Over time, this page has advocated for the abolition of township governments in Illinois. In a state with the claim to fame of having the most units of local government in America, eliminating townships seems a logical step in defense of taxpayers.
That position, of course, included eliminating both Oak Park and River Forest township governments. The concept, which we have not been alone in pushing, would fold the social services that are the focus of local townships into the local village halls.
Our ardor for this position has softened some over time, simply because the quality of the services offered by our local townships, the efforts they have made to blend some services between the villages, and the overall thriftiness of the townships is plain to see.
Gavin Morgan, Oak Park Township’s manager for the past 15 years, gets some of that credit. And so we wish him well as he departs to become village administrator in Indian Head Park.
