In the News

Journal & Topics, April 20, 2011

State Sen. Susan Garrett (D-29th) has introduced a bill that would require county governments in Illinois to post vacancies for appointed positions on their websites and to create uniform standards for applications for filling all such vacancies.

The proposal, Senate Bill 0042, is an excellent idea and a great start but does not go far enough. That same level of transparency is needed at the local level as well.

"It's critical that not just political insiders are appointed to these important positions," said Garrett in a recent statement about the legislation.

For democracy to truly thrive and fairly represent all the people, it needs the active participation of not just some of its more connected people but of anyone willing to serve.

This is particularly so in Niles where only one of the (pre-election) sitting village board members, including the mayor, was elected to his or her first term in office.

Niles has a peculiar history dating back decades with transparency in appointments, not only to the village board but other commissions as well.

Last October, Niles Ethics Board member Michael Fries resigned. The Journal & Topics Newspapers did not learn about the vacancy until December when reporters heard about it through unofficial channels and confirmed it with Mayor Robert Callero. The vacancy was not posted on the village's website until March and, as far as the Journal & Topics has been told, has still not been filled.

This is just one glaring example of what can go wrong in local government. These boards and commissions are often very influential in determining taxes people pay, certain regulations and restrictions placed on businesses and laws all residents must live under.

Many people would love to serve their communities and possess an abundance of expertise that could contribute greatly to those communities. But in many cases they are shut out of the process by a process that encourages political influences.

There is a reason John F. Kennedy's words, "Ask not what your country can do for you ask what you can do for your country" are written on the wall of the Niles Village Council Chambers. Those words empower people to believe they can contribute.

Not every community can be accused of political cronyism. Some communities are open and transparent when it comes to appointments while others don't realize they are doing anything wrong by not promoting the availability of these positions.

"That government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth," said Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address. He did not mean a "government by top officials friends, for top officials friends and by top officials friends."