News September 2004

Murder boosts Statehouse security concerns

The fatal shooting of an unarmed security guard will alter the balance between access and security at the state Capitol.

"There has been an ongoing discussion here that actually preceded September 11, (2001) regarding the question of access to the Capitol and security for the people who work in and around the Capitol as well as all the citizens of our state and other states who visit the state Capitol," Gov. Rod Blagojevich says. "That debate is now over."

On September 21, the day after guard William Wozniak, 51, was murdered, the governor penned an executive order authorizing the use of metal detectors in the Capitol and surrounding state offices in Springfield. There was never a prohibition against the use of metal detectors, but the General Assembly had been unwilling to pay for the equipment.

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Poshard to head facilities panel
Former U.S. Rep. Glenn Poshard of Carbondale takes the reins at the reincarnated Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board, a state oversight panel under federal investigation.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich named Poshard chairman and appointed two other board members, ending a two-month hiatus for the panel that oversees health facility projects. The move establishes a quorum, allowing the panel to consider about 100 applications from nursing homes, hospitals and other treatment centers looking to add services, expand facilities or change management. Those efforts have been on hold since reports of a federal whistle-blower lawsuit surfaced in July.

Poshard, a Democrat, is joined by Pamela Woodward, a Palos Park Democrat, and Susan Lopatka, a Chicago Republican.

"These three individuals bring a critical understanding of our state's health care needs and a high caliber of personal integrity to the board," Gov. Rod Blagojevich said in a written statement. "They will provide the fresh start the board needs to reclaim the confidence of health care providers and the public."

The governor suspended board activities following allegations that a longtime board member helped a Chicago businessman extort a Naperville hospital. Lawmakers then dissolved the nine-member board, replacing it with a five-member panel that must adhere to stricter rules regarding conflicts of interest. Members also must have some background in health care.

Pat Guinane
Illinois Issues, September 23, 2004

New board appoints interim schools chief
Shortly after appointing seven new State Board of Education members, Gov. Rod Blagojevich named Randy Dunn of Chester interim superintendent of schools to replace Robert Schiller. Schiller resigned after taking a leave of absence in September.

Blagojevich signed a bill that granted him authority to replace seven members of the state board and then tapped Chicago lawyer Jesse Ruiz, who served as chief counsel to the Legislative Latino Caucus, board chair. Other new board members include Brenda Holmes of Springfield, who had served as Blagojevich's deputy chief of staff for education.

Dunn, a former kindergarten-12th grade teacher and faculty member at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, is on a one-year leave from his post as chairman of the university's department of education administration and higher education. 

Beverley Scobell
Illinois Issues, September 23, 2004

Gaming board members quit
Chairman Elzie Higginbottom stepped down from the Illinois Gaming Board as did member Violet Clark. The Ryan appointees' terms expired at the end of June. Higginbottom and Clark were among members voting this spring to award a license for a riverboat casino in Rosemont. That decision drew opposition from both Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Attorney General Lisa Madigan. The resignations of Chicago businessman Higginbottom and Clark, a Chicago attorney, leave the remaining board without a quorum.

Illinois Issues, September 1, 2004

Historic preservation director resigns
Maynard Crossland, director of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, turned in his resignation effective August 31 but offered no reason for that decision. Crossland, who had served in that position for more than two years, joined the agency at its inception in 1985 and prior to that had worked for the Illinois State Historical Library. His action precedes by about a month the projected opening of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library.

Illinois Issues, September 1, 2004

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Case summary of Operation Saferoad
(updated December 17, 2003)
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/iln/osr/osrcasesummary.pdf

Press release, the Ryan indictment
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/iln/pr/2003/pr121703_01.pdf

Read our analysis: George Ryan's political career

llinois Issues, December 17, 2003

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People

Reagan dies
Ronald Reagan, the only U.S. president born in Illinois, died June 5. He was 93. The conservative icon, plagued by Alzheimer's disease in his final years, was entombed near the Reagan Presidential Library in California. Thousands paid respects at the library, in Washington and, in Illinois, at Reagan's alma mater, Eureka College, his boyhood home in Dixon and at his birthplace in Tampico. Gov.  Rod Blagojevich renamed a stretch of  I-88 from Sterling to the Quad Cities as the Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway.

MORE information:
Illinois Issues OBIT-Ronald Regan
Ronald Regan Presidential Library
Eureka College

Illinois Issues July 8, 2004

Illinois Issues tribute to Paul Simon

Illinois Issues, December 10, 2003