Felice, Thies announce 3rd v.p. candidacies
The Illinois State Bar Association election cycle began a month early this year as a result of action to move the announcement date up from Nov. 1 to Oct. 1.
Two attorneys outside of Cook County already have announced their plans to seek the office of third vice president. They are Richard D. Felice of Wheaton and John E. Thies of Urbana.
The complete notice of elections that will be held next spring, along with the applicable rules, is published on pages 10 and 11 of this issue of the ISBA Bar News.
Eight contests are scheduled for seats on the Board of Governors. In Cook County, two incumbents who may seek re-election are Mauro Glorioso and Naomi H. Schuster.
In Area 1 (18th Circuit), incumbent Richard Felice has served the maximum number of years and may not run for another term.
In Area 3 (12th, 13th, 16th and 21st Circuits), incumbent Kim E. Presbrey of Aurora also has termed out and may not be re-elected.
In Area 4 (10th, 14th and 15th Circuits), incumbent Elizabeth L. Jensen of Peoria is eligible for another term.
In Area 6 (7th, 8th and 9th Circuits), incumbent Carl R. Draper of Springfield is eligible for another term.
In Area 8 (3rd and 20th Circuit), incumbent Dennis J. Orsey of Granite City has served the maximum number of years and may not be re-elected.
Anita M. DeCarlo is the eligible incumbent for her Cook County under-age-37 seat.
Twenty-three Cook County seats on the ISBA Assembly will be contested. Eight of the incumbents are ineligible for re-election due to term limitations.
In addition, each of the 13 affiliated law schools may elect a law student to a one-year term on the ISBA Assembly. To be eligible, a student must have completed one semester prior to the election.
An incumbent law student delegate, if otherwise eligible, may run for a second one-year term.
Filing period slated
Any ISBA member in good standing, whose dues payment is current on March 2, 2009, may seek election to a Board of Governors or Assembly seat in the appropriate geographical area.
Eligible candidacy is determined by the location of one’s primary legal office. Only a member who practices outside the state, but lives in Illinois, may use his or her residence address for eligibility.
Nominating petitions may be filed, at either the Illinois Bar Center in Springfield or the Chicago Regional Office, no earlier than Thursday, Jan. 15, and no later than 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17.
Candidates for third vice president are required to obtain 350 valid signatures statewide; for Board of Governors, 50 signatures from the area; for Assembly, 10 signatures from the area; for law student delegate, 10 signatures from the law school.
Nominations must be completed in writing with original signatures, and may not be submitted by e-mail or facsimile. Candidates will be listed on ballots in the order that their petitions are received.
Petition forms may be obtained from the office of executive director in Springfield by calling (800) 252-8908, sending a fax to (217) 525-0712, or e-mailing jhibbs@isba.org.
Ballots will be mailed by April 1 to ISBA members in good standing, and must be received at the Illinois Bar Center by the close of business on Monday, May 11.
Candidates who are elected will be seated during the ISBA Annual Meeting in June at The Abbey Resort in Fontana, Wis.