Illinois GOP Central Committee Member Lives in Indiana
The Illinois GOP tent at the Illinois State Fair. A member of the State GOP Central Committee has confirmed she has moved to Indiana and is still serving in party leadership.
A former Cook County Republican leader who serves on the Illinois GOP’s State Central Committee now lives in Indiana but has not resigned her seat. And, GOP officials say, there’s really no rush.
Char Foss-Eggemann, who was Maine Township Republican Committeewoman in Cook County until June. She is also the 9th Congressional District representative on the Illinois GOP State Central Committee, confirmed to The Illinoize that she has moved to Munster, IN.
Illinois GOP State Central Committeewoman Char Foss-Eggemann.
Property records show Foss-Eggemann and her husband purchased the property about one mile inside the Indiana state line earlier this year. She says her family moved there “a few weeks ago.”
She is an attorney who works for the LexisNexis legal company and previously served on the Illinois Human Rights Commission under former Governor Bruce Rauner.
Eggemann says she “attempted” to resign from the State Central Committee, but that her resignation was not accepted.
“I plan to complete my volunteer service to the IL GOP according what our party leadership asks of me,” she said by e-mail.
But the funny fluke of Illinois election law is that Foss-Eggemann doesn’t actually have to live in Illinois to serve on the GOP State Central Committee.
According to a state party spokesman, laws that govern the major party makeup say a person must live in the district they represent on the State Central Committee at the time they are elected, but there is no residency requirement to complete the term.
“There’s no rush to replace her,” Illinois GOP Chairman Don Tracy told The Illinoize Monday. He says because state statute doesn’t “pressure” the GOP into forcing Foss-Eggemann out of the position, he’s not that worried about it. In fact, Foss-Eggemann could continue to serve until the end of her term next summer, but Tracy says it “won’t take that long” to replace her.
Because the State Central Committee has already had to replace two members this year (Fred Floreth of Springfield and John McGlasson of Pontiac have already resigned and been replaced. Mike Bigger of Wyoming in western Illinois is also slated to resign soon), Tracy doesn’t believe Foss-Eggemann’s residency is a big deal.
“It’s not an urgent matter,” he said.