IAPD/IPRA Leadership Meet with Attorney General and Gubernatorial Candidate
Neil Hartigan

Attorney General Neil Hartigan warmly received the Illinois Association of Park District delegation in his Springfield office on January 23, 1990. The associations' representatives were: IAPD President, Bernadine Rechner; IPRA President-Elect, Keith Frankland; IPRA Joint Legislative Chairman, Steve Persinger; IPRA Joint Legislative Co-Chairman Bob Rolek; IAPD Executive Director, Ted Flickinger; IAPD Legal Counsel, Peter M. Murphy; and IPRA Executive Director Kay Forest.

Attorney General Hartigan stated he wanted to be known as the first Governor of Illinois with a park and recreation background. He explained his park and recreation background as one of hands-on experience. Hartigan was hired by the Chicago Park District as its General Counsel one week after the 1968 Chicago riots.

His appreciation of the local delivery of park and recreation services was an outgrowth of having been raised in the Rogers Park area of Chicago. It's park areas and facilities provided him with many memorable experiences and as an adult he was able to play a key role in helping save the parks and recreation facilities in Rogers Park. Attorney General Hartigan stated that he fully appreciates that preserving the aesthetics of a community provides a catalyst for keeping people in the community.

During his tenure as general counsel to the Chicago Park District, Hartigan also played a key role in the initiation of Special Olympics in Illinois.

Dr. Flickinger asked the attorney general whether he would favorable react to holding a Governor's Conference addressing the future of parks and recreation in 1991. In response to Dr. Flickinger's question Hartigan indicated that he would not only sponsor such a conference on "New Horizons" for parks and recreation in Illinois, but that he would be a keynote speaker and have his staff actively participate in it.

Members of the Illinois parks delegation expressed their concern over the direction that the property tax issue had been taking and Hartigan indicated if elected he would approach this issue as if it were a clean slate.

Attorney General Hartigan is scheduled to present "Meeting the Needs of Park Districts and Their Constituents in the Future" at the Twelfth Annual Legislative Conference at 9:15 a.m. on Wednesday, April 25, 1990. The conference will be held at the Ramada Renaissance in Springfield, Illinois.

IAPD/IPRA representatives that met with Attorney General Hartigan were: (left to right), IPRA Joint Legislative Committee Chairman Steve Persinger, IPRA President-Elect Keith Frankland, IAPD President Bernadine Rechner, Attorney General Neil Hartigan, IPRA Executive Director Kay Forest, IAPD Executive Director Ted Flickinger, IPRA Joint Legislative Co- Chair Bob Roiek, and IAPD General Counsel Peter Murphy.

The IAPD/IPRA discuss the issues with Attorney General Hartigan in his Springfield office. (Photos courtesy of Ernie Slottag, Attorney General's Office.)