Job Descriptions for Elected Officials in Chicago, Cook County and Illinois

In preparation for the March 20, 2018 Illinois Primary we are running a series on voting and elections in Chicago. Last week we featured the Chicago Newcomers' Guide to Elections. This week we will be reviewing the job descriptions for every position on the ballot, from the smallest to the largest. Of course, as is the RentConfident way, we will be explaining these roles from the viewpoint of how they affect the lives of renters and landlords. This means we won't be talking much about highways, hospitals and steel mills here but we will be talking a lot about evictions and property taxes.

We should note that this the March election is a primary. The people you choose this month will not take office. In a primary, multiple candidates from the same party run against each other. The winners from each party in the primary will go up against the winners from the opposing parties in the November election.

However, there are two sections of the ballot that are not simply nominations. On the ballot for the Democratic Party is a spot for the Democratic State Central Committee members. This is an actual election. Additionally the five referenda appearing on the ballot are binding and will not appear again on the November ballot.

We'll start with the Chicago-specific offices, then move on to the Cook County, the State, and finally the Federal offices.

Before we launch into the full list, we want to emphasize that there are three positions on the ballot that are of critical importance to landlords and tenants.

• The Cook County Sheriff is responsible for enforcing evictions.
• The Cook County Assessor is responsible for setting property tax rates, which in turn have a huge effect on rent rates.
• The Judicial 1st Sub-Circuit seat of Orville Hambright requires the close attention of every landlord and tenant on the voter rolls. Hambright retired in late 2017 after hearing the lion's share of eviction cases at the 1st District courthouse in the Loop for a very, very long time. While many judges in the circuit court hear eviction cases, few have measured up to the enormous eviction caseload that went through Hambright's courtroom. Whoever takes his seat will have enormous shoes to fill.

Chicago

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioners handle the distribution of water, treatment of sewage and rainwater, and flood control efforts citywide.
Impact on Renters Low for most renters, Medium if you live in a basement/garden or first floor apartment.
Impact on Landlords Medium to High.

Cook County

While Chicago makes up a huge part of Cook County and the county seat is in the Loop, several other towns are included within the county borders. The County stretches from Barrington in the northwest to Sauk Village in the southeast. It is the only county in the state large enough to have home rule, which means that it can establish laws that override those of the state of Illinois.

President of the Board of Commissioners The Board of Commissioners is the county equivalent of Congress AND the cabinet. It handles both executive and legislative functions for the county. The President of the board is therefore the county equivalent of the President or Governor. They are responsible for running board meetings and preparing the annual county budget. They approve or veto all board activity, and manage relations with other governing bodies including the city of Chicago, state of Illinois and neighboring counties.
Impact on Renters Medium for most renters.
Impact on Landlords Medium.

Commissioners The Board of Commissioners writes and enforces laws for the county. For unincorporated areas they are the lowest tier of government. Under county jurisdiction are the forest preserve, the county hospitals, the prisons, the courts, the property tax system and the recorder of deeds.
Impact on Renters Medium for most renters. High if you use the County Hospitals, Forest Preserves, or are involved in the criminal justice system.
Impact on Landlords Medium.

County Clerk There are two offices called "Clerk" in the county hierarchy. The office on the ballot is the County Clerk, not to be confused with the Clerk of Court. The County Clerk tracks paperwork and important numbers. They track tax rates, vital records, property ID numbers, the county voter registry and the proceedings of the Board of Commissioners.
Impact on Renters Low.
Impact on Landlords Medium.

Sheriff Runs the county jail. Provides security at the courthouses. Enforces evictions. Patrols the county with special focus on highways and unincorporated areas.
Impact on Renters High.
Impact on Landlords High.

Treasurer Collects, holds and distributes property taxes. Conducts tax sales.
Impact on Renters Low.
Impact on Landlords High.

Assessor Sets the property tax rates by assessing the specific value of each property.
Impact on Renters High.
Impact on Landlords Extremely High.

Circuit and Sub-Circuit Judges Hear cases at the county circuit court, including civil, criminal, probate, traffic, housing code violations and evictions.
Impact on Renters Hopefully Low, but High if you ever actually need them.
Impact on Landlords High.

Commissioner of the Board of Review If a property owner feels that the Assessor has set too high of a tax rate on their property, they may file an appeal to prove it. These appeals are heard by the Board of Review, lead by its own commissioner.
Impact on Renters Low.
Impact on Landlords Medium.

Illinois

Governor The state equivalent of the President. Ensures that laws created by the State Legislature are enacted. Can approve or veto laws. Appoints leaders of assorted executive boards, councils and task forces. Commander-in-chief of state military.
Impact on Renters Medium.
Impact on Landlords Medium.

Lieutenant Governor Takes over if the governor becomes unfit to serve or leaves office before the end of their term. Chairs certain councils and boards. The responsibilities of this position vary widely depending on the whims of the governor. Does not serve as president of the state senate anymore. Legislators have called for the elimination of this position.
Impact on Renters Low.
Impact on Landlords Low.

Secretary of State Much like the county clerk, the secretary of state tracks paperwork and important numbers at the state level. This includes incorporation records for all businesses as well as drivers licenses and the organ/tissue donor registry. They record all activities of the general assembly (state legislature) and the governor. They are the most common "face" of the state government for the average Illinois resident.
Impact on Renters High.
Impact on Landlords Medium.

Comptroller Chief financial officer of the state. Maintains the account books for the state, signs paychecks for state employees, tracks payments into and out of the state treasury.
Impact on Renters Low, unless you are a state employee.
Impact on Landlords Medium.

Treasurer Guards the state treasury and determines how best to invest the funds for best growth. Legislators have called for this position to be combined with that of the Comptroller.
Impact on Renters Low.
Impact on Landlords Low.

State Senator and State Representative Much like the US Congress, the Illinois General Assembly has two groups, the House of Representatives and the Senate. Together they are responsible for creating the laws that run the state, as well as its annual budget. State representatives serve smaller geographic areas than state senators. Laws may originate from either group but must be approved by both before they are presented to the governor.
Impact on Renters Medium.
Impact on Landlords Medium.

Democratic State Central Committeewoman and Man Manages the activities of the Democratic Party statewide. Each district elects one male and one female committee member. They determine who the Dems will promote for political offices.
Impact on Renters and Landlords Low if you're a Democrat. None if you're an Independent or a member of another Party.

Federal (Washington, DC)

US Representative Part of the US House of Representatives. Creates laws that are intended to be used for governing the entire country as a whole.
Impact on Renters High.
Impact on Landlords High.

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We have one installment remaining in our coverage of the March primaries. Next week we will be looking at the candidates for the "high impact" positions outlined above, as well as discussing the five referenda. Check back with us on Friday at 8am Central time for the final part of the series!