Lake County Board Looks To Appoint Newly Formed Ethics Commission

WAUKEGAN, IL — Lake County residents have bene invited to apply to serve on a newly formed independent ethics commission.

Board members created the five-member commission last month as part of an update to the county's Ethics Code. Commissioners will be appointed to staggered terms by the Ethics and Oversight Committee and tasked with determining the validity of complaints about public officials.

Jessica Vealitzek, the Hawthorn Woods Democrat who chairs the Ethics and Oversight Committee said it was important to keep politics out of ethics complaints. The new commission, she said at the meeting, adds transparency to the workings of county government.

"This has been a relatively long time coming. It passed the committee unanimously last week, it's been a goal of mine and the committee's for the two years that I've been chair," Vealitzek said.

"I think we can all agree that board members should not be policing themselves or their appointees," she added. "And I'm proud of the way the committee has handled that tough spot over the last couple years but I'm even more proud of the creation of this independent commission today."

John Wasik, a Grayslake Democrat, was among the board members who praised Vealitzek's work revising the ethics and conduct code at the meeting.

"It hopes to resolve some of the conflicts that we had in reviewing and deciding ethics complaints. It was very difficult to do," Wasik said. "This is a real quantum leap in terms of greater transparency and a greater ethical standard for us."

"It has always been our stated purpose to keep politics out of that committee," said Round Lake Beach Democrat Terry Wilke. "That ultimately did not happen, so hopefully moving forward this will be one way that we can address that issue."

No Republican board members spoke about the issue at the April 13 meeting.

Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart, a Lake Bluff Democrat, emphasized the role of the commission would be limited to investigating board members in their official capacity.

"I think it's really important that this commission can only act on items that are directly related to actions as county board members, as we're conducting county business or as we're representing ourselves as county board members," Hart said.

"Any actions taken while in other positions, whether elected or in the employ of a private company, don't fall under the jurisdiction of the ethics committee, and those concerns should be directed to the corresponding agency, government or business."

Applications for the commission are open through May 21. Meetings are expected to be held twice a year, and as needed to review complaints.