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Sherman report leads to Trib story on Rauner appointments

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* Illinois’ Gender Balanced Appointments Act…

All appointments to boards, commissions, committees and councils of the State created by the laws of this State and after the effective date of this Act shall be gender balanced to the extent possible and to the extent that appointees are qualified to serve on those boards, commissions, committees and councils. If gender balance is not possible, then appointments shall provide for significant representation of both sexes to boards, commissions, committees and councils governed by this Act and Section 5-510 of the Departments of State Government Law (20 ILCS 5/5-510). If there are multiple appointing authorities for a board, commission, committee, or council, they shall each strive to achieve gender balance in their appointments.

Appointments made in accordance with this Act should be made in a manner that makes a good faith attempt to seek gender balance based on the numbers of each gender belonging to the group from which appointments are made.

* From Rob Sherman News “Brought to you by: Rob Sherman Airplanes - Builder Assist Center for builders of Zenith Kit Airplanes”…

Rob Sherman is challenging illegal sex discrimination by Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner.

The Governor has chosen to nominate only men to the Illinois Toll Highway Authority Board of Directors and to the Secure Choice Savings Board in violation of Illinois’ mandatory Gender Balanced Appointment Act, which requires that all Boards and Commissions be gender balanced to the greatest extent possible.

Rauner has nominated 6 men to the Tollway Board, thus creating an all-male 11-person board.

Yes, that Rob Sherman.

* Anyway, he managed to get the attention of a national feminist group…

The National Council of Women’s Organizations, a coalition of over 200 national, regional and local organizations, has joined Rob Sherman in opposing illegal sex discrimination by Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner in his nominations to State government boards. […]

In a letter that was intended to be dated yesterday, July 21, 2015, but which was dated June 21st due to an inadvertent typo, Martha Burk, the NCWO’s director of their sex discrimination project, urged “that these nominations be withdrawn, as they are in violation of Illinois law as well as basic principles of fairness and good government. Our organization stands ready to publicly oppose any nominations that do not adhere to both the letter and spirit of the law.”

I will be speaking at tomorrow’s (July 23, 2015) Tollway Board meeting, at which time I will ask that the illegally nominated Tollway Directors submit a letter to Governor Rauner, asking that their nominations be withdrawn so that the Governor can present a gender balanced set of nominees to the Illinois Senate for confirmation. I will tell the Board that their nominations are doomed, anyway, because the Senate is dominated by the Democratic Party, which is known for embracing and advocating for diversity. There is no chance that the Democratic Senate or the Democratic controlled Senate Executive Appointments Committee will confirm a Republican slate of nominees that illegally contains zero gender diversity.

The National Council of Women’s Organizations is most famous for its protests against the Augusta National Golf Club’s all-male policy.

* Anyway, the Tribune picked up on the story today…

The National Council of Women’s Organizations is charging that Rauner is violating the Illinois Gender Balanced Appointments Act. The 1991 law is aimed at equalizing representation on state panels “with a good faith attempt to seek gender balance.” It makes no mention of consequences for failing to comply.

The organization urged the nominations be withdrawn. The nominations “are in violation of Illinois law as well as basic principles of fairness and good governance,” the group said in a letter to Rauner.

Rauner administration response…

“Fifty percent of the members the governor has appointed or reappointed to the Tollway board are minorities, so to insinuate that the administration hasn’t made diversity a priority is misguided,” Kelly said Wednesday.

Rauner’s appointments bring the number of African-Americans on the Tollway board to two. Two members have Hispanic surnames.

Diversity isn’t the issue here, it’s the state statute on women.

We’ll see if this gets any legs. If past is prologue, Sherman may do something to step on the story and screw it up.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jul 23, 15 @ 12:36 pm

Comments

This is just another failed attempt by Mike Madigan and the Women he controls to serve the political class instead of the middle class.

Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, Jul 23, 15 @ 12:44 pm
Rob actually gets on the right side of a number of issues over the years.

Comment by nona Thursday, Jul 23, 15 @ 12:44 pm
Has Rob got a new mission in life?

Comment by walker Thursday, Jul 23, 15 @ 12:44 pm
One minute you are a teen idol on television’s “Here Comes The Brides”, and the next minute you are a political hack for “Here Comes The Grudges”.

Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Jul 23, 15 @ 12:53 pm
Having Rob on this issue does offer a fair amount of relief.

Comment by A guy Thursday, Jul 23, 15 @ 12:54 pm
Rob Sherman should team up with Joe Walsh.

Comment by Hedley Lamarr Thursday, Jul 23, 15 @ 12:58 pm
zzzzzzzz

Comment by William Thursday, Jul 23, 15 @ 1:02 pm
This is a very worthy discussion. If one thinks of this in the light that ensuring women around the WORLD are kept upwardly mobile and in positions of authority, it takes on an even bigger meaning. It is an American value that should be proudly promoted. Good job pulling the curtain up on it.

There are other regions in the world that do a good job disrespecting women, without doing it here in Illinois. (there is some good snark available here but it got the museum guy in a lot of trouble yesterday. /s)

It’s a state statute for heavens sake.

Comment by cdog Thursday, Jul 23, 15 @ 1:02 pm
As if a state statute has any meaning in Illinois. Balanced boards…..balanced budgets….they are all dispensable.

Comment by Michael Westen Thursday, Jul 23, 15 @ 1:05 pm
So the NCWO praises Democrats commitment to gender diversity because Pat Quinn appointed one woman to the Tollway Board.

Comment by Bored Chairman Thursday, Jul 23, 15 @ 1:05 pm
Maybe the governor needs to read a little about intersectionality. This is a great follow up to my question on #everydaysexism in a prior post…

Comment by It's A Trap! Thursday, Jul 23, 15 @ 1:08 pm
If Rob Sherman is serious, he’d team up with William J. Kelly…

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Jul 23, 15 @ 1:10 pm
Rauner administration response…

“We might not be racists, but we’re definitely sexists!”

Comment by Precinct Captain Thursday, Jul 23, 15 @ 1:10 pm
Superstar strategy: My female spokeswoman will respond to your gender discrimination criticism by talking about race.

Comment by Sue Ellen Mischke Thursday, Jul 23, 15 @ 1:11 pm
Shermans mission in life it to stir the pot and get attention for himself at everone else expense. But even a blind squirrel gets a nut sometimes.

Comment by Just a squirrel trying to get a nut Thursday, Jul 23, 15 @ 1:11 pm
Rauner’s people need to read a state statute.

ANY state statute, at this point.

Comment by Educated in the Suburbs Thursday, Jul 23, 15 @ 1:34 pm
Seems Rauner could use a “binder full of women.”

Comment by Justbabs Thursday, Jul 23, 15 @ 1:40 pm
Simple solution: Replace Tollway Board member Jim Sweeney with Jeanne Ives.

Comment by Emanuel Can't Thursday, Jul 23, 15 @ 1:47 pm
I was opposite of Rob on an issue a number of years ago. Counter to the media’s sometime portrayal of him, he was rational, realistic, polite and easy to deal with. I agreed with him on little but, to my surprise, ended up liking him a lot.

Comment by Southside Markie Thursday, Jul 23, 15 @ 2:08 pm
I thought all these rich 1%’s had binders ‘full of women’? How did Rauner get left out in the cold?

Comment by How Ironic Thursday, Jul 23, 15 @ 2:28 pm
If only he could negotiate with Franklin Graham alone he could get a deal done for women on the Tollway Board.

Comment by Michael Westen Thursday, Jul 23, 15 @ 2:41 pm
ck -

Women make up 50.9% of Illinois population.

I don’t think the word “minority” means what you think it means.

Comment by Juvenal Thursday, Jul 23, 15 @ 2:41 pm
How would not know, if one or more of the males appointed to the board, are transgender?

Comment by Apocalypse Now Thursday, Jul 23, 15 @ 3:17 pm
Kristi should have never been replaced either. What’s worse the replacement is clueless and I heard from a great source the board never interviewed him or anybody else. He was a appointment straight from Rauners office . At least the Dems interview to at least make the process look legit

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jul 23, 15 @ 3:47 pm
Goldberg left the binders full of women at anger management class.

Comment by Wordslinger Thursday, Jul 23, 15 @ 3:58 pm
If that’s true and the board never did interviews that’s another story , so much for shaken up Springfield and transparency

Comment by John Lestet Thursday, Jul 23, 15 @ 4:29 pm
Anon 3:47. Kristi wasn’t interviewed for the job either. Jack Lavin installed her. And I wouldn’t say her knowledge of construction was exactly stellar, even after 5 years with the Tollway.

Comment by Bored Chairman Thursday, Jul 23, 15 @ 6:02 pm
I don’t normally get bent out of shape just because all males land particular jobs. People ought to be able to hire whom they want if they hire the best fit. However, there is a LAW involved here. Didn’t the Governor place his hand on a Bible and swear to upload and follow our laws and statutes?

Comment by thoughts matter Thursday, Jul 23, 15 @ 7:31 pm
Bored Chairman However they did interview others my brother in law was one of them

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jul 24, 15 @ 8:05 am
From the Act “All appointments to boards, commissions, committees and councils of the State created by the laws of this State and after the effective date of this Act shall be gender balanced …”

I understand, and agree with, the goals of such laws and rules is intended to avoid unjust bias based on sex (or race or religion or whatever).

The problem I see in these sorts of things is the *forced* choosing of a certain gender just to keep the balance. This can lead to picking someone who is not the best qualified over all, but is the best qualified .

In theory, the NFL chooses the biggest, strongest, fastest linemen. The NFL isn’t required to have a certain number of women, or short people, or skinny people. They choose the best, period. No one complains about that.

Why is it that we, as represented by our governments, can’t be afforded the same option?

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jul 24, 15 @ 8:08 am