Skokie Mayor Withdraws Referendum Proposal After Protest

SKOKIE, IL — Mayor George Van Dusen withdrew his proposal for a trio of nonbinding referendum questions that would have prevented a package of voter-initiated electoral reforms from appearing on the November ballot in Skokie.

Van Dusen announced his decision to an overflow crowd at Monday's village board meeting after more than a hundred people gathered outside Village Hall in protest of his referendum proposals, which concerned changes to refuse pickup and a ban on leaf-blowers and "non-recyclable" plastic bags.

The mayor said his proposals had unintentionally become a source of conflict and division, something of which the country already has far too much.

"These times are troubling. As a result, in many communities there is dysfunctional government. I will not be a part of that," Van Dusen said. "In Skokie, we've had a tradition of disagreeing on issues but always being civil toward each other. We need now more than ever to preserve that tradition. In the last couple of days I've become concerned that the best of my intentions have been misrepresented and misunderstood."

Earlier: Skokie Mayor Moves To Block Voter-Initiated Referendums From Ballot

The proponents of the citizen-initiated referendums — the Skokie Alliance for Electoral Reform — last week announced that they had collected about two-thirds of the signatures needed to get their referendums on the ballot.

The group's three proposals would challenge the Skokie Caucus Party's more than a half-century of continued rule by shifting to nonpartisan, staggered elections, with a mix of district-level and at-large trustees.

"The very next day, the village released an agenda for tonight's board meeting revealing that the mayor is proposing three non-legally binding advisory questions, basically survey questions to get the opinion of Skokie voters with no commitment to any real action," said Gail Schechter, an organizer with the electoral reform group.

Illinois law permits no more than three referendums in a single elections, and politicians in other local governments have used the tactic of placing three of them on the ballot to defuse citizen-initiated efforts for term limits or other changes to local government.

Related: Electoral Referendums Take Aim At Skokie Caucus Party's One-Party Rule

In his prepared statement, Van Dusen made no mention of the proposed electoral reforms, which he has publicly opposed. Instead, he said the advisory questions were aimed at educating the community about potential sustainability initiatives under consideration by the village.

"My intent in proposing these resolutions was to seek to educate our residents and business owners," he said. "As a result of deliberating on this matter and listening to many of you, I've decided to withdraw the resolutions."

After the meeting, Van Dusen told Patch he proposed to employ nonbinding advisory questions as a means to gauge the opinions of residents ahead of the formation of a sustainability plan later this year, which he said would be more comprehensive than past plans. He said it was the first time in more than two decades as mayor that he has proposed such a referendum.

"This is the first time in our history we'll be taking up such a large, comprehensive program that literally will affect every household, every business in the village," Van Dusen said.

Van Dusen said he was well aware that his package of advisory questions would block the proposed electoral reforms from the ballot — but he maintained that was not the reason why he put them on the agenda.

"Of course I knew," the mayor said.

"There are elections next April. They could be put on the agenda," he said. "What is most immediate, what is most urgent?"