Community Corner

A Love Story That Illinoisans Won't Find Romantic

The Illinois government glut is a true love story, but it's one that Illinoisans won't enjoy.

Illinois is in love with government - lots and lots of government. The more, the merrier. The state is so in love with government that we have more units of government than any other state.

So Illinois is a paragon of democracy? Well not quite. The proof? If you are a Chicagoan, name every position and person who you elect to the city council, the Illinois House and Senate, Congress, the Cook County Board of Commissioners, Cook County-wide offices, the Board of Review, and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District.

If you are in the suburbs, add to this list your school board or boards, the community college board, the library board, the park district board, the township, and maybe one or two other special districts. When you have a problem, whom do you call?

In Illinois, governments overlap everywhere. Oak Park is a prime example. In that suburb, there are five units of elected government that share the exact same boundaries.

So how did this love story come to be in Illinois? Read about the history here.

Meanwhile, a poll conducted after Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner released his economic plan shows 53 percent of those polled would be more likely to vote for Rauner after learning about his plan. Would you agree?

This article appears on all Patch Chicago sites. The views expressed in this post are those of Reboot Illinois and do not reflect those of Patch or its editors.

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