PEOPLE
Edited by Rodd Whelpley
SHIFTS AT THE TOP Howard Peters III will leave his job as secretary of the Department of Human Services to become a senior vice president of the Illinois Hospital & HealthSystems Association. He will oversee the group's lobbying effort. Peters' move could signal a shift in the structure of the human services agency, which has responsibility for reform of Illinois' welfare system. In his State of the State speech last February, Gov. George Ryan said he would review the department "to determine whether it is meeting its organizational expectations." Peters was the first secretary of the department, which was formed in 1997 by joining all or part of seven social services departments. He leaves a long career in public service. He worked 25 years in the Department of Corrections, eventually becoming its director, then became an aide to former Gov. Jim Edgar before being named secretary of Human Services.
DEPARTURES Richard Notebaert, chairman and CEO of Ameritech, announced he will retire at the end of the year. And Douglas Whitley has left his post as president. Both announcements came within days of the completion of Ameritech's merger with SBC Communications. Renee Hunt, executive director of the Illinois Stewardship Alliance, has announced she will leave her position to move to the Columbus, Ohio, area. Hunt describes the alliance as a "farm and rural advocacy organization working for a healthy and sustainable agricultural system." She has been with the group for eight years. Spencer Hunt leaves his Statehouse post with the Rockford Register Star this month to cover Ohio state government for the Cincinnati Enquirer. "It's going to be something new for me, and a big challenge," he says. |
APPOINTMENTS Thomas S. Cuculich of Petersburg got the nod from Gov. George Ryan to become executive director of the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority Cuculich has worked for Ryan since 1987. He held several positions in Ryan's secretary of state administration and served as chief of staff when Ryan was lieutenant governor. Pending Senate approval, Cuculich will take over from Ralph C. Wehner, who will retire at the end of the year. Ryan also named three new members of the tollway board. Norman Gold of Chicago is a certified public accountant. Carl J. Kramp of Downers Grove is a bank director. And Gordon Volkman is a banker in Aurora and a former ICane County treasurer. Board nominees must be approved by the state Senate. Ryan maintains many motorists are frustrated with the tollway system. "It's time for changes and those changes begin today," he said while announcing Cuculich's appointment. In September, the governor reacted to Tollway Authority Chair Art Philip's call for a toll increase by suggesting tolls might be eliminated. He assigned the Department of Transportation to evaluate options for the toll road system. Pam McDonough, the director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, was named by Ryan to serve on the Great Lakes Commission. The commission, made up of representatives of the federal government and eight states, monitors environmental and economic conditions in the Great Lakes region. Commissioners are paid expenses only. Staci M. Yandle was named to the Illinois Gaming Board. Yandle is an adjunct professor at St. Louis University Law School and an associate with the law firm of Carr, Korein, Tillery, Kunin, Montroy, Cates & Glass. Ryan picked her to replace Thomas Johnson. The appointment requires Senate confirmation. Harry Klein of Homewood is Ryan's choice for a seat on the Governors State University Board of Trustees. Klein is a self-employed real estate executive. His appointment requires Senate confirmation. OBIT BISHOP EDWARD O'ROURKE Bishop Edward William O'Rourke, retired head of the Catholic Diocese of Peoria, died September 29 of natural causes at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria. Bishop O'Rourke was 81. Following his ordination in 1944, O'Rourke served 15 years with the Newman Foundation at the University of Illinois, teaching classes on religion, marriage and philosophy. He was named executive secretary of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference in 1960 and became internationally known for his work with the poor in underdeveloped regions of the United States. O'Rourke was installed and ordained the sixth bishop of Peoria in July 1971. During his service as priest and bishop, he presented lectures on theology and socioeconomic issues, and he wrote six books and three pastoral letters. Following his retirement as bishop in January 1990, he founded and worked at the Renaissance Stand, a Peoria not-for-profit agency that assists the unemployed with job placement and provides food and other resources to those in need. In a statement released after O'Rourke's death, his successor, Bishop John J. Myers, said, "Bishop 0' Rourke approached death with the same strong and confident faith in God and in Jesus Christ with which he had lived his life. We are grateful for his faithful and generous life.... We are confident as we commend him to the God he loved and served." |
40 / November 1999 Illinois Issues
Another indictment
in trucking license probe
Sixteen people have now been
charged in the continuing federal investigation of malfeasance in the issuing
of some Illinois truck driver's licenses.
Those charges now encompass three
secretary of state licensing centers.
Last month, U.S. Attorney Scott
Lassar charged Alex Mcleczynsky with
bribing employees in the Elk Grove
Village driver's license facility The
indictment alleges Mcleczynsky bribed
two secretary of state employees so that
at least 57 of his students would pass
the road test portion of the truck
driver's license examination.
The bribes allegedly took place
between 1994 and 1996. The complaint
also alleges that Mcleczynsky was
involved in illegally helping 14 non-English speaking applicants pass other
portions of the driver's test.
Mcleczynsky is the 16th person
charged in the ongoing "Safe Road"
federal investigation, which began in
1998 (see Illinois Issues, November
1998. page 35 and Illinois Issues, May
1999. page 37). Among the 13 who
have already pleaded guilty are former
managers at secretary of state driver's
license facilities in Melrose Park and
McCook, as well as former Illinois
Department of Transportation
employees.
Earlier indictments alleged that bribe
money was used to purchase political
fund-raising tickets for Gov. George
Ryan while he was secretary of state.
Up to $130,000 was allegedly collected
in bribes at licensing centers and turned
over to Ryan's campaign kitty.
UIS searching
for scholars
Admissions officers at the University
of Illinois at Springfield are gearing up
to do something they've never done — recruit a class of college freshmen.
Last month, the Illinois Board
of Higher Education approved the campus' "Capital Scholars" program, a plan
to admit freshman classes of up to 100
students beginning in the fall of 2001.
UIS, formerly Sangamon State
University, was founded in 1969 as an
upper-division university offering
junior- and senior-level courses, as well
as graduate degrees. The move to admit
freshmen and sophomores began in the
mid-1980s. But the university's merger
into the University of Illinois system put
those plans on hold. And two years ago,
the Capital Scholars program failed to
win the approval of the Board of Higher
Education. The board's unanimous
approval last month leaves Governors
State University in University Park as
the only public university that doesn't
offer first- and second-year coursework.
According to UIS spokeswoman
Cheryl Peck, the Capital Scholars curriculum is designed to "prepare future
leaders. The program will employ team
teaching and collaborative learning."
Students in the program, which will have
an emphasis on public affairs, may
choose to major in any UIS bachelor's
degree program.
Illinois Issues November 1999 / 41
STATE POLITICIANS EYE THE POSSIBILITIES
Congressmen Ewing and Porter to step down
The retirement announcements of
two Illinois Republican congressmen
could affect partisan politics in the
U.S. House of Representatives and in
Illinois.
Last month, John Porter of
Wilmette, who represents Illinois'
10th congressional district, said he
will not seek a 12th term in 2000.
His announcement came days after
Pontiac Republican Tom Ewing
announced he would not seek a sixth
term as the representative from the
15th congressional district. Porter's
district takes in much of northeastern
Illinois and the area north and northwest of Chicago. Ewing represents
east central Illinois.
Republicans currently hold an 11- seat advantage over Democrats in the
U.S. House. And the races for this
state's open seats could affect the
partisan makeup of the Illinois
Congressional delegation, which
currently stands at 10 Democrats and
10 Republicans, including U.S. House
Speaker Dennis Hastert of Yorkville.
Democrats consider Porter's seat
most vulnerable to an upset.
With several state politicians considering a run for Washington, the
retirement announcements also could
signal a shakeup in state government.
Following Porter's decision, Republican Lt. Gov. Corinne Wood said she
considered making the race, as was
Merchandise Mart executive Christopher Kennedy of Kenilworth, an heir
to a Democrat political dynasty. At
press time, state representatives considering a run at that seat included
Jeffrey Schoenberg of Evanston and
Elizabeth Coulson of Glenview. Rep.
Lauren Beth Gash of Highland Park
has announced, as has Democratic
attorney Christopher Cohen of
Glencoe. If a Democratic legislator
forgoes his or her seat for a shot at the
U.S. House, that could spell trouble
for Illinois House Speaker Michael
Madigan of Chicago. His Democrats
hold only a six-seat advantage in that
chamber.
Sidney Republican Tim Johnson, a
member of the Illinois House since
1977, is running for Ewing's job.
Other candidates in the Republican
primary for that post could include
William Brady of Bloomington, who
has been a representative since 1993;
Mike Stokke, deputy chief of staff for
Hastert; and Sam Ewing, Tom
Ewing's son, who recently moved
back into the district and has
announced his intention to run.
Candidates for state office must file
their petitions between December 13
and December 20.
42 / November 1999 Illinois Issues