home.gif (1530 bytes)


Drue speaks to Democratic Ethnic Conference on Downsizing
 

Governance Task Force Meetings

Removing County Board Pensions

meet_drue.gif (2006 bytes)

Downsizing Referendum Stopped

Fun & Community Events

Early Retirement

Liability Fund

Archive of past announcements

 

Contact

Open Letter on Hope Creek Vote

Sue Golden

Downsizing the Rock Island County Board

2014 Draft Budget

Hope Creek

Courthouse Future

County Board Meetings

RICo reforms Public Speaking Rules!

RICo in violation of Open Meetings Act

Update Speech

The Oath I took

Rock Island County Budget:  2013-2014

meet_drue.gif (2006 bytes)

Bill to Allow Courthouse Without Voter Ok

defending_our_rights.gif (4110 bytes)

meet_drue.gif (2006 bytes)

meet_drue.gif (2006 bytes)

 

County Board Meeting Information

Community Links

meet_drue.gif (2006 bytes)

other.gif (2715 bytes)

meet_drue.gif (2006 bytes)

Progressive State Tax

Rock Island County Diversity

Standing Against Hate

 

                                                                  

Drue Mielke speaks to Democratic Ethnic Minority Conference on County Board Downsizing Issue

Monday, February 1st, 2016

Click here to listen to what I had to say regarding downsizing the county board

"...We can we can find other counties that 24 or 25 (members) and this harkens back to when I was not on the board, but I was asking for reforms under the Open Meetings Act and that board, of which most of you people were not there, said 'well, this county doesn’t do it this way or that county doesn’t do it that way,or La Salle County does it that way'.

So they would find a county that does it wrong.

And it just angered me because I was currently an elected official but I didn’t tell them that. And I already adhered to the Open Meetings Act.

The point is that we should look at counties that have done it (downsized). An example is Peoria county who I think went to 19 from like 25 or 27. They still have minority representation. Maybe we should talk to them and say “How is your minority representation?” Maybe we should flesh it out? “How is your rural representation?”

The other thing is that in 2012 when I ran, and that (downsizing referendum) passed, that was an advisory referendum, it had no teeth, but it did give… it did test the waters on how the public felt.

We all agreed that the board should be smaller. Never did I say that the board should be downsized. Ever! What I always said was it CAN be downsized, and they weren’t telling you the truth. And who “they” is up to you guys to decide, but what I mean is that I am not an attorney, but when I read the ’74 and ’76 opinion from the Attorney General that says in all but… “the decennial reapportionment should hold in all but exceptional circumstances”, that tells me that there is an exceptional circumstance.

We all probably all agree that we do not like the exceptional circumstance for other reasons that weren’t obvious at the time. Because when you start thinking about something, you think “oh, what’s the ramification? “ Will it affect….? This district is going to be too big, we won’t have a rural district. What about the people that live in a minority majority district? How are they going to be affected when they find out all of a sudden their district is part of a (larger district). So luckily, I never said we should do it, but I got angry when I kept hitting the brick wall of whatever you want to call it: The machine, The people or whoever it was whoever it was who said “no”.

I got threatened if I proceeded with it (the downsizing question)! I had my documents stolen from me! And then they were used in political attack ads! I mean this is the kind of climate I’ve experienced on this county board. That was the welcome mat that was put out for me.


And then when I thought I was reaching out with an olive branch, saying we could get an new Attorney General opinion, which sounded very credible….. it took two years to get one (a new opinion.)


So you , know, we’ve been down this road… I mean I’ve been down this road, back and forth. Where I think we are heading the right direction, I think we should look at because of all the other issues. And the late. the clock has ran out, I am afraid.

I am going to say that I am the biggest advocate for listening to the will of the people. We need to explain to the people why, what the ramifications are if we downsize this late in the game, otherwise they are not going to get it otherwise (what would happen if we downsize prior to 2020)

The other thing that I did do, was not only did I believe in getting this to the people, was that to the people. That I spoke to the Farm Bureau, I didn’t tell them what to think but I told them what the facts were. I spoke to the NAACP, I didn’t tell them what to think, but I told them what the facts were. And I told them what the threats were, I mean as far as I what the threats were was that we were going to have eight districts if we are going to do it (downsize) this other way.

I have never said it “should” be done but I got very frustrated when I was told it “can’t be done”. And it could. It is just whether the public wants it.

I don’t think the public really does want to have multi-member districts. I think you guys all said that with the resolution that was the second resolution that followed it (the first resolution).

I just want to do what the people want.


Not what the county board wants.

But what the people want.

 

Pension question moved to focus group rather than to full board.

Here today's discussion with Dan & Dan from WOC's AM Quad Cities.

Click here to play.  Please be patient, the file may take up to a minute to begin playing.

   Click here to play.


 

 
Should Rock Island County Board make county board pensions ineligible?



Listen to IMRF interview with Dan & Dan on AM Quad Cities


Read about proposed resolution



Read Dispatch / Argus Editorial


I have drafted a
resolution on Monday, October 5, 2015 calling for terminating participation in the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) for all Rock Island County Board Members

The resolution was sent to Rock Island County Administrator Dave Ross and to Nick Camlin, Chair of the Rock Island County Board Human Resources Committee for consideration by the County Administrator and with the intent of placement on the next Human Resources Committee meeting agenda for discussion on November 10th at 10:00 a.m. for recommendation to the full county board or consideration and vote on Tuesday, November 17th.

I have asked fellow county board member Mr. Scott Terry to co-author this resolution with me in a show of bi-partisan support.

The resolution states:

“WHEREAS, the Rock Island County Human Resources Committee recommends to the County Board to adopt the IMRF Resolution to terminate County Board member participation in the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund; and

WHEREAS, the County Board has determined that a majority of its members will not normally be performing the minimum of 1000 hour per year; and

WHEREAS, authorization is given to the County Clerk to sign and submit the attached
IMRF Form 6.64T (03/12).

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the County Board approve this recommendation.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the County Clerk notifies the County Board Office of this Action.”


When I was elected, I was given new employee paperwork from Rock Island County Human Resources. Included in the new employee paperwork were IMRF forms. I was not told that once one is in IMRF that a county board member cannot opt out. Knowing what I have come to learn being on the county board, I do not believe that IMRF is appropriate for county board members and I do not wish to participate in IMRF.

In exploring what other counties and municipalities have done, I discover that a governmental body can opt out of IMRF participation. That is what I intend to do in this resolution. It is the right move at the right time and shows we are committed to working together for the good of the county given the dire condition of our funds.
 


Telephone
309-235-7493
E-mail
countyboard@druemielke.com
 
Facebook
            www.facebook.com/drue4you

Facebook Page
www.facebook.com/friendsofdruemielke

 

Copyright © 2015 Friends of Drue Mielke