Dual Elected Duty: Didn’t They Want The People to Decide?

Last Monday, June 25, Mayor DiCianni basically held a campaign event in front of City Hall to announce he would relent in his dual elected duty effort. At that press conference, he pledged to resign as mayor if successfully elected to the DuPage County Board.  I offer him sincere thanks, but this does not end the issue as we should not allow this to ever happen again at Elmhurst City Hall.

The issue brought forth by the mayor must be addressed by a referendum on this November’s ballot.  But, there are those at City Hall who do not want to let the voters decide, because they know the outcome.  An ordinance restricting dual office holders will pass, and it will be an embarrassment to the proponents and those who stood by and did nothing. 

Having failed to amend HB 5078 in Springfield, meeting resistance from the DuPage County Board itself, and the clear opinion submitted by Attorney Siegel stating, “…the city could adopt an ordinance to prohibit its elected officials from holding any other elective office, but only if such ordinance was authorized by referendum”, there was really no other course of action.

Really, it is irrelevant he relented. Mayor DiCianni was simply the catalyst that brought this issue to town. Beyond that, it has nothing to do with him.  Mayor Grasso from Burr Ridge continues his effort, and the DuPage County Board has seen fit to send the question to all DuPage County voters this November. Even though the county vote is non-binding, it is meant to send a message to Springfield and Cook County.  DuPage operates differently, and please don’t try and dilute our liberties again. 

When dual elected duty is rejected by our DuPage County neighbors this fall, what message will they be sending to Elmhurst? Burr Ridge? And how will it look for our community if we sit by and do nothing? As Elmhurst residents and voters we have a chance to lead on this issue, not follow. 

In response to the delay by the Finance Committee, and the consternation regarding placing the referendum on the ballot in November or next April, we have begun the petition process to place the question of dual elected duty restriction on November’s ballot where it belongs. It is a constitutional right to petition our government. 

If the Finance Committee and the City Council try to push the vote to April it will be for one reason only: To protect the political aspirations of one person, rather than adhere to the rights granted to the people in Article VII of the Illinois Constitution. They still have a chance to show leadership and courage on this issue. All they have to do is send it to the voters as assigned. 

Let the all the people of Elmhurst decide. That is all we are asking for—an up or down binding referendum.  Proponents of this effort can vote their way, and the opposition another. Let it be decided by 50-plus percent of Elmhurst voters, not a minority on the south side of town. 

I am serious that this is bigger than just our mayor. But, I can’t help but point out the glaring inconsistency between his language and his actions.  All along he has said, “let the people decide.” He was ready to have his dual elected duty effort approved by a minority of voters this November in a watered down candidate field. 

Now that the threat of a citywide up or down referendum is in the works, letting ALL Elmhurst voters voice their opinion, he seems to want nothing to do with letting the people decide this November.  Now that he has pledged to resign as mayor if elected to the DuPage County Board, I ask him to join us in placing this ordinance on the November ballot.  I ask him to urge the Finance Committee and the City Council to send the question to the people. 

Over the Fourth of July holiday, we celebrate and remember the foundation of our governing principles. We remember those that fought to preserve these principles for future generations. They fought for the preservation of the right to vote, the preservation of a government with checks and balances, and the preservation of one-person, one-elected office. Our founders set up a system where authority is assigned to the people in order to resist power consolidation. 

And we reflect on the words of our greatest Illinois politician, Abraham Lincoln, when he stated in the Gettysburg Address, “that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Let’s not let it perish from Elmhurst and DuPage County either. And maybe we can have an effect on helping the rest of our fellow Illinois Citizens. For all of those who sacrificed to give us this system of government, the least we can do is pay it forward and put the question of dual elected duty restriction on the ballot this November. 

One Person, One Office, No Kings.