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Galesburg Election Commission Files Petition Over Raises

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The Galesburg Election Commission wants the Knox County Treasurer to pay up in a dispute over raises.

This year a circuit judge issued a warrant to Knox County Treasurer Robin Davis telling her to pay certain unpaid wages to commission staff.

Judge Stewart... indicated that the salaries as set by the commission are unreasonably low.

Under state law city election commissions set the pay for their staff, those salaries are then paid out by the county. In this case the panel raised the pay for its director to 35 thousand dollars a year and 25 thousand dollars for its assistant director,but Davis is refusing to honor the raises.

Chairman Bill Butts says even with the raises, their staff is paid the lowest of any city election commission in Illinois.

"Basically Judge Stewart in his letter along with the warrant indicated that the salaries as set by the commission are unreasonably low," Butts said.

The commission cited the example of Danville which is about the same size as Galesburg and pays its election director 45 thousand dollars a year.

Now the Galesburg commission has voted to petition a circuit judge to rule Davis in contempt for failing to pay the two their full salaries.

Butts said the role that city elections commissions play is vital, saying that some county clerks in areas without a city commission have been forced to conduct recounts of their own elections.

Scott Stuntz is a former reporter at Tri States Public Radio.