Southern suburbs could split from Cook county

This article is a little old but I havn't even seen it until now. I find this highly unlikely but the possibility is intriguing. Voters get say on plan to split from Cook County Daily Southtown July 15, 2004 By Marcus K. Garner Staff writer Blue Island Mayor Donald Peloquin's plan for dozens of Cook County towns to form a new county will get tested on Election Day. The Blue Island City Council on Tuesday approved putting a nonbinding referendum question on the Nov. 2 ballot about creating Lincoln County. It is unclear how many of the other 55 towns earmarked as potential Lincoln County communities will follow suit. Crestwood Mayor Chester Stranczek said he worries about Cook County retaliating against towns involved in Peloquin's plan. "All it does is make those people mad at us," Stranczek said. "It becomes a threat to the existing county board." Stranczek and five other mayors firmly opposed the idea. He and the mayors of Lemont, Robbins, Midlothian, Steger and Country Club Hills responded to Peloquin's request for support with a "no." Stranczek said trying to "get back" at Cook County officials was the wrong way to reverse the growing economic decline in the south suburbs. "We should work with the system, and not around it," he said. Orland Park Mayor Dan McLaughlin said he was waiting for more information before he responded. "My gut reaction is that it's just not going to make sense," McLaughlin said. "But that's not a reason not to look at it." The proposed Lincoln County would roughly stretch from the Indiana border to Interstate 55. The proposed southern border would be the Will County line. Chicago would be excluded. Lincoln County would encompass 55 towns from Lemont to Lansing and from Burbank to Park Forest. The Blue Island City Council voted 8 to 2 to seek voter approval for the Lincoln County proposal. Aldermen Scott Siebert (3rd) and Michael Gierman (5th) abstained, and Gerald Hall (6th) and Dale Elton (7th) were absent. Blue Island aldermen Gina Pegorin (1st) and Rose Rita (3rd) voted against putting the proposal on the ballot. Rita said the idea didn't make sense. "Where's the money going to come from to do all of this? Are you going to raise taxes? Don't we have to find out all these things first?" Rita asked. Frustrated with the exodus of businesses from Cook County towns to Will County and Indiana, and a perception the southern suburbs get the short end of Cook County support, Peloquin said the last straw came when ideas for new economic engines passed by the southern communities. "We've been banking our hopes on a third airport and a casino, and it's not happening," he said. Peloquin said the referendum question, which doesn't require action from the city, is intended to start public dialogue. "The idea is to put it out there and let the people discuss it," he said. Alsip Mayor Arnold Andrews said his village board could approve a similar resolution Monday. He said he didn't anticipate much difficulty in getting trustees to approve a referendum question. "Some of them think it's an interesting possibility that won't go very far," Andrews said. "But nobody jumped up in opposition to it when it was put on the agenda." Cook County Commissioner Joan Murphy said she doubted a majority of the voters in the area would support the proposed split. "Many of the mayors realize that the county really is their bread and butter," Murphy said. "What will they do without mosquito abatement? The sheriff's department? Or the court system?" Peloquin suggested options such as shipping Lincoln County prisoners to Pontiac, and enlisting churches to provide social services. "If you were your own county, how many federal dollars could you get for your area?" he asked. But Murphy said Peloquin's plan to privatize the services Cook County provides eventually could cost towns more tax money than they currently pay. "When you privatize, the companies know you depend on them," Murphy said. "Nothing prevents the cost from going up the next year when you renegotiate contracts." Andrews said the final word should go to voters living in the areas affected. "Before I spend my time and have a lot of other people spend their time, I want to know what the public thinks," Andrews said. "If the public says 'you're nuts,' you fold your tent and you go and do something else.">