So Many Offices, So Little Time

The recent controversies involving the Orland Fire Protection District and Orland School District 135 have seen people questioning how some of these office holders ever got elected.

I've read several comments asking how voters could have elected who they elected or why so many people seem to vote for the candidates who have certain endorsements if they even bother to vote at all. We often wonder why when so much is at stake in our local community, so few people care enough to vote in local elections.

I've always thought that part of the reason for this is the fact that there are so many local offices. Let's face it, most of us out here in Orland are originally from the city of Chicago. In Chicago, all of the municipal functions; police, fire, schools, libraries, etc. are all under the jurisdiction of the mayor. There are only four municipal officers that a voter can vote for. Those are the mayor, clerk and treasurer who are elected citywide and an alderman who is elected in each of the 50 wards. Since most citizens don't have access to the mayor, their alderman is the only point of contact with the city government. The alderman is usually a high profile person and turnout in municipal elections is generally pretty good.

In the suburbs, there are multiple offices that handle the various municipal functions. In Orland Park, the village is run by a mayor and a six person board of trustees. The Village Clerk is also elected. The six trustees are elected at large, so, right off the bat, we go from electing four people in Chicago to electing eight in Orland Park.

Unlike Chicago, the village has no control over the schools. There are three separate school districts that are elected, each one is a separate taxing body with a seven person board. In Orland Park, there is District 230 which runs three high schools (Sandburg, Stagg and Andrew), Morraine Valley and either District 140 or 135 which run the grade schools depending on where you live. That's 21 school board members, for those keeping score. Add in the village and we're up to 29.

The Village of Orland Park does not control fire protection. That is done by a separate five person board of trustees. There is also an elected five person board who runs the library. Those are also taxing bodies, which means they levy their own property taxes. And we are up to 39 elected officials.

We can't forget Orland Township which has 9 elected officers (Supervisor, Assessor, Clerk, Collector, Highway Commissioner and four trustees). And that brings us to 48. 

It is a challenge for voters to learn about all of these people. Remember, if we're electing 48 people every four to six years, that may very well be over 100 candidates who are vying for these positions.

For the most part, these positions pay little or no salary and they are all considered part time. Many of the people who run for these offices are political novices. Most of these candidates have limited funds and limited time to get their message out. Unless there is a controversy, the local paper and inks don't pay too much attention to these races. Keep in mind, that we are talking about all of these candidates in Orland Park; add in similar numbers for the surrounding communities and you can see why this happens. A concerned voter who truly wants to do due diligence faces a real challenge trying to learn about each and every candidate.

You can see how a candidate who is well financed or has solid endorsements has a significant advantage in a local election. When I ran for school board, I knocked on over 1000 doors and showed up to talk to anyone who would listen, but having the endorsement of both parties certainly gave me a huge advantage.

The good news is that the Internet is making it easier for candidates to get their message out. The Patch does a good job of giving candidates a forum to tell voters about thrmselves. You also see more candidates with websites. But, even with all of that, voters have to take the initiative to go to the Patch or the various websites. You can't make people care, but it has become a lot easier for those of us who do.

All of this is a function of local control. Unlike Chicago, our schools are run by local people; people we see in the community. We know who they are and we know how to reach them. You don't get that with a city bureaucrat. The same is true for all of the other municipal functions.

If you don't like how your local officials are doing their jobs, vote against them. Or better yet, run against them.