What’s a guy got to do to get a proclamation around here?

Apparently, not be a Kane County elected official.

The Kane County Public Service Committee took a pass in a 3-2 vote Thursday on a proclamation for Kane County Treasurer Chris Lauzen. The proclamation was to recognize him for receiving the 2025 cashVest National Leadership Award for Financial Management in June from three+one.

Lauzen hired three+one, a national consulting firm, and used its program to increase the county’s investment income by more than $47.6 million last year.

County Board member David Young, R-Plato Township, urged support, saying, “This proclamation just recognizes his service and his good work and effort.”

Board Member Jonathan Gripe, R-St. Charles, also urged support.

The fee – more than $100,000 paid to three+one to use its program – brought in more than $47.6 million last year and more than $637,000 this year, Gripe said.

“When our people do great things ... we recognize that with a proclamation. This has nothing to do with party,” Gripe said. “I don’t care what the party is. ... What I’m looking at is what the results were. And we should recognize and encourage that.”

But board member Vern Tepe, D-Huntley, disagreed, saying, “This has everything to do with party.”

“This is so ludicrous. It’s crazy,” Tepe said. “To think of getting acknowledgment for an award from a firm that was paid $149,000-plus. And the only people that were eligible [for the award] were clients of that firm.”

Board Member Anita Lewis, D-Aurora, said three+one got great results, but it was not necessarily worth a proclamation.

“I don’t know if us paying somebody and getting great results – if that warrants somebody getting a proclamation because they received an award from that company,” Lewis said. “I do acknowledge that the $150,000 investment paid off very well. Thank you, Mr. Lauzen, for getting this company.”

Committee Chair Jarett Sanchez, D-Carpentersville, said he sees proclamations as recognition for people in the community – not for elected officials.

“Something as a retirement sendoff is a little different than something like this,” Sanchez said.

Another issue is fairness, Sanchez said, as Kane County Auditor Penny Wegman received an international award for transparency last year.

“Then you do one for Ms. Wegman and how many other elected officials that may have similar accolades that we could proclaim,” Sanchez said. “I’m more in favor of trying to keep these to things that are of the community, rather than patting ourselves on the back, metaphorically.”

Gripe disagreed.

“This isn’t for Chris feting Chris, or Chris doing something for Chris,” Gripe said.

The additional revenue for the county was because Lauzen used three+one’s programs, Gripe said.

“If that isn’t exceptional, I don’t think we should give anybody a proclamation for anything,” Gripe said.

The vote split along party lines, with Democrats Sanchez, Lewis and Tepe voting no and Gripe and Young voting yes. Two were absent.

The Executive Committee or full County Board will not consider the proclamation unless County Board Chair Corinne Pierog, a Democrat, moves it on. In a text, Pierog wrote she would not.

Lauzen criticized those who voted no.

“I feel sorry for the three board members who embarrassed themselves and the county today by voting no,” Lauzen said in an email. “My job, as I see it, is not to be popular with politicians, but to make historically record-setting interest income – $63,000,000 – and to ‘sympathetically’ and respectfully collect $1.6 billion in property taxes.”

Lauzen, a Republican, just announced he’ll seek another term as treasurer next year. Wegman has announced she’ll run for the Democratic nomination for treasurer, as has a former employee of the treasurer’s office, Candida “Connie” Cain.