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People                                                                          

Shifts at the top

James J. Stukel

James J, Stukel, chancellor of the University of Illinois at Chicago, will become the 15th president of the University of Illinois. Stukel was selected from a six-month nationwide search of 45 candidates and will begin his presidency on August 1, 1995.

Stukel was named chancellor of the UIC campus in 1991. He is a recognized authority on environmental issues and is a professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at UIC.

As president, he will lead the Chicago, Urbana-Champaign and Sangamon State campuses, including 61,000 students, 20,000 faculty and staff and an annual operations budget of $1.8 billion. He will replace Stanley O. Ikenberry, who will have served as the president for 16 years.

Secretary of state adds staff

Secretary of State George H. Ryan appointed Michael Chamness as director of driver services. The department, the largest in Ryan's office, oversees the licensing of nearly seven million Illinois drivers. Chamness, Ryan's director of communications since 1991, replaces Greg O'Connor, who left government for a private sector job.

Mike Murphy, who has been press secretary for Ryan since 1990, has been promoted to director of communications. Dave Urbanek is taking Murphy's place as press secretary. Urbanek has been a Statehouse reporter for the Arlington Heights Daily Herald since 1984. He was named state government editor in 1990.

Ryan also named other top staff:

•Kim St. Aubin, previously deputy press secretary, will be deputy director for programs and policies.

•Scott Wiseman, Ryan's executive assistant for operations and scheduling, will be deputy director for operations at driver services.

•Matt Sneyd, north division administrator for the driver services department, will be deputy director for field services.


Two more agency heads named

Ann Patia of Barrington was chosen by Gov. Jim Edgar to lead the Illinois Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities. She replaces Lynn Handy. Patia worked for DMHDD as a policy analyst for three years before working with organizations that serve those with developmental disabilities and mental illness.

Robert Foster was named director of the Department of Veterans' Affairs by Edgar. He had been deputy director of that agency. Foster served in the U.S. Army and the reserves from 1967 through 1991. He continues to serve the veterans' community as an active member of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and AM VETS. He is post commander of AMVETS Post 94 in Springfield.


Lt. gov. to head effort to save Illinois military bases

On March 1, the Department of Defense released a nationwide list of military bases that it believes should close. Three major Illinois facilities — Scott Air Force Base in St. Clair County, Rock Island Arsenal in Rock Island County, and the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Cook County — were spared in this round of recommended closures. However, the Melvin Price Army Support Center in Granite City and the Savannah Army Debot in Carroll County are slated to be shut down.

Gov. Jim Edgar appointed Lt. Gov. Bob Kustra to chair "Operation Salute," a multi-agency initiative to coordinate state resources to help Illinois communities present their arguments against closure before the federal Base Closure and Realignment Commission, which is chaired by former U.S. Sen. Alan Dixon of Belleville.


Illinois Senate loses 28-year member

Sen. Kenneth Hall, an East St. Louis Democrat representing District 57, died March 22. He had served in the Illinois Senate since 1971. He was a member of the Senate's Executive and Appropriations committees. Hall also was the Senate Democrats' caucus chairman. He began his legislative career in the Illinois House of Representatives in 1967.

Calling Sen. Hall a "true statesman," Senate Democratic leader Emil Jones Jr. said Hall was a credit to all lawmakers.

"He championed the cause of the underprivileged, and those who were disenfranchised," Jones said.


Banking executive to be technology coordinator

Mark W. Gallagher, a managing director of First Chicago Capital Markets, will work for one year "on loan" to help the Edgar administration coordinate the use of technology in education and government. Under the direction of Lt. Gov. Bob Kustra, Gallagher will be responsible for speeding up the use of technology for improving productivity in state agencies, for providing more computer experience for children in the schools and for bringing more jobs to Illinois.

Prior to joining First Chicago in 1986, Gallaher worked for the Bureau of the Budget.


New executive director at Capital Development Board

Samuel E. McGaw moves from deputy director to executive director for the Capital Development Board. McGaw was director of vehicle services and direc-

44/April 1995/Illinois Issues


People                                                                          

State representative and ex-tollway chief indicted, plead not guilty

State Rep. Jospeh Kotlarz
State Rep. Robert Hickman

State Rep. Joseph Kotlarz (left), a Chicago Democrat, and Robert Hicknum (right) of Springfield, former executive director of the Illinois Toll Highway Authority and long-time associate of Gov. Jim Edgar, were indicted on charges of conspiracy and theft of $240,000 of tollway money.

Kotlarz was charged by a DuPage County grand jury with three counts of theft and two counts of conspiracy. Hickman was charged with five counts of official misconduct, one count of theft and two counts of conspiracy.

The charges stem from a 1992 sale of 12 acres of property in Oak Brook along 1-88. According to the indictments, Kotlarz and Hickman conspired to divert $240,000 as a commission on the land sale.

Each of the men face a possible sentence of four to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $480,000. The charge of theft over $100,000 is a class one felony. Each of the charges is also probationable.

Hickman resigned as director of the tollway authority in April 1994 amid criticism of his procedure for awarding no-bid contracts, his management practices and his overuse of the tollway helicopter.


tor of purchasing at the secretary of state's office prior to joining the board.

McGaw replaces Roger Sweet, who was director of the Illinois Department of Revenue from 1987 to 1991 and now works for the Department of Transportation, division of traffic safety.


New executive director named to Illinois Liquor Control Commission

The Illinois Liquor Control Commission named Arabel Alva Resales as their new executive director. Resales, a top assistant to Gov. Edgar, served as executive assistant to the governor on urban and community affairs and as special assistant on women's issues and Hispanic affairs before that. Resales replaces Jack Dorgan, who left the commission to be House Speaker Lee Daniels' deputy chief of staff.


New executive director for arts council

Lori Spear Montana, who served the Illinois Arts Council from 1983 through 1990, is returning as its executive director. For the past four years she has been finance director for Citizens for Edgar. Montana has served as a board member of the Illinois Arts Alliance, the state's arts advocacy organization, since 1991.


Former Evanston mayor joins staff of IDES

Joan Barr, who served as the mayor of Evanston from 1985 to 1993, was appointed deputy director of the finance and administration bureau for the Illinois Department of Employment Security. Prior to joining IDES, Barr was assistant director of the Illinois Department of Revenue.


SIU Board of Trustees reappoints chairman

The Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees re-elected A.D. Van Meter Jr. of Springfield to his seventh term as chairman. Van Meter is a partner in the law firm Van Meter, Oxtoby and Funk, as well as chairman emeritus of Springfield's First of America Bank.

Molly D'Esposito and George T. Wilkins will continue as vice chairman and secretary, respectively. The board's executive committee consists of Van Meter, Wilkins and Harris Rowe, a brokerage firm executive from Jacksonville.


New director of government affairs for Chicago bank

LaSalle National Bank's Specialty Banking Group named Stuart J. Goodpasture vice president of public funds and director of government affairs. Goodpasture will work with state and local governments, special service districts and other tax-collecting authorities.

He spent two years as senior liaison officer with the U.S. Justice Department in Washington, D.C., before joining LaSalle. He was an assistant to the governor and served six years as a state trooper with the Illinois State Police.


Appointments

Gov. Edgar made new appointments to state boards and commissions.

Rural Bond Bank
• Mark H. Ferguson of Springfield, chairman of the board, CEO and president of Firstbank of Illinois.

Reappointments:
Juvenile Advisory Board to the Department of Corrections

• Les S. Peterson of Palos Park.
• Joseph E. Jurkanin of Jerseyville.

State Soil and Water Conservation Advisory Board
• Eldora W. Zimmerman of Durand.
• Roger K. Dunham of New Salem.

Wendy Langren and Beverley Scobell

April 1995/Illinois Issues/45

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