Skokie Voters Considering Term Limit Referendum: 2024 Election

SKOKIE, IL — This Election Day, voters in Skokie, a village that has only had three mayors in the last six decades, are deciding whether to place term limits on their elected officials.

If approved, the referendum would limit the mayor, village clerk, and trustees to three consecutive four-year terms, starting with the next election cycles in 2025 and 2027.

Village trustees voted over the summer to put the measure on the Nov. 5 ballot. It would apply to the mayor, clerk and the two at-large trustee positions starting from the 2025 municipal elections.

The four district-specific trustee seats, following the village’s recently adopted staggered election schedule, would begin their limits in 2027, marking a shift to a combination of district and at-large representation.

Mayor George Van Dusen, who has served since 1999 and previously expressed support for the measure, said in July that trustees had previously recommended a term limit referendum.

"Members of the board, in fact, told me some time ago that they wanted this put on the ballot," Van Dusen said.

If voters approve the term limits, each elected official could serve up to three consecutive terms in a specific role. Once reaching the term limit in one role, officials would be permitted to seek election to another office. For instance, a trustee who completes three terms could then run for mayor or clerk for up to three additional terms, in line with Illinois state law regarding term limits.

The limits would only apply to terms served after the referendum’s passage, meaning past terms will not count toward the limit and those currently in office could still serve additional terms no matter how many they have already served.

Initially, members of the village board considered placing a second referendum on the ballot that would have sought to implement a system of instant runoff voting, allowing voters to rank candidates by preference in certain elections.

However, after hearing from an attorney with the firm Klein, Thorpe & Jenkins, who stated that Illinois lacks the necessary legislative framework to support ranked-choice voting, the board opted to wait for guidance from the state.

Trustee Alison Pure-Slovin, who also lobbies in Illinois, noted that ranked-choice voting is “not even on the horizon” due to logistical and legal constraints.

Read more: 3 Terms And You're Out? Term Limits For Skokie Elected Officials Are On The Ballot

In addition to the term limits referendum, Skokie voters will have several state and county-level races to consider.

The ballot includes races for Illinois General Assembly seats, where a Republican man challenges an incumbent Democratic woman in both local seats in the Illinois House.

In the 17th District, State Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, of Glenview, is running against Republican Jim Geldermann, also of Glenview.

And in the 18th District, State Rep. Robyn Gabel, of Evanston, faces Wilmette attorney Charles Hutchinson.

Other races include Cook County Board seats, Cook County State’s Attorney, Clerk of the Circuit Court, and seats on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District board.

Read more: What's On the Ballot, What To Know Ahead Of 2024 Election In Skokie

Residents in neighboring Niles, voters are considering a binding referendum that, if passed, would divide the village into six trustee districts rather than electing all trustees at large.

This shift would align Niles with the ward-based system used in Des Plaines, Park Ridge and Evanston, though critics contend it would lead to unnecessary additional administrative costs due to redistricting the 30,000-person village.

Niles village officials recently sent out a mailer pointing out that a district-level board would limit voters to picking one person instead of six. That drew criticism from Joe Makula, the resident who petitioned to put the question on the ballot, though village officials said it complied with the state law that forbids the use of public money to advocate for one side of a referendum question.