Rain or shine, members of the Skokie Alliance for Electoral Reform, a grassroots organization, hit Skokie sidewalks earlier this year gathering thousands of signatures to get three referendum questions on the Nov. 8 election ballot in an attempt to change a system they say is unfair. However, the Skokie Caucus Party, which has dominated Skokie politics for decades, has sent out mailers urging residents to vote “no” on the ballot questions.
With early voting having started Oct. 24, voters have to make a choice.
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Carrie Bradean, a member of the Skokie Alliance’s steering committee, said the Alliance’s efforts don’t target the Skokie Caucus Party or any other political entity.
“Our grassroots movement was never about the Skokie Caucus Party, and it is unfortunate that the SCP is making these referendums about their party,” she wrote in an email. “The Skokie Alliance for Electoral Reform is nonpartisan, because we know the issue is not any given party; the problem is an unfair electoral system that gravitates toward single-party rule.”
She said that the Skokie Caucus Party has dominated village government for decades and has successfully slated candidates for almost all village trustee positions as well as for mayor and clerk since the 1950s.
Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen, a member of the Caucus Party who became a trustee in 1984 and mayor in 1999, said he believes Skokie residents are happy with the current system, which he said has provided them with “premium service” over the years.
He also said that what the Alliance is proposing could start a “war of the wards,” be disruptive and lead to a decrease in village services.
The Skokie Alliance formed on Nov. 21, 2021, Bradean said, when about 15 or 20 Skokie residents got together to discuss forming a group to work for electoral reform. The group had its first official meeting on Dec. 19, 2021, she added, and filed papers to become a registered ballot initiative committee in Jan. 2022.
“This movement has brought together thousands of Skokie residents from every walk of life and across the political spectrum, united in our belief in the basic tenets of democracy,” Bradean said.
The referendum questions can generally be described as asking voters to vote on whether to have nonpartisan elections, whether to have staggered terms (electing some officials in one election and others in an election two years afterward) and whether to elect some officials from various districts in Skokie and some for the entire village.
Here is the language voters will see on the ballot.
Shall candidates for Mayor, Clerk, and Village Trustee of the Village of Skokie be elected at nonpartisan primary and general elections, beginning with the Consolidated Primary and the Consolidated General elections to be held on February 25, 2025 and April 1, 2025, respectively?
Shall the Village of Skokie adopt a system of staggered four-year terms and biennial elections for Village Trustees, beginning with the Consolidated Primary and the Consolidated General elections to be held on February 25, 2025 and April 1, 2025, respectively?
Shall the Village of Skokie adopt a system of hybrid elections for Village Trustees, in which two of six Village Trustees are elected at-large and four of six Village Trustees are elected from districts, beginning with the Consolidated Primary and the Consolidated General elections to be held on February 25, 2025 and April 1, 2025, respectively?
As for fundraising, the Skokie Alliance has collected more than $20,000 in donations from about 300 individuals and organizations, said Gail Schechter, chair of the Skokie Alliance steering committee.
According to the Illinois State Board of Elections campaign disclosure forms, the Skokie Alliance had $5,533 in cash on hand at the end of the quarterly reporting period on Sept. 30. The Skokie Caucus Party had $69,366 in cash on hand at the end of that same reporting period.
Schechter said the biggest challenge for the Alliance is that some in the village think that the reforms it is seeking could have a negative impact on the village.
“That’s just not true,” said Schecter, who also is a longtime north suburban affordable housing advocate. “What we’re trying to do is show people that what we’re looking at is simply how people are elected to the village board, not about the system itself. A lot of it is fear.
“One thing that makes my blood boil is the way the Caucus uses that term ‘divisive and disruptive’ in their oversize postcard they sent to every resident,” she added. “Skokie’s not what it was in 1955 when the Caucus Party took over. We’re a different town. We’re more complicated. We’re more diverse. The world is more complicated.”
Van Dusen maintained that he and the current board make the best decisions for all Skokie residents.
“One of the things we do when the board has to make a decision is to take into consideration the entire village,” he said recently.
He also said that Skokie, like many neighboring communities, experiences low voter turnout and that it’s a challenge getting people to serve on various boards, commissions and committees.
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“We’re a united community and the elected officials are able to represent the entire village,” said Van Dusen.