Separation goes before voters

Fayette County voters will be able next spring to vote on whether they feel Cook County should be separated from the state’s other 101 counties.

After hearing from one person on each side of the issue, the Fayette County Board voted 12-1 to put such a non-binding referendum on the spring primary election ballot.
That ballot question will read, “Shall Fayette County collaborate in discussions with the remaining 101 Counties of the State of Illinois, with the exception of Cook County, the possibility of forming a new state and ultimately seeking admission to the Federal Union as the 51st State, pursuant to the provisions of the United States Constitution.”
“This is not an endorsement of the county board,” Chairman Jeff Beckman said.
“This just only lays it in back in the laps of the voters, who should have the final say on that,” Beckman said.
Board member Bryce Kistler reinforced the action taken by the board.
Kistler said that he has had a lot of people give him their opinions on the issue, and that “more were for it (putting it on the ballot) than against it.
“Again, it is not an endorsement from us, saying we want to split from Chicago,” Kistler said. “We are putting it out there for people in the county to vote on it.”
Board member Deb Warner agreed. “They (wanting the separation) are doing it the right way. I also feel we should let them (voters) have their say.”
Voting to put the issue before the voters were Beckman, Kistler, Warner, Darrell Schaal, Dean Bernhardt, Glen “Whitey” Daniels, Glenn Gurtner, Merrell Collins, Keith Cole, Glenda Bartels, Pat Click and Joe Wills. Jenny Waggoner was not present.
The lone vote against putting the issue on the ballot was cast by Jake Harris.
“I’ve never been the type of person who picks up my ball and goes home when something goes bad for me or I don’t get my way, whatever the case may be,” Harris said.
“I just think there’s a  better solution to the problem. I actually think the solution is to amend the state Constitution and do away with the 1980 cutback amendment that (Gov. Pat) Quinn pushed through to do away with that and go back to three-member districts.
“I think that will solve a lot of the problems,” Harris said.
“I think it would help to elect liberal-leaning Republicans and conservative-leaning Democrats, probably from Southern Illinois.
“That would take power away from the majority party, and maybe there would be more reaching across the aisle and more compromising, because the parties would be more alike,” Harris said.
“There’s a lot more to it than just quitting and saying, you know, let’s just cut them out,” Harris said.
Earlier in the meeting, the board heard from one person speaking against the effort to separate the other 101 counties from Cook County and one person speaking in favor of it.
Gordon Stine said he opposes it.
“Why, why, why are we even talking about this?” Stine said.
“Chicago is the third-largest city in the nation and we should be proud of that, the diversification in the state that it gives,” he said.
Stine said that all of that diversity “is a good thing.”
He said that he and his wife, Denise, have three children in live in the Chicago area. A son, he said, “builds bridges all over the world.
“A Fayette County farm boy is up there doing that.”
And, he said, “the taxes he pays are 10 to 15 times what I pay.”
Their children pay more taxes, Stine said, because “they like the city.”
He said that while some try to say that, comparatively speaking, Fayette County taxpayers contribute $1 to $1.67 paid by those in Chicago.
“I would say they give $10 for every $1” that Fayette County taxpayers contribute.
“Why in the world is this even being considered?” Stine said.
“It’s wrong, wrong, wrong,” he said.
Mary Dial spoke in favor of separations, “for several reasons,” including “corruption.
“The problem is, why should we have to live under the corruption they are trying us to live by,” she said.
Also, Chicago should not be able to force downstaters to pay for abortions, “and why should we have to allow our kids to learn about gays in history,” Dial said, adding that while she is not opposed to gays, just about teaching about them in schools.
“There are more reasons than taxes,” Dial said, referring to how J.B. Pritzker was elected governor by that part of the state “when almost the entire state was red (Republican).”
“It’s to the point of stupidity the policies they hand out almost daily,” Dial said.
“Right now, we are tanking,” she said. “I don’t understand why people wouldn’t even want to separate.”

Gordon Stine of rural St. Elmo tells members of the Fayette County Board on Tuesday that he’s opposed to idea of 101 counties in Illinois separating from Cook County.