REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATION,
INTERGOVERNMENTAL AND VETERANS
RELATIONS
The Honorable,
The Board of Commissioners of
ATTENDANCE
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Present: |
Chairman Suffredin, Vice Chairman
Silvestri, Commissioners Beavers, |
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Absent: |
Commissioners Claypool,
Maldonado and Murphy (3) |
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Also Present: |
Derek Blaida - Special Assistant
to the President for Government Affairs,
Richard R. Boykin, Lobbyist - Barnes & Thornburg, LLP, Stephen S. Morrill, Lobbyist - Stephen S.
Morrill and Associates |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Your Committee on Legislation, Intergovernmental
and Veterans Relations of the Board of Commissioners of Cook County met
pursuant to notice on
Your Committee
has considered the following items and upon adoption of this report, the
recommendations are as follows:
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283409 |
RESOLUTION CALLING FOR A COMPREHENSIVE FORENSIC
AUDIT OF ELECTION DAY EQUIPMENT AND
PROCEDURES (PROPOSED RESOLUTION).
Submitting a Proposed Resolution sponsored by Anthony J. Peraica,
County Commissioner. PROPOSED RESOLUTION RESOLUTION
CALLING FOR A COMPREHENSIVE FORENSIC AUDIT OF ELECTION DAY EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURES WHEREAS, the Cook County Board of Commissioners has appropriated in excess of
$50 million to purchase election equipment from Sequoia Voting Systems for
the 2006 elections; and WHEREAS, the Cook County
Clerk and the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners and their personnel
have repeatedly assured members of this body that the new equipment would
function properly on election day, and that measures had been implemented
that would prevent future problems such as the ones which occurred during the
March 2006 primary election; and WHEREAS, the County Clerk bears the ultimate responsibility for ensuring the
integrity of elections conducted in suburban Cook County and the Chicago
Board of Election Commissioners bears such responsibilities in Chicago; and WHEREAS, the election results from the polling places were
to be transmitted electronically to the County Clerk’s Office shortly after
the closing of the polls at 7:00 p.m.; and WHEREAS, nearly half of the suburban results were not successfully or
properly electronically transmitted from the polling places and receiving
stations and many boxes of ballots and electronic data storage devices did
not arrive downtown until after 1 a.m. the day after the election; and WHEREAS, there have been many reports of election judges,
public employees and publicly contracted personnel deviating from the
prescribed procedures for the securing and transporting of election
materials; and WHEREAS, there have also been multiple complaints from voters who used touch
screen voting systems which repeatedly malfunctioned and indicated and
reported votes for the candidates different from the ones selected by the
voter. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the President and Board of Commissioners of Cook County, Illinois
do hereby call for a comprehensive forensic audit of the performance of the
November 7, 2006 General Election by Sequoia Voting Systems, the Chicago Board
of Election Commissioners, and the Cook County Clerk’s Office; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that
an impartial panel consisting of a federal monitor, election judges and
experts in fields which include, but are not limited to computers,
information technology, election law and procedures; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, specifically
that election lawyers Richard K.
Means, Mathias W. DeLort, Burton S. Odelson, Michael E. Lavelle and Better
Government Association director Jay Stewart shall be included among members
of this panel; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the cost of this audit shall be divided
evenly between Sequoia Voting Systems and the budget of the Cook County
Clerk’s Office. * Referred to the
Committee on Legislation, Intergovernmental and Veterans Relations on * Committee Meeting of |
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283411 |
AN ORDINANCE FOR THE CREATION OF AN ELECTION
INTEGRITY COMMISSION (PROPOSED ORDINANCE).
Submitting a Proposed Ordinance sponsored by Elizabeth Ann Doody
Gorman, County Commissioner. The following is a synopsis of the Proposed
Ordinance: PROPOSED ORDINANCE AN ORDINANCE FOR THE CREATION OF AN ELECTION INTEGRITY COMMISSION WHEREAS, approximately 24 million
dollars was appropriated for the Cook County Clerk to obtain two new
electronic voting systems to improve the conduct of our elections; and WHEREAS, two elections have now
been held using these new electronic voting systems; and WHEREAS, these two elections have
been fraught with events that are indicative of mishaps or more in the
conduct of the election in general and particularly with regard to the two
new electronic voting systems; and WHEREAS, the public notoriety
given to these mishaps occurring before, during and after the General
Election held in Cook County on Tuesday, November 7, 2006 has raised grave
concerns among the voters and candidates as to whether these elections were
fair and honest; and WHEREAS, the Cook County Board of
Commissioners appropriates funding for the conduct of these elections and has
an obligation to the taxpayers of Cook County to ensure that the funds
appropriated are expended prudently; and WHEREAS, it is essential that the
Cook County Board undertake an inquiry into the propriety of the expenditure
of these appropriations with regard to the question of whether the General
Election of November 7, 2006 resulted in, among other questions, the new
electronic voting systems allowing each voter to vote for the candidate and
public policy issues of his/her choice and whether these systems allowed the
votes to be correctly counted in the precincts and reported to the County
Clerk. NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF Sec.
22-34. Election Integrity Commission. 1. A
Cook County Election Integrity Commission be created. 2. The Integrity Commission shall be
comprised of five members selected as follows: 3. The
purpose of the Integrity Commission shall be to: Effective Date.
This Ordinance shall be effective immediately upon its adoption. * Referred to the
Committee on Legislation, Intergovernmental and Veterans Relations on * Committee Meeting of |
Vice Chairman Silvestri, seconded by Commissioner Goslin, moved the
referral of Communication Nos. 283409 and 283411 to the Elections Subcommittee.
The motion carried.
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283661 |
COOK requesting
authorization for the Purchasing Agent to enter into a contract with STEPHEN S. MORRILL, Reason: It is important that the individual be
approved as soon as possible in order to guarantee lobbying services for the
next General Assembly. Estimated
Fiscal Impact: $70,000.00. Contract period: Approval
of this item would commit Fiscal Year 2007 funds. * Referred to the
Committee on Legislation, Intergovernmental and Veterans Relations on |
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284419 |
COOK requesting
authorization for the Purchasing Agent to enter into a contract with RICHARD R. BOYKIN AND CRAIG BURKHARDT
of Barnes & Thornburg, LLP,
Estimated
Fiscal Impact: $110,000.00. Contract period: Approval
of this item would commit Fiscal Year 2007 funds. * Referred to the
Committee on Legislation, Intergovernmental and Veterans Relations on |
Vice Chairman Silvestri, seconded by Commissioner Goslin, moved the
approval of Communication Nos. 283661
and 284419.
Prior to opening up discussion on
the two contracts up for approval, Chairman Suffredin introduced Derek Blaida
from the Office of the President. His
background includes previous experience with the Chicago Board of Education as
their chief lobbyist, and with the City of
Mr. Blaida provided an overview of
the two lobbying contracts up for approval.
He introduced Richard R. Boykin of the lobbying firm of Barnes and
Thornburg, LLP, who, along with his partner Craig Burkhardt, would be the
County’s lobbyists in
In response to questions from
Commissioners Goslin and Quigley pertaining to existing County lobbyist representation
in
Chairman Suffredin stated that the
County had contracts for
Chairman Suffredin elaborated upon
the anticipated role and duties that Messrs. Boykin and Burkhardt would be
assuming upon approval of their contract.
He stated that they would have a broader role than Ungaretti &
Harris, as they would be helping the County on programs dealing with
environmental and transportation issues, and would be assessing other statutory
changes that would be beneficial to the County.
Chairman Suffredin also noted that as Congress is now under Democratic
control, the County has a greater opportunity to open up other programs in
addition to health care issues.
Commissioner Quigley voiced his
concerns regarding the lack of coherent representation of County positions on
bills and the lack of communication between the County and the General Assembly
in previous years.
Chairman Suffredin explained that Mr.
Blaida’s role is to professionalize the operation, and he will be reporting to
the Board periodically. He stated that
Mr. Blaida will be coordinating and organizing all lobbying efforts, and would
ensure that communications in this regard are coherent.
In response to Commissioner
Quigley’s question regarding improvements to existing lobbying efforts, Mr.
Morrill stated that there would be a focus on timeliness of communication
efforts, as it is a consistent theme in relation to effective lobbying in
With regard to improvements to
lobbying efforts at the Federal level, Mr. Boykin suggested that the County
develop a federal budget priority list similar to that which the City of
Commissioner Beavers stated that
it is important for the County to develop a federal priority list; he emphasized his belief that the County
should adopt similar lobbying practices as the City of
Commissioners Silvestri and Steele
indicated that they were looking forward to a greater coordination and
streamlining of lobbying and communication services with the State Legislature
and Congress.
Chairman Suffredin and Commissioners
Beavers, Silvestri, and Goslin stressed the importance of representation for
the County in order to effectively promote the County’s interests in competing
for funds at the State and Federal level.
Commissioners Beavers, Goslin and Sims
also highlighted the importance of the roles of the Commissioners in current
and future lobbying efforts; each
related their previous experiences and involvement in lobbying efforts at the
federal level. Some Commissioners
expressed interest in continuing these efforts in a coordinated manner.
Commissioners Gorman, Daley and
Collins expressed concern over potential conflicts of interest that may arise for
the contractual lobbyists as a result of positions taken by their other
clients.
Chairman Suffredin explained that
this concern is addressed within the contracts with the lobbyists, and one of Mr.
Blaida’s functions is to monitor any potential conflicts of interest that may
arise as a result of positions taken by other clients of the contractual
lobbyists.
Commissioner Daley indicated that
in addition to his concerns over potential conflicts of interest, he also had
concerns over approving these contracts while budget negotiations are still
underway. He felt that the Board should
hold off on all contracts such as these until the budget is approved.
Commissioner Collins expressed her
concerns about the structure and cohesiveness of the lobbying team, and
remarked that she did not feel that this was a top priority.
Commissioner Beavers expressed his
opinion that the County could not afford to be unrepresented in
Commissioner Peraica requested
information on dollars expended upon lobbying efforts in both
Mr. Blaida answered that the
contractual representation is as follows:
it includes the contracts before the committee for Barnes &
Thornburg for $110,000 and for Stephen Morrill for $70,000; additionally, Susan White’s contract which
expires mid-2007 and will be re-evaluated prior to expiration is for $130,000;
finally, the County’s contract with Ungaretti & Harris, which expires March
31, 2007 and will not be renewed, is for $135,000. In response to Commissioner Peraica’s
question pertaining to his own salary in his position as Special Assistant to
the President for Government Affairs, Mr. Blaida responded that his salary is
$111,170.
Commissioner Gorman requested
information on whether State Senator Ricky Hendon is contractually representing
the County.
Chairman Suffredin replied that he
did not believe so, and Mr. Blaida stated that he would confirm the answer to
her question.
Chairman Suffredin stated that he
agreed with Commissioner Beavers on the point of lost time and effectiveness if
the County’s interests were not represented in
Commissioner Silvestri asked Mr.
Blaida if the County is currently represented in
Mr. Blaida responded that if the
contract with Mr. Morrill is not approved, the County’s interests would not be
represented by any outside lobbyist in
Commissioner Schneider stated that
if the Committee voted in favor of these contracts, it could create the
impression that the Board is taking sides with lobbyists over the County’s
doctors, State’s Attorneys and police officers.
He asked how their efforts would bring more dollars to the County.
Mr. Boykin responded that their
efforts will deliver back to the County millions of dollars more than what they
are currently receiving. He pointed out
the experience and familiarity with the system that his firm brings, and also
mentioned that the contract dollar amount that his firm negotiated with the
County is far below what is typically received in
Commissioner
Peraica called for the question.
Commissioner Collins, seconded by Commissioner Daley, moved to Defer
Communication Nos. 283661 and 284419. Commissioner
Butler called for a roll call vote.
ROLL CALL ON MOTION TO DEFER
Yeas: Commissioners
Collins, Daley, Gorman, Peraica, Vice Chairman Silvestri and Chairman Suffredin
(6)
Nays: Commissioners
Beavers,
Present: Commissioner
Moreno
Absent: Commissioners Claypool, Maldonado and
Murphy (3)
The motion
to Defer Communication Nos. 283661 and 284419 FAILED.
Commissioner
Peraica moved to lay Communication Nos. 283661 and 284419 on the table. The motion FAILED due to the lack of a
second.
Commissioner Butler moved the previous question.
A vote was taken on the main motion made by Vice Chairman Silvestri,
seconded by Commissioner Goslin, to approve Communication No. 283661 and
284419. On a voice vote, the motion
carried. Commissioners Collins, Daley
and Peraica voted no.
Vice
Chairman Silvestri moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Commissioner
Steele. The motion carried and the
meeting was adjourned.
YOUR COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THE FOLLOWING ACTION WITH REGARD TO THE
MATTERS NAMED HEREIN:
Communication Number 283409 Referred
to Elections Subcommittee
Communication Number 283411 Referred
to Elections Subcommittee
Communication Number 283661 Approved
Communication Number 284419 Approved
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Respectfully submitted, Committee on Legislation, Intergovernmental and Veterans Relations xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Larry Suffredin, Chairman |
Attest:
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Matthew B. DeLeon, Secretary