Jim Dey | Vote to remove Champaign County Board chairman delayed, but not for long

A battle may have been avoided, but the decisive showdown over future leadership of the Champaign County Council remains to be seen.

That’s what Democratic board member Emily Rodriguez said after her call for a vote to remove fellow Democrat Samantha Carter as board chairwoman was delayed for reasons described as “logistical.”

“We will return to this issue at the next meeting,” Rodriguez said.

During last week’s parliamentary committee meeting, she promised to introduce a motion to remove Carter on Thursday.

But Champaign County Executive Steve Summers, who is helping to create the program, said that because no application was submitted, “no action” would be taken Thursday.

For now, Summer’s announcement has averted further unpleasantness among the divided, angry board members. But Rodriguez suggested it was only a matter of time before Carter was forced out.

“If the vote were to take place tonight, Jen Locke would be the chair of our board,” Rodriguez said, referring to Vice Chair Jennifer Locke, who represents District 9.

Carter’s leadership issue is just one of several issues that have prompted Democrats with a supermajority on the board to trade insults and accusations. Republicans, for the most part, have been mere observers.

Rodriguez has been on the warpath for weeks after Carter and County Auditor George Danos sought to confirm that Rodriguez lives in District 8, which he represents.

Rodriguez responded that they were motivated by racism against Latinos, called Danos a “white supremacist,” and promised to lead efforts to remove Carter from her leadership position.

Carter, defending herself, denied any racial motive, saying she was simply carrying out her board duties when she sought to confirm that Rodriguez lived in her district and insisted that “I’m not here to divide the board.”

But Carter, who represents District 6, complained that as board chairwoman she was too often ignored by the county executive and excluded from board meetings.

“I try to bring people together. … But I can’t force anyone to work with me,” she said.

Carter and Rodriguez’s brief comments on the matter followed a brief public comment session during which the two citizens offered conflicting comments about Carter’s future term.

Jeanette Ellerbe, a self-described friend of Carter, called her a strong leader and lamented that the effort to oust her is part of an overall plan to “get rid of us,” referring to the board’s black members.

She encouraged board members to “solve this issue and move forward.”

At the same time, Rodriguez’s supporter, college student Reynaldo Camas, said he was still “disappointed” in Carter and called on her to resign.

It will take a super-majority vote — 18 votes — of the 22-member council to remove Carter from office.