Champaign Co. Chamber & Farm Bureau Propose Elected County Executive
Sign for the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce, outside their office building in Champaign. Jim Meadows / WILL
The Champaign County Chamber of Commerce and the Champaign County Farm Bureau have teamed up to propose a change in local county government.
In Champaign County, the county government is overseen by the county board. The board members elect their own chairman or woman, and also hire a county administrator to run county government on a day-to-day basis.
But last week, the Chamber and the Farm Bureau said they supported a different form of county government --- one with a county board, but also a county executive elected directly by the voters.
Pictured: Champaign Co. Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Laura Weis (Jim Meadows/WILL)
The two organizations are collecting petition signatures to put a referendum for the proposal on the Champaign County ballot in November.
Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Laura Weis talked with Illinois Public Media's Jim Meadows about the proposal.
UPDATE: An expanded version of Weis' interview has been posted ---- 2:45 PM, 6/28/16