Names

Thompson names
Lane
director of
Department of
Corrections
Michael P. Lane, Springfield, was appointed director of the Department of Corrections by Gov. James R. Thompson effective April 13. Senate confirmation is required; the salary is $46,000 a year. Lane, who has served as temporary director since January 20, replaced Gayle Franzen, who resigned to become executive director of the Illinois Toll Highway Authority. Lane had served as assistant director of the department in charge of the Adult Division and as warden of Menard Correctional Center, a maximum security facility in Southern Illinois. Lane, 32, joined the department in 1970.

Bernardi named
acting director of
Department of Labor
Al Bernardi, Springfield, was named acting director of the Department of Labor by the governor effective in March. Bernardi had been serving as assistant to the director of the Department of Mental Health. He also served as an organizer for Teamsters Joint Council 65 in Springfield from 1974 to 1977. Bernardi is one of those being conidered for permanent director.

Rock named to Democratic
National Committee
Senate President Philip Rock (D., Oak Park) was named to the Democratic National Committee by the Democratic State Legislative Leaders Caucus March 21. Rock is among three state legislative leaders elected from the national caucus to serve on the committee. As part of the committee, Rock will help in formulating the party's platform.

Rock makes legislative
appointments
Vicki Thomas, Springfield, as assistant staff director for the Senate Democrats, by Senate President Rock effective April 1. Thomas, who will also continue to serve as the staff assistant to the Agriculture, Conservation and Energy Committee, replaced Sylvia Davis, who will go to Washington to join the staff of U.S. Senator Alan Dixon. Dan Day, Springfield, by Rock to assist the Democrats with reapportionment. Day previously worked in the motor vehicles division of the secretary of state's office.

30/June 1981/Illinois Issues

Fahner announces
new appointments
Atty. Gen. Tyrone C. Fahner, after six months in office, announced major appointments, effective in February. They include:

Jerry Webb, Lombard, as chief of the Industrial Commission Division. Previously, he had served as a trial attorney with the General Law Division since 1973.

Bill Wallin, Wilmette, as chief of the Court of Claims Division, replacing Henry Caldwell, Deerfield, who became Lake County deputy state's attorney. Wallin was serving as chief of the Chicago Court of Claims Division.

Paul Biebel, Glenview, as general advisor and acting director of the Environmental Division. Biebel, who was deputy state's attorney of Cook County since 1976, replaced George Wolff, Wheaton.

Pat Hogan, Chicago, as chief of the Inheritance Tax Division. Hogan. joined the Attorney General's office in 1969, and most recently served as deputy chief of the Inheritance Tax Division.

Cliff Meacham, Oak Park, as acting chief of the Consumer Protection Division, replacing Michael A. Benedetto, Oak Park, who is on a leave of absence. Previously, Meacham served as a hearing officer, litigation staff attorney and deputy chief of the division.

Shawn Denney, Jacksonville, as chief of the Opinions Division in Springfield. Denney joined the attorney general's office in 1976.

Donald Townsend, Springfield, as chief of the Franchise Division in Springfield. He served in the revenue litigation, public aid and general law divisions before joining the Franchise Division.

Michael A. Ficaro, Oak Lawn, as assistant attorney general in charge of educational and training programs for staff attorneys coupled with specialized trial work of major cases. Ficaro previously was deputy state's attorney for Cook County and chief of the Criminal Prosecutions Bureau.

Dan Harris, Wilmette, as assistant attorney general specializing in energy and environmental matters. Harris has served as special assistant to the general counsel of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and with the law firm of Mayer, Brown & Platt.

Other appointments

Christian R. Maerz, Darien, as assistant director of the Department of Law Enforcement, by the governor effective in April. The appointment requires Senate confirmation; the salary is $39,000. Maerz has been with the department for 24 years, most recently serving as an investigator in the Prosecution Assistance Bureau of the Attorney General's Office.

Peter Dunne, Springfield, as division manager for administration in the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, by department director John Castle effective February 16. Dunne will receive $40,000 a year and replaced John Urban, who took a similar job in Pennsylvania. Previously Dunne had served as an aide to former Transportation Secretary William Cellini, and most recently was a top assistant in the Department of Public Aid.

Russell Murdock, Mesa, Ariz., and Theda Jansen, Quincy, as child abuse investigators by Kenley Wade, acting regional administrator of the Springfield region of the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) effective May 1. Murdock and Jansen are the first of several experienced law enforcement officers who will be hired to help DCFS investigate child abuse. Murdock, a long-time Springfield resident, is the former sheriff of Mercer County and served as assistant director of the now defunct state Department of Public Safety. Jansen, a sergeant with the Quincy police department, served in the department's youth division for 26 years.

Leo Fitzgerald, Springfield, as a staff assistant for field operations, by state Treasurer Jerome Cosentino effective in February. In this newly created post, Fitzgerald is responsible for improving communications with bankers and local officials in the central Illinois area. Fitzgerald is the vice chairman of the Democratic State Central Committee and has been working in the Secretary of State's Office for the past eight years.

Galen Goode, Centralia, as administrative director of the Warren G. Murray Developmental Center at Centralia, by Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Director Ivan Pavkovic effective in November. Goode, who previously worked in the department's developmental disabilities division in Springfield, assumed part of the duties of director after the position was split into administrative and medical directors. The present director, Walter P. Plassman, will continue to serve as medical director.

John J. Robinson, Geneva, as administrator of the Department of Children and Family Services' Rockford region, by department director Gregory L. Coler effective February 17. Robinson, who served as director of community court services for the 16th Judicial Circuit, replaced Kenley Wade, who was serving as acting director.

F. Chet June III, Springfield, as assistant state's attorney for Cook County in charge of the child and spouse unit, by State's Attorney Richard M. Daley effective in April. June, an attorney, previously worked for the Legislative Support Center which lobbied the General Assembly.

Jim Hanley, Springfield, and Jerry Weller, Dwight, as assistants to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture John Block in February. Hanley had served as a confidential assistant to Block when he was director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, and most recently, was an assistant to the governor. Weller had been an assistant to Block in the Illinois agriculture department.

Ivan L. Schraeder, Springfield, as executive director of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, by the association's executive committee effective January 1. Prior to joining the association, Schraeder, a lawyer, owned a consulting firm, which specialized in public labor relations. Schraeder is the first person to assume the executive directorship on a full-time basis.

Reg Weaver, a teacher from Harvey, was elected president of the Illinois Education Association, effective July 15. Also elected were Lee Betterman, a learning disabilities instructor from Bensenville, as vice president, and Jim Nagle, a teacher in the English department of Danville Community College, as secretary-treasurer.

John Ryor, Potomac, Md., as executive secretary of the Illinois Education Association, effective March 23. Previously, Ryor was on the White House staff of former President Jimmy Carter. He has also served as president of both the Michigan and national education associations. Ryor replaced William Stoltz.

Boards and commissions
John W. Countryman of DeKalb, Michael J. Hamblet of Wilmette, Richard A. Cowen of Chicago and Carolyn R. Eyre of Springfield were reappointed to the State Board of Elections by the governor effective March 31. The $15,000-a-year positions require Senate confirmation. Countryman, Hamblet and Cowen are all attorneys and Eyre is a medical technologist with the Central Illinois Community Blood Bank. The terms end in June 1985.

June 1981/Illinois Issues/31

Stephen E. Gant, Streamwood, to the Illinois Building Authority by the governor effective March 17. Gant replaced Austin Cross, Elk Grove Village, in the unsalaried position that requires Senate confirmation. Gant is a manager of financial applications at American Invsco in Chicago.

Five persons have been named to the legislature's Illinois Energy Resources Commission. They are Michael Holland, a Chicago attorney, appointed by Senate President Philip J. Rock (D., Oak Park) as a public member; Rep. Richard Kelly (D., Hazel Crest) appointed by former House Speaker William Redmond (D., Bensenville) to replace Rep. John Sharp (D., Staunton); Rep. James Rea (D., Christopher) by Redmond to replace Rep. Vincent Birchler (D., Chester); John Werhane, a partner at Sargent and Lundy in Chicago, as a public member to replace Tor Kolflat; and Sen. Adeline Geo-Karis (R., Zion) by Minority Leader David Shapiro (R., Amboy) to replace Sen. Robert Mitchler (R., Oswego). Geo-Karis was appointed in February, and the others in January. The unsalaried terms end in June 1981.

Rebecca Schneiderman, Chicago, was reappointed chairman of the Illinois Industrial Commission by the governor, effective in January. The $42,500-a-year appointment requires Senate confirmation. Schneiderman has been chairman since December 1977; she is an attorney.

Richard E. Friedman, Chicago, was named a member of the Illinois Insurance Exchange Interim Board of Directors, by state Department of Insurance Director Philip R. O'Connor effective in February. Friedman was involved in drafting the enabling legislation for the exchange. He served as first assistant Illinois attorney general from 1964 to 1969, and as region V director of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare from 1971 to 1977. Presently he is a partner in the Chicago law firm of Epton, Mullin, Segal and Druth.

Gary K. Anderson, was appointed a member of the Board of Trustees for the Teacher's Retirement System, by the governor effective February 11. Anderson is president of Decatur Title Co. He replaces Donald V. McCann, Bourbonnais, for a term ending July 1982. The unsalaried position requires no Seriate confirmation.

Washington jobs for
three state employees
Three state employees took Washington, D.C., jobs in March. They are:

Paul Simmons, Springfield, as assistant to Richard Schweiker, secretary of health and human services (formerly the Department of Health, Education and Welfare). Simmons, chief speech writer for Gov. Thompson, also dealt with federal relations for the state. He is the former head of the state's Washington office and former deputy director of New York's public welfare department.

Don Goff, Springfield, as administrative assistant to U.S. Rep. John Porter (R., Evanston). Goff, a former legislative liaison in the governor's office, most recently served as executive director of the Joint-Committee on Regulatory Agency Reform (the sunset commission).

David Lane, Pekin, as assistant press secretary for Agriculture Secretary John Block. Lane had worked for Block as public information officer in the state agriculture department. He also served on the Peoria Journal-Star for 13 years as farm editor.

Resignations
James C. Craven, Springfield, as judge of the 4th District Appellate Court effective April 24. Craven, who was first elected to the court in 1964, cited a desire to return to private law practice as one of the reasons for his resignation. He will practice law in Springfield and said he may reenter public service in the future.

Acquittals
Rep. Robert Terzich (D., Chicago) of bribery charges in connection with changing scores on Chicago fire department exams. Terzich was charged with making payoffs to test examiners in order to receive higher ranks for some of the candidates. Terzich, a Chicago firefighter, admitted discussing the test with one of the examiners but denied making any offers of money or suggestions to do anything illegal. Terzich was innocent of the charges.

Honors
Illinois Auditor General Robert Cronsonwas one of two recipients nationwide honored by the Joint Financial Management Improvement Program, an organizaion of governmental agencies involved in managing and auditing public funds. Cronson, auditor general since 1974, was selected for his "distinguished and dynamic leadership and outstanding improvements in fiscal administration and auditing." On the same day Cronson, as president of the National State Auditors Association, presented U.S. Rep. Paul Findley (R., Pittsfield) with a recognition certificate for Findley's sponsorship of a law giving state auditors access to state and federal tax records.

Robert Brinkmeier, Springfield, assistant superintendent of the Illinois State Fair for the last two years, was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame April 23. Brinkmeier, one of 12 coaches chosen by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association, was a coach for 25 years, compiling a record of 459 wins and 205 losses at Forreston and Freeport, Brinkmeier also served from 1967 to 1977 as a state legislator.