It would be a cliché to say Frank Zuccarelli left big shoes to fill.
Still, Zuccarelli’s unexpected death Jan. 3 created three significant vacancies. Zuccarelli consolidated so much political influence in the south suburbs that his sudden passing may have created opportunities for multiple successors.
Now that respects have been paid, would-be successors are jockeying for position to fill the power vacuum.
Phoenix Mayor Terry Wells is filling at least one of the seats. Wells is newly appointed chairman of the board that oversees South Suburban College, a public community college based in South Holland. Zuccarelli had chaired the board since 1987.
That leaves two other big seats to fill. Wells is in the running for one of them: Thornton Township Democratic Party committeeperson.
Last week, the township political organization met and selected Wells for committeeperson over Calumet City Mayor Thaddeus Jones, who also is a state representative. However, the position will remain vacant for now, a Cook County Democratic Party official said.
Democratic voters in the township will choose a successor during the June 28 primary, said Jacob Kaplan, executive director of the county organization.
“Every organization operates according to its own bylaws,” Kaplan told me.
Zuccarelli, 70, apparently left insufficient succession plans for the influential positions he held. As committeeperson of Cook County’s most populous township, he could play kingmaker when it came to appointing someone to fill a vacant political position in the county.
But Zuccarelli had done away with precinct captains within the Thornton Township Regular Democratic Organization. When the group met last week to choose a committeeperson, mayors of communities within the township voted on a successor to Zuccarelli.
Jones objected to the proceedings and argued Hazel Crest Mayor Vernard Alsbury had no business helping choose committeeperson for Thornton Township because Alsbury is committeeperson for Bremen Township.
Behold the wonders of overlapping jurisdictions! Sometimes there is wiggle room to make up rules as you go along. In other instances, however, the process for filling vacancies is determined by state law and governed by statutes containing words like “shall.”
Jones appears to have succeeded in lodging objections with the right people. The county Democratic Party, chaired by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, has the final say in approving appointments to fill township committeeperson vacancies, Kaplan said.
Nothing becomes official until the county organization meets to approve a selection, and no meetings are scheduled, he said.
“It’s not very likely we would meet before the June primary,” Kaplan said.
State Sen. Napoleon Harris is reportedly also in the running for the township committeeperson position, in addition to Wells and Jones. Harris maintains an office for the 15th Senate District in Dolton and owns a Beggars Pizza restaurant in Harvey, giving him prominent credentials as a leading figure in the Thornton Township community, observers said.
The problem is Harris lives in Flossmoor, which is split between Rich and Bloom townships. He would have to establish legal residence within Thornton Township to be its elected Democratic committeeperson. Harris did not respond to requests for comment.
That brings us to the most lucrative of Zuccarelli’s three seats, his position as Thornton Township supervisor.
The post paid Zuccarelli a whopping $245,960 in 2019, according to a Better Government Association database of government salaries. That was more than Preckwinkle, who earned $170,000, or J.B. Pritzker, who did not accept his $177,412 salary for governor that year.
It was a compensation package fit for a king who had ruled the township since 1993. What’s interesting is that the compensation is affixed to the position, not the person. Whoever fills the seat gets Zuccarelli’s paycheck for the next three years.
Let’s break that down. We’re talking about a township supervisor post that paid $20,496 per month in 2019. That’s a public servant job that paid $4,730 a week, before taxes.
State law is clear that a public salary for an elected official cannot be increased or reduced during that person’s term in office. State law also is clear that whomever is chosen to fill Zuccarelli’s seat as township supervisor will serve the duration of his term. No special election will be held, in other words.
Zuccarelli was elected to his most recent four-year term in 2021, meaning his successor is guaranteed a hefty taxpayer-funded payday until spring 2025.
That creates a very enticing opportunity for a civic minded public servant in Thornton Township, or someone willing to move into the township to satisfy an eligibility requirement.
During a break in the township board’s public meeting Tuesday night, longtime township attorney Stanley Kusper told me the board must adhere to just two requirements when it picks Zuccarelli’s successor.
“The board will appoint a person who is a resident of the township and a registered voter with the Democratic Party,” Kusper said.
Incidentally, the township board took a moment Tuesday to wish a happy 85th birthday to Kusper, who was Cook County clerk from 1973 to 1990. Kusper previously chaired the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners when the late Richard J. Daley was mayor.
Sometime between now and 2025, the Thornton Township Board could vote to change the compensation package for the person elected supervisor in 2025. But state law says the appointment shall remain in effect for the duration of the unexpired term.
A separate statute addresses temporarily filling the position so someone may fulfill the ministerial duties of the supervisor when a vacancy occurs. During a special meeting Jan. 11, the township board appointed senior trustee Joyce Washington to be deputy supervisor until a more permanent appointment is made.
The board has 60 days from when the vacancy occurred to appoint a resident of the township who also is a Democratic voter to serve out the more than three years remaining on Zuccarelli’s term.
That’s going to be a big payday for someone.
Ted Slowik is a columnist for the Daily Southtown.