When I served as McHenry County Treasurer from 1966-1970, Township Supervisors were, just because they served in the post, members of the County Board.
Larger townships had Assistant Supervisors, elected separately.
The first female member of the County Board was Mary Yates, elected from Dorr Township.
After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled about 1970 that local legislative bodies had to be apportioned on a one-man, on-vote basis, just as it had ruled regarding state legislative bodies, all members had to run for election to serve on county boards.
The County Board designated three districts consisting of eight members each.
The Township Supervisors felt left out and petitioned the Illinois General Assembly to allow them to continue serving on the County Board, if they could win election.
No Township Supervisors currently serve on the McHenry County Board.
That will change in mid-May when County Board member Mike Shorten is sworn in as Nunda Township Supervisor.
In Algonquin Township when the Supervisor retired, two women faced off:
- Dianne Klemm
- Patricia Floeter
Klemm was on the County Board and Floeter used the double-dipper argument to win the race.
I did not see the same argument raised by incumbent Nunda Township Supervisor Leda Bobera-Drain when she was challenged by Shorten in the Republican Primary Election.
At last night’s County Board meeting Wonder Lake’s Bob Anderson called for Shorten to resign using the holding of two elective offices as the reason.
His statement follows:
Holding two Elected Offices Simultaneously, Political-Double-Dippers:
First, what is a Political-Double-Dipper?
This is a person holding more than one paid elected office; these politicians garner multiple taxpayer-funded salaries, pensions and other benefits, all too common in Illinois, while working families struggle with everyday life.
New World Dictionary: double-dipping the practice of receiving compensation, benefits,etc. from two or more sources in a way regarded as unethical.
The McHenry County Board has a History of Members of Political-Double-Dipping with township governments. These members, in addition to collecting multiple taxpayer-fund salaries and benefits, have a serious conflict of interests subject to the consolidation, or elimination, of McHenry County’s seventeen 1800s township governments.
Examples:
- Former McHenry County Board Member Donna Schaefer and former McHenry Township Supervisor.
- Former McHenry County Board Member Ersel Schuster and former Seneca Township Supervisor.
- Present McHenry County Board Member Mike Shorten and present Nunda Township Supervisor.
A call for action:
- That the McHenry County Board pass a resolution that forbids a member to hold two paid elected offices simultaneously.
- That Board Member Mike Shorten resign.
= = = = =
As I pointed out above, state law allows Township Supervisors to serve on County Boards.
= = = = =
Leda Drain attacked the issue on her campaign Facebook page:
There were yard signs placed next to some of Shorten’s signs, but Drain said they did not come from here campaign.
