Measure seeks to expose family ties in Illinois government to prevent conflicts

A new bill introduced by state Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, is turning up the heat on transparency in Illinois politics.

Senate Bill 211 would require public officials to disclose the names of their close family members working in the same local government, aiming to shine a light on potential conflicts of interest.

“In downstate Illinois, we've got some very rural townships where, not that everybody's related to everybody, but it gets pretty close to it, right? So, in some of these small areas, you do have to keep the door open for them to make decisions,” Rose told The Center Square. “But I think the voters should know about that. If a candidate were to get elected and then hire their kid, voters should know about that, and they [voters] can always remove them the next time around.”

The bill applies to candidates and elected officials who have to file a statement of economic interest.

“The whole idea is the transparency aspect, to put this before the voters, and the voters can make a decision, right? I have townships with less than 500 people in them. If we're going to say that we can't have your second cousin help with the road work, you might not be able to find anybody to help with the road work, right? But, you should tell the voters that, and the voters should have the right to know that information before they cast their ballot,” said Rose.

Rose’s bill is in an ethics subcommittee, which he said “isn’t typically a great place to be,” but he suspects his idea might be included in an omnibus bill later on this legislative session.

A former Bloomington city council candidate is expressing support for Rose’s bill after running in a local election where two candidates had spouses in the same local governments.

Benjamin Zimmerman said voters deserve transparency when candidates have family working in the same government.

“Here in McLean County, we’ve seen candidates for city office with spouses on the county board. Disclosure is key to maintaining public trust. This is a commonsense, nonpartisan step toward more accountable local leadership,” Zimmerman told The Center Square.

In Bloomington, Abby Scott and Cody Hendricks ran for elected office earlier this month. Both of their spouses currently serve on the McLean County Board.

Rose confirmed his bill was constituent-driven.

“You should be abstaining from issues that involve that particular relative. Well, if nobody knows that's your relative, the door for mischief is wide open, right? The door for mischief closes if you put everybody on notice,” said Rose.

Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard’s relationship with her boyfriend, Kamal Woods, raised concerns about potential nepotism, as Woods is employed by Thornton Township, where Henyard is also supervisor. Rose said his bill addresses blood and marital relationships.

“I would certainly be willing to look at and entertain amendments to it. You have to draft it tightly because how do you get into issues like: Is it an ex versus a current [boyfriend/girlfriend] and how long have they been exes? Are they really an ex? Like what happened down in Atlanta with the prosecuting attorney who apparently hired her boyfriend to prosecute Trump,” said Rose.

In Georgia, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis admitted to dating Nathan Wade, the prosecutor in the case against then presidential candidate Donald Trump, raising concerns about conflicts of interest.