The chairman of the Rock Island County Democratic Central Committee is calling for the County Board chairman to resign.
Doug House says ineffective crisis management leads him to believe the board cannot move forward to manage the financial, economic development and personnel problems facing Rock Island County leaders.
"The Rock Island County Board has been plagued with one problem after another – almost too numerous to count from lawsuits and allegations of impropriety to the State’s Attorney announcing that policies have been violated, together this situation is creating a general sense that the County Board is lurching from one crisis to another with seemingly no plan and no leadership," House said.
In a statement issued Monday, June 9, 2014, House places responsibility for the county's problems squarely on the shoulders of board chairman Phil Banaszek.
House minced no words, calling for Banaszek to resign.
"We have qualified and excellent county board members who cannot contribute in the current environment," House said.
Banaszek told WQAD-TV, he's not going anywhere.
"It's not happening. It's not happening. If I would resign it looks like I'm guilty. I feel like I've done nothing wrong. He (House) can put some political pressure on me, right now I feel like I'm a man with a party," he said.
House recommends more transparency about actions to comply with voters demand to reduce the size of the county board, new ethics policies to govern the board's personnel and policy practices and the hiring of a professional county administrator.