Robert Schillerstrom, Chair of the DuPage County Board, is starting to take the public steps to run his future statewide race (likely for governor). Yesterday he was heralded in the press as “Ethics Man,” an advance, no doubt, over DuPage political boss. I give him credit, where credit is due. He has masterfully spun the news. Too bad the spin isn’t reality.
Ethics Reform
Bob basks in the glory of DuPage’s new ethics laws, ones the DuPage County Board was slow to adopt, using a procedure of questionable ethics (see “Applause, of a sort, for our fellow watchdogs”).
The Headline, Hook-line and Sinker
Yesterday’s headline in the Daily Herald: “Even critics like county’s ethics policy”
Robert Schillerstrom’s hook-line in the story: “DuPage County has always been a leader in ethics.”
The Sinker
Critics, like Citizens Advocacy Center lawyer Sarah Klapper, believe that DuPage has lagged behind the state and Chicago in ethics, and now don’t think the policy goes far enough. On her list of improvements she has strengthening conflict-of-interest provisions, permitting anonymous complaints (to prevent fear of retribution), making public annually the complaint statistics and opening policy meetings to the public. As far as DuPage being a leader in ethics - it’s true our leader Bob knows about ethics - he has had a lot of dealings he should report (I’ve tried to help). It is also true DuPage came late to developing an ethics policy, particularly in relation to county spending, where Klapper has written: “County Board…officials have abundant discretion in purchasing that is not standardized and does not require reporting to the public. Unfettered and unchecked discretion…leads to unaccountability to the citizens of DuPage County regarding the spending of taxpayer money.” Bob’s ethical leadership has cost DuPage (see my ethical “help” above) - and will continue to do so.
Yesterday’s headline in the Naperville Sun: “DuPage County Board approves tougher ethics rules”
Robert Schillerstrom’s hook-line in the story: “I don’t want any elected official getting money from employees. All we can do is make a policy statement and make sure it doesn’t happen during working hours. Other than that, I’m pretty happy.”
The Sinker
The rules are tougher, though not as tough as they should be (see above Klapper suggestions). Bob would like (he says) to make them tougher than the law permits (e.g. not permitting elected officials to get money from employees ever), though he appears not to advocate making them tougher where the law permits (again, see Klapper suggestions). That’s always a winning argument, because you can’t deliver on your (supposed) wishes, but you seem tough while ducking. Plus Bob’s position has a political subtext: boy did George Ryan screw up - but I get my money from contractors, not employees!
Yesterday’s headline in the Chicago Tribune: “DuPage fortifies ethics policies”
Robert Schillerstrom’s hook-line in the story: “We want [county government] to be open, and we want it to be beyond reproach.”
The Sinker
How are we “fortifying” our ethics? With ethics commission members, an inspector general and ethics officers that are appointed by Robert Schillerstrom and approved by the DuPage County Board. This apparently will be the same fox and henhouse approach as the illustriously Bob-appointed DuPage Airport Authority Board, rubber stamped by the DuPage County Board, that costs DuPage $6 million or so a year in property taxes. I’m sure, however, that Bob will choose his appointees wisely. That the ethics committee will be bi-partisan is a nice touch - properly chosen Democrats may help provide Bob with cover for his upcoming run (but, alas, not his past).
But what, you say, of Robert Schillerstrom’s advocacy of “open government”? Yes, you say, the whole DuPage ethics process was forwarded behind closed doors (see “Applause, of a sort, for our fellow watchdogs”). And, it is true, that the Citizen Advocacy Center recently won a law suit demanding DuPage open government that Schillerstrom still denies had merit. But surely it was an aberration that the Chicago Sun-Times recently had to repeatedly invoke the Freedom of Information Act to get most (but not all) the DuPage financial documents related to Schillerstrom’s friend and political donor John E. Glennon double-charging the county for his services. Surprisingly, it appears a similar aberration prevented the Citizen Advocacy Center from getting DuPage County budget information a few years back, causing them to successfully sue. But what were we talking about? Oh, yes, open government…and DuPage…and Bob.
Post a Comment