Skokie Mayor Goerge Van Dusen has dropped a plan that would have blocked citizen-led efforts to change the way the village’s elections are held.
Van Dusen’s non-binding referendum proposals concerned changes to trash pickup, a ban on leaf-blowers and "non-recyclable" plastic bags.
Those would have blocked citizen-initiated questions regarding changes to the election process. Illinois law only allows three questions on ballots.
“My intent in proposing these resolutions was to seek to educate our residents and business owners,” said Van Dusen, who’s been Skokie’s mayor since 1999. “As a result of deliberating on this matter and listening to many of you, I’ve decided to withdraw the resolutions.”
The Village of Skokie runs at-large elections, which means Skokie’s trustees represent the entire village rather than specific, geographically defined districts.
Skokie Caucus Party candidates have won every election since 1965.
"These times are troubling. As a result, in many communities there is dysfunctional government. I will not be a part of that," Van Dusen said.
"In Skokie, we've had a tradition of disagreeing on issues but always being civil toward each other,” Van Dusen said. “We need, now more than ever, to preserve that tradition. In the last couple of days I've become concerned that the best of my intentions have been misrepresented and misunderstood."
The Skokie Alliance for Electoral Reform (SAER) wants voters to decide whether to do away with the system that has given the Skokie Caucus Party a more than half-century hold on power.
SAER has proposed three ballot initiatives.
The first is to remove party labels from election ballots, another is to establish staggered terms, and the third is to change Skokie’s election system to create some geographic representation.
SAER needs a total of 1,800 signatures to get its initiatives on the ballot.
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