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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRESOLUTIONS-1985-002-R-8512/18/84 12/28/84 2-R-85 A RESOLUTION Submitting a Question of Public Policy to be Voted upon by the Electors of the City of c, Evanston in an Advisory Referendum at the • Election to be Held April 2, 1985 f BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Evanston, Cook County, Illinois: SECTION 1: That pursuant to the provisions of the Illinois Revised Statutes, Chapter 46, Article 28, the following question of public policy is to be submitted to the electors of the City of Evanston, Illinois ;i in an advisory referendum at the election to be held on April i :t 2, 1985: "Shall the Illinois General Assembly propose a jr constitutional amendment to allow for the merit is selection of circuit court and associate judges in Cook is county?" i SECTION 2: That the County Clerk of Cook iy County, Illinois, be and is hereby •�authorized and directed to prepare and make available sufficient ballots in the form described in Section 1 above to j ii the electors within the territorial limits of the City of S� j Evanston, Illinois, at the election to be held on April 2, i 1985. ' SECTION 3: That the voting precincts for i election and the polling places shall be is I; such as are established by the Cook County Board of Commissioners, and the Judges of Election shall be those appointed by the Cook County Board of Commissioners. j' �!. SECTION 4: That the polls for such election ii shall be open from 6:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. I! !i on April 2, 1985 as established by law. R; y SECTION 5: That the City Clerk of the City of Evanston is hereby authorized and 2-R-85 directed to certify the question of public policy set forth in Section 1 above for submission to the electors within the City of Evanston, Illinois, at the election to be held on April 2, 1985, and to make such certification not less than sixty-one • (61) days prior to such election to the -County Clerk of Cook County, Illinois, in accordance with the provisions of Article 28, Section 28-5, Chapter 46 of the Illinois Revised Statutes. SECTION 6: That the County Clerk of the County of Cook is hereby authorized and directed to cause the following notice of referendum to be published in a newspaper of general circulation within the City of Evanston, not more than thirty (30) nor less than ten (10) days prior to the election to be held on April 2, 1985: NOTICE OF ADVISORY REFERENDUM NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on the second day of April 1985, there will be an election held within the territorial limits of the City of Evanston, at which election the following question of public policy shall • appear on the ballot: "Shall the Illinois General Assembly propose a constitutional amendment to allow for the merit selection of circuit court and associate judges in Cook County?" This question has been placed on the ballot in each precinct of the City of Evanston by resolution of the Evanston City Council. The precincts and polling places for this referendum will be those established by the Cook County Board of Commissioners for the election to be held on April 2, 1985, which referendum election will be open at 6:00 A.M. and continue open until 7:00 P.M. of that day. Sandra W. Gross City Clerk City of Evanston, Illinois Date: SECTION 7: That the City Clerk is hereby • authorized to take the necessary action to promulgate information concerning this referendum in accordance with the direction of the City Council of the City -2- • • r � U 2-R-85 of Evanston. Adopted by the City Council of the City of Evanston, Illinois, this day of van v4 /`y 198.5�. �Mayqe� ATTEST: )/. IA4'cxa'� City Clerk a i i; i� i i� 1i i� i� f ii k; I� -3- .......COALITION FOR POLITICAL HONESTY P.O. BOX 708-OAKPARK, IL.60303/524-1978 Dear Clerk: On behalf of the Coalition for Political Honesty, I am writing to urge your board or council to place an advisory referendum on the April 2, 1985 ballot calling for a constitutional amendment to allow for the merit selection of Cook County judges. Under a merit selection system, qualified judicial candidates would be •nominated by a non -political commission consisting of both lawyers and non lawyers. Merit selection has been adopted by.,approximately 35 states. The recent election once again highlighted the problems associated wits the current system of electing judges. Voters were confronted with a laund) list of 39 judges about whom they knew little or nothing. This system makes a mockery of our judicial system. Of course, the enormity of Greylord underlines the immediate need to reform the judicial system, including the system by which judges are selected. To date two judges have been convicted and two more are still to stand trial. Our "Clean -up -the -Courts" referendum calls for the Illinois General Assembly to propose a constitutional amendment to allow for the merit selection of circuit court and associate judges. This amendment would gran Cook County the option to adopt a merit system. We suggest the following language: "In the aftermath of the Greylord scandal, shall the Illinois General Assembly propose a constitutional amendment to allow for the merit selection of circuit court and associated judges in Cook County?" We would be grateful if you would bring information on the merit IT selection of judges referendum to the attention of your council or board at its next meeting. •The April 2, 1985 election offers voters in your community a direct opportunity to express their opinion on merit selection of circuit court judges in Cook County. Illinois law allows the governing body of a city, village or township to submit an advisory referendum to the voters at any election. The deadlii for submitting. an advisory referendum for the April 2 ball,ot is January 27. The results of the referendum will not be binding, but a local advisor; referendum will give the people of your community an opportunity to speak o; on this important public issue. We hope that your board or council will vote to place this referendum on the April ballot in your community. -Merit selection has been blocked by the General Assembly for years. It is time for voters to tell their legislators where they stand. Please let us know if you are interested in proposing an advisory referendum on -merit selection of judges this April 2. If anyone would like more information, members of the Coalition for Political Honesty in your community would be glad to come to a meeting to answer questions. Thanks for your interest and cooperation. Sincerely, • -------------------------------------Patrick-Quinn------------------------- We are interested in the "Clean -up -the -Courts" referendum. We would like a member of the Coalition for Political Honesty to attend our next board or council meeting to give us more information: Name: Community Address: Phone # J madicial merit systehushed. By Mark Brown Patrick Quinn is at it again. This time, the man who helped cut the Illinois General Assembly down to size has taken aim at the state court system. Arguing that the Illinois judiciary is a "national laughingstock" because of the Operation Greylord scan- dal, Quinn said yesterday his •Coalition for Political Hon- esty will seek advisory refer- endums to promote merit se- lection of judges. Quinn, a commissioner of the Cook Countv Board of Tax Appeals, said his group • would begin work immedi. ately to place the issue he. fore county voters in the April 2 municipal and town- ship elections. Under merit selection, judges would be appointed instead of elected. Candi. dates would be screened by a panel of experts. Quinn told a Midland Ho- tel press conference that he hoped the referendum re- sults would pressure state legislators to approve a con- stitutiersl amendment that could be put to a binding statewide vote in 1986. "All of these political lead- ers down in Springfield who think year after year they can forget cleaning up the judicial system in Cook County and elsewhere are not going to be able to for- get." . Quinn said. Merit selection proposals have been considered and re- jected by the Legislature for more than a decade. "I think, on this issue, people are ahead of politi- cians when it comes to de- manding reform," Quinn said. He said electing judges does not work because voters "know little or nothing" about the candidates, espe- cially in Cook County with its long judicial ballot. "With 38 different races and all the candidates associ. ated with those races, I think it's an impossible job for.any voter. even if they have a Ph.D.. to keep track of all these people who are running for judicial office," he said. Quinn led the "Cutback Amendment" referendum campaign that ended with Illinois voters deciding in 1980 to reduce the size of the Illinois House of Representa- tives by one-third. The Co. alition for Political Honesty also used advisory referen- dums -to increase support for creation of the Illinois Citi- zens Utility Board. 1. trAms . Judsv (Chicago tTribunc • Monday, November 19, 1984 . Continued from page 1, this section Cook County?" Quinn said the action also was Merit selection judged best Spurred by complaints received by 'the Oak Park -based group before the Nov. 6 election from voters The Coalition for Political Honesty announces a confounded by a "laund list" of 38 'campaign aimed at promoting merit selection jud es on the retention ballot. of Cook County judges. Sec. 2, pg. 1. All the judges including two ap- pellate court judges and an Illinois Supreme Court Justice, received 'more than the required 60 percent "yes" votes needed to retain their B Hanks Gratteau y seats for another six years. Legal experts had feared h voter reaction THE CITIZENS GROUP that successful) led a to Greylord would sweep some or all of the candidates from the ;campaign to reduce the size of the Illinois House iannounced a referendum campaign Sunday aimed at bench. ;promoting merit selection of judges. Patrick for the Coalition for Politi- "THE NOV. 6 election made It that the current sys- Quinn, spokesman crystal clear cal Honesty, said members plan to gather signatures to tem makes .it impossible for voters -put an advisory referendum on the April 2 municipal to evaluate that many candidates,": "Oftentimes,.- ballot in the suburbs calling for a constitutional Quinn said. voters, :amendment that would allow -merit selection of circuit -when in doubt, just vote to keep the court and associate judges. status quo." Approval by the voters of an advisory referendum "the down in Springfield Quinn said the coalition would back in which judges would would provide political muscle a plan to get the issue off dead center," Quinn said, by be appointed to the bench by a pressuring the state legislature to include an commission that includes "a cross amendment on the 1986 ballot. section of citizens" possibly chosen The coalition's efforts are bolstered by experience at random from voter rolls "much garnered in tither referendum battles waged in th0 past like candidates for juries." several years, Quinn said. currentselectingm of to IN,` 1980. THE coalition successfully spearheaded a juThe emerged 964 as ton refektndum campaign to cut the size of the Illinois promise between those favoring nonpolitical merit selection and House by one-third. In 1983, it led a campaign to establish the Illinois Citizens Utility Board, and this Democratic regulars who wanted to year succeeded in putting the Natural Gas Consumer -ballots eep judges on a political ticket. t Candidates for circuit court jud e g Relief Act referendum on in 210 Illinois commu- nities. The referendum, which called for a rollback of now must first win election to the bench in a partisan contest. Once natural gas prices, received overwhelming support from voters. elected, a judge drops the party But the coalition has et to persuade the General label and runs every six years on a retention ballot. Assembly to heed -an advisory referendum it backed last March that recommends reducing utility taxes to "TAE BASTION OF resistance to 2.5 ppeercent from 5 percent. Referendum" - The coalition's lean -Up -The -Courts Referendum" merit selection has been from Cook County politicians," Quinn said, campaign was prompted, Quinn said; by revelations resulting.from Operation Greylord, the federal invests- into corruption in the Cook County Circut Court noting that the idea of merit selec- tion of judges has been debated in Springfield for more than a decade. gation system. Five judges have been indicted as a result of "If we can win [their] hearts and the Greylord investigation. One was acquitted of minds, the merit selection referen- dum will pass and be on the ballot." charges, two were convicted and two more face trial. Coalition members must gather "The enormity of the Greylord scandal underlines the immediate need to clean up the courts and reform the signatures representing 10 percent structure by which jud es are selected in Cook Coun- ty,„ Quinn, mem r of the Cook County Board of of registered suburban voters by Jan. 27 to get the advisory referee• said a [tax] Appeals, at a press conference Sunday. dum on the April 2 ballots for su- burban elections. The first chance THE COALITION plans to capitalize on that theme as Chicago residents would have to it collects signatures in the weeks ahead to meet a Jan. vote on the advisory referendum is 27 deadline for the April ballot, Quinn said. March, 1986, if it were included on The referendum reads: "In the aftermath of the the state primary ballot. Greylord scandal, shall the Illinois General Assembly If the campaign is successful, propose a constitutional amendment to allow for the Quinn said, an amendment to the merit selection of circuit court and associate judges in state constitution, which would allow voters in each county to chose Continued on age 5. this seethe P between the merit or election methods of selecting judges, could be on the November, 19N, balk►:.