* Bernie back in 2011…

Members of the Illinois Republican State Central Committee voted Thursday to impose term limits on committee members. […]

Rodney Davis, the GOP’s interim executive director, said the term limit will take effect in 2014 — the next year members of the state central committee are up for selection. The party has one member from each congressional district, and each of those people appoints a deputy member.

* But Davis’ statement was not accurate. From the Illinois Republican Party’s bylaws ..

No member of the State Central Committee; deputy member of the State Central Committee; National Committeeman or Committeewoman; or State Chairman shall serve more than eight (8) consecutive years in the same office. This section is effective on January 1, 2015 but shall not apply to terms that are the result of vacancies or terms that have commenced prior to the effective date.

* Doug Ibendahl explains…

It would have been easy to make that section accurately reflect what the State GOP promised the public back in 2011, i.e. that the clock on the 8 years would start running in 2014. But instead, the provision was written to make the effective date January 1, 2015, several months after yet another term for the office had already commenced.

* Bernie today…

In other words, they don’t apply to members elected in 2014; they apply to members who were elected this year, after the primary. […]

[ILGOP executive director Travis Sterling] said it appears most members of the central committee who started terms this spring can serve to 2026 — and so can Chairman TIM SCHNEIDER. As for Porter and DeMonte, he said, each got new four-year terms in 2016 at the state convention, so they can serve through 2024. […]

I asked Davis about this, and he didn’t recall specifics and referred me to the party, where Sterling provided the details.