Special Election Spectacle

Everyone seems to have an opinion about whether Illinois needs a special election to fill Barack Obama's Senate seat. Willard Helander, Lake County Clerk, is no exception. Just last week Willard was loudly indicating that a special election is a bad idea. She didn't like the cost: "Almost a million dollars for bad behavior" Ms Helander told the News-Sun, "the big loser in all of this would be the taxpayers."

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/news/1325342,5_1_WA11_ELECT_S1.article

An understandable reaction, considering Ms Helander is our County Clerk. Given a special election, her office would be required to conduct both county-wide primary and general elections -- and on very short notice. Everyone knows how much our government bureaucrats look forward to getting extra work!

Well, bureaucrats perhaps with the exception of Willard Helander. Despite all said prior and to the contrary, Ms Helander is now telling the News-Sun that a special election is a marvelous idea: "the fairest and the best solution". To all the naysayers, Willard is reassuring ... "It's not terribly complicated. It's time for fairness, trust and fiscal responsibility."

Yes but what about that million bucks a special election will cost? "Helander believes the cost of printing federal ballots in Lake County would be under $2,000."

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/news/1342856,5_1_WA22_WILLARD_S1.article

Willard Helander, an elected Republican office-holder, may have the well-deserved reputation of being the Katherine Harris of Lake County. But her one-eighty turnaround, today, regarding a special election is so stunning that I got whiplash from just watching.

Remember when Jane Byrne was Mayor of Chicago? And how she would behave erratically from time to time, and everyone would ask if it was the Good-Jane or the Bad-Jane who was running the city on any given day. Does this mean there could be a Good-Willard and a Bad-Willard running our County Clerk's office?

OK, these are the holidays and we ought to be charitable. The News-Sun says that Republicans statewide have ramped up a campaign calling for the special election. Likely what happened was the Illinois or Lake County Republican bosses took notice that Willard Helander was not toeing the party line on the special election. And Willard was taken to the woodshed.

My only remaining question is what methods of persuasion did they use on our County Clerk?

The picture is of Willard Helander Lake County Clerk