Simon was an assistant Cook County state's attorney before her election to the Illinois House in 1956, where she sponsored the law that restricted wire- tapping of phone conversations. In 1993, President Bill Clinton appointed her to lead the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. She was reappointed in 1997.

"Jeanne had a passion and commitment to public policy and politics. She was a constant participant," says Dawn dark Netsch, a Democratic political ally who notes that Simon made it her mission to advocate for an expanded role for women in the political arena.

When Jeanne Hurley married fellow Democratic House member Paul Simon at the end of her second term in 1960, the couple made history. Never before had a pair of sitting Illinois lawmakers married. "The Simons continued to work as a team, and Jeanne Simon wrote a memoir about life on the 1988 presidential campaign trail called Codename: Scarlett. Along with her husband, Simon survived by a daughter, a son and four grandchildren.

Governor's prolege pleads 'not guilty'
Former Secretary of State Inspector General Dean Bauer pleaded not guilty to charges that he covered up misdeeds and quashed investigations in an effort to save then-Secretary of State George Ryan from political embarrassment.

Federal prosecutors last month delivered a six-count indictment against Bauer, making him the 29th defendant charged in a probe that has uncovered alleged corruption in five Chicago-area driver's licensing facilities, including a scheme to trade commercial truck licenses for cash. (See Illinois Issues, January 2000, page 36; November 1999, page 41; May 1999, page 37; and November 1998, page 35.)

Meanwhile, George Velasco, a former license facility manager, was sentenced for arranging bribes.

SHIFTS AT THE TOP
Linda Renee Baker now heads the Department of Human Services, pending state Senate approval. She had been director of the Department of Employment Security. Baker replaces Howard Peters III, who was the first secretary of the mega-agency.

Gertrude Jordan of Chicago is now director of the Department of Employment Security, pending Senate approval. She moves to that position after serving as assistant director of the Department of Central Management Services.

Matthew Bettenhausen, a former prosecutor with the U.S. attorney's office in Chicago, joined Gov. George Ryan's staff as a deputy governor overseeing criminal justice issues. Bettenhausen was with the U.S. attorney's office for 12 years. A spokesman for that office says Bettenhausen was not involved with the Operation Safe Road probe that has led to the indictments of 29 people in a scam to trade commercial driver's licenses for bribes during Ryan's tenure as secretary of state.

David Grossman, a retired FBI administrator, is the new inspector general under Secretary of State Jesse White. Prior to leaving the bureau, Grossman headed that agency's Chicago office. He spent three years working undercover as part of "Operation Graylord," an investigation of judicial corruption in Cook County. Grossman replaces Don Strom, who is now head of police at Washington University in St. Louis

Big People on Campus
Stuart I. Fagan will begin duties April 1 as the president of Governors State University in University Park. He succeeds Paula Wolff, who announced last July her intention to leave. Pagan was provost and vice president for academic affairs at Roosevelt University in Chicago.

Jack Beaupre is the newest member of the Governors State University Board of Trustees. Gov. George Ryan appointed the Kankakee-area lawyer and former state representative to fill the vacancy created by retiring board member Maria D'Amezcua. Beaupre's term is set to run until January 2005.

Scandal by number
Number of people charged as a result of Operation Safe Road: 30*
Number of current or former secretary of state employees charged: 18
Number of guilty pleas: 22
Number of people sentenced: 12
Number of driver's license facilities investigated: 5
Number of truck drivers investigators asked to be retested as a result of the investigation: 1, 214
Number who have retaken the test and passed all parts: 616
Number who failed part of the test: 255
Number of truck licenses canceled because drivers failed the test or didn't retake it: 242
Number who weren't invited to retake the test because their licenses had been revoked or suspended for some other reason: 13

Amount of bribe money that made its way into Ryan's campaign funds: $172, 000 Amount from campaign funds Ryan has donated to charity: $91, 000

Source: U.S. attorney's office and the secretary of state's office
* All figures as of mid-February

42 / March 2000 Illinois Issues

APPOINTMENTS
Mary Frances Squires, a Springfield Republican, was named to the Illinois Commerce Commission pending Senate approval. Squires, who has no college degree, could face questions about her qualifications. She resigned from the Sangamon County Board to take the position. Squires had been a member of the county board since 1984, and its chairwoman since 1995. She previously served the Commerce Commission as its director of legislative and intergovernmental affairs from 1983 to 1987. Her annual salary is set at $92, 448.

Ralph Gonzalez of Jacksonville is the new chairman of the Illinois Racing Board. Gonzalez has been on the board since 1984. His designation as chairman became effective in January. The governor's appointment does not require Senate approval.

Scott Turow, author of best-selling legal thrillers, including Presumed Innocent and Personal Injuries, was appointed to the State Police Merit Board. The Wilmette resident is a partner in the Chicago-based law firm Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal. He was an assistant U.S. attorney in Chicago from 1978 to 1986. The appointment requires Senate approval. Turow will receive $ 188 per diem for his work on the board.

WEBSOURCE
'Here comes the judge'
For many voters, casting ballots for judges comes down to a coin toss. But the Justice 2000 Web site at www.IllinoisJudges2000.com now offers information about judicial candidates, who are often less well-known to voters. The site was launched by the Illinois Civil Justice League. It includes maps of judicial districts, biographical information about candidates, details on candidates' campaign spending reports, responses to league questionnaires, summaries of news reports concerning judges and candidate ratings. The site will be continually updated through election day in November.

Beverley Scobell

OBIT Bob Collins
Chicago radio personality Bob Collins was killed last month when his plane collided with another in mid-air and crashed into a hospital in Zion, near the Illinois-Wisconsin border. He was 57.

His popular morning drive show on WGN combined news and talk, often including listener calls and frequent interviews with such public officials as Govs. Jim Edgar and George Ryan and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley

On the floor of the House, Republican Minority Leader Lee Daniels of Elmhurst said Collins' death "stabbed me in the heart.... He was an unabashed Republican, but on his show? everyone could speak their mind."

In 1984, Collins received the Illinois News Broadcasters Association Award. In 1999, he was honored with the AIR award for best morning show on a news, talk, personality or sports station.

Illinois Issues March 2000 / 43