PEORIA, Ill. — The Peoria County Board has voted to allocate an extra lump of money to combat what it calls social injustice.
By a 16-2 vote, the board on Tuesday voted to appropriate an extra $853,500 that will go to the County Election Commission, Peoria County Sheriff, and Peoria County State’s Attorney.
“I think the events that have unfolded over the last several weeks are very clear. I think, also, Peoria could easily be a Minneapolis,” said State’s Attorney Jodi Hoos.
“I would rather do everything I can to try and make a difference, than to do nothing and have Peoria make headlines.
“I think this is a step towards progress; a step to bridge a divide that’s been there for a very, very long time.”
Hoos’s office was allocated $104,000.
Hoos said that money will go towards hiring two positions.
One will be a civil attorney, who Hoos said will be a “liaison to the minority communities; a point person for [minority] organizations to finally have a connection to the State’s Attorney’s Office” she said “has never been there.”
The other position will be a social worker.
“If the social worker can have connections and contacts with these individuals when they’re 15, 16, and 17, then hopefully we don’t see them again when they’re 22, 23, and 24.”
Sheriff Brian Asbell said the $449,500 his office gets will go to sustaining current programs and adding an additional Reentry Coordinator’s position.
The office had had only one such position, whose salary is paid through a benefit fund and not through taxpayer money.
The $300,000 allocated to the County Election Commission will help to “ensure sufficient financial resources available to election authorities such that every voter can access election day facilities, or vote-by-mail options,” as mentioned in Senate Bill 1863, which is expected to be signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
This bill will mandate local election officials increase vote-by-mail opportunities.
The dissenting votes came from District 14’s Brian Elsasser and District 16’s Matt Windish.
“I support the Sheriff’s initiative and the State’s Attorney, but not the [Elections Committee initiative],” said Elsasser.
“I’m not very willing to support any mandate through the State of Illinois right now. They’re basically bankrupt and have led us astray, and they’re trying to tell us what to do.
“I think we’re quite capable of handling this ourselves.”
Kate Pastucha of District 9 said this is a good first step, but more work needs to be done.
“I’m hoping as a county board, we can look a little more granularly to see what can we do in the Infrastructure Committee, what can we do in the Health Committee, and go over our entire organization with a fine-tooth comb and say what can we do to make this better, and what are we missing, and look at it through the lens of racial justice,” she said.
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