Names

Lynn Illinois' new adjutant general

Gov. Jim Edgar named Brigadier Gen. Don Lynn, 53, of Cantrall, adjutant general of the Illinois National Guard. Lynn was sworn in November 9 and concurrently promoted to the rank of major general. He replaced Major Gen. Harold G. Holesinger, 61, of Springfield, who retired November 9 after 43 years in the military.

As adjutant general, Lynn is director of the Illinois Department of Military Affairs and in charge of the Army and Air National Guard. Edgar said that Lynn's plans include assuring leadership opportunities to minorities and women. He also noted that cuts in defense spending will probably cause reductions in the size of the National Guard. He said Lynn will work to get Illinois "a fair shake from the Pentagon and Congress."

Lynn joined the Illinois Army National Guard in 1955. He became chief of staff in 1984 and assistant adjutant general in 1988. Besides overseeing the state's military forces, Lynn breeds champion horses on his family farm.

During Holesinger's years as adjutant general (1983-91) the duties and size of the Illinois National Guard expanded. The focus was on recruiting, training, equipping and modernizing; and the guard went abroad twice: to Operation Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf in 1990-91 and to road building exercises in Honduras in 1986-87.

Governor announces AIDS task force

Gov. Edgar announced the names of a 19-member task force on AIDS in the health care system on November 13. Made up of medical personnel and the general public, the task force is studying issues related to medical professionals and patients who are HIV positive or have the AIDS virus. It will recommend how to identify, protect against and respond to HIV infection during health care procedures, how to notify patients and health care workers about exposure and how to disclose information regarding a health care worker's HIV-positive status. A report to Department of Public Health Director John Lumpkin is expected April 1.

Under Public Act 87-0763, signed by the governor October 4, the Illinois Department of Public Health must contact patients who have been exposed to HIV during surgery or other invasive procedures and notify health care workers who may have treated an HIV-positive or AIDS patient. The department must also conform to new guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control or risk losing federal health care dollars. Universal precautions were developed by the centers to prevent the spread of HIV. Health care workers who have AIDS or are HIV positive must have permission from an expert committee to continue performing invasive procedures, and they also must notify the patient beforehand.

A representative from the Midwest AIDS Training and Education Center, quoted in Illinois Medicine, said the risk of contracting HIV from health care workers poses "infinitesimal harm to the public." As of December 5 there were 216 Illinois health care workers with AIDS; 53 are nurses, 26 are physicians, three are surgeons, four are dentists and one is a hygienist. The other 129 are health care workers, such as physical therapists or lab technicians, who do not perform invasive procedures or who have no contact with patients.

Members of the task force are Dr. Cary F. Andras Jr., orthopedic surgeon, Jacksonville; Robert W. Back, investment banker, Wheaton; Dr. Chauncey Cross, dentist, Springfield; Dr. Anthony Dekker, family practice, Chicago; Dr. Jacek B. Franaszek, emergency physician, Hinsdale; Dr. Sarah Fredrickson, general surgeon, Hinsdale; Larry Hurley, hospital administrator, Danville; Dr. John Lantos, medical ethicist, Chicago; Paul Levy, University of Illinois School of Public Health, Chicago; Sharon Lyn, nurse, Lynwood; Carol Mason, infection control specialist, Winfield; Dr. Nestor Ramirez, pediatrician, Urbana; Nancy J. Rivera, executive director, Midwest Hispanic AIDS Coalition, Chicago; Anita Rindquist, housewife, Butler; Virginia Scott, administrator, Jackson County Health Department, Murphysboro; Ellen Stimson, active in public policy issues, Edwardsville; Dr. Howard T. Strassner, obstetrician/gynecologist, Chicago; Dr. Larry Von Behren, infectious diseases, Springfield; and Tuesday, David Wolfe, project director, Chicago Urban League.

Statewide forum to report on substance abuse

Gov. Edgar convened a statewide drug abuse forum October 16. Made up of experts who work on drug abuse prevention and treatment, it will report to the governor and the General Assembly early this year. Subcommittees are studying ways to educate, increase access of treatment to special populations and improve coordination of services. Lt. Gov. Bob Kustra and Department of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Director Jim Long are involved in the forum.

Subcommittee chairpersons are Robert Felner, director, Center for Prevention Research and Development at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Jackie Gardner, executive director, Illinois Prevention Resource Center, Springfield; Mark Godley, director of Research and Development, Chestnut Health Systems, Bloomington; Melody Heaps, executive director, Treatment Alternatives for Special Clients, Chicago; and Jewel Oates, director of the Women's Treatment Center, Chicago.

Department of Revenue assistant director

Renee Thaler was named assistant director of the Department of Revenue by the governor, effective November 6. Thaler, 42, of Northbrook works in the department's Chicago office. Previously she served as a member of the village of Glenview's planning commission and was employed by Transworld Exhibits. Her new job pays a salary of $63,004 and requires Senate confirmation. She replaced Bob Steere.

Federal judiciary

The U.S. Senate confirmed appointment of Joe Billy McDade on November 21 to a newly created federal district judgeship in central Illinois. Since 1982 McDade has been a circuit judge in Peoria County, the first African American to hold that position. He is a graduate of Bradley University, where he led the basketball team to the 1957 NIT championship, and of the University of Michigan law school. Earlier he worked for the U.S. Justice Department's antitrust division in Chicago and for the Greater Peoria Legal Aid Society. In his new position, created to relieve a court backlog, he will hear cases in Rock Island and Peoria.

Robert E. Wiss of the Chicago firm of Foran, Wiss and Schultz was appointed to the U.S. Court of Military Appeals in Washington, D.C., by President Bush. Wiss's swearing-in was scheduled for early January. A civilian body, the court functions for the military services much as the U.S. Supreme Court does for the civilian population. There is also a little-used path from the Court of Military Appeals to the Supreme Court.

Illinois judiciary: three seats up for 1992 election to high court

Illinois Supreme Court Justices William G. Clark, 67, Democrat from Chicago, and Thomas J. Moran, 71, Republican from Lake Forest, announced their retirements in December, effective next December 7. Both have

Continued on page 30.

28/January 1992/Illinois Issues

Names

Continued from page 28.

served as chief justice, Clark from 1985 to 1988, and Moran from 1988 to January 1991. Both were first elected in 1976 and are currently serving terms won by retention which end in 1996. Their early announcement allows candidates to file nominating petitions for the March 17 party primary elections with new justices elected in the November general election. Besides Clark's seat to be filled from the 1st Judicial District (Cook County) and Moran's from the 2nd District (northern Illinois), a third seat is also up for election from the 5th District (currently held by appointment by Joseph Cunningham after Horace Calvo's death).

The Illinois Supreme Court announced the following appointments, assignments, resignations and retirements. These include appointments to new judgeships created by Public Act 87-145 and several resignations for next December, which triggered the process for filling those circuit court judgeships by election.

Appellate Court

Eighth Judicial Circuit Judge Robert W. Cook of Quincy was assigned to the 4th District Appellate Court, effective November 18 until further order.

Cook County Circuit

Marvin P. Luckman of Skokie was appointed circuit judge, effective October 23, to fill the vacancy created by the death of Ronald Crane. Circuit Judge Franklin I. Kral, Chicago, resigned effective December 31. A supervising judge of the circuit, he has been a judge since 1962. Robert J. Collins has retired again after his assignment from retirement as circuit judge expired November 30.

2nd Circuit

Chief Judge Philip B. Benefiel of Lawrenceville resigned, effective December 31. A judge since 1968, he served as a member of the Judicial Inquiry Board.

4th Circuit

Circuit Judge Arthur G. Henken of Carlyle is resigning, effective August 1, after 30 years as a judge.

8th Circuit

M. Carol Pope of Petersburg filled the vacancy created by the resignation of Circuit Judge Lyie Lipe, effective November 22.

9th Circuit

Circuit Judge Richard C. Riple of Carthage assumed duties as chief judge December 1, succeeding Stephen G. Evans.

11th Circuit

The circuit judges appointed Livingston County State's Atty. Donald D. Bernardi of Pontiac as associate judge.

14th Circuit

Circuit Judge Robert Castendyck of Sterling is resigning, effective December 6, 1992. He has been a judge since 1978.

15th Circuit

Circuit Judge F. Lawrence Lenz of Oregon is resigning, effective December 6, 1992. He has been a judge since 1973.

16th Circuit

Associate Judge Richard J. Larson of Geneva was named to fill a new circuit judgeship, effective December 2.

18th Circuit

Associate Judges Robert Byrne, Peter Dockery and Ronald Mehling of Wheaton were appointed to new circuit judgeships, effective December 2. Robert K. Kilander, also of Wheaton, was appointed circuit judge, effective December 2, to the vacancy created by the resignation of Carl Henninger.

Associate Judge Margaret O. Coffin of Wheaton retired, effective December 15. She has been a judicial officer since 1985.

19th Circuit

Appointed to newly created circuit judgeships were Associate Judges Ward Arnold of Woodstock and Raymond McKoski and Henry Tonigan, both of Waukegan, effective December 2. Associate Judge James C. Franz of Woodstock was also appointed circuit judge, effective December 2, to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Roland Herrmann.

Term limits for Illinois legislators?

Proposals in Illinois to limit the terms of state lawmakers include a petition drive sponsored by a statewide coalition called Illinois Forum and a House joint resolution sponsored by Rep. Margaret R. Parcells (R-57, Northfield). Both would amend the legislative article of the Illinois Constitution. Another House resolution/constitutional amendment, also sponsored by Parcells, would limit the terms of the six statewide elected executive officers.

The Illinois Forum's petition initiative, launched last summer, provides that: "No person shall be eligible to serve as a member or be a candidate by either election or appointment to the General Assembly for more than 10 consecutive years or for terms or parts of terms which taken as a whole would exceed 10 consecutive years." The proposed amendment carries an effective date of "the second Wednesday of January 1995."

Former GOP state party vice chairman Robert S. Redfern of Fairfield chairs the forum, and former U.S. Rep. Daniel B. Crane of Danville heads its board of directors. Redfern describes the forum as "a group of conscientious people who wanted to see changes in government." Disillusioned with the state's legislative leadership, both Democrat and Republican, he sees term limits as unfortunate but necessary. "PACs [Political Action Committees] control government today. The only way to control them is to limit the terms of the people they control," he said. "You're not going to put limits on dollars. There are limits now, but they just keep finding new ways."

To get the amendment on the November ballot the forum must first gather 260,592 signatures of registered voters (8 percent of the

Continued on page 33.

30/January 1992/Illinois Issues

Names

Continued from page 30.

3,257,410 votes cast for governor in the 1990 election). The petitions must be filed with the secretary of state by May 3 (a Sunday). As of early December, Redfern was optimistic: "We have plenty of time. People are calling us. We are in most counties." He says he expects a big push after the holidays.

Rep. Parcells' HJR 20 would limit members of the General Assembly to five elections in the House and three in the Senate. A maximum stay in the General Assembly would be about 20 years: a decade in each chamber. Parcell said "elections" rather than "terms" were specified because members are sometimes appointed to fill unexpired terms. HJR 19 would put an eight-year limit on the terms of statewide constitutional offices (governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, treasurer and comptroller). In both proposed amendments, the limits apply whether or not terms are consecutive.

For joint resolutions/proposed constitutional amendments to get on the November ballot, they first require approval by a three-fifths vote in both the House and the Senate by early May (six months before the election). Parcells said the fate of the resolutions depends on House Speaker Michael J. Madigan (D-30, Chicago): "If the speaker doesn't like them, they will not be called." She says, "Candidates are hearing: 'Throw everyone out.' " She said she did not call her resolutions for a vote last year because "the movement was not big enough."

Richard Rue, executive vice president of the United Republican Fund, said the fund is backing Parcells' proposal for legislative term limits. "We are considering whether or not we should ask any candidate that we endorse for the General Assembly to sign onto that resolution," he said.

The Illinois League of Women Voters has not taken a stand on limits for state legislators, according to president Eleanor Revelle, but both the national and Illinois leagues oppose congressional term limits. Revelle said that with government as big and complex as it is, limits would reduce accountability and effectiveness and eliminate good legislators. "What we need is spending limits plus federal financing of campaigns," she said.

For a constitutional amendment to be ratified, it must be approved by either three-fifths of those voting on the amendment or a majority of those voting in the general election.

Barrington Hills to survey rare species and habitat

The village of Barrington Hills is the first in the state to take part in a program to help local governments locate endangered and threatened species and protect their habitat. A memorandum of understanding signed October 27 with the Department of Conservation commits the village to conduct a survey of these species and their potential habitat within its jurisdiction. The survey will take two years and cover 6,500 acres. It will count both plants and animals. After the survey is finished, the village will establish a management plan for each species. Ultimately paperwork to the state is reduced to an annual status report.

Yellow-headed blackbirds and sand hill cranes are two endangered species the village is already aware of, according to Robert Kosin, Barrington Hill's director of administration. Areas to be surveyed include Spring Creek Valley, partly owned by the Cook County Forest Preserve, and Flint Creek, which is under private ownership.

Amendments to the state's Endangered Species Protection Act (PA 84-1065), require state and local governments to send consultation reports to the Department of Conservation describing proposed projects. The department then has 30 days to determine if the project could harm an endangered or threatened species. Although it cannot prevent development, the department can tell officials how to minimize environmental damage: for instance, using buffers and special fences to protect heron/egret rookeries. About 2,700 reports have been received since the review process got underway in January 1991.

Brenda Edgar unveils Project HEART

On November 4, Brenda Edgar launched Project HEART, a program she has organized to recommend ways to streamline the adoption process. Project HEART (Helping to Ease Adoption Red Tape) was announced by her husband, Gov. Edgar, in his first State of the State address. The project will also work on increasing interest in adoption, creating partnerships with private sector employers to encourage adoptions and improving access to health insurance coverage for adoptive families and children.

Among the 370 children awaiting adoption on November 4 in Illinois, 67 percent were African American, 27 percent were white and 6 percent were Hispanic or of another origin. Sixty-six percent of adoptable children are boys, 78 percent have some disability or emotional problem, and 28 percent are age 6 or younger. While the parents of some of these children have voluntarily given up their parental rights, most have had their rights terminated by the court due to abuse, neglect or abandonment.

Children awaiting adoption are classified as either "special needs" or "non-special needs." The first includes Caucasian children over age 6 or minority children over age 3; children with physical, emotional or mental disabilities; and siblings who, under Department of Children and Family Services policy, must be placed together. Non-special needs children are characterized as minority infants and toddlers who have no physical, emotional or mental disabilities.

Continued on page 35.

January 1992/Illinois Issues/33

Names

Continued from page 33.

Stevenson heads Voices for Illinois Children

The Board of Directors of Voices for Illinois Children (VIC) named Nancy Stevenson chief executive officer, effective October 17. Stevenson, 57, of Chicago, will be responsible for extending the organization's advocacy goals statewide to communities, corporations and state government. She will also raise funds and serve as a liasion to the board. A member of the VIC board since 1987, she became chairperson in June; Roxanne Decyk replaced Stevenson as chairperson.

A statewide, not-for-profit advocacy organization, VIC deals with many issues but is particularly interested in children in high-risk categories due to poverty, discrimination or ill-health. VIC tries to foster what it calls "sustained support for change": building an understanding about the conditions facing Illinois children, creating an active coalition of community leaders, developing a collaboration among service providers and, at the final stage, monitoring those systems.

Chicago community groups attend international conference on urban safety

Two Chicago community organizations, the Logan Square Neighborhood Association and the South Austin Coalition Community Council, were represented at the Second Annual International Conference on Urban Safety, November 18-20 in Paris, France. Sponsored by government entities from around the world, the conference's primary focus was on drugs and drug-related crime, but mobilization of community groups was also discussed.

Eight Chicagoans were among the 50 from the United States at the conference, which drew an estimated 1,400 people from at least 40 nations. Members of the Logan Square group were Debra McCoy, board president; Nancy Aardema, executive director; Ivan Gonzalez, vice president and chairman, Crime Committee; and Alberto Trujillo, former vice president and chairman, Crime Committee. The South Austin Coalition Community Council was represented by Drug Committee Chairman Bennie Meeks. Jacki Feldman represented the National Training and Information Center. Also from Chicago were Austin District Police Commander Leroy O'Shields and longtime community activist Gail Cincotta.

Logan Square's McCoy noted basic differences among nations in responses to the drug problem: In the United States most programs and funds aim at enforcment and incarceration, while in other countries the drug problem is seen as a symptom of wider problems of poverty, lack of education and joblessness. McCoy said that while community groups are cooperating with the police, education will continue to be the main focus at the Logan Square Neighborhood Association, which represents about 9,000 residents with a 60 percent Latino population.

South Austin's Meeks believes that two factors account for statistics showing that the United States has the largest drug problem in the world: Other nations have limited the access to guns, and national health care aids efforts to track addicts and to enforce treatment. The South Austin Community Coalition holds marches, works with police on nontraditional methods of enforcement and sponsors community education projects. It also has a close working relationship with Austin Police Commander O'Sheilds, who, according to Executive Director Bob Vondrasek, coalition members hope Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley will select as the city's new police superintendent.

Sen. D'Arco convicted

State Sen. John A. D'Arco Jr. (D-10, Chicago) was found guilty in federal court on December 6 of attempted extortion and filing false income tax returns, both connected to $7,500 in bribes for introducing legislation in Springfield. D'Arco, 47, was charged as part of Operation Gambat, a federal undercover investigation into corruption in Chicago's first ward. Robert Cooley, a former friend and associate of D'Arco, testified in support of taped conversations from 1988 and 1989 during which he paid D'Arco to introduce insurance-related legislation in Springfield.

The conviction will require D'Arco to forfeit his Senate seat. He will also likely lose his license to practice law. D'Arco said he would appeal the conviction.

D'Arco was appointed to a vacant seat in the Illinois House in 1973 by his father, John A. D'Arco Sr., a veteran first-ward committeeman, and three other committeemen. In 1977 he won election to the Illinois Senate, where he served as an assistant majority leader. In the 1980 census, D'Arco's downtown Chicago district that includes the Loop, had the second highest percentage of families below the poverty line and the second lowest median family income.

D'Arco, a Chicago native, holds a bachelor's degree from Loyola University and received his law degree from DePaul University. D'Arco is a poet who has published a volume of poetry.

Staff contributors include Margaret S. Knoepfle, Jennifer Smith, Dawn Siefman and F. Mark Siebert

January 1992/Illinois Issues/35