Pat Quinn is still Pat Qunning
Thursday, Jan 16, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
Evanston’s local electoral board Wednesday ruled that a ballot measure backed by former Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn that would have given voters some legislative control through referendums will not appear on the March ballot.
The three-member board sustained two objections to the referendum measure, thereby removing it from the March 17 ballot. Objectors argued that the measure was not allowed under state law and the way it was written was difficult for voters to understand. The group Evanston Voter Initiative was asking voters to support a legislative method that would allow residents to create potentially binding legislation at the ballot box. […]
The board’s decision came after members pressed Quinn to identify another Illinois voter referendum that was binding without prior approval of a city council. He cited one example in Arlington Heights decades ago that gave voters permission to create binding referendums, but said residents have never chosen to use it.
“There’s a reason why it hasn’t been used,” commented [Ald. Ann Rainey].
* Here’s what it would do…
At the request of at least 25 Evanston electors, the City Clerk shall promptly cause a proposal to be drafted into ordinance form, including an official summary of the proposed ordinance. The official summary of the proposed ordinance may be introduced by a petition filed with the City Clerk and signed by a number of electors equal to at least eight percent of the total votes cast in Evanston for candidates for Governor in the preceding gubernatorial election. The procedure for filing the petition and determining its validity and sufficiency shall be established by the City Clerk, who shall make the determination of validity and sufficiency within 21 days of a petition filing.
Upon the determination of a valid and sufficient petition, the City Clerk shall within one business day submit the ordinance proposed by the official petition summary on the agenda of the next City Council meeting for its consideration. The City Council shall take a record roll call vote on the proposed ordinance within 70 days of submission by the City Clerk. If the City Council does not pass the proposed ordinance within the 70 day period, the official summary of the proposed ordinance shall be submitted by the City Clerk to the electors for their approval by referendum at the next regularly scheduled election held in all precincts of the city and held at least 70 days after referendum submission by the City Clerk. If the official summary is approved by a majority of those voting on the question, the proposed ordinance shall have the force and effect of passage by the corporate authorities of the City of Evanston unless it is disapproved by a resolution of the City Council not more than 30 days after the election
Thoughts?
- Roman - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 11:29 am:
I think Pat Quinn should retired to California, home of the gratuitous ballot referendum.
- Anyone Remember - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 11:35 am:
How can we miss you if you won’t go away?
- DIstant watcher - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 11:38 am:
Did Quinn show that any of this is permitted under current law, or was he thrown out before getting even that far?
- Jose Abreu's Next Homerun - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 11:43 am:
He must’ve thought this up while mowing his lawn
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 11:44 am:
The man needs a hobby.
- Skeptic - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 11:48 am:
“He must’ve thought this up while mowing his lawn” or yelling at the kids to get off of it.
- SouthSide Markie - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 11:51 am:
= at the next regularly scheduled election held in all precincts of the city and held at least 70 days after referendum submission by the City Clerk =
If there is no scheduled election within that 70 day period, would the municipality have to hold a special election? That’s an expensive proposition for this kind of proposition.
- Excitable Boy - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 11:51 am:
Shocking the the commenters on this blog would deride direct democracy. Recent events clearly prove that only well connected, well paid insiders can be trusted to craft legislation.
Good on you, Pat.
- Six Degrees of Separation - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 11:52 am:
Those two paragraphs gave me a headache reading them. There oughtta be a law about that.
- Excitable Boy - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 11:55 am:
- The man needs a hobby. -
Got anything in mind, OW? Maybe refreshing capfax a thousand times a day?
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 11:59 am:
A former governor of the 5th largest (now 6th) state in America finding himself in this… how about lecturing or teaching or a talking head.
Oh.
Comparing me to a former governor, I do appreciate that, LOL
You are quite excitable.
- Lake Effect - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 12:03 pm:
OW
I don’t mean to state the obvious, but Pat Quinn has found his hobby and he is enjoying it immensely.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 12:04 pm:
=== Pat Quinn has found his hobby===
Yep.
- Michelle Flaherty - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 12:06 pm:
I’d like to see a direct democracy initiative that would force Pat Quinn to answer some questions about the McClain email and his administration’s handling of not just it, but the people and incidents referred to in it.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 12:08 pm:
=== Pat Quinn has found his hobby===
I stand corrected (exclamation mark)
- Excitable Boy - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 12:09 pm:
- finding himself in this -
In what? Organizing for issues he’s supported forever? Should he have cashed in at WS, or started looking at houses in Italy?
Also, I’d never compare you to PQ, just seeking your hobbyist expertise.
- Ron Burgundy - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 12:12 pm:
—how about lecturing or teaching or a talking head.—
Except those jobs all require someone wanting to listen to you speak. /s
- Titan - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 12:16 pm:
1. Binding referenda are only available with specific authorization by statute (or the constitution).
2. The proposal would have the city drafting materials (rife with opportunities for fighting over how that is done).
3.It isn’t possible to precisely calculate 8% of the number of votes cast for governor in a city (if there isn’t a city election commission) because precinct lines don’t follow city boundaries.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 12:17 pm:
=== In what?===
His chosen hobby.
:)
- Capitol Text - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 12:24 pm:
The 1970 Constitution allows voters to petition to place binding referenda on the ballot concerning the form of government of municipalities. Usually that means choosing between a strong mayor or a city manager system, but I suppose that if Evanston wanted they could choose to become a direct democracy.
If the decision was on Wednesday, then Quinn has until Monday to appeal it to the Circuit Court.
- DuPage Saint - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 12:27 pm:
Short and to the point. /s
- Bigtwich - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 12:29 pm:
DE GUICHE The chapter of the windmills.
CYRANO [bowing] Chapter thirteen.
DE GUICHE For when a man attacks them, it often happens….
CYRANO I have attacked, am I to infer, a thing that veers with every wind?
DE GUICHE That one of their far-reaching canvas arms pitches him down into the mud!
CYRANO Or up among the stars
- Bertrum Cates - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 12:31 pm:
You mean Pat QWINNING! *air horn*
- Leatherneck - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 12:46 pm:
I’m surprised Pat Quinn hasn’t yet started a ballot initiative requiring every Illinois community with at least 1,000 residents to have at least one Super 8.
- Leatherneck - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 12:48 pm:
- Capitol Text - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 12:24 pm:
The 1970 Constitution allows voters to petition to place binding referenda on the ballot concerning the form of government of municipalities. Usually that means choosing between a strong mayor or a city manager system, but I suppose that if Evanston wanted they could choose to become a direct democracy.
If the decision was on Wednesday, then Quinn has until Monday to appeal it to the Circuit Court.
————
And until Sunday before he holds a press conference announcing that he will appeal that decision.
- Annon3 - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 1:06 pm:
From the man who brought us Bruce the Almighty, cannot he just collect his pension and go away.
- Marty Meh-lan - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 1:37 pm:
@Titan Regarding point three, the City of Evanston and the Township of Evanston are the same thing, so there are no split precincts. The Cook County Clerk actually labels the precincts by Evanston wards (Ward 01, Precinct 01), so in this instance all the precincts in Evanston Township are within the limits of the City of Evanston. Berwyn is the only other place in Cook County (exception being Chicago which manages its own elections) where the municipality and the Township share the same boundries.
- Moist von Lipwig - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 1:46 pm:
Shocking to see commenters here have no respect for someone working on simply doing what he believes is right, to no personal benefit. You’d only respect it if he sold out & spent every year since 2015 making $$$?
- Boone's is Back - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 1:51 pm:
“Can’t anyone hear me? I said ‘we need to make the will of the people the law of the land’”
- Cheryl44 - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 2:06 pm:
What? It’s what he does. While I don’t think he should have ever been governor, this is why I like Pay Quinn.
- statehoss - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 2:17 pm:
My understanding is that the City Clerk, charged with handling the potential referenda under the Quinn-backed proposal, crossed things up in his handling of this particular referendum.
- statehoss - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 2:22 pm:
@Boone is Back, What was his other line?
A: I want to make the government work for people who live from petition check to petiti-, er, paycheck to paycheck.
- sewer thoughts - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 2:31 pm:
this is part of an ongoing back-and-forth between the city clerk and the mayor of evanston - where the city clerk has been accused of harassing the corporation counsel of the city and the mayor’s supporters may have outed the city clerk during an investigation into a city recorder that stayed on after a meeting and recorded the clerk’s personal life.
evanston gonna evanston
- Ron Burgundy - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 2:37 pm:
-@Boone is Back, What was his other line?-
“The highest office in the land is that of citizen.“
Whereupon he made a 30 year career of seeking lower office.
- SouthSide Markie - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 4:01 pm:
I don’t agree with the referendum idea but I give Quinn a great deal of credit for pushing it. He could have easily cashed in on his position as a former Governor. Instead, he’s checked his ego and is pushing the same issues he’s believed in and is doing it a very local level. The fact that he has never seen himself to be too important to only engage in things that are glamorous is why I respect him.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 7:29 pm:
How’s that Quinn “Cutback Amendment” thingy worked out? How much money has it saved?
- Keyrock - Thursday, Jan 16, 20 @ 9:32 pm:
I do wish Quinn would just go back to mowing his lawn and refilling his refrigerator.