Skokie trustees split over hiring counsel for ranked-choice referendum; board delays decision

Village Manager John Lockerby briefed trustees on ranked-choice voting, explaining its mechanics and the special implementation issues presented by Skokie’s hybrid district/at-large electoral system, and recommended engaging the law firm Klein Thorp & Jenkins (KTJ) for legal advice on ballot language and implementation options.

Trustees and residents sharply disagreed over whether the village should commit taxpayer funds to outside counsel on a petition-driven referendum. Several trustees and residents argued the board would be interfering with a citizen initiative if it spent public money to research or oppose the petition; others said the board has a duty to ensure any ballot language is legally sound given recent electoral changes and that the county clerk (and software) may need to be able to implement ranked-choice tabulation.

Opponents noted KTJ’s prior work for the village and questioned whether the firm could be perceived as impartial. Proponents pointed out KTJ assisted the village in implementing prior election reforms and is familiar with the mechanics of the new system. Public speakers urged trustees not to use public funds to disenfranchise or pre-empt a citizen petition and suggested the board rely on publicly available resources or nonpaid experts if it needs background information.

Trustees debated two competing motions: one to indefinitely table village involvement and allow the citizen petition process to proceed, and a second to retain KTJ as needed. After extended public comment and trustee discussion, the board adopted a motion to table the retention of outside counsel until the statewide ranked-choice voting task-force report is released (expected in approximately a month), effectively delaying any commitment of village funds to KTJ at this time.

The board’s decision preserves both paths: a citizen-initiated petition can continue gathering signatures, and the board retains the option to reconsider professional advice after the state report and additional review.