CHICAGO—State Sen. Dan Kotowski (D-Park Ridge) continues to lead the fight to restore democracy to the Cook County Board by lowering the number of votes needed to override the County Board President’s veto.

"The Cook County Board President should not have greater power over the county than the President of the United States has over the country," Kotowski said. "The four-fifths rule was put in place for a good reason, but it is now obsolete, outdated and unfair. The people of this great county -both city dwellers and suburbanites-deserve better."

Reducing the County Board’s veto override threshold to a three-fifths majority would bring it in line with most other elected bodies. In order to override the Governor of Illinois, the General Assembly needs a three-fifths majority and in order to override the President of the United States, the U.S. Congress needs a three-fifths majority. Under the current law, the County Board needs a four-fifths majority -80 percent of the vote-to override the County Board President.

"We think the constitutional majority required for the General Assembly to override the governor’s veto is reasonable," said Tom Johnson, President of the Taxpayers’ Federation of Illinois, who was unable to attend the press conference. "It’s not in the public’s best interest for any local government to have a higher veto override threshold."

At a news conference today in Chicago, Kotowski announced his intentions to bring this issue back before the General Assembly during the October Veto Session. He was joined by State Rep. Julie Hamos (D-Evanston) and Laurence Msall, the President of the Civic Federation of Chicago.

Earlier this year, Kotowski sponsored Senate Bill 1868, a measure that would have lowered the proportion of County Board members needed to override the Board President’s veto from a four-fifths majority to a three-fifths majority. The measure passed the Illinois Senate with unanimous support. Unfortunately, it was stalled in the House and did not reach the governor’s desk.

"This issue is too important to let die or to wait until January to act," Kotowski said. "I am reintroducing this legislation in the Senate with an immediate effective date. The Cook County Board President has so much authority that it borders on being undemocratic. By restoring power to the directly elected representatives of the people of Cook County, we make the board more accountable and responsive to the will of the citizens."

The reintroduced legislation is Senate Bill 588. It will be considered by the Senate when they return to Springfield in October.