutback supporters also cite transformation in county
government operations statewide. In addition to Sangamon, only three other
counties — LaSalle, Madison and St. Clair — support 29 county
board members, the maximum allowed by state law. But other populous
counties, like DuPage and Peoria, elect 18-member boards.
Dr. Kent Redfield, a professor of political science at
the University of Illinois at Springfield and a former Illinois General
Assembly staffer, joins several sitting county board members, the
Springfield branch of the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People and the Sangamon County Farm Bureau in opposing the
proposal.
Redfield calls the measure a “shot in the
dark.” There isn’t any research that suggests an optimum size
for a county board, he says, and proponents have yet to identify any
massive problems with current board operation.
Such a move would actually cause problems with
representation, Redfield continues. Even though the number of minority and
rural representatives would shrink proportionately along with the rest of
the board, these members would face difficulty voicing and addressing
constituents’ concerns.
“There would be fewer people representing
the various interests in the county,” Redfield says. “In terms
of the minority community in Springfield, that person would be talking to
themselves.
“It’s the same percentage, but the point
is, if you have fewer voices and fewer people, you have less interaction,
less people to talk to, less diversity.”
It would also reduce the potential pool of candidates,
Redfield adds, by making it more time-consuming and expensive to campaign
in the expansive districts.
Even if voters choose to support reform by voting yes
on the advisory referendum, the issue is far from resolved. If the county
board decides to act on the wishes of the voters, proponents say districts
would most likely be reconfigured using 2010 census data, as part of the
2012 election.
Saunders admits that the challengers’ penchant
for change might come with a price, especially since their potential
districts are more-or-less contiguous and they might be pitted against each
other to reduce seats.
“There’s a good chance we’ll
eliminate ourselves,” Saunders says. “But we will have more of
a chance of getting something done, and we’ll have to convince less
Republicans that any idea is a good idea.
“I don’t know if it’ll get any more
of us elected, but it’ll certainly give us a stronger voice.”
Contact Amanda Robert at arobert@illinoistimes.com.
This article appears in Oct 23-29, 2008.
