Attention focused on reapportionment and new gubernatorial appointments                                         By Peter M. Murphy                                         IAPD Legal Counsel

Although the legislature was out of session during the month of December, Springfield was a hub of activity as Governor Jim Edgar's transition team took testimony from select groups and organizations regarding appropriate goals for state government.

Ted Flickinger, IAPD Executive Director and Peter Murphy, IAPD General Counsel, were given the opportunity for extensive input and discussed a wide range of issues with Governor Edgar's transition team.

In addition, as it is to be expected when the term of Illinois' longest serving Governor ends, a flurry of new appointments are being made to top administrative posts.

Governor Jim Edgar has appointed Kirk Dillard, Chief of Staff, for his new administration, Arnold Kanter, Chief Legal Counsel and has named Mike Lawrence as Press Secretary.

Joan Wallers, Edgar's former chief of staff at the secretary of slate's office, was tapped as budget director. Janis Cellini, Edgar's current personnel director, will serve in roughly the same capacity in the governor's office.

Governor Edgar also appointed Sally Jackson, who had served as director of the State Department of Employment Security for eight years, as director of government operations; Kenneth Zehnder, a top assistant of Edgar's, as a special assistant in charge of appointments to various state boards and commissions; and Mark Peterson, another assistant, as director of the governor's office in Chicago.

Edgar has also departed from Thompson's organization of the executive office by appointing four new executive assistants who some term "mini-czars".

Alien Grosboll, an executive assistant, was deputy secretary of state under Edgar. Grosboll will oversee a number of state agencies, which have yet to be determined. He will focus primarily on environmental and possibly education issues, Edgar said.

George Fleischli, previously director of physical services in the secretary of state's office, will supervise areas such as agriculture, conservation and capital improvement projects. Mike Belletire who has also been appointed executive assistant was issues coordinator for Edgar's gubernatorial campaign. He previously served as director of the Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, operations administrator for the Department of Public Aid and associate superintendent of the State Board of Education. Erhard Chorle was Edgar's counsel in the secretary of state's office in Chicago. He will have supervisory responsibility in a wide variety of areas that involve dealing with the business and financial communities.

At this writing other top cabinet posts are still pending formal appointment.

During 1991 the Illinois General Assembly will focus their attention on the re-apportionment of Illinois' legislative districts as required every 10 years by the 1970 Illinois Constitution.

Clearly, the boundaries of the new map of senatorial and representative districts will have a decisive impact on the re-election prospects of many of the Illinois General Assembly's current membership.

In a nut shell, the reapportionment process will work as follows:

The General Assembly must have a redistricting plan passed and signed into law by not later than June 30. Pundits doubt that this will happen.

If the June 30 date is missed, then an eight member reapportionment commission must be appointed by July 10, with each of the four legislative leaders being authorized to appoint two members to the commission. Each member may appoint a member of the General Assembly. The commission is then required to file a plan signed by five members by August 10.

Pundits also doubt that this will hap-

pen, and if it does not, the Illinois Supreme Court will submit the names of two people not of the same political party to the Secretary of State by September 1.

The Secretary of State must then draw the name of one of the persons to be the ninth (tie breaking) member of the commission by September 5.

As observers of the political process remember, this procedure took place in 1981 when then Secretary of State Jim Edgar reached into a black top hat once worn by Abraham Lincoln and pulled out the name of former Democratic Governor Shapiro. This was a name he would have rather left in the hat since this tie breaking vote shaped Illinois' legislative redistricting map for the 1980s and enabled Illinois Democrats to regain control of the Illinois General Assembly.

The reapportionment timetable formally ends on October 5 when the commission is required to file a redistricting plan approved by five members of the commission with the Secretary of State.

Barring any successful legal action, this new map will then govern the boundaries of all of Illinois' state senatorial and representative districts as well as its congressional districts which will be reduced from the current number of 22 to 20.

Since a great deal of attention will be given to this issue, as it personally affects every legislative member, I will be updating you in this column as the process proceeds.

The veto session yielded some good news for select Illinois park districts when the Illinois General Assembly approved Governor Thompson's amendatory veto of HB 3261.

This legislation in part permitted park districts to collect a small percentage (2/7 of 1 percent) of the handle of off track betting parlors (OTB) within their districts if such OTBs are established prior to February 1,1991.

The OTB receipts can only be used for the enhancement, establishment and enlargement of museums operated by park districts.

Senate President Philip J. Rock (D-8) named members of his leadership team Wednesday. They include Sen. Vince

Demuzio (D-49); Sen. John D'Arco (D-10); Sen. Earlean Collins (D-9); Sen. Ted Lcchowicz (D-6); Sen. Frank Savickas (D-15); Sen. Jerome Joyce (D-43); and Sen. Sam Vadalabene (D-56). Joyce replaced Sen. Richard Luft (D-46) on the leadership team.

Sen. James "Pate" Philip (R-23), who was reelected Senate Minority Leader, said he would announce his leadership team later.

House Speaker Michael J. Madigan (D-30) named the following democrats to his leadership team for the 87th General Assembly. Majority Leader Jim McPike (Alton); Assistant Majority Leaders: E.J. 'Zeke' Giorgi (Rockford); John Matijevich (Waukegan); Helen Satterthwaite (Champaign); Lou Jones (Chicago); William Laurino (Chicago); Ralph Capparelli (Chicago); Deputy Majority Leaders: James Keane (Chicago); Anthony Young (Chicago); Majority Conference Chair: Frank Giglio (Chicago); Speaker Pro-Tern: John Cullerton (Chicago).

Minority Leader Lee Daniels (R-46) named the following republicans to his leadership team for the 87th General Assembly. They are: Assistant Floor Leaders: William Black (Danville); Virginia Frederick (Lake Forest); Timothy Johnson (Urbana); Roger McAuliffe (Chicago); Penny Pullen (Park Ridge); Kay Wojcik (Schaumburg); Deputy Minority Leaders: Thomas Ewing (Pontiac); Robert Churchill (Antioch); Conference Chairman: Myron Olson (Dixon).

While it is hard to believe, new bill introductions are currently taking place as bills are being prefiled for the 1991 legislative session.

A number of these early introductions address election reform and alterations to election dates.

Some of the bills of interest to Illinois park and forest preserve districts are as follows:

HB 33 Homer Creates the Open Primary Act; provides voters voting in a general primary shall be given a unified ballot containing the names of candidates of each established party, but may vote for candidates of only one party.

HB 34 Homer Amends Election Code; limits contributions to candidates for public office to $1,000; limits contributions to political committees, other than candidates authorized political committee, to $5,000.

HB 64 Curran Amends Park District Code; authorizes division of park districts into subdistricts for purpose of electing park district board members upon motion of the board or petition of voters and approval by referendum.

HB 127 McPike Amends the Revenue Act of 1939; allows a home rule municipality to abate a percentage of real property taxes of all taxing districts for up to 10 years for any parcel of real property located in an area of urban decay within the corporate limits of the municipality if a new residential dwelling has been constructed on the property.

SB 12 Etheredge Amends Revenue Act; provides that homestead exemptions for persons over age 65 will be the greater of $2,000 or if the owner is the same in the current assessment year as in 1989 if no improvements have been made since then, the difference between the current EAV and the 1989 EAV.

SB 25 Rock, et al. New Act; the Family Responsibility and Medical Leave Act; provides for such leave for certain workers who are employed for 20 or more hours during the week; entitles a worker to a total of 8 weeks of unpaid family leave during any 24-month period.

Effective Dec. 3, 1990, State Rep. John Countryman (R-76) resigned from the House of Representatives to become a circuit judge in the 16th Judicial Circuit in DeKalb County. His replacement is J.Bradley Burzynski, 404 Parkside Dr., Sycamore, Ill. 60178.

The first session of the 87th General Assembly convened at Noon, Wednesday, January 9, 1991, and the inauguration of Governor-elect Jim Edgar and his fellow constitutional officers took place January 14,1991.

The Senate and House will reconvene at Noon, Wednesday, Feb. 13.