Kane County Reporter

State Representatives Dan Ugaste and La Shawn Ford are calling on the Illinois General Assembly to enhance accountability mechanisms for elected officials. Representative Ugaste has introduced two bills in the 104th General Assembly aimed at allowing public-initiated recall elections for officials in Illinois. Concurrently, Representative Ford has put forward legislation focused on recalling the Mayor of Chicago through a special election.

"In 2010, I worked to pass a bill that enabled the governor’s recall only," said Representative Ford. "For the past ten years, I have been striving to establish a mechanism for recalling the Mayor of Chicago. Now, at the request of voters across the state, I am dedicated to collaborating across party lines with Rep. Ugaste to develop a comprehensive plan that broadens the recall process to include all cities in Illinois. We must get this right and prioritize the needs of voters. Holding public officials accountable is vital for restoring and maintaining public trust, and we are responsible for ensuring that voters have a voice when elected leaders fail to meet expectations."

Representative Ugaste emphasized the importance of having measures in place for extreme situations where public officials might need removal due to inappropriate actions or low approval ratings. "In extreme cases, it would be in the best interests of residents and taxpayers to have options in place to remove public officials who have acted inappropriately or have historically low approval ratings," he stated. "Representative Ford and I have both filed legislation to address accountability for officeholders, and it would be in the best interests of all Illinoisans if we can work together in a bipartisan manner, which we have committed to start. The process to initiate these recalls should not be easy, and with high threshold limits and signature requirements, any political or partisan concerns should not be a factor."

House Bill 1304 by Rep. Ugaste proposes that local elected officials can be recalled if petitions gather sufficient support followed by a 60 percent vote favoring their removal during either a General Election or Consolidated Election—whichever occurs first. Furthermore, House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 4 seeks to establish recall procedures applicable statewide for various elected positions including state officeholders as well as legislative leaders such as Senate President and Speaker of the House; removals would occur only during General Elections.