The Vermilion County Board has rejected an attempt to place an advisory referendum on the November ballot. It would have asked voters whether the County Board should correspond with other counties – except Cook County – about the possibility of separating from Cook County to form a new state.
MicKensy Ellis-White (in photo), Chair of the Vermilion County Democratic Party, reacted to the County Board’s vote….
{AUDIO: “We’re so grateful that they voted the correct way. Obviously Cook County is an important part of our state, and we get a lot of funding from them. And we want to keep our state together because we want more unity.”}
The Democratic County Chairwoman added….
{AUDIO: “We get 1.8 dollars for every dollar paid into the State by our tax dollars. And so we actually benefit by having Cook County as a part of our state.”}
County Board member James McMahon said he would rather citizens pass petitions if they want to place the advisory question on the ballot.
Another Board member, Tim McFadden, questioned what would happen if downstate and Chicago are divided into two different states. “Do some state employees lose their jobs? What does the Illinois Retirement Fund look like?” – asked McFadden. “This is just a distraction,” he said. “We need to focus on the big prize in November.” McFadden is a Republican. The County Board rejected placing the advisory referendum on the fall ballot with only 7 board members voting in favor. Fifteen voted “no”, and 5 were absent.
