Rock Island judge critical of action on courthouse

Rock Island County's chief judge chastised the county board today for failing to seek voter approval for a new courthouse and renovation of the County Office Building.

"It seems that they have intentionally relegated the courthouse to the dustbin of political inconvenience," Judge Jeffrey O'Connor said in a letter to several news outlets and journalists this morning. "There ultimately will be political accountability, and the 14th Judicial Circuit continues to weigh alternatives in the spirit of comity."

O'Connor titled his letter "A matter of political courage."

On Tuesday, the county board voted 16-8 against placing a referendum on the March primary ballot, asking voters to approve the courthouse project. The construction program is estimated to be $72 million.

O'Connor threatened a lawsuit last year to force work on the courthouse but put the court action on hold while county officials debated how to bring the building up to code and state standards.

Since the county board action on Tuesday, O'Connor has been unavailable for comment. His letter was his first public statement since the vote.

"It is undisputed as proven by the architect's report that the present courthouse in Rock Island does not conform to building, electrical, plumbing, and ventilation codes and falls desperately short of Supreme Court minimum standards requirements," O'Connor wrote.

He noted that the board has chosen to seek voter approval for a tax increase to operate the county-owned Hope Creek Care Center in East Moline, which O'Connor called an optional project for the county.

"In fact, the board has articulated no meaningful plan, yet the courthouse remains obsolete and in violation of the law," he said. "The courthouse is not an optional project. It is a fundamental duty of the county board."

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Rock Island judge critical of action on courthouse