A bill passed by a newly-appointed Chicago State Senator takes me back to how replacements were selected in the late 1960s.

Conservative State Rep. Jack Hill (R-Dundee Township) ran D Hill Nursery located where Spring Hill Mall was subsequently built.

He was riding his motorcycle on the property and smashed his head against a board sticking out from the back of a truck, as I remember his death.

A big funeral was held at the Downtown Congregational Church.

Legislative replacements were selected in special elections then.

I remember campaigning in DeKalb for McHenry’s Tom Davis.

Future East Dundee State Rep. Deloris Doederlein’s husband Fred (the only one I have ever met who had a license to own a machine gun) was another candidate.

The winner was my future colleague R. Bruce Waddell.

Apparently not knowing he could be sworn in by anyone other than House Speaker Ralph Tyler Smith, Waddell capitulated to Smith’s demand that he vote for Governor Richard B. Ogilvie’s income tax bill in return for being sworn in.

Waddell campaigned as “The Conservative Voice of the 33rd District,” which elected three members until 1982.

The implication was that the other Republican, on Cal Skinner, Jr., was the liberal.

I figured if “The Conservative Voice” of my legislative district voted for the income tax there was a lot of wiggly room.

Since those special election days, vacant legislative seats are filled by party officials–either county chairmen in multi-county districts outside of Cook County or county chairmen and Cook County township committeemen in overlapping districts or a combination of ward and township committeemen in Cook County districts.

The participants’ vote the strength of their party’s last primary election votes.

From State Senate Democrats comes this release about the change in the system newly-appointed State Senator Mike Simmons is sponsoring:

Simmons’ bill to make filling vacant elected offices more transparent passes Senate

SPRINGFIELD – As one of his first acts after being appointed to represent the 7th Illinois Senate District, State Senator Mike Simmons passed legislation out of the Senate Thursday to require that meetings to fill a vacancy in the General Assembly be recorded and broadcast by electronic means for public consumption.

The bill also requires election authorities to notify the public of all proceedings related to appointments in the future.

“The appointment process established by the state constitution is intended to ensure representation during interim periods when an official retires or is incapable of serving,” said Simmons (D-Chicago).

“It’s our duty to ensure Illinois citizens have as much input and transparency as possible in the process.”

When an office in the Illinois House or Illinois Senate becomes vacant and a process begins to fill it with an appointee, Senate Bill 828 would require the legislative or representative committee of the district to notify the public about the replacement process.

That would include providing the public with notice of an impending vote to fill the vacancy at least six days prior. 

The legislation would also require any meeting held to fill a vacancy be open to the public, electronically recorded and broadcast for public consumption.

The same requirements would apply to any appointment filled by the governor.

“We must ensure the process is as open to public scrutiny and input as possible,” Simmons said.

“The people of Illinois deserve to participate in this process, and these requirements take the steps necessary to bring transparency to constitutionally required appointments.”

Having passed the Senate, Senate Bill 828 awaits consideration before the Illinois House.