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* Lori Healey is widely respected and she’ll probably do a good job. But shake-em-up outsider she ain’t…
Sneed has learned Lori Healey, who organized the NATO/G8 summits in Chicago in 2012 and ran the 2016 Chicago Olympic bid committee, has emerged as the front-runner to head the powerful Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority — also known as McPier.
“She’s not only the front-runner, she’s a shoo-in for the job,” said a top Sneed source.
“Healey, who had served as Mayor Richard M. Daley’s chief of staff, is now CEO of Tur Partners — an investment firm founded by Daley and his son, Patrick.
Sneed is told the McPier board, which is comprised of nine members — eight of whom are selected by the mayor and the governor and whose chairman is Jack Greenberg — may vote on McPier’s new boss as early as next Tuesday.
* Meanwhile, a most definite shake-em-up former insider was just sworn into office…
[State Board of Education James Meeks], who is the pastor of Salem Baptist Church on Chicago’s South Side, sided with Rauner over Gov. Pat Quinn during the 2014 gubernatorial election.
Meeks said his main priority is finding more money for schools. But his appointment has already raised the ire of gay rights groups for his opposition to gay marriage. Meeks downplayed the rift.
“You can have all the assurance in the world that James Meeks is going to work hard for your kid to receive a proper education, for your kid’s school to be funded,” he said. “I’m also a Christian pastor. But I’ll still work hard for kids who are Jewish who go to public schools, kids who are Muslim who go to public schools. This is about ‘How do you help improve the public school system?’ ”
* And Illinois Review isn’t ecstatic about a longtime insurance industry executive and former aide to two GOP governors being appointed to run a major state agency…
One [Rauner] appointment raising social conservatives’ eyebrows is Felicia Norwood, who was named by the governor to be the new Director of Illinois’ Department Healthcare and Family Services. Norwood, who will lead the state’s agency focused on caring for Illinoisans’ health, is also listed on Illinois Planned Parenthood’s website as the current vice-chair of their board of directors.
* The headline and theme here are pure tongue in cheek. Despite all the campaign rhetoric about shaking things up, Rauner definitely needs top-notch managers and policy leaders whom he can trust.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 2:36 pm
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I see how no matter what you do and how you do it every faction that exists out there will have something to say about it.
Comment by Levois Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 2:41 pm
What other appointments coming soon? Seems like things are moving very slow .
Comment by 23 warder Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 2:43 pm
===Seems like things are moving very slow===
Measure twice, cut once. Be patient.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 2:48 pm
Someone’s happy and someone’s complaining about each of these appointments. That’s probably a very good sign.
Comment by A guy Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 2:50 pm
IR people complain about everything.
Comment by Team Sleep Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 2:56 pm
Just wondering if Jimbo will let the Gay kids go to school too, or if that is in conflict with his imaginary friend who floats among the clouds?
Comment by Del Clinkton Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 2:57 pm
Meeks is a good pick for education. He has always cared about that issue. His earlier stands on other social issues are not relevant to the office to which he had been nominated. Until proven otherwise, he should be able to take on 99.9% of that office’s responsibilities.
Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 2:58 pm
Tur Partners? What’s a Tur?
Is that some indecipherable Daleyism, like when he proposed a commission on Erections and Mounting to look into siting an Ev Dirksen statue?
Comment by Wordslinger Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 2:58 pm
Felicia Norwood is an excellent appointment. She’s a top-notch professional. My only concern is that DHS is a thankless position. It’ll be even more so during this austerity period we’ll see under Rauner. She’s too nice a person to be subjected to the BS she’ll get from the lunatics on both sides of the aisle.
Good luck Felicia!
Comment by Norseman Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 3:00 pm
Why does James Meeks always speak in the third person?
As for Ms. Norwood, who cares if she was on Planned Parenthood’s Board of Directors? The Director of HFS doesn’t have any say on the abortion issue anyway.
Comment by Demoralized Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 3:02 pm
Lori Healy is top notch, top shelf, great choice;
Lori Healy is an insider emeritus.
It’s their shop. Best of luck to all.
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 3:05 pm
Norwood is HFS…we are still waiting to see who is in at DHS (and I agree Norseman DHS is a thankless position which may be why it is last on the list).
My friends at HFS say the appointees coming in have enough sense to ask questions before actions are taken. That could be positive.
Comment by illilnifan Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 3:08 pm
==- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 2:58 pm:==
His “earlier stands on other social issues are not relevant” to this job? You are kidding, right? How can Meeks claim to support all children and students when he believes that some of them do not have validity as people, as human beings?
Comment by Precinct Captain Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 3:10 pm
What’s he going to do for kids whose gay parents are (shudder) married to each other? School personnel with same sex spouses?
Comment by Cheryl44 Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 3:23 pm
Jimbo? Imaginary friend?
I see gratuitous provocations here but this one is right up there.
Comment by dupage dan Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 3:26 pm
Choosing Meeks for the Board of Education is a terrible idea. His church does great work on the South Side, but he has shown himself to be a pretty ineffective leader in the political arena.
And he was asked about gay students; not Jewish students, not Muslim students.
Comment by PrairieFire Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 3:32 pm
It is fun to ding Rauner for saying one thing and doing another with his appointments, but I am glad to see him appointing people with government experience (although I can see why the LGBT community has an ideological problem with the Meeks appointment).
Comment by SAP Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 4:02 pm
Like Del, I remain extremely uncomfortable with Meeks in a position of authority in education. I just don’t like the idea of the position being filled with a religious leader. Too often, education and religion are in conflict.
And then there’s the fact that Meeks doesn’t seem to like gays or Jews (at least according to reports).
Of all the moves made by Gov. Rauner, the Meeks appointment is the one that stands out as disappointing.
Comment by Gooner Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 4:15 pm
Religion shmeeligion. Meeks is a former long time member of the IL senate & know his way around.
Comment by anon. Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 4:24 pm
–appointment raising social conservatives’ eyebrows –
Something social conservatives should understand is that Planned Parenthood’s efforts on birth control reduce abortions more than anything conservatives have actually done.
Special interest groups need to see the forest through the trees on these appointments.
Comment by Ahoy! Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 4:24 pm
Meeks claims respect for other religions, some of whom also dismiss gays as deviant or evil, yet doesn’t speak of gay students or parents.
Comment by Wensicia Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 4:34 pm
Team Sleep - The IR is irrelevant and they will do nothing but complain with each and every appointment. Unless one of there chosen North Siders get a cabinet spot they will wine and moan.
Comment by senior citizen of goverment Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 4:42 pm
Not a fan of the Norwood appointment.
Comment by econ prof Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 4:57 pm
Using the standards of recent governors, these are some good appointments. For a shakeup from the outside, not so much.
I prefer this approach, hiring political and government experience onto his team, even though it’s not really what Rauner was selling to the voters. That’s a good signal. Some of what he said to win was unworkable.
Comment by walker Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 5:13 pm
I would think somebody in a leadership position for education would have a little more of it.
Comment by Excessively Rabid Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 5:19 pm
Being “involved in education issues” and actually understanding public education and the challenges that this incredibly diverse state face are not the same thing. He was involved but does not understand. He does understand how to grandstand.
Comment by JS Mill Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 5:20 pm
Meeks is ridiculous. And a hater. Healey is very, very good.
Comment by Amalia Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 5:29 pm
Lori is a former DCCA coworker of mine. She’s smart and straight up. Don’t let any preconceived notions about the Daleys influence your opinion. She will do a fine job at McPier.
Comment by Arthur Andersen Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 6:18 pm
So Norwood spends most of her career at Aetna doing policy and legislation and will now run HFS. Aetna Better Health is part of the state’s managed care project (Integrated Care Program for older adults and adults with disabilities) in suburban Cook and collar counties. No conflict there.
Comment by zatoichi Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 7:48 pm
Zatoichi - everyone came from somewhere. And acquired their skills somewhere. If we disqualified everyone who acquired their skills and knowledge in an industry from serving in government related to their skill/knowledge base, we’d only have people in government who knew nothing.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 8:23 pm
The Illinois Review is wrong on so many counts, I don’t know where to begin. Doctors perform procedures of all sorts (not just abortions) in their offices, which are unregulated by HFS or Public Health. At most, the doctor’s license is regulated by IDFPR, which does not routinely inspect doctor’s offices, regardless of the type of procedures they do, including abortions. Most Planned Parenthood sites are operated as doctor’s clinics, only incidentally doing abortions. If the predominant activity in an office is surgical procedures, then it’s regulated as a surgery center, by IDPH. If the procedure is an abortion, then it’s regulated as an abortion cetner, by IDPH. Whether it’s doing abortions or some other surgical procedure, it’s rarely inspected by IDPH, unless there is a complaint.
So, to say that abortion centers haven’t been inspected regularly is a red herring. None of the doctor offices or surgical centers are inspected regularly, whether they do abortions or some other procedures.
And, of course, none of it is regulated by HFS.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 8:30 pm
All I can say is that I am way, way more impressed with this guy than I ever dreamed I would be when he was elected. Thumbs up, in general.
Comment by Skirmisher Wednesday, Jan 21, 15 @ 9:01 pm
How can Meeks claim to support all children and students when he believes that some of them do not have validity as people, as human beings?
He is a reverend. To make that statement, you have to forget what he has done for a living since adulthood. Your claim about his belief runs contrary to everything he has said and did, and says and does today.
To those who claim that education and religion does not mix, you are ignoring a millennium of schools being started by churches and ran inside churches. Many of our universities are rooted in churches. Harvard, Northwestern, Oxford - claiming that they do not mix is just plain stupid. They have never NOT mixed.
Stop the hysterics!
Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Jan 22, 15 @ 7:46 am
==claiming that they do not mix is just plain stupid.==
They SHOULDN’T mix is a better description.
Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Jan 22, 15 @ 7:58 am