Will County Dems and GOP agree on swearing-in ceremony
By Cindy Wojdyla Cain ccain@stmedianetwork.com November 27, 2012 4:04PM
Will County Board member Herbert Brooks Jr.
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Updated: December 29, 2012 6:21AM
Though his days may be numbered as chairman of the Will County Board, Jim Moustis showed Tuesday that he’s still running the show.
During a county board executive committee meeting, the Frankfort Township Republican suggested Monday’s swearing-in ceremony for a new 26-member board should be separate from the board’s reorganization meeting. Republicans and Democrats alike went along with Moustis’ suggestion.
The new board will be sworn in at 9:30 a.m. Monday; the reorganization meeting will be at 9:30 a.m. Dec. 12. Both meetings will be at the Will County Office Building.
Moustis said the swearing-in ceremony, which will include 15 incumbents and 11 new members, should be a celebratory day. Other Republicans agreed saying it’s a day for photos, families, cake and coffee.
“Let’s leave a happy day a happy day,” Moustis said.
In contrast, the reorganization meeting might be heated, not happy. For the first time since 1980, Democrats will have the edge on the board. The two parties are tied with 13 members each, but Will County Executive Larry Walsh, a Democrat, can cast tiebreaking votes. That means board member Herb Brooks Jr., D-Joliet, most likely will be the new county board leader, not Moustis, who has held the post for 12 years.
That won’t stop Republicans from engaging in “lively debate” on new rules proposed by Democrats, Moustis said. While he’s hinted Republicans could boycott a meeting to prevent a quorum needed to conduct business if things get really nasty, Moustis said that won’t happen at the reorganization meeting.
“We’ll have our meeting on the 12th,” he said. “I fully expect we will express our views on the rules and what they should be.”
Democrat Nick Palmer, Walsh’s chief of staff, did not voice opposition to holding two meetings instead of the normal one.
“I just want to get it done so we can move on,” he said.
