Manifolds, Manolos, and Manure
Since the fall of 2009, Cook County Farm Bureau has maintained a Political Action Committee (PAC) tasked with interviewing, evaluating, endorsing, and determining contributions for Cook County candidates supportive of agriculture.
The Election Code (10 ILCS 5/9) defines a “political action committee” as any person, trust, partnership, committee, association, corporation, or other organization or group of persons, other than a candidate, that accepts contributions or makes expenditures on behalf of or in opposition to a candidate or candidates for public office. A “political action committee" cannot be a candidate, political party, candidate political committee, or political party committee. These types of campaign committees fall into a different type of incorporation under the Code.
Cook CFB PAC is legally registered with the Illinois State Board of Elections to make contributions to state and local candidates. The purpose of the committee is to promote the economic and social well-being of agriculturalists in Cook County. The purpose is silent as to political party and office.
Since 2010, members of the Cook CFB PAC Governance Committee and Farm Bureau Governmental Affairs Committee have interviewed and scored candidates for local office. Candidates have to interview to be considered for an endorsement. The evaluation process considers a candidate’s character, communication skills, experience, knowledge of agriculture, and record as well as intangibles like electability and philosophy. While scoring a candidate is subjective, the interviews are not. All candidates are given the opportunity to interview. Interview length and questions remain consistent between candidates for an office. Press and opponents are not invited.
Cook CFB PAC has interviewed over 180 candidates since its inception. While the focus is predominantly on County Board Commissioners, the PAC has also interviewed candidates for Cook County President, State’s Attorney, Assessor, Board of Review, Clerk, Clerk of the Circuit Court, and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District.
Another priority of Cook CFB has been to build relationships with Cook County elected officials including County Commissioners and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioners as well as legislative staff.
There are numerous reasons for an association such as the Farm Bureau to build relationships with elected officials, most notably the opportunity to influence the direction of legislation or to educate lawmakers and their staff about issues important to the association. Equally as important is the association learning more about local issues and local government, which in turn can be shared with members. Having relationships and providing objective, verifiable information allows the association to build our credibility and reputation within the county.
Since 2010, Cook CFB PAC has made over 75 endorsements.
Unlike many other PACs, Cook CFB PAC is not an incumbent-driven PAC, meaning that incumbents with a positive voting record on Farm Bureau issues aren’t automatically considered for endorsement – they still may have to interview, and regardless of the interview and their voting record, they may not get endorsed.
Of the endorsements made by Cook CFB PAC, 23 percent were Republicans. While that may not sound like a substantial number, in 2020 over 90 percent of the votes cast in the county were for Democrats. Therefore, it’s not only a significant number, but it also shows that Cook CFB PAC is willing to go against political winds if the candidate is the best for agriculture and Farm Bureau members.
There is limited recourse for an individual or group that does not agree with the actions of a PAC. Individuals can file a Form D-4 Complaint for Violation of the Campaign Disclosure Act. The form asks for a specific violation of the Act, which primarily focuses on campaign contributions and expenditures not the candidates or political parties who receive an endorsement. Form D-4 is available on the Illinois State Board of Election’s website.
The driving focus for Cook CFB PAC is to promote the economic and social well-being of agriculturalists in Cook County, which in turns benefits Farm Bureau members.